Can only unicorns become alicorns, or is there a way for pegasi and Earth ponies to do it?
Because it sure seems like nobody but a unicorn could do what Twilight did in the finale, and that means that the three tribes didn't merge equally to found Equestria (or if they did, they abandoned that equality long ago); the unicorns rule the other two tribes.
Ponies are the Minbari.
ReplyDeleteHey, that works! Earth ponies are worker caste, pegasi are warrior caste, and unicorns are religious caste... right down to the religious caste being the ones who pretty obviously really run the show...
DeleteSo Luna vanished a thousand years ago and returned, does that make her Valen?
Then Luna would be Twilight Sparkle, sent back in time? Heavy.
DeleteOh man, and Twilight's already been shown time-traveling once... this works way too well.
DeleteThe leaders like Valen and Dukhat would be the alicorns; representatives of all, members of none.
DeleteAlso, don't forget that Delenn reformed the Grey Council giving the worker caste a 5-2-2 majority, and it certainly seems like there is a majority of Earth ponies in Equestria.
I have this theory that Unicorns are a distinct minority in Equestria, and the "unfair" advantages of magic are actually just what's keeping them on an equal social footing.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen multiple communities dominated entirely by Earth ponies, and the PEgasi have an entire city (a massive one) all to themselves, and yet there are no Unicorn-dominated places we've seen. You'd think Canterlot would be, but we saw in "Sweet and Elite" that Earth Ponies have a disproportionately high representation among the socioeconomic elite.
On the one hand, you make a good point about unicorns being a minority.
DeleteOn the other, a minority with major social advantages, and it alone is allowed to hold the highest ruling positions? That's not equality, that's apartheid.
One of the books (The Crystal Heart Spell) says Cadence was a Pegasus prior to ascending. And it's supposedly canon.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've heard that, and I'm glad of it. Still want to see evidence that Earth ponies can do it too, though. I feel like they are class issues with the Earth ponies that would help resolve.
DeleteFor all that you seem to be against fanon constructs like "god-tier alicorns", that fanon interpretation of alicorns at least holds them as a mixture of all three races, with the implication that earth pony toughness is just as valuable as pegasus flight (though even there god-tier magic tends to obscure whatever other powers you possess simply by being so much more visible when you use it).
DeleteIn any case, my imrpession was that the way to become an alicorn is inherently specific to the nature of the individual. Twilight as the element of metaphor-for-friendship ascended by mastering a spell involving her friends and destiny, and thus showing mastery of the concepts her mark (and element) represented. Not just by casting some really arcane "give me superpowers" ritual that'd work for any sufficiently strong unicorn. Luna and Celestia probably acquired their godhood in some way much more related to their respective celestial bodies (possibly in one fell swoop with the first time they were able to do it by themselves). If you assume something like that, it'd be no harder for an Earth pony to ascend than anyone else; it's about mastery, not actual magic.
This all goes double if you read "alicorn princess" as a metaphor for "teacher", which was implied pretty heavily in the last few scenes of Mystery cure, because what does teaching have to do with unicorn magic? Not much, really.
Hmm. That does make a lot of sense, actually. I like it!
DeleteAnd I'm not inherently against fanon constructs. I just think there's a few recurring regrettable tendencies in fandom that should be resisted, and the tendency to assume something is true of the show just because fans say so is one of them. Especially when it results in anger because the show "ignored" a piece of fanon.