[Disclaimer] I used the name “Kirin” as a tag for Bat Ponies for us rather relating them to dragons than bats, as other tags like Thestral had already been claimed by the Bat crowd. Long before the show canon MLP Kirin. These are just for own RP purposes, so I shall continue calling them Kirin with no relation to the MLP Kirin [/disclaimer]

All right, have some old notes I made for RP use, based on bat pony headcanons I squished together to my own thing.

First of I only use the term Bat Pony as easy recognizable name whenever talking out broadly about this pony type, but in my headcanon I consider it a racial slur towards them in my RP-verse. As, despite the wings, they don’t seem to relate to bats and more to dragons considering their reptile pupils.

Personally I go by the name Kirin for this pony type. Just as some use the word Thestral instead. Kirin is an old Asian mythological creature which was described as half dragon and half deer. A hoofed creature with dragon traits. I found it fitting.

I also, as you see up in the notes, made a difference in Kirin breeds. They originated as ‘Dragon Kirin’, which still exist but in smaller numbers they live on a collection of islands known as the Dragon Isles or Dragon Kirin Isles, where they haven’t mixed with other ponies because the place is far from Equestria and not considered proper Equestrian territory. It’s found in seas belonging to some gryphon territories, but kept from being claimed by the big cat-burds as the Dragon Kirins like to make it clear claiming their isles ain’t worth the trouble.

Equestrian Kirin came from the original kirins who immigrated from the gryphon territories and into Equestria, where breeding with the other pony tribes and adjusting to the different environment have created a sub-species that most recognize as Bat Ponies.

Further Headcanons:

• NOT related to bats, but got dragon ancestry.
• Equestrian Kirins are omnivores, and need meat in their diet although some can choose to go vegetarian as long they watch their diet to still get proper amounts of protein.
• Equestrian Law forbids hunting and slaughter of animals, so the Kirins must survive on meat imported from the GRyphon Kingdoms or other places where carnivores thrive.
• Their origin is from ponies in the past breeding with dragons and the offspring finding one another in search of kindred spirits, which lead to the kirin slowly becoming a species.
• The original pony ancestors were pegasi and unicorns, giving least relation to earth ponies. A mixed couple of kirin and earth pony will find it very hard to make offspring together and in the rare cases it happens the foal is always earth pony carrying no genes that could lead to birth of a kirin later on in its bloodline.
• Kirins, especially Equestrian Kirin, is a sub-species and so in most cases the kirin genetics are recessive in mixed couples, meaning in only very rare cases kirin couples can end up with a unicorn or pegasus foal, where pegasi and unicorn couples carrying the kirin genetics can have a kirin offspring.
• Kirin share some instincts with dragons, such as hoarding and living in caves and some streaks of greed.
• Nocturnal by nature from ages of hiding in dark caves and only hunting at night, as a shy species in small numbers and trying to avoid prejudiced by avoiding other sentient creatures all together.
• The wings much tougher than pegasi wings and with the nature of living in caves have combined to learn techniques where they can cut and carve through rock with the wings.
• Tradition for amazing rock carving architecture, the old cave colonies a testimony of the art of carving rock (I plan to sketch some examples one day).
• There are tension between gryphons and kirin, as the use of Bat Pony as racial slur originated in the gryphon kingdoms, and some shared history I am debating to add too, one day.
• Vamponies, Vampire Fruit Bat Ponies, Flutterbats and so on are not related to the kirin.

Welp, these are my ideas I’ve wanted to share for a while now. Let me know what you think, feel free to borrow from this if you wish. Enjoy!

Sub-Breeds:
Silver Kirin by Ravenpuff

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