Appendix D: Alicorns and ranks in Starlight's cult · 11:43pm Sep 11th, 2022
(Information in the Mythology section contains spoilers. This section should not be read before the Witches 10 chapter.
On Alicorns:
“So here.” Twilight finished her chart. “Since I’m trying to spell everything out, I drew this little family tree. I suppose this is everypony’s family tree in a sense. So here we got true void which collapses into true chaos which inevitably creates a being of perfect order that can withstand it…”
Dash’s eyes were drawn to the gap between Golden and Star Feather.
“I always thought the, uh, Feather twins were sisters,” Dash interrupted. “They look like cousins on this chart, though.”
“They are technically sisters,” Twilight explained, “if you treat The Queen of Light as their mother. I’m just not sure how to depict incest on this chart.”
Dash cringed and dropped it. Even knowing they technically did nothing like two ponies would, she still disliked the thought.
Instead she went one line up, reading the names of The Darklord’s other five older brothers.
“Weren’t there five more of these guys?” Dash asked. “Why didn’t they do anything with their feathers?”
“Suppose those two were just the creative type,” said Applejack “The oldest and youngest son each created more than the other five combined. The Radiant Champion created things like wind, water, clouds, gemstones, music, and flowers. The Darklord made metal, wheat, wood, steam, electricity and the like. He always talked about how their mom liked his older brother’s creations more, about how much more talented Golden Feather was than his own daughter, even. It’s a little sad, really.”
“Oh!” Applebloom threw a hoof up, eager to contribute. “And this one time! Like, their mom was none to impressed with all these metals he created like copper and iron and, uh, the other ones. But then his brother comes along and makes silver and she suddenly thinks that one’s so great. And that’s why werewolves and stuff associated with the darklord is weak against silver! Cause he didn’t make that one so we’re not protected from it.”
Applebloom nodded and got an approving pat on the head from her older sister.
“That’s kind of sad,” said Dash. “He kept failing to get approval from his mom? Would a god really be that, I dunno, pathetic?”
“That’s just his side of the story,” said Applejack. “And he never said none of that out loud. I just got this reading between the lines.”
Well, Dash supposed ponies were created in the image of the alicorns after all. Maybe they weren’t too alien.
Ranks in Starlight's cult:
The robes Starlight’s cult wear are all black with a green trim. The more elaborate the trim, the higher your rank. You rank up extremely fast at first but each rank is dramatically more difficult to achieve than the last.
Ponies on rank 5 are seen as being ‘enlightened’ and are the lowest level initiates that actually understand the religion. Getting to rank 6 requires devoting your entire life to the cult or donating obscene amounts of money. Only rich, influential or strong ponies are given rank 7 or higher, with ‘normal’ types being unable to reach them no matter how hard they simp for Starlight.
Starlight is the only pony to wear the rank 9 robes, with Nightglider and Void Walker being two of the only five rank 8s. Starlight promises that it is possible for others to reach rank 9, though they would have to become ‘enlightened’ like her which no others have ever accomplished.
Rank 1: No trim. A new initiate
Rank 2: A solid green line
Rank 3: An occasional vertical stripe rising above the line.
Rank 4: Rows of green triangles
Rank 5: The triangles have a small hole in them, denoting an open eye, signifying they are ‘awake’.
Rank 6: The triangles curve, becoming reminiscent of waves
Rank 7: A criss-cross of curved stripes, reminiscent of vines
Rank 8: stripes through the ‘vines’ denoting thorns.
Rank 9: Flower designs along the ‘vines’. They probably have some symbolic significance
Well, this shall be useful in the future.
5685796
But for what?
Even I don't know.
5685797
You shall know. It's an eventuality that is unavoidable... seriously, I'm not well known for keeping to myself.
5685799
I see...
You're not starting your own cult modeled on this one down to the dress code... are you?
5685803
Hmmm... very tempting, but I'll have to pass. But, I do have a cult leader to mess with for... six paragraphs? Really?
Meh. Good enough, I suppose.