Captain Wingstrike of the Royal Night Guard (a.k.a. Lunar Guard) is a thestral, also known as a bat-pony. Wingstrike is in charge of the Night Guard, and answerable only to the princesses. As a thestral, he has superior night vision, but otherwise he is not significantly different from regular pegasi, aside of course from the bat-like wings and crest.

This picture actually has a proper outdoor background, and is an illustration for a chapter of my "Conversations in a Canterlot Café" story. Because it's a night scene though, his details don't stand out, so I am showing him here with a softer generic background. ART IS BY KAT MILLER a.k.a  foxenawolf