Elyra is the what-if daughter of Cassiopeia and Nylah, and granddaughter to Twilight Sparkle and Tempest Shadow. I say what-if because the story isn’t done yet and it’s unclear who Cassie will end up with, if anyone, but she does spend quite a decent amount of time with Nylah after she gets banished from Equestria. So, anything’s possible.

I’m gonna indulge in this little fantasy that Elyra exists and give her a whole background. She is not given a typical two-word name as is extremely common in Equestria (ex. Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer). This is because Nylah lives in a village beyond Equestria, far to the east. (Panther’s zebra herd is also located beyond Equestria, but to the west!) In Nylah’s village, single-word names are most typical. Individual families will normally abide by a set of family names, or use repeating sounds. In Nylah’s family, the L sound is common, especially when paired with soft vowels (i or e). Nylah has an L in her name, as does her brother Illian, and this tradition was furthermore honored in her daughter Elyra.

Elyra takes after Cassie a LOT in her hot-headed nature and she’s also kind of a menace in general. Unlike Cassie, she is very interested in Equestrian politics, though growing up in Nylah’s village she isn’t the most experienced in the complexities. She’s technically not even a citizen of Equestria because she was born in Nylah’s home.

Some notes about her phenotype (physical appearance).

If you’re curious, the possible represented traits for the other pony races are as follows:

Unicorn: Unicorn horn (always), lion tail, cloven hooves, height boost, lean build.

Pegasus: Feathered wings (always), tail feathers, general increase of feathers in place of fur, development of more complex body patterns and markings. Also fun fact, every alicorn has a flight aura (stream of color left in the air from their flight path). Not every pegasus has one, though- you have to be fast enough for that, like Rainbow Dash and her rainbow colored flight aura. Cadence, for example, did not have a flight aura as a pegasus but got one after becoming an alicorn.

Earth pony: Muscle acquisition (always), long fetlocks, larger hooves.

Sandstone is the only son of Dumbbell and Hoops. Dumbbell and Hoops got together very late into their lives and did not have a child until they were in the human equivalent of their 60s or 70s. This is how he and Elyra end up close in age despite Elyra’s grandparents being the same age as Sandy’s dads (Sandy is actually younger than her by two years lol).

He is a sea-dwelling pegasus who lives on his own near the harsh waves and routinely hunts his own fish. The scars on his face are from a sea hawk, though he’ll claim he got them from an epic shark battle. He gave himself the name Kairo, which is the seapony word for his Equestrian name. He is one of very few ponies who have ever interacted with the mysterious sea ponies that reside in the deepest depths of the ocean.

He is the sweetest, most cutie patootie, green flag of a man you’ll ever meet. He has the softest personality and is a quiet easygoing guy who is very in touch with his feminine side. He is very calm-natured and rational and just looking at him will make anyone feel at ease. He is also deeply, deeply loyal.

He bonded with the very same sea hawk that scarred him after years and years of a rivalry. During dry fish season, he found his little hawk friend on the verge of death. She was starving, probably hand’t found a single meal in days, weeks, who knows. Despite a literal decade of them constantly competing, and his scars from her still being rather fresh and healing, he saved her life, because although he has great respect for the natural course of life, he also found value in her as more than just a part of the cycle. They hunt together now!