Lore of The Twilight Prince 1: The Physiology of a Twilight · 1:44am April 18th
In the study of combat enhancement suites, the ponies of the noble House Twilight (typically referred to as 'Twilights') are a unique case. As a specific bloodline, many researchers overlook it as an example; however, as the changes are the result of magic cast long ago, this bloodline does still technically count as a combat enhancement suite, one of the earliest known, in fact. Notably, as these changes were not the result of a single spell (as nearly every other combat enhancement suite is), but are rather the cumulative result of hundreds of different spells - some which are lost to time - across a dozen generations, Twilights are only born and never made.
This bloodline suite always breeds true and is tribe agnostic, meaning a pony of any tribe can be a Twilight, although the vast majority are unicorns with relatively few Twilight born earth ponies or pegasi being recorded.
While the Twilight bloodline is notably light on its physiological changes compared to modern suites, it also includes a wide range of psychological changes from baseline, far more than any other known combat enhancement suite. See: The Psychology of a Twilight
The Twilight bloodline also includes a number of spiritual changes. See: The Spirit of a Twilight
Visible Changes
The ancestors of the Twilights valued being able to pass as baseline ponies rather highly, so most visible physiological changes are tame and within baseline norms. Nonetheless, the visible changes are significant enough that - if one knows what they are looking for - it's possible to positively identify a Twilight by appearance alone.
- Canine Dentition: The most obvious difference between a Twilight and a baseline pony is their teeth, as the Twilight's have a set of teeth more reminiscent of a wolf than a pony.
- Height: The average Twilight is noticeably taller than the average baseline pony of the same tribe, though still quite a bit shorter than the average plus-sized pony of that tribe (although plus-sized Twilights have been known to be born, and are exceptionally tall).
- Musculature: Twilights have a much higher minimum to their muscle mass, meaning that even sedentary Twilights (not that those are common) are as muscular as a fit pony of their tribe, they also have a have a lower maximum to muscle mass and cannot become muscular enough to impede their movement.
- Ears: A Twilight's ears are slightly longer and more pointed than baseline.
- Eyes: A Twilight's pupils are narrower than a baseline at normal light levels, their retinas also reflect light like many nocturnal creatures.
- Horn: A Twilight's horn is sharper and slightly longer than baseline.
- Coat: A Twilight's coat of fur is thicker than most baseline ponies (interestingly, this seems to merely be the result of living at high altitudes for a long time, rather than a deliberate modification).
- Knot: Twilight stallions possess a canine like knot on their penis. Twilights claim that nopony knows for certain when or by whom this change was slipped into the bloodline, but the common consensus is that whoever devised it was a 'pervert'.
- There are also a number of far more subtle differences (like muzzle shape, facial proportions et cetera) that give the Twilights a somewhat exotic look compared to baseline (although no more different than any other genetically distinct pony ethnicity).
Musculoskeletal System
'Tension Latches': Perhaps the largest single physiological change compared to baseline, and also the change that most obviously reveals the engineered nature of a Twilight's physiology. Tension latches are a series of spring-like structures of cartilage, tendons and alicorn designed for to absorb, store and release elastic potential energy that are present in all four legs. A tension latch can be 'charged' either by absorbing kinetic energy or by being compressed with the individual's muscles, they can 'lock' to store that energy with minimal loss (although long term tensing of tension latches is considered unadvisable by Twilights), and they can either release that energy in an explosive release or use one's muscles to bleed it off safely. Tension latches can be used in a wide variety of ways by a Twilight, including but not limited to:
- Vastly increasing energy efficiency and top speed when cantering or galloping by absorbing the energy of every step and then releasing it.
- Absorbing the energy of large falls or fast collisions without injury.
- Launching oneself in a particular direction or quickly redirecting momentum.
- Enhancing the force behind a hoofstrike/punch or buck/kick, often to the point of shattering bones.
- Increased Bite Strength: A Twilight has a vastly increased bite strength compared to a baseline pony.
- Increased Bone Strength: Twilights have much tougher and denser bones.
- Robust Neck: The neck muscles and spine of a Twilight are improved to be more durable.
- Increased Tendon Strength: Twilight tendons are much stronger and thicker to survive the increased tensions put on the body by the tension latches.
- Increased Muscle Twitch Speed: While Twilight Muscles aren't much stronger or denser than baseline, they have a vastly increased contraction speed.
Digestive System
- Obligate Omnivore: Unlike most ponies, Twilights require meat to survive as there are a number of nutrients that their body doesn't produce on its own. There is no known non-meat based replacement for this requirement (not that there has ever been an attempt to find any, as hunting and carnivory both psychologically and socially embedded in the Twilights). Twilights can eat meat either raw or cooked, although the later is preferred if possible.
- Resistance to Poison: Twilights are highly resistant to many poisons, allowing them to eat a large number of plants that are otherwise poisonous to ponies (like potatoes, tomatoes and peppers) without adverse effects.
- Reduced Ability to Consume Grass/Hay: The Twilights get no nutrition from plant matter with low nutrient like grass or hay.
- Moderately Decreased Metabolic Efficiency: A Twilight requires 10-20% more calories than a baseline pony of the same mass to survive, although most of that difference is due to changes in the nervous system (which is outside the scope of this document and will be covered in 'The Psychology of a Twilight). Interestingly, due to the efficiency gains of the tension latches, a highly active Twilight will actually burn less calories than an equivalently active baseline pony of the same mass.
Cardiovascular/Respiratory Systems
- Blood Vessel Valves: A Twilight's blood vessels contain small valves that can close if blood pressure gets too low, greatly reducing the amount a Twilight bleeds and allowing her to survive wounds that would kill a baseline pony.
- Increased Hemoglobin Efficiency: A Twilight's red blood cells are more capable of carrying oxygen, allowing her to retain aerobic function at reduced blood pressure. It also makes her slightly more resistant to carbon dioxide poisoning and much more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Increased Lung Capacity and Efficiency: A Twilight's lungs are larger and have greater internal surface area than baseline allowing them to function normally in low pressure and low oxygen environments.
Sensory Changes
- Much Better Hearing: The hearing of a Twilight is much better than baseline, while not good enough to echolocate, it is good enough to be considered a third precise sense (in addition to the baseline pony's sight and smell).
- Better Night Vision: While Twilight vision during daylight isn't much better than baseline, thanks to increased light sensitivity and a reflective organ behind their retina, Twilights have much better low light vision than baseline, they are also somewhat more sensitive to extremely bright lights.
- Wider Sense of Smell: While a Twilight's sense of smell is not any more sensitive than baseline (which is incredibly sensitive), they have an expanded ability to smell certain things, mostly scents associated with prey.
- Carnivorous Sense of Smell and Taste: Meat tastes and smells much better to a Twilight than baseline.
Vocal Changes
- Howls: Twilights can howl like wolves, a Twilight's howl can be heard by another Twilight from enormous distances. Twilights can identify individuals and their emotional state from their howl, a howl can also be used to transmit short messages understandable by Twilights who have been taught the language (which is every known Twilight currently).
- Purring: Twilights can purr like a big cat, this is another physical change that nopony is sure of the origin.
- Other Vocal Sounds: Twilights can make a number of other canine sounds, most notably chuffing.
Miscellaneous Changes
- Better Fat: A Twilight's fat cells are much more energy dense than baseline, in addition a Twilight's fat stores do not grow in locations that cause chronic disease and a Twilight's body has a hard cap to the amount of fat her body can store, and therefor cannot become obese.
- Tougher Skin: A Twilight's skin is tougher to puncture or cut than baseline.
- Assorted Improvements: Just about every tissue not mentioned above has been given small improvements over baseline,
- Assorted Diseases Cure: The Twilights are also immune to a wide array of hereditary disorders and diseases, as well as a number of rare conditions. There are a number of diseases that they have not managed to overcome, most notably cancer.
Conclusion
The magically induced changes endemic to the Twilight line are very much a product of the situation of their creation; due to the constraints of the Dark Age they show a great amount of concern for metabolic efficiency, only accepting changes that gave a large increase in effectiveness for a given increase in caloric need. Therefor the Twilights only have a moderate increase in calories consumed - far less than other similar combat enhancement suites - which is largely mitigated by the increased caloric density of meat and other animal based foods.
The physiological changes represent a focus on agility, speed, endurance and resilience over pure strength (a change that is notably calorically expensive), these changes play directly into standard Twilight combat doctrine. As anypony who has seen a Twilight fight can attest, their combat effectiveness is far higher than one would assume just from the description on this page. See: Twilight Combat Doctrines
As an enhancement suite that was implemented over time and on its own creators, the Twilight bloodline contains much more 'lifestyle' and 'quality of life' type enhancements than the typical combat enhancement suite, including a couple that seem like they were taken directly from a 'pleasure-mod' catalogue. Readers are advised not to take this as evidence that the Twilight bloodline is a 'vanity suite' or to doubt their combat effectiveness.
For an examination of a similar hereditary combat enhancement suite that was designed without the same caloric constraints. See: The Physiology of a Thestral
For an examination of more intensive and metaphysically dependent set of changes. See: The Physiology of an Alicorn
Oh, Lore!
5777217
Yes, lore; what do you think?
Are alicorns a biological thing I don't know about?
Also whoever gave Twilight's a knot i approve.... Surprised Luna didn't notice it tho.
Oooh poison immunity that's neat.... Im assuming that the great houses don't know about that?..... Also that carrotop was going to try and fail to poison Twilight in the old story?
Okay im jealous. I want those heart and disease resistance changes myself... Id even take being turned into a Twilight for it (k not really, just making a joke)
5777220
I LOVE LORE!!!!!
Oh i forgot, if celestia learned all of this would she want Twilight to breed even more or less than she currently does?
Edit: meant sparkle whoops!
That being said I could see her pushing the entire clan up the breed agenda.
Im going to laugh if the knot was an unintentional side effect that was just never a priority to fix.
Im curious on those other indexes too. Would moony have just straight up taken the Twilight template instead of making her own if she knew about it?
5777224
Alicorn is the name for the substance that a unicorn's horn is made of, with unicorn horns often being referred to as 'alicorns'. This usage far predates the usage of 'alicorn' to refer to winged unicorns (a usage of the term that was invented by the FiM fandom).
lol, of course somepony did that, lol.
Luna hasn't seen Twilight's penis, only his sheath.
I'll admit I came up with it entirely so that the Twilights can eat tomatoes and potatoes, but I think it makes sense. And yeah, no one else knows about it.
The poison resistance is recent, there was never a plot point planned where Twilight survives a poisoning because of his heritage. Although such a plot point is possible now.
I mean, it's far from total immunity to disease, it's just that they aren't affected by a number of conditions.
I mean there's worse things to be turned into than a wolfpony unicorn.
5777225
lol
5777226
Celestia would be EXTREMELY CONCERNED if she were to learn of what is in this document, although not as EXTREMELY CONCERNED as if she learned of what is in 'The Psychology of a Twilight', which I will eventually write.
The entire 'being highly altered from baseline pony' and the 'always breeds true' bits would make her seriously reconsider having Twilight act as a stud. Obligate omnivore alone would be a dealbreaker for her. So no, there is no 'pushing up the breed agenda', lol
Twilight Sparkle still refers to himself as 'Twilight', it's not a problem, lol.
5777228
What kind of modification could have possibly had a knot as a side effect? No, it's definitely intentional.
5777229
Nightmare Moon designed the Thestrals before the Twilights existed. And considering that the Twilight template took ~100 years to be finalized, no, she didn't have that kind of time.
5777230
Huh interesting. Also i meant the soul of a wolf thing would come with the knot.
Edit: oh my, she's in for an even ruder awakening than i thought ~
5777231
Eh, the soul/predator instincts came with relatively few physiological changes, namely just the teeth and the obligate omnivore diet. Everything else came after.
5777231
And yeah, Celestia is in for a lot of uncomfortable discoveries.
5777230
The first known usage of the term alicorn to mean winged unicorn dates back to a novel by piers anthony (Bearing an Hourglass, 1985). However apparently even he saw the term at one point to refer to winged unicorns and just went with it. Equally importantly this usage did not effectively take off and the Fandom usage of the word is as mysterious in origin as it was to mr anthony.
If you haven't thought of the actual reason for the knot, like who and why, I suggest something similar to why wolves actually evolved them. They were added to improve the chance of insemination, as the knot prevents the penis from being removed, blocking any semen/sperm from leaking out.
It wasn't perverted, just the result of a generation's issues having children.
At least not entirely perverted...
5777220
It's nice. Some of those were mentioned in old version but it's good to see it presented in not only organized manner but also expanded with new content.
Somehow this gives more of a feeling that Twilight's are damned pony terminators contrary to old version.
Also,
Knots, heh.
Some ponies are for interesting discovery.
On reflection, Pillars of Twilight gain new meaning heh
This is great! A easy way to understand what the Twilights are.
5777236
Huh, didn't know that, how mysterious. I kind of love terms/concepts that are modern but have no known origin.
But the core of my statement is still true, the use of alicorn to refer to unicorn horns is much older.
5777240
I mean, it's not impossible that such a justification was used, but, well, the Twilights don't know who, when or why such a change was introduced. So they will continue to assume that it was designed by a pervert ... not that any of them are complaining, lol.
5777246
Honestly, I remember most of the changes of the Twilights in the previous version were vague and undefined, they were more intelligent but also more unstable and their magic was different in unquantifiable ways, I don't remember any physiological changes though.
Yeah, I wanted the Twilights to feel like they were actually magically enhanced supersoldiers. But their focus was definitely survivability and mobility rather than the standard superhuman ('superequine' in ponyland) strength you see in most supersoldiers in fiction.
Lots of ponies are in for many interesting discoveries, altered penile configuration is actually one of the more minor ones, lol.
5777259
Aye, at least part of the reason I wrote it was to get everything written down to be more consistent when writing the Twilights.
5777276
Oh of course, unicorn horn as definition is indeed much much older. Just felt it prudent to point out that the definition of alicorn=winged unicorn wasn't specifically unique to our fanbase. Would not be surprised if the term originated from that book ultimately for our fanbase but no one will ever be able tell.
5777285
Aye.