#hydia

Hydiella, Wreekayla, and Dragglynn are The Infamous Witches of Gloom Mountain, though most layponies shorten that to “The Gloom Witches”. They have a longstanding blood feud with Starwish Dreamer’s ancestry, and that’s why she’s the one who takes them most seriously. Their goal? Destroy the pony population of Everlast Valley, including everyone who lives in Paradise Estates, so as to claim the land they believe should be theirs. Their track record? Stupidly poor. That damn pink horsie and her friends always manage to save the day. Frankly it’s not very hard given none of the three are, like, smart.

As with all witches (that is their species btw, not their occupation), these chicks are equipped with potion magic. Hydiella often says “If we can brew it, we can do it!” which is a good summary of their abilities. Their magic doesn’t have much reach, but so long as they can combine the right ingredients and chant the right spell, they can create a concoction that does just about anything. The caveat is that no potion’s effects are ever permanent, and every recipe has its own antidote. Many a time have they slipped something into a little pony’s drink only for the effects to either wear off or be treated shortly after.

Hydiella (leftmost) is the undisputed leader of the group. This is primarily because she’s Wreekayla and Dragglynn’s mom, but she’s also the most eeevil and determined of the three. She’s a bitter old hag with endless disdain for all things happy, frilly, and cute. Ergo, All Ponies Must Die. She believes the four legged population of the land are wasting their magic’s potential on frivolities like home decorating and making sweets, and it sickens her. Really, she pukes like once a day just for fun. And she’ll keep doing it until all of the ponies - every single one! - are gone.

Wreekayla (middlemost) is truly her mother’s daughter. She’s too much of a bumbling oaf to earn her mother’s approval, but she wants to be the most dutiful daughter she can. She’s probably the dumbest out of all of them, but she makes up for her lack of brains with excess amounts of cruelty which she usually aims at smaller animals. She holds genuine hatred for anything her mother tells her is bad and she’s often insolent when frustrated. The only things she shows a sliver of kindness towards are her ma and her younger sister, and even then she bullies her sis mercilessly.

Dragglynn (rightmost) is the aforementioned younger sister, and she’s the family’s black sheep. Speaking of black, her dark hair is one of the quirks her father gave her, as is her tall stature. Her pop is an unmentionable topic in her home because he was an evil warlock turned heroic knight, and it’s obvious her mom resents Dragglynn both for looking like her dad and also being a big ol’ idiot. True, Bedraggled Draggle (as her sis calls her) isn’t very bright, but she’s different from her family. She wishes she were more evil so as to make her mama proud, but she can’t rid herself of her ever growing empathy for the ponies.

Diamond Dawg is a unique creature created by Hydiella to serve as a walking, talking moodring. Seriously, he was a normal puppy “adopted” by the witches and turned into a sentient, color-changing diamond. Unlike most of their handiwork, this was not achieved through potions but instead via a ceremony that can only take place every 1000 years. Despite being “owned” by the witches, he’s only involved in their evil schemes because 1) they pay him in gemstones and coffee, his two favorite things, and 2) it lets him to take out his frustration on the fluffy, warmhearted creatures of the valley who have friends, families, and cultures, all things he bemoans his lack of. He’s especially jealous of Spike given the goddamn reptile knows more about dog stuff then he does. He’s not “evil”, he’s just employed in a miserable job and is always having an existential crisis.

Dawg is equipped with gem magic, the rarest kind of magic there is. It can only be granted through dark rituals, an almost unheard of concept in this land of whimsy. His magic lets him change colors to reflect his mood, sure, but it also grants him control over organic materials like rocks, minerals, and crystals. He mostly uses this ability to create crystalline tools for the witches to pair with their potions. The major downside to this magic is that it leaves him very weak, so he can only use it sparingly. The Witches understand this limitation and try to utilize his powers only about once a day, but their poor planning often puts all his efforts to waste anyway. Typical.