The Ponypocalypse is upon us!
Let me introduce you to the four princesses of the ponypocalypse:
Princess Pallida - Pestilince (and Conquest)
Name origin: Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis. "Pallidum" means "to turn pale." It also invokes the word Pallas, another name for Athena, goddess of war in Greek mythology. I also chose syphilis in particular because of its association with the colonization of the Americas and the horse of Pestilince being used to replace Conquest in some variations. I wanted to combine the two concepts in one horse.
Appearance: The horse of Pestilence is said to be white in color. Pallida is meant to look as if she is dying of consumption, aka tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is historically one of the most common culprits in deaths by infectious disease, and its visible symptoms influence western ideals of beauty even to this day. With her frail, bony appearance, pale coat, and dark, sunken eyes, Pallida evokes the hauntingly ethereal beauty of a tuberculosis victim. Additionally, she wears the gaudiest crown of the four sisters, made of pale silver and embedded with blood-red garnets.
Princess Helia - War
Name origin: Helios, the Titan of the sun, as well as Hela the Norse goddess of death and more simply, Hell, the realm of eternal punishment.
Appearance: The horse of War is said to be red in color. She has a flaming orange-red mane and orange eyes and wears a crown of red hot iron spikes. Her teeth are sharp and venomous and her horn is broken beyond repair.
Princess Alternaria - Famine
Name origin: The genus of mold that includes Alternaria solani, the fungus that causes early blight in potatoes as well as many other destructive black mold species
Appearance: The horse of Famine is said to be black in color. Princess Alternaria has a dark grey-brown coat speckled with dark spots, reminiscent of a crop being consumed by dark mildew. She wears a crown of blighted leaves on her wide-brimmed straw hat.
Princess Letha - Death
Name origin: Letha comes from the river Lethe which flows through the underworld in Greek mythology, as well as the more obvious word "lethal." The river Lethe's waters are milky white and deal with memory, pain relief, redemption and renewal. Poppies grow along its banks and so too are Letha's favorite flower due to their colorful, calming appearance and their sedative qualities. Letha is the only one of these four who is not evil.
Appearance: Letha takes from personifications of Death in popular culture by appearing as the skeleton of an alicorn with a scythe-shaped horn, wrapped in ghostly white flesh. Her eyes are dark, hollow sockets and she wears a humble crown of bones decorated with poppy blossoms. She also wears a dark cloak and her milky-white ectoplasm mane ripples in the slightest breeze.
