I myself have never felt bat ponies were an appropriate name since their features were more reptilian or draconic given the eyes and frilled ridge on their head. All in all the only thing that could suggest bats are the wings and the fact Luna used them as her guard, yet the rest of their appearance are I feel not bat-like.

@ender1200  
It does break the balance,but I like @Background Pony idea of them being just a sub-species along with the Crystal Ponies,as long as a sub-race for the unicorns enters the game as well.
 
Unless…Alicorn can count as a sub-race for them? however,we got that stupid book about Cadence being a Pegasus so…ugh,I don’t know…
 
@PaskaNaakka
 
That’s pretty much my headcanon as well.
 
In any case,I remembered that Larson is not going to be in this season? so there’s a chance it’s not going to be addressed…or worse,not using the Bat Ponies at all =/

@TexasUberAlles  
Evil goats.

@Background Pony  
Goats. With two horns, Unicorns are just goats. Uppity goats.

@Background Pony  
So do I. Makes me wonder what the sub-race of the unicorns would be like

I’d like to think bat ponies and crystal ponies are sub-races

So they are carnivore, hence the fangs.

@GLord  
They made an appearance in issue 9

What’s wrong with bat ponies being a separate race?

I consider them as a sub-species of Pegasi.
 
I do wish they would mention it in the show, or the comics.

I think it’s fair to say that Bat ponies are just a sub species of pegisi,the whole thing of 5 intermixing sub species of pony would probably have a lot of genetic variation.

My personal headcanon which no one cares about is that the bat ponies we saw in Luna Eclipsed were regular ponies whose bodies had been magically altered to make them more fit for night duty.  
Also, the alteration is irreversable. Serving as Luna’s guard is a lifetime commitment.

Bat ponies kind’a break the balance, a better head canon would be that some pegasy choose to have a permanent transformation spell change their wings for aesthetic reasons.
 
and yes i consider Larson say in the matter head canon, mostly because he isn’t on staff at the moment and because he is not stating it as a fact.

@Pinksy  
Pegasi are an entire race of demigods. If Thestral Ponies are Pegasi but Badass, then they must break spears as foals.

They’re Luna’s personal slave race.

They’re like pegasi, only edgier. The bat pony master race has my vote.

See Bat ponies should be a different race.

Bad ass bat ponies based on bad ass winged skeletal horses, someone tell M.A. Larson we have a bad ass over here.

Called it.

I have been thinking of threstrals for the longest time…