Dusk Shine's Saga: Glossary · 1:28pm Apr 21st, 2015
In order to help reduce confusion, I've decided to create a Glossary of terms used in Dusk Shine's Saga to help reduce confusion and expand the world. Any suggestions for terms to be added are always welcome!
Alicorn - A species long assumed to be extinct or unable to produce children until the recent birth of Princess Cadence. With the talents of all three major clans, and immortality, Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria since just after its founding. Currently, only three known alicorns have been recorded by history.
Bat Pegas or Bat Pony - A species that nearly went extinct during the Nightmare Moon rebellion, where the majority of their species swore loyalty to Nightmare Moon and remained loyal to her after her banishment by Princess Celestia. With Princess Luna's return, they have begun to gather again from the fringes of society, but currently make up less than one percent of the population of Equestria. There are no known examples of a Bat Pegasus hybrid or half-breed.
Brood Mare - Similar to a Stud, however Brood Mare is looked down on by most of popular culture, as they are mares who work as breeding mares, for noble families unwilling or unable to produce foals on their own. Generally treated poorly due to a public perception of them ‘selling their foals’ despite the fact most spend months or years working to better their health in hopes of impressing a wealthy family and being chosen as a Brood Mare.
Canterlot - The traditional capital of Equestria, and the fourth city founded after the Exodus from the North, after the discovery of the Fires of Friendship as a symbol of the unity between the three tribes. One of the many modern cities in Equestria, Canterlot lies nearly equidistant between Fillydelphia and Manehattan.
Child of Evening Rose - Terminology used by a rare group of trans-gendered ponies, to denote their unique gender. Magic to alter the gender of a pony against their will has been outlawed ever since Celestia adopted a daughter, named Evening Rose who first generated the terminology, and is thus the source of the name reference.
Chuck - The griffon equivalent of boy child or Colt. Considered an adult at the age sixteen, or after his first solo kill during a hunt or in battle.
Chung - The griffon equivalent of girl child or Filly. Considered an adult at the age fourteen, or after her first solo kill during a hunt or in battle, or her first pregnancy.
Colt - Traditionally a name used for any male foal below the age of sixteen. A vast minority of the population of equestria are born male, historically averaging out to a 1:9 ratio. In the past, the adoption of Stud Fees to stallions proven to produce colts and more recent medical advances have reduced this inequality, but only marginally.
Crystal Pony - A tribe that has been believed to be long extinct. According to records, at their height the Crystal Empire was by far the largest and most powerful of the tribes before the Windigo invasion and the Founding of Equestria, when their Empire simply disappeared. Few details remain to explain any of their differences compared to the other tribes.
Dam - From the old tongue, a word for mother.
Earth Pony - One of the three major tribes of the Pony species. Their talent is a mixture of abnormal strength, vitality, a link with nature and animals. Clans or large families will very often keep a specific mixture of these four features, making them fantastic farmers. The largest and most numerous of the Pony tribes, with only the alicorn being taller.
The Exodus from the North - One of the oldest and detailedly recorded events in the history of Equestria, thanks to the sure number of ponies it affected. Nearly thirteen years after the discovery of Princess Celestia and Luna as foals by the Unicorn Empire, while the two young alicorns went to the Crystal Empire at the invitation of Queen Pure Radiance, a massive horde of Windigo invaded the other three kingdoms simultaneously. The ensuing winter that befell the land lasted two full years before all the tribes except the crystal ponies fled the from the north en masse. It is unknown what befell the Crystal Empire, whose immeasurable magic had previously driven away all natural seasons.
Filly - Traditionally a word used for any female foal below the age of sixteen. A vast majority of the population of equestria are born female, historically averaging out to a 9:1 ratio. In the past, the adoption of Stud Fees to stallions proven to produce colts and more recent medical advances have reduced this inequality, but only marginally.
Foal - A term used for children in general, traditionally used until a child reaches the age of sixteen. Excluding the wealthiest of families, the moment a foal takes on a permanent job requiring they leave schooling behind. Recent expanded laws have been enacted to protect foals from abuse by adults due to a growing trend of sexual predators targeting foals.
Gelding - While traditionally a term for a sexually infertile stallion, some extremely cruel and hateful groups use it instead as a derogatory insult for both gay and chemically sterilized stallions.
Halfbreed - Somewhat slang and sometimes considered derogatory terminology, denoting a pony who was born with both or partial traits of two different clans. Extremely rare, representing less than 1% of all births, most are simply never recognized for their unique nature until their teenage years when their lack of clan traits or the excess of another shines through. Due to population differences [48% earth / 30% pegasus / 22% unicorn / 0.00001% alicorn] hybrids almost always appear as strong pegasi who are often weak flyers. The extremely rare time a unicorn hybrid is born, it's a unicorn with impressive strength, but only average at best.
Note: Current medical theory is that pegasi and unicorn hybrids are either A: impossible or B: Princess Cadence. However, because Cadence is a known descendant of Princess Celestia, that has never been accepted as proof that she is the first known example of a unicorn / pegasus hybrid, whereas, uniquely, Shining Armor is a powerful unicorn with impressive physical strength.
Heat - Formerly a slang term that has become the commonly accepted word for a mare’s reproductive cycle. More medically accurate, a ‘heat’ is the period where-in a mare is able to be impregnated by a stallion, with additional biological side-effects that results in social awkwardness. Due to how different every mares heat is, one of the few universal facts besides the possibility of pregnancy, is that after sexual release, the effects of the heat are dampened down for hours, regardless of their partners gender.
Hir - Terminology used by a rare group of trans-gendered ponies, to denote their unique gender. Magic to alter the gender of a pony against their will has been outlawed ever since Celestia adopted a daughter, named Evening Rose who first generated the terminology. Also see Child of Evening Rose, Shi
Mare - Traditionally a word used for any female past the age of sixteen, or in more rural areas, a foal who has left schooling to take on full time work. The vast majority of the population of equestria are born female, historically averaging out to a 9:1 ratio. In the past, the adaption of Stud Fees to stallions proven to produce colts and more recent medical advances have reduced this inequality, but only marginally. At best, only half of all mares end up in relationships with a stallion, be they be a part of a herd, or the rare individual relationship. Outside lesbian relationships, many mares never find a partner.
Mithril or Mithral - A blueish steel ore, extremely rare and expensive, but if refined properly can produce armor that weighs half to one quarter the amount of an equivalent steel piece, and is nearly half as thick. Often used in metal lances or spears by the Wonderbolts due to its high durability.
Mollen - Griffon Terminology for adult female, nearly equivalent to the pony term ‘Mare’ and can be used in very rough terminology as a translation for ‘Dam’.
Pegasus - The second largest of the five tribes of Equestria, pegasi are the most powerful flyers, with their magic split between enhancing their flight and powering weather control magic. Due to how useful a single pegasi can be to a struggling farm community, a long standing tradition of hiring powerful weather pegasi to live with earth pony communities has lead to a far closer relationship between these two tribes and the most numerous examples of half-breeds or hybrids.
Pip - A decoration worn on a military uniform to denote rank, such as a Wonderbolt officer's rank insignia.
Ponyviille - A small and self-sufficient farming village on the express line from Canterlot to most major hub cities in the west. Approximate population of 400. Main export: Apples, labour, rapidly growing bakery industry.
Season - A broad term that has been adapted to mean the time a mare is in heat and thus can be fertilized. The terminology started in earth clans but soon spread to the other tribes.
Shi - Terminology used by a rare group of trans-gendered ponies, to denote their unique gender. Magic to alter the gender of a pony against their will has been outlawed ever since Celestia adopted a daughter, named Evening Rose who first generated the terminology. Also see Child of Evening Rose, Hir
Sire - From the old tongue. A word that used to mean father. Since the introduction of Stud Fees, it has expanded slightly due to the occasional family without a stallion, or where the father is a gelding and thus had to hire a stud to sire their foals.
Spyhole - A Wonderbolt invention. A small usually two room base, disguised on all sides as a cloud. Often used by two pegasi teams to keep watch over an area of importance.
Stallion - Traditionally a word used for any name past the age of sixteen, or in more rural areas, a foal who has left schooling to take on full time work. The vast majority of the population of equestria are born female, historically averaging out to a 9:1 ratio. In the past, the adaption of Stud Fees to stallions proven to produce colts and more recent medical advances have reduced this inequality, but only marginally. Sadly since the adoption of Stud Fees and breeding contracts, some younger stallions have found a new way to take advantage of desperate mares looking for a sire to help them have a foal.
Stud Fee - A legal term referring to the price paid to a stallion who helps a mare sire a foal. Due to the radically disproportionate population of mares, those stallions who are proven to produce a higher than average number of colts to fillies are able to demand a higher fee for their services, even should the coupling produce a filly. Interestingly, while most sire’s only brag about foals produced this way as proof of their potency, a growing movement of sire’s have chosen to act as an uncle or even if allowed by the dam, as a father, showing the strength of family that flows in the bloodline. Many bigoted Stud stallions refuse to ever acknowledge or interact with brood mares.
Tock - Griffon Terminology roughly equivalent to stallion. No familial bond is required for the use of this term. Note: All griffons, of all tocks, will take great offence if they are referred to as a tock instead of their rank if they posses one. Never call a Alpha or a Beta a tock regardless of your familiarity with the griffon!
Unicorn - Physically the smallest, weakest and least populous of the three major tribes, unicorns also tend to be more reclusive. However, like the earth ponies, they are strongly hierarchical, and like pegasi they admire both individual achievement as well as teamwork. However, unlike the other tribes, the unicorns are the most elitist, an attitude the others have adopted over time but can be clearly traced back to the old empires. No known hybrids exist of unicorn and pegasi exist, except for the unpopular theory of Princess Cadance’s heritage.
Zebra - A nomadic tribe that got separated from the others during the Exodus, the Zebra are often thought to be distant cousins of the earth pony tribe, they are very similar in every way, save for their tendency to wander and roam instead of laying down roots.
You might want to underline or bold the words/terms you are defining. Like you do with the profiles.
3012955 great point!
I really like the organization a story this complex requires. It's commendable that you've made it and are up to the task.
3013011 because you added a percentage for alicorns, which we all know the exact number. I was able to do a little math and find out that equestria has a total rough population of 30 000 000, with 14 400 000 being earth, 9 000 000 being pegasus and 6 600 000 being unicorn.
If I remember right, Cadance was not born alicorn, but ascended because of some sort of dating service she ran, helping ponies to find love
4263246 Yeah, thus the use of Alternate Universe tags, thus why she is a born Alicorn in my universe.