Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Petalcloud is a stunningly beautiful gray mare with violet feathers, a wide white blaze and one white sock. Her mane and tail are silver.
Petalcloud is the daughter of Rockwing. She is described to be ambitious and power-seeking, as she left Mountain Herd in order to join Snow Herd, so that she might become the next lead mare.
Petalcloud is one of Birchcloud's only surviving foals, the other being Shadepebble. She has three foals of her own - Frostfire, Riversun and an unnamed colt.
Personality[]
Petalcloud is a cruel and selfish mare who only cares for herself. She may have feelings for her daughter Riversun, but it is likely that she is only mates with Nightwing for his power. She shows little grief for her unnamed son, further showing her selfishness. She's as dangerous as she is beautiful and her loyalties lie with whoever has the most power, even if it were herself.
History[]
Pre-Starfire[]
Petalcloud ran away from her home in Mountain Herd, aiming to become a lead mare. She becomes lead mare of Snow Herd, but her sire, Rockwing, demands her firstborn colt in exchange for her freedom. Petalcloud obliges, sending her colt, Frostfire, away to her sire.
Stormbound[]
Petalcloud first appears when Star, Morningleaf, Bumblewind and Dewberry are escorted to Snow Herd's territory. She greets Star with, "The black foal, in the flesh." After a conversation between Star and Twistwing, Dewberry diagnoses the steeds ill with the Blue Tongue plague. Petalcloud asks Dewberry if she is a medicine mare, later commenting after Dewberry claims that half the Snow Herd foals will be born dead, "Foals are born dead all the time."
Dewberry retorts, "maybe yours and your father's, but not most." Petalcloud and Dewberry almost get into a fight, until Star breaks it up. Twistwing orders Petalcloud to step away, while Bumblewind and Morningleaf hold Dewberry back. Petalcloud is not mentioned again until Landfall.
Landfall[]
Petalcloud makes a pact with Nightwing to bring Star's head to Nightwing to prove her loyalty. Her son, Frostfire, is also involved in the pact. Nightwing says that Star is with the "blue winged filly", otherwise known as Morningleaf. Petalcloud and her Ice Warriors search the trap for Star. A pegasus says to Petalcloud that Morningleaf was spotted in Desert Herd's territory just days ago. Petalcloud moves her warriors out, leaving Star and his friends safe.
Petalcloud appears again near the end of the book with her Ice Warriors, prepared to fight. Star and the United Army fight as hard as they can, Star contemplating whether or not he should use his silver starfire. Star is soon overwhelmed, and as a large stallion, Stormtail, prepares to deliver the deathblow, Star manages to spring his shield for the first time. Petalcloud realizes that she can't hurt Star, and she offers the United Army a chance to join her. None of them take it. Frustrated, Petalcloud leaves with her Ice Warriors
Larksong does mention that Petalcloud had beaten her and left her to die when Star comes across her, dying, in the woods. She tells Star it's a distraction, and that he has to run back to his herd as fast as his hooves can carry him. When Star reaches the place where he had left his friends, it's already too late. They're gone.
Windborn[]
Petalcloud has become Nightwing's mate in Windborn. After Star finds the five herds, under Nightwing's rule, he finds that Petalcloud and Nightwing have grown close. They allow only the foals in their giant herd named Wind Herd, to fly, and play with them, trying to get them to love them like family. And after Star begins the tribute, he and Frostfire discover that Petalcloud is going to give birth to a foal. Or, rather, two foals. One is a filly Petalcloud named Riversun. The other is a stillborn colt. Thanks to her father, Petalcloud inherited the curse of all her colts being born dead. So she and Nightwing forcefully take Starfrost, Petalcloud's grandson, from his parents (Larksong and Frostfire).
During Star and Nightwing's final battle, Petalcloud cowers behind Bumblewind's tribute. But when Nightwing brings the tower crumbling down, Petalcloud has no way to escape. She tries, but there's no way out. The tribute collapses on top of her, killing her instantly. She joins her sire and stillborn son in the Golden Meadow.
Across The Dark Water[]
Petalcloud doesn't appear but she is mentioned in Echofrost's thoughts when the silver mare compares her to Queen Lilliam as both leaders have similar personalities.
Relationships[]
Rockwing, her deceased sire
Family[]
Rockwing[]
It is known about the original relationship Petalcloud had with her sire, though she was more than happy to surrender her first born colt to him in exchange for her freedom, although she would later discover she had inherited Rockwing's curse. Despite Frostfire's claim the Petalcloud was now their enemy, Petalcloud was enraged by Dewberry's statement that her and her father's inability to produce foals was unusual, nearly attacking the battle-mare, suggesting she still held some love for him. She was, however, still fine with joining Rockwing's murderer, suggesting her lust for power was great than her love for family.
Birchcloud[]
Little is known about the relationship Petalcloud had with her mother due to her desire to be a Lead Mare. However, Petalcloud was unable to fulfill her dream in Mountain Herd, where Birchcloud was Lead Mare. Whatever the case, Birchcloud believed that Petalcloud would surely return Shadepebble to her, showing the Birchcloud was still willing to believe the best in her treacherous, power-hungry filly, although she later accepts that Petalcloud had abandoned all contact with Mountain Herd when she left and become their enemy. Birchcloud later battled against her daughter during the Battle of the Trap and Battle on the Flatland Plains.
Icewing[]
Frostfire[]
Twistwing[]
Nightwing the Destroyer[]
Riversun[]
Starfrost[]
Allies[]
Stormtail[]
Stormtail acts as Petalcloud's personal bodyguard and the mare obviously trusted him, making him the somewhat second-in-command of her Ice Warriors and entrusting him with important tasks, such as killing Star and protecting Riversun and Starfrost. Though it is unconfirmed if they knew each other well when they both resided in Snow Herd or what kind of relationship they had, as a Ice Warrior, Stormtail held and mixture of fear and awe for the mare, shrinking from her as she snaps at him that they would leave no thicket un-turned, despite the size difference between the two. Even after Nightwing became Petalcloud's mate Stormtail was still often seen with Petalcloud and protected her filly after the mare's death.
Enemies[]
Star[]
Morningleaf[]
Dewberry[]
Silverlake[]
Trivia[]
- She is technically Lightfeather's step-dam, as both her and Lightfeather's dam had a colt with Icewing.