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Some time ago, I approached Marcus Maximus about this idea I had for a "Fluffy Pony 2.0", a newer version of fluffy ponies that were sturdier, stronger, and far less death-prone, capable of defending themselves. What you see here is Marcus Maximus's first attempt at drawing these "Clydesdale Fluffy Ponies", or as I'm considering calling them, "Shaggy Ponies". Here is my official "bio" of these new types of Fluffy Pony, done in the style of a Wikipedia article on them:

Due to the fact that these Fluffy Ponies are exactly 50% Fluffy Pony, 50% Horse, they actually look a lot like fluffy versions of the G1 or G3 ponies. If a regular fluffy pony has the capacity to get as big as a "large" small-size dog or a "small" medium-size dog, then these clydesdale fluffies would have the potential of becoming as big as a Great Pyrenees.

Temperament

Disposition-wise, they can be confident, gentle (especially with children), and affectionate. While territorial and protective of their herds or family when necessary, their general demeanor is one of composure and patience. They are a strong willed, independent and reserved breed. They can also be attentive, quite fearless and loyal to any duties given to them.

This is because, due to having a far more "stable" genetic code, the intelligence of these clydesdale fluffies is considerably greater. It is generally assumed that alicorn fluffies have the mental capacity of an 8-year-old human child. Clydesdale fluffies, on the other hand, are able to attain the mental capacity of a 12-13 year old child. Clydesdale Alicorns, due to their increased magical potential compared to that of Unicorn, Pegasus and Earth fluffies, are even capable of reaching the mental capabilities of a young adult human, usually someone between the ages of 18-20.

Clydesdale Fluffies and Alicorns

Unlike regular fluffies, clydesdale fluffies do not act aggressively towards their alicorn brethren. This may have something to do with their true-horse ancestry; the original "creator" of the clydesdale fluffy breed noticed that whenever his horses came into contact with fluffies, the horses would uncharacteristically dote and care for the fluffies as if they were their own foals. They would even go out of their way to make sure that the fluffies weren't hurt by them, as if they truly considered the fluffies their "kin".

This unusual caring response translated into an acceptance of clydesdale alicorn fluffies by their non-alicorn kin, quite unlike the often murderous inclinations "normal" fluffies have towards fluffy alicorns.

New "Type" Mutations

Like with regular fluffies, alicorns are a rare mutation, a combination of all three fluffy pony breeds into one form. Yet, due to fluffy pony DNA originally being a combination of rabbit, sheep and reptile DNA, the addition of "true-blood" horse DNA has allowed for the recessive sheep genetics to sometimes come to the fore. Because of this, an even rarer mutation is sometimes born: A wingless clydesdale fluffy with the body of an earth pony, the horn of a unicorn, and amazingly, two addition ram horns at either side of the unicorn horn. Dubbed a "tricorn", in honor of its three horns, the tricorn fluffy seems to be a "terrestrial" equivalent to the "aerial" alicorn. However, this "type" of clydesdale fluffy is exceptionally rare: If only 1 out of every 200 fluffy mares gives birth to an alicorn, then only 1 out of every 300 fluffy mares give birth to a tricorn.

Reproduction

Regular fluffy ponies are capable of having anywhere from 3 to 6 foals in a litter, with a weening period of about 2 weeks. After about a month and a half, the newborn fluffies are able to exist independently of their mother, and by the two month mark are able to reproduce themselves. In total, a fluffy mare can have at least three to four litters per year, a species survival tactic due to the high death rate of individual fluffy ponies.

Clydesdale fluffy ponies, on the other hand, have a relatively "normal" equine reproductive cycle. A clydesdale fluffy mare can have at least 1 litter per year, at the very most 2. Unlike regular fluffies, who experience a 2-week pregnancy, clydesdale fluffies experience a 3-month long pregnancy. Pregnant dams are able to walk under their own power throughout their pregnancy, not needing to be "rolled" around like regular fluffy mares about to come to term.

Usually, a clydesdale fluffy mare gives birth to only 1 foal, two at the very most, similar to most "true" horse breeds. The foal takes about 4 weeks to be weened from its mother, and is only able to reach physical maturity six to seven months after it is born, though it does continue to grow until they are a year old.

While clydesdale fluffies have lost the original fluffy survival tactic of mass breeding, they have gained increased durability and hardiness in its steed. Clydesdale fluffies are nowhere near as fragile as regular fluffies, allowing for a far greater survival rate of one foal per litter than normally ever seen by regular fluffy foals. Due to this higher strength and durability, clydesdale fluffy mothers can also become extremely aggressive towards any perceived threat to their young, and are actually capable of doing serious harm to any predator or attacker that tries to harm them or their foals.
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That's about it for right now. The next picture featuring these clydesdale fluffies will go over their psychology, particularly how regular ones interact with alicorns and tricorns, how alicorns and tricorns interact with each other, and how clydesdale fluffies as a whole interact with regular fluffies. I will also describe their origin, their herd system, which takes many cues from the country of their origin, and how they interact with humans.

Till then, I hope this was enjoyable for you guys to read, and I hope it helps inspire new stories and ideas. Later, I'll also talk about Equestria-based fluffies, the Villoshippus, Neantherthal-like ponies from far away from Equestria.

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Posted previously at: 2012-07-03T09:51:25 | Posted previously by: TricornKing