Nightmare Moon's Army (Patreon)

more bat pony stuff, we learnin so much today

Bat ponies are really something of a mystery. A reclusive race, they're especially secretive about their written histories and seem curiously loyal to Queen Luna, with some colonies even worshipping her as a deity. They have only recently begun integrating back into regular Equestrian society with Luna's return from her millennia of imprisonment. But still, little is known about the species.

Legend tells that one thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon sought to assure her victory over Celestia by creating an army all her own. She called forward her most loyal subjects, and used the light of her full moon to mutate them into monstrosities capable of crushing Celestia's soldiers. Many ponies came forward to receive Mother Moon's gifts- ears keen of hearing, sight in the dark, wings stronger than any pegasi, fearlessness of any of the predators that patrolled the shadows. The transformation, painful though it was, was a blessing. Mother Moon would lead them- and all of Equestria- into a new age, where nopony need fear the dark.

Luna's swift defeat and banishment left the bat ponies in disgrace. Ponies reviled them as beasts and traitors. Celestia extended a hoof of peace, but the bats retreated to the deepest caverns and forests, hiding from the mobs and torches, raising new generations of foals, and patiently awaiting the return of their dear Mother.

At least, that's how the story goes.