Theory Just what IS a draconequus?

[Widdershins 9,955]

 That's a question that's been bothering me for a while now. As I have plans to make my own persona of one, there is very little to go on what a draconequus actually is. From what we've seen of Discord he is clearly one of, if not THE most powerful being on Equestria. But I get the feeling we can't entirely trust completely in what Discord says, as he does seem the sort to grant himself titles of godhood or reinvent his backstory frequently to suit his whims in a very Joker-esque fashion. 

 

Have heard rumors that one of the semi-cannon books mention something about a whole race Discord once belonged to. But I find that somewhat dubious as this world is already taxed just trying to contain just one Discord.

 

My own headcannon is that draconequui are some sort of inorganic, inter-dimensional travelers not unlike the Planeswalkers of Magic the Gathering or the Q continuum that Discord was originally based on. Just that different dimensions have different rules of what counts as existence so a Draconequus has to keep replacing their body as they age eventually becoming a being of pure thought inhabiting a self-made chimera.

 

Look forward to your turns of logic! -WDRSHNS

[Concerned Bystander 2,901]

We know that he basically lives in his own dimension, which I imagine would be his place of origin.  By that rationale he's a being that doesn't belong in Equestria, but he is capable of moving between dimensions and has taken a liking to Equestria.

 

Discord was based heavily on Q from Star Trek, and so it's unsurprising that there are many comparisons to be made.  However, one could take the comparison between the two further and suggest that as Q is basically a multidimensional being that Discord is in fact Q.

 

I doubt that is the intention though.  The obvious conclusion is that he a chaotic spirit from a chaotic dimension that enjoys spending time in Equestria and disrupting things from time to time.  Given Hasbro's propensity to omit any kind of background to anything in MLP I fear we shall never find out much about his origins.

[Missklang 1,052]

My personal opinion is, that Discord is just Starswirl that lost his mind. And you saw that Discord's magic can transform living creatures and objects. So, perhaps there is no "draconequus" race. Perhaps he just magically altered his appearance to be the most chaotic possible, but ponies, who, like humans, like to rationalise everything, decided that he is a separate species, while he is ultimately a pony who altered his body with chaos magic.

[cider float 2,535]

A dragon horse? I suppose if there's going to be bug horses there can be dragon horses too but Discord is just so far removed from logic that he's probably the only kind of draconequus.

[cmarston1 5,951]

It would be cool if they show bothered to explain, but I highly doubt that is going to happen.

[Widdershins 9,955]

My personal opinion is, that Discord is just Starswirl that lost his mind. And you saw that Discord's magic can transform living creatures and objects. So, perhaps there is no "draconequus" race. Perhaps he just magically altered his appearance to be the most chaotic possible, but ponies, who, like humans, like to rationalise everything, decided that he is a separate species, while he is ultimately a pony who altered his body with chaos magic.

Hmmm, true. But we've never seen Discord outright, say, disassemble a pony have we? Just pick one up and pop off its limbs like he does so frequently with himself? Discord's forte seems to be mind magic, after all what's more chaotic then thoughts & emotions? We've seen him toy around with bodies, give longer legs to rabbits, more muscle and anger to a squirrel, to him that's like dressing them in frilly princess dresses and having tea. It's temporary and doesn't change the subject who they are intrinsically. Like, he can't make you do anything you wouldn't have already at least thought about. Like the genie from Aladdin, switching Abu through being a camel, an elephant, a car and whathaveyou. Make a monkey into a man, its still gonna think monkey. Maybe chaos magic has its limitations. Maybe a draconequus is something one is destined to ascend to.

A sort of antithesis to alicorns.

Like Joker falling into a vat of acid.

[cider float 2,535]

I suppose it could just be one of those things where people combine two different words to try and describe something with two meanings simultanously. I did have an example of this but afraid that it could sound insensitive.

Edited September 27, 2016 by cider float

[Missklang 1,052]

Grievousfan on Deviantart had created a pretty interesting theory about those strange beasts. Take a look, might like it.

 

The draconequui are one of the two primordial races, present in the universe since the universe itself was born. There are many theories about the creation of the universe; some say that the universe has simply always been here while others say that the universe goes through cycles of death and rebirth. One theory states that the current iteration of the universe was created by some incomprehensible force, and that this stage of the universe will eventually cease to be, destroyed by the  antithesis of creation. The theory states that the current universe will collapse into Nothing, from which it will be born anew.

Overview
The draconequus race embodies the metaphysical, or "that which cannot itself be touched". They embody philosophical concepts such as life and death, time and fate, chaos, and the subjective abstractions of good and evil. Their population is scant and limited compared to ponies'; currently only a few hundred exist, but this is made up for by their exceedingly long lifespans, fueled by their Spirits and the immense amount of inherent magic each draconequus possesses.

The draconequus homeworld of Vanaheim exists in a binary system, orbiting the same star as the alicorn homeworld of Elysium. Vanaheim and Elysium are the oldest surviving worlds in the current cosmos, and are two of nine other realms. Of all the other realms, draconequui are only native to Vanaheim; travel between worlds is made possible by the race's ability to open wormholes in space. In ancient art, draconequui have often been mistakenly portrayed as dragons, and have inspired many mythologies and theories about the inner workings of the cosmos.


Appearance
For however varied outward appearance is from one draconequus to the next, most draconequui follow the species standard of a horse's head and a draconic physique, with bodies made up of different parts of other animals. The outward appearance of a draconequus depends entirely on what they represent; they may have the typical physique of a Western dragon, or they may have no limbs at all. Some may have many limbs or no wings, and some may manifest with two heads. As of yet there have never been any instances of twins, although opposing forces, as well as two draconequui who embody the same Spirit, will usually have similar appearances.


Spirits and magic
Each draconequus is a vessel for the literal Spirit of what they embody. The Spirits themselves appear simply as glowing, floating orbs; inside a vessel the Spirit is interwoven with the heart, pulsing with each beat and fueling the draconequus' immense stores of magic and long lifespans. The Spirit and a draconequus' magic are two entirely separate entities; if a draconequus is drained of their magic the Spirit will remain untouched, though without the aid of their magic the more "physically impossible" draconequui would have difficulty getting around.

A draconequus' outward appearance is the tangible manifestation of the Spirit they possess. It is possible for Spirits to split into pieces to create multiple embodiments for the same metaphysical concept; the most possible of any one Spirit is three, before the Spirit is overwhelmed by the draconequus' magic. If the Spirit is to split again after three, the oldest draconequus of that Spirit will suffer what is comparable to cardiac arrest and die. Since a draconequus' body is only a projection of their Spirits, upon death their bodies will simply dissolve into nothing. Separation of the Spirit from the host vessel results in the immediate death of the vessel; in the past there have been greedy draconequui who have attempted to steal the Spirits of other draconequui who share their Spirit, to add to their own power. A whole Spirit is exponentially more powerful and renders its host draconequus immortal; if the Spirit is fated to be split in preparation for a second vessel, the draconequus in possession of the whole Spirit will feel a sharp pain in their chest. When next the draconequus sleeps one portion of the Spirit will leave them, to be subsequently retrieved by the Reaper and delivered back to the embodiment of Life. There it will gestate and form a new vessel for itself.

Draconequui whose Spirits have split are mortal, but may live hundreds of thousands of years; over time their connection with their Spirits will simply become weaker. If there are two draconequui in possession of the same Spirit and one of them dies, either the Reaper will deliver the Spirit of the deceased vessel back to the embodiment of Life, and from there the Spirit will stay and gestate (if it is fated that it will be reborn within a decade), or the Spirit will go to the draconequus who holds its other half. Spirits not fated to be reborn are drawn to the draconequus who holds its other half like a magnet and don't need to be delivered; the draconequus will awake the next day feeling refreshed, and will be rendered immortal.

All Spirits exist in pairs of opposing forces, and oftentimes end up drawn to each other like it was fate. Interactions between opposing Spirits can range from romantic to all-out war on each other; wars between two whole Spirits have decimated entire worlds. A draconequus' magic is most effective on its opposing force, and largely ineffective on another draconequus who shares the same Spirit; two Chaos Spirits at war would result in a stalemate, and would be similar to trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

The Spirits of Chaos and Harmony are anomalies; Chaos manifests as a draconequus, while Harmony manifests as an alicorn and must be born to an alicorn parent. Harmony's vessel is capable of containing the physical forces which draconequui's bodies are unable to, to maintain harmony on worlds, and Chaos is capable of bending the laws of space, time, and the universe itself in opposition of everything Harmony represents.

Draconequui are capable of containing only the Spirit they manifested from; the only exceptions to this rule are Life and Death, who are capable of carrying multiple Spirits at once.


Abilities
To simplify: Alicorns control and cause to happen, while draconequui manage forces already present. The state of a draconequus' being makes them incapable of containing the physical forces the alicorns embody. A draconequus may be able to move the Sun over Gaia but it will behave differently depending on the draconequus' inherent magic; Death would receive no response from the Sun, but the Spirit of Chaos would cause the Sun to behave erratically.

Draconequui's mere presence could influence other beings and/or the immediate area, depending on what they represent. Chaos is capable of remaking entire worlds into whatever they wish them to be; Death would generate feelings of unease, and Time might inspire a sense of urgency when there had not been one previously. Aside from their God-like magical powers, draconequui are capable of opening passageways to other parts of the universe out of thin air, and use these to get around the cosmos. Draconequui draw power from being exposed to that which they represent; a Chaos in a world of Harmony still possesses extraordinary magical ability, but in a world overtaken by chaos the same draconequus would grow exponentially more powerful.


Reproduction
Simply put, draconequui do not reproduce amongst themselves. All new draconequui are born from the embodiment of Life, Vita, and live with her through their infant and toddler years. Pups are born live and are typically able to open their eyes within hours of birth, and learn to walk in their first few weeks or months, though pups with many or disproportionate limbs often take longer to learn. Pups may be born individually or in small litters, and can come in a wide array of shapes and sizes.

Draconequui age differently from ponies; pups are considered infants until the age of five years, their toddler years being between the ages of five and ten. Through the first ten years of their lives pups will learn to talk and control any magical outbursts. Pups do not nurse, nor do they need to eat or drink until they leave to live with their predecessors; they receive all the nourishment they need from being in close proximity to Vita and absorbing her magic. Vita herself doesn't need to eat but she often will around the pups when they're within a year of leaving; the pups will begin to imitate her and start feeding themselves, and Vita will begin to wean them off of her magic.

When draconequui die, their soul ascends to the astral plane and their bodies dissolve into nothing, but their Spirit lingers in the physical world, waiting to be reborn. The Reaper, Mortimer, will come to retrieve Spirits of deceased draconequui and take them back to Vanaheim; once there he will pass the Spirit back to Vita (they both consider it an extremely private and intimate process unworthy of prying eyes). Spirits on worlds consumed by Oblivion will escape Oblivion himself to get back to Vita; the Spirit will return to the last place their host vessel knew (even if the last place they knew is now empty space), and will wait there until Mortimer retrieves them. Reincarnated Spirits will have no memory of their previous incarnations, but may often experience deja vu in places they've never been or situations they themselves have never been in.

Draconequui frequently pair off with members of other species; if the pair conceives a child the child will be of the other species. Draconequus and alicorn pairs are by far the most common.


Hierarchy
The hierarchy between draconequui who share a Spirit is best described as, but is really in no way similar to, a monarchy. Typically there are "kings/queens" and "princes/princesses" for every Spirit; predecessors are those who are knowledgeable in that which they represent, and are charged with passing on this knowledge to successors when their successors come of age. Much of the time predecessors are retired from their practices, but some either work alongside their successors or are unwilling to relinquish their thrones, while the more power-hungry predecessors may try to kill their successors. A draconequus practicing their magic on other worlds is referred to as the "Acting Spirit" (i.e., Discord is the current Acting Chaos).

Predecessors have refused to tutor their successors before. In these instances the pup will stay with Vita for as long as it takes to find a suitable substitute mentor, which could very well be until the pup is able to go live on their own. Vita will first look to the predecessor's opposing Spirit, and if they show interest will entrust the pup to them.
Successors by and large learn on their own, and are guided by their Spirits. Their predecessors/mentors offer guidance, but ultimately a successor's practices will be indistinguishable from those of their predecessors.

Not every draconequus will have a successor in their lifetime; some draconequui will be long dead before their Spirit manifests again. Some draconequui simply grow weary of existing, or at worst are driven mad by the long years; in these instances Mortimer steps in and provides them merciful relief.


Royalty
Vanaheim is ruled by the four draconequui of Life, Death, Time and Fate. Life and Death reside in a sprawling gothic cathedral in Vanaheim's largest metropolis. The cathedral features two towers on the south side; Vita lives in the east tower with her pups, and Mortimer resides in the west tower. The towers are off-limits to visitors to the cathedral except by invitation. The main hall of the cathedral is open to visitors and petitioners; Vita holds open court every day from 10am to 2pm to hear propositions and grievances from the inhabitants of Vanaheim, but otherwise spends most of her time in her tower with her pups. Mortimer spends the majority of his time ferrying souls on the astral plane and seldom leaves his tower, but on the rare occasion may attend court with Vita.

Chrono lives in a massive clocktower on the north side of the city, and leaves his tower even more rarely than Mortimer does. Here he manages the sand upon which is recorded every moment of the cosmos and which manifests inside the uppermost reaches of his tower; the sand falls down through the clocktower, powering the mechanisms which drive the tower's clock. From the clocktower the sand falls down into the deep, underground chamber of the Oracle, melting to form the enormous, glass ball on which she sits and from which the fates of all things are written. Visitors to the Oracle's chamber must be invited, and are led down to meet her by Chrono.

Chrono's clocktower has become something of a sightseeing attraction. No visitors are allowed inside unless summoned, but this, and the stipulation of an invitation being required to see the Oracle, hasn't really stopped the more brash draconequui from intruding. Uninvited guests inside the clocktower are simply removed; uninvited guests to the Oracle are never heard from again.




~~~~~~~~~

[Goat-kun 2,495]

At the beginning of time, a divine jester accidentally broke some clay animals and decided to put them back together. He named the masterpiece Discord who became his harbinger.

 

Nah! Draconequus happened when Lauren Faust decided to make a dragon horse without knowing that longmas exist. I do suspect that he’s a one-time creation that exists without lore.

[Missklang 1,052]

@@Goat-kun,

 

I think it's better that she created a Draconequus race. Longmas are basically the same thing as Dragon-ponies...  

[Goat-kun 2,495]

I think it's better that she created a Draconequus race. Longmas are basically the same thing as Dragon-ponies... 

Guess her lack of information was actually a good thing. I too am of the opinion that longmas aren’t suitable to represent chaos spirits.

[Missklang 1,052]

@@Goat-kun

 

Me, I think more that much like in the movie "Rise of the guardians", the "spirit" of something is chosen by something to represent the force. Much like with the elements of harmony, but they seemed not yet ascended into their immortal spirit of Laughter/Creativity Generosity/Kindness/Loyalty/Honesty  except for Twilight, but I'm not sure anymore. Starlight seems much more magically-gifted. But hey, that's just a theory. A game theory! A headcanon mlp theory!

[Widdershins 9,955]

Yeh, like to think of longmas as the rightway of a dragonhorse. Like how there ARE mermaids with the top half being fish instead, but we don't hear about them because they ain't quite as photogenic for movies, hee! Course now i'm confused where dragonponies fit in, but I digress!

 

Did love Greviousfan's headcannon, might work out a bit for Widdy here, though I wouldn't want to Confuse the matter. Ee-hee! 'Course, all of that rigamarole sorta sticks it to the whole Starswirl theory, though maybe we can stuff it back in there with the excuse that he's a sort of ascended/crafted/psuedo- Draconequus. Maybe that's what happens with Cadence & Twilight, a sort of sharing of the alicorn Spirit, a passing of the crown of sorts.

.....Humph, then there's lil' Missy Boat-Wings....

 

Like to think each dimension/world has its own native draconequus. A hostile takeover of others of its kind with interdimensional powers, a manipulative chaotic personality,  a long body with yellow eyes, and often, curved upright horns? Sounds somewhat like a certain Nicoli Bolas from the MTG franchise! Maybe Hoopa from the pokemon world too! And as for Equestria's...well, think we all know of one particularly pink pony with suspicious, undefinable powers!

 

Also! P.S: Whos an adowable widdle Anti-Cwist? You is! Aren't you widdle Goat-Kun!

[woodgazer 71]

I wonder how the mailpony entered Discord's dimension to deliver Discord's gala invitation? Superpower?

[Widdershins 9,955]

I wonder how the mailpony entered Discord's dimension to deliver Discord's gala invitation? Superpower?

 

Well, think they mentioned in the episode that the invitation was late. Looks like he stumbled in and was floating around for "days" before Discord ever cared to notice. Which does bring up the question as how any random normal pony can waltz right into the pocket dimension of of an Ornery Deity without its permission. Most likely by accident,random portals DO seem to be the Modiius Operanti for Chaos Magics. It is entirely possible, if you open one of the doors in Fluttershy's cottage one too many times a portal opens up instead and sucks you in. Hmmm...does this mean things can come out?

[Widdershins 9,955]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f674btmpQ8A

 

AH-HA-HAA! You heard Mr.Recolor! The DOOR IS OPEN! SWARM MY BRETHREN! SWARM AND THE WE WILL have very little impact on canonical events.

[Missklang 1,052]

@@Widdershins,

 

It seem very appropriate that when a chaos being does something cataclysmic... and it does very little to nothing,and then he sneezes and the mountains start to erupt liquid cotton candy and trees start abducting ponies. Because it's only chaotic and scale doesn't really matter x3

[LyricaDreamy 42]

Starswirl being Discord is like the Hero of Kvatch (from Oblivion and Skyrim) being Sheogorath.

[Missklang 1,052]

@@LyricaDreamy,

 

Depending when you decided to play the Shivering Isles DLC, the Hero of Kvatch either becomes Sheogorath, or allready was Sheogorath. So, still does work. 

[Connie 319]

draconequus is me

draconequus is you

draconequus is us

[Widdershins 9,955]

Starswirl being Discord is like the Hero of Kvatch (from Oblivion and Skyrim) being Sheogorath.

  Ahhh... that sounds more like the video game referencing Shoggath from Lovecraftian mythos. Sheogorath=Shoggoth, seems far too similar to not be a reference. T'were I making a vidja gam-e I'd do the same!

 

 

draconequus is me

draconequus is you

draconequus is us

 Draconequus is aaaall of us! We are all one in the same! Hive-mind! Hive-mind! K'iel Narak! Fr'thun K'th'tc Shoggoth T'kun! Kar lok Amanare Thorje! Uglin bor YOR!! RETH RETH RETH!!!

 

  ...Ow. Went insane again there.

[Lil Pip 775]

Well, think they mentioned in the episode that the invitation was late. Looks like he stumbled in and was floating around for "days" before Discord ever cared to notice. Which does bring up the question as how any random normal pony can waltz right into the pocket dimension of of an Ornery Deity without its permission. Most likely by accident,random portals DO seem to be the Modiius Operanti for Chaos Magics. It is entirely possible, if you open one of the doors in Fluttershy's cottage one too many times a portal opens up instead and sucks you in. Hmmm...does this mean things can come out?

Maybe he got there because of a letter-delivery cutie mark lead him to it through a painstaking search.

[cider float 2,535]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f674btmpQ8A

 

AH-HA-HAA! You heard Mr.Recolor! The DOOR IS OPEN! SWARM MY BRETHREN! SWARM AND THE WE WILL have very little impact on canonical events.

What? Discords upper side does look like a pony. The black mane, that gray portion looks like a part of a pony's neck and head. The ears he has is very pony-like. And the hoof part not sure if it's pony or not. The lion paw is the other thing that comes to question. As for the talon, dragons do have similar features with birds and the talon is on of them.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

A draconequus is whatever it wants to be.

 

No, for serious. Discord changes size, shape, color, at will. His appearance is likely exactly what he wants to display right now.

 

As for what he *is*, my own headcannon is based on the fact that when they discovered that they could really get John DeLance to do the voice that Discord was really meant to be a MLP-equivalent to Star Trek's Q. Star Trek and Doctor Who have a long history of having transcendental extra-natural entities such as the Q, the Celestial Toymaker, Trelane, Eternals, Bajoran Prophets, etc. In fact, a group of them in Doctor Who are called 'The Pantheon of Discord'...

 

So Discord is one of them. The fact that it's the wrong franchise is not an impediment to such a creature.

[Silver Letter 1,830]

I always just went by the episode, "Return of Harmony" in which it was said that Discord is a spirit. I left it at that. If he's a spirit, then he has no body since that implies an ethereal existence. That also means that the season 6 ending makes no sense as if the chaos magic of Discord was to be eliminated then Discord himself should cease to exist at least for the time being. Whether there are others like Discord is debatable perhaps. It could just be that Discord is so powerful that is presence exists as far as his magic can reach. The magic is widespread and can take on many forms. Also, the only place where one might find a unified Discord would be in the chaos realm, a place that's like the opposite of the physical space of Equestria, where matter is transient.