species [Lore] Zebras

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Zebras - Unyasi's Unique Inhabitants

 

 

The existence of Zebras has been known for quite some time, but it was only recently that any studies into their culture has been conducted. Zebras share the stocky, strong build of their earth pony kin, being differentiated most strikingly by their stripes. In addition, zebra tail hair grows naturally short, only growing longer at the tip, where it forms the characteristic zebra tuft. Stripe patterns and colors are as diverse as their pony cousins, though they usually lean towards more subdued colors.

 

The Zebra homeland, Unyasi, is largely unsettled and untamed. Letting nature run its course is a general theme in Zebra culture, encompassing everything in their worldview from dwellings to education to lifestyle habits. Native Unyasan Zebras are just as strong as Equestrian earth ponies and often just as astute at reading the earth. Their down to earth nature and their preference for natural surroundings leads many to settle in out of the way locations on the Equestrian mainland, away from large cities and controlled weather areas.

 

Many zebras find their talents in potion brewing, dye making, and healing remedies due to the plants around them in their home being so crucial to their daily lives. Zebras of a young age learn all about the great magic that flows through the ground, and everyone that shares it. Zebras earn their cutie marks in the same manner as ponies: discovering their unique destiny that ties into their talents.

 

Native Unyasan is its own language, but most zebras have picked up Common Equestrian over years of interactions with ponies. It is a misconception that all zebras speak in rhyme, though some might chose to do so as rhyming, rhythm, and song are pillars of their ancestral culture.

 

Zebras bring a love of nature and their own unique cultural flair to Equestria. While their native tongue and their nature-focused lifestyles clearly differentiate them from their Equestrian cousins, they share the same desire to spread harmony and forge lasting friendships.

~Encyclopedia Equestria