Aren't those sphinx? They're pretty much the same thing, really. The Lammasu is the Sumerian or Akkadian version, and the Sphinx-with-wings is the Greek version, and the Egyptian ones don't have wings.
So I've been wondering of late as to whether or not we'll see any new pony breeds. I went searching through databases of mythical horses to see if any were different enough to be included. Mostly, it's meh but there might be some that are different enough. "Sea" Horses (seem the most likely to show up out of nowhere to me) Centaurs (would probably just be too creepy to include) A race of Sleipnir-esque hexapodal ponies might be interesting but I figure the extra hooves would have to relate to something other than speed) Or technologically/socially superior Houyhnhms (i imagine a steampunk canerlot society showing up one day) I don't know; just some ramblings I've had.
So I've been wondering of late as to whether or not we'll see any new pony breeds. I went searching through databases of mythical horses to see if any were different enough to be included. Mostly, it's meh but there might be some that are different enough. "Sea" Horses (seem the most likely to show up out of nowhere to me) Centaurs (would probably just be too creepy to include) A race of Sleipnir-esque hexapodal ponies might be interesting but I figure the extra hooves would have to relate to something other than speed) Or technologically/socially superior Houyhnhms (i imagine a steampunk canerlot society showing up one day) I don't know; just some ramblings I've had.
You should instead be looking for magical beasts of greek mythology. Chimera still has not appeared, although Discord may be loosely placed in that category.
You could say that the antagonist for the Daring Do series was some sort of amalgamated creature with his prehensile hand. he reminded me of a lion/monkey/snake mixture but not a true chimera.
"Sea" Horses (seem the most likely to show up out of nowhere to me)
Seaponies were a thing in previous generations (going so far as to appear in the G1 pilot, Rescue at Midnight Castle) but I think- and I could be misremembering here- Lauren Faust said that seaponies won't appear in FiM.
Princess Mia More' Credenza? I thought Shining Armor was marrying Princess Cadence...
The plot seems to be that Twilight discovers there is something fishy about the bride and has to stop it. I bet Princess Cadence is the real bride who is good, and Mia More Credenza is the bad guy.
Mi Amore Cadenza is her full name. Cadance is her nickname.
Can't wait for the season finale to be in HD hnnnngh. Probably some of the coolest character designs in the show so far, and some of the best action too. Only thing that disappointed me was that, like with Discord, the problem was solved a little too quickly at the end. Though, to be fair, the episode was running out of time by that point and they still had to do the denoument. I wouldn't have traded (much of) the main action setpiece of the episode for more elaboration that would only have been of interest to us worldbuilding nerds anyway.
And now, ze spoilers:
So how 'bout dem changelings? Also, further proof that to Hasbro, Queens = Evil.
Kind of disappointed the Queen of the Changelings didn't get a proper name. For a character design that cool, you'd think she would get one. Oh well. At least the villain wasn't Discord again, as some were guessing it would be. That would have been a little too predictable, much as I'd love to see him again. And it was definitely cool to see Canterlot under threat from a legitimate outside force that wasn't just one isolated being. It reassures you that Celestia's Royal Guard ain't just there to look pretty, even if no guards apart from Shining Armor really did anything to help in this case.
Come to think of it, what's stopping the changelings from attacking other pony towns, before or after this? Canterlot may be the biggest city and thus the biggest food source, but surely smaller towns can't be that bad for sustenance. And those towns don't have a Shining Armor to cast a force field spell 24/7, presumably. You'd need one to keep them out of town in the first place, so are there already other towns that have fallen to them? If not, what have the changelings been feeding on til now? Is that why the Queen looks like rotting skin and bones?
I wonder how far the Power of Love blasted them away from Canterlot. Did it push them out of Equestria altogether? If so, what's to stop them from coming back? How did they get in in the first place? Where do they come from? Do they have a legit kingqueendom somewhere, as having a Queen implies, or are they nomadic?
These questions and more: will never be answered. But it's fun to speculate.
Also: I got the sense Luna was written into the episode after the fact. Her presence added literally nothing to the narrative. No one even acknowledged her in any meaningful way. Explanation? Faaaaanservice.
Comments
Aren't those sphinx?
They're pretty much the same thing, really. The Lammasu is the Sumerian or Akkadian version, and the Sphinx-with-wings is the Greek version, and the Egyptian ones don't have wings.
http://www.gastrophobia.com/index.php?date=2010-02-08
"Sea" Horses (seem the most likely to show up out of nowhere to me)
Centaurs (would probably just be too creepy to include)
A race of Sleipnir-esque hexapodal ponies might be interesting but I figure the extra hooves would have to relate to something other than speed)
Or technologically/socially superior Houyhnhms (i imagine a steampunk canerlot society showing up one day)
I don't know; just some ramblings I've had.
http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Creatures
Mi Amore Cadenza is her full name. Cadance is her nickname.
And now, ze spoilers:
Kind of disappointed the Queen of the Changelings didn't get a proper name. For a character design that cool, you'd think she would get one. Oh well. At least the villain wasn't Discord again, as some were guessing it would be. That would have been a little too predictable, much as I'd love to see him again. And it was definitely cool to see Canterlot under threat from a legitimate outside force that wasn't just one isolated being. It reassures you that Celestia's Royal Guard ain't just there to look pretty, even if no guards apart from Shining Armor really did anything to help in this case.
Come to think of it, what's stopping the changelings from attacking other pony towns, before or after this?
I wonder how far the Power of Love blasted them away from Canterlot. Did it push them out of Equestria altogether? If so, what's to stop them from coming back? How did they get in in the first place? Where do they come from? Do they have a legit kingqueendom somewhere, as having a Queen implies, or are they nomadic?
These questions and more: will never be answered.
Also: I got the sense Luna was written into the episode after the fact. Her presence added literally nothing to the narrative. No one even acknowledged her in any meaningful way. Explanation? Faaaaanservice.