Concerning Alicorns · 12:20am May 14th, 2014
Whoa! What's this? A blog? After four months, I'm actually doing a blog? Yep, I've got something to pontificate about, and you unfortunate few that follow will be my first audience.
Judging by my story views, most of you follow me for the SoarDash. You can expect more of that. I have two multichapter stories planned out for that pair. I'm aiming to have the first one finished by the end of the summer. This ship has not been forgotten!
The rest of you follow me for, well, everything else. You can expect more of that, too. I have a plethora of one-shots in mind, ranging from Princess Luna to Pinkie Pie, along with a few adventure story ideas.
So why am I writing this instead of those stories?
That is a good question, and I don't have a good answer for you. Alicorns have been the main focus of debate since I got into this fandom, from Magical Mystery Cure to the "OMG Celestia is going to die!" overreaction, and I've just never seen or heard anything that matches my own thoughts about them. So here I am to throw my own log on this fire.
1. What is an alicorn?
It is clear from the season four finale that all three tribes of ponies possess magic of some kind, and an alicorn is a pony that shares all three kinds and the attributes that go with them. For example, we've seen Princess Luna shock Rainbow Dash with a thunderclap, so we can assume alicorns have the ability to control weather to go with their ability to fly. If you want to read more about the tribal magics, I refer you to Noble Thought's blog on the subject.
We also see in the season four finale that alicorns must possess their own type of magic. If that wasn't the case, Tirek wouldn't have needed to attack Celestia, Luna, and Cadance to control everything in Equestria.
2. An alicorn's power
This just in: Alicorns are powerful. We saw Twilight, channeling the power of four, fight to a standstill against the combined strength of every pony in Equestria and Discord. Where does that power come from? What truly sets an alicorn apart from every pony else?
It is their destiny.
Alicorns are intrisically tied to a fundamental nature of the world. We have a princess of the sun, and where would our world be without the sun? We have a princess of the night, and what could we possibly accomplish without sleeping to recharge ourselves? We have a princess of love, and who has never felt love in some small way, even if they can't honestly remember? The fact that any of us are alive is an act of love. We were all carried and born before we even drew a breath.
Which leaves Twilight Sparkle. "Princess of Magic" was a popular title for her, but I believe that has been debunked. As Tirek showed us, every pony commands magic in some small way. They feel the sun, they feel the night, they feel love, but they don't command those things. So what is Twilight princess of? I think she said it best herself when she told Tirek that he took her alicorn magic, but not her magic of friendship. She is the Princess of Harmony. What creature, man, pony, or beast, can survive without another of its own kind?
3. Alicorn longevity
This is the big one. What is the explanation for Celestia and Luna's lifespan? What is Twilight Sparkle's fate?
It is, once again, their destiny.
Let's play a game. One of these things is not like the others:
Can you spot the difference between Twilight's cutie mark (helpfully called a mark of one's destiny in Magical Mystery Cure) and the others? Hers is the only one that has other symbols in it. There are decorations in two others, but only in Twilight's is the main symbol repeated so closely. What does this mean? My theory is that, along with their power, alicorns draw their lifeforce from their destiny. So long as the sun exists, Celestia will exist. So long as the moon exists, Luna will exist.
Twilight, as the Princess of Harmony, fulfills her destiny with her friends, five stars surrounding the sixth larger and brighter one. So long as her harmony with her friends exists, she will exist. I'm sure you see what I'm driving at. Her friends will not always exist, and how is it possible to have harmony with only one? Twilight Sparkle is not immortal.
Cadance...is tricky. Until season four, I thought born alicorns were immortal, and converted alicorns like Twilight were mortal. Cadance, as a converted alicorn and an alicorn tied to force such as love, could be mortal or immortal. So long as love exists, she could exist, but what about her own love for Shining Armor? Would she follow him when he dies? Did she sacrifice her immortality like Luthien did for Beren, and Arwen did for Aragorn?
So. There it is. There is my understanding of alicorns. This blog is by no means perfect. I can't even come to a satisfactory answer on Cadance's mortality, nor did I speculate on the (likely far-fetched) theory that Twilight's friends could become alicorns, but I hope this gave you some food for thought. Alicorns have certainly been a unique aspect of the show and fandom, and I hope we all learn more when season five rolls around.
What other forces could you see an alicorn represent? Maybe an alicorn of hate will pop up as a recurring villain? Maybe an alicorn of destiny itself, greater than Celestia? Maybe an alicorn of adorableness?
The position has been filled.
Very interesting, Mind's Eye. You bring up a very good point about Twilight being tied to her friends. I think that's what it is. Either that or her friends and she will form a sort of immortal friendship council in the sky or some such. Not very likely, honestly, but it's an interesting thought, I suppose.
Perhaps. Or perhaps the will of an alicorn to live is tied to what it was that made her an alicorn in the first place. Luna and Celestia may have become alicorns out of a need by the ponies of Equestria to have a savior, or were pushed to their limits to overcome obstacles that the universe saw fit to grant them the status in perpetuity along with the control over the heavens.
Here's an oldie: Creation Myth
I'm actually thinking of evolving this myth into Hearth's Warming Eve times and turning it much more greek - to where Rulers are said to be descendents of First Mare - only they call her something different in the future... past... whatever. That would be a reason for the flags, at least, that there pre-existed a concept of an alicorn before one existed in the flesh.
We have the same thing in our myths. Centaurs, dragons, etc. No one has actually seen one, nor will there likely be any in the flesh, but that we were able to imagine it... Why not Alicorns as a mythological symbol of power and prosperity in the ancient past?
I think I'm going off topic... What was I going to say?
Ah yes. That such a concept existed, and that magic and willpower and dreams have power, perhaps Celestia and Luna weren't 'born' in the traditional sense, but were manifested out of the sun and the moon. Perhaps they were born, but the circumstances at the time of their conception meant that the magic and will of all of ponykind cried out for the mares of the banner, the mares who represented prosperity and power, to save them from catastrophe.
Of course, I still haven't settled on an idea yet for my headcanon. This is all just conjecture and prosthelytizing, hoping that I might get some kind of idea where to go through ramble and answering my own questions, then asking questions of others.
Okay... Ramble over.
2109791
I'll have to give that blog a read later. Thanks for that.
I once heard a theory that dragons were an amalgamation of our three biggest threats from our primitive history, way back in the evolutionary line. Giant birds, big cats, and venomous snakes all became one monster in our collective subconscious.
With that as an example, an alicorn myth for the ponies wouldn't be so hard to believe.
2109865
I learn something new every day. That's an interesting idea, and it makes sense. Hum. Ideas percolatin'.
Enjoy the read! It's actually a story as blog. When you get to it, of course. It's been around for almost a month. 'Tain't goin noplace notime soon.
I disagree with the whole destiny thing. Since Cadance [if you follow the whole she ascended thing rather than she was born an Alicorn] had her cutie mark prior to birth as did Twilight that could be a Destiny thing. But Tia and Luna whose mother was an Alicorn means that their was a time when they didn't have the Cutie Marks they did. As was the fact that prior to the founding of Equestria unicorns raised the sun and moon [meaning that the world doesn't need Tia or Luna to raise / move / do those things. It's just them doing what they love]. Which means that they had to find their cutie mark prior to their destiny.
An Alicorn for all intents and purposes is a physical god(dess) of the planet. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they are born knowing what they'll be doing / tied to until they get their Cutie Mark [where they are like any pony in that their magic is more powerful / geared to that area. Although with Tia being the ex-EoMagic it doesn't mean that's the only spell catagory they'll be able to use].
Although there's a weird line between Destiny and Special Talent. I've read enough AU fics where I've seen believably that a Cutie Mark isn't set in stone until it happens. So there are probably timelines where Tia and Luna have the other's CM's. And that would be a fic worth reading [adding in the CM switching spell] since Tia's personality is more in tuned to what lunar archetypes [calm, reflective, subtle, ect.] while Luna has the more fiery temperaments of the sun.
But all in all. Nice blog.
2137143
You raise an interesting point about the cutie marks not being set in stone until they appear. I guess it really all comes down to what we think "destiny" is.
I used a very strict definition for this blog, meaning that cutie marks were practically cosmically ordained the moment a pony is born. Even though Celestia and Luna were blank flanks, what they were meant to do was already inside them. Another example of that would be how the Mane 6 all got theirs at the same time from the same event.
Thanks for the comments.
2137196
You're welcome. As for the Mane 6. I'd point you out to:
A Minor Variation
and
Random Elements
These are points in time where the Rainboom didn't happen. And shows different, yet too one degree or another believable outcomes. As for Destiny. I think that destiny is a slightly different than cutie marks. IMO.
The Elements of Harmony are sentient and time manipulating objects and when they see a particular event happening. They align things so that those who hold the proper qualities to use them come to face problems for the planet. Such as Tia and Luna finding them [and the whole sun and moon motif on the tree]; manipulating events so that a group of 6 would come together where two ponies could not [I mean there are so many different variations of who could've become an element bearer]; Then the whole box thing was another manipulation so that their power could be used when the stones needed to be replaced on the Tree of Harmony.
Those events were fated, but I don't think that any ponies, or any events are pre-ordained. Rather a series of events is set up for the proper ponies to run into, and if it fails another event is brought into light. Even if that event means that multiple realities intersect until a needed outcome has come to pass.