I’m aware that the reason pegasi fluffy ponies even exist in the first place is due to the subculture coming from MLP: Friendship is Magic, obviously, but I’ve always wondered what the general hive canon is concerning where they fit into feral herds. They don’t seem to readily have a place in the hierarchies that show up in a lot of stories from what I can tell - unicorns typically ending up smarties due to their relatively higher intelligence (or at least, stubbornness) and earth ponies ending up toughies given their larger size - but the winged variety are the odd group out. They can’t exactly use said wings to fly, though gliding a bit does depend on who’s telling the story, and I doubt it’d be helpful anyway considering that if they’re in a position to use it to get away from danger with them to begin with they’re likely suffering from some sort of sensory overload from something like fear that probably would make it useless to them anyway. The only things that would readily come to mind would be either they’re faster or perhaps smaller than the other breeds which would mean they could outrun possible predators and humans, even if that’s highly unlikely; if not that, then perhaps a superior sense of smell for whatever reason would mean they might be chosen for finding sources of food, but that has the possibility of undermining a smarty friend’s authority.
you are trying to find patterns where it is non, but if you really need it, fluffies think wings help them run faster and they are not afraid of hights, so food gatherers
Some may develop smarty syndrome too because their mother may favor them due to them having wings thus believing they could fly them out of danger, but from the lore’s perspective, unicorns are most likely to take up that role. I dont think fluffies ever had designated hard role, like all smarties are unicorns, since any and all are subject to any role. Most feral herds operate mostly out of favoritism. The lesser ranks risk their ass for the herd to get food, find shelter, and scout dangers while the more favored ones sit on their ass.
Tldr: the type of fluffy doesn’t matter as long as you are a pretty one essentially.
You’re thinking too hard. Fluffies are all identical, earth is ain’t stronger than unicorns, unicorns ain’t smarter than pegasi.
Now, these purely aesthetic traits DO affect how fluffies treat each other. Fluffies believe that unicorns can make sparks that do something vaguely useful, same thing for pegasi and flight.
The real answer to your question though is that pegasi fit into a feral herd the same way every other fluffy does: poorly, with good odds they won’t last the year.
You know, in theory the various genetic randomization might be at play here, if earthie fluffies have higher bone density, unicorns have a horn, and alicorns have at least a horn, then pegasai are the least survivable because they can’t fly.
So in a way, they’re the genetic losers. But they’re valued because fluffies are dumb fucks who eat shit
But when almost every writer writes every Fluffy as dumb as possible they lose their purpose. But to be fair all Fluffies have also been Flanderized to be smart when the plot demands making Alicorns irrelevant, Hellgremlin Smarties making Unicorns irrelevant, and stubborn footplodding no-names that hate mutations and Poopies making Earthies irrelevant.
Unicorns light themselves on fire or microwave their brain with their horn, and Earthies end up following the group or loudest bossiest voice no matter what.
Of course, it all depends on headcanon. According to some, pegasi are the lightest and fastest type of fluffies, making them better food gatherers and scouts.
I don’t see how that would undermine it. The smarty is a position of leadership, he can’t afford to go looking for food for the herd. He needs other fluffies that are capable of keeping themselves safe enough to at least find a source of food and live to tell others. And, since running away is the best thing a iffy can do in face of danger, the natural choice would be a fast fluffy.
If we were to say off any “base” canon (in the most loose sense ((who even knows what technically counts as canon))) it’s purely aesthetic. If going off the thought that all fluffies are the same biologically and with the same level of intelligence across the board Pegasi are really probably the most “useless”.
The only things that wings would give you are:
A greater (mistaken) sense of importance.
Maybe some form of a step up when it comes to breeding. Fluffies/Breeders choosing the “prettier” stock etc.
The extremely misinformed idea that it gives you the ability to fly. This can vary wildly depending on headcanons/universes but generally it does not end well.
Extra appendages that in the end are a greater hindrance (can be caught on obstacles, another point of possible infection/disease, just another thing to upkeep).
In my and a good amount of people’s headcannon, they are more likely to be sploring baby’s and running around and doing things which leads to them being nummie/food finders.
relatively courageous compared to average fluffies. normal insipid coward fluffies don’t want to do anything too high up, but pegasi like it. they also jump off of high things thinking they’ll fly. they’ll still run away from a dog or whatever but they do have an edge. they “know” they can just fly away from a bad situation so they’re not so craven, initially. also, in situations where they are suddenly going fast, earthies are terrified and pegasi are genuinely thrilled
their faith in wingies is inspiring. up until the situation where they don’t succeed at flying and the pegasus dies, a pegasus really does believe it’s wingies will take it to safety one day. oftentimes fluffies close to a pegasus really believe it to. a situation that will send a pillowed abused earthie into a wan die loop will just make a pegasus beat it’s wingies and beg for them to help it fly away to a new life. forced to choose between losing wingies or weggies, they’ll always keep the wingies because they really do see them as a more useful continental contingency. a mummah in a hard situation might perservere a few more days because “wingie babbeh can fwy and get nummies when nu chirpie babbeh nu mo” and that might just be the few days where winter transitions into spring. as long as you don’t cut the wingies off, they don’t hit rock bottom like other fluffies do, making them relatively resilient survivors. if you notice fluffy dreams in comics, pegasi usually have good, happy dreams compared to other kinds
they’re slightly lighter, which helps in a few situations
