Alicorns and How Other Ponies View Them

[Solaria]

So, an off-hoof comment by Twilight to Shining Armor during the first half of the season finale caught my attention: "What other unicorn do you know that can spread love wherever she goes? I can only think of one, and you're marrying her!" That may not be the exact quote as I can't look it up at the moment, but why would Twilight refer to Cadence as a unicorn when she's obviously more? In her flashback, filly Twi remarks that she's just a regular old unicorn while Cadence is a Princess, so I'm not sure whether or not she was referring to Cadence's alicorn status or just her station, but she makes the first quote when she's grown and educated, and obviously knows that the princesses are different.

With that in mind, since alicorns embody all three types of pony, do ponies of each type identify with alicorns as members of their own "race" (for lack of a better word)? Of course, this could simply be a way for Hasbro to avoid having to officially coin a term for alicorns, I just would like to hear other ponies' opinions on this.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Well, I would have to think that since they are technically unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies all at once, any one of the terms would be applicable. We've only ever seen tri-ponies that are princesses before, so its hard to make any kind of call on whether or not other ponies distinguish between their form and their rank.

[Solaria]

True, kind of like a rectangle square relationship but I just thought it was interesting. While I agree any term would be accurate, would say a pegasus refer to an alicorn as a pegasus? Or would they just go off the wall and say "An Earth Pony like Celestia..." I would find that endlessly amusing.

[starswirlthebearded]

Until I hear the term Alicorn, I'm going to assume that they are seen as winged unicorns. Though they have all three races within them only two are obvious. And since that term I used technically categorizes them as unicorns, twilight calling her a unicorn is completely natural.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Last post before I go to work,

It s been posted elsewhere that Cadence was to be a unicorn and her mention as so may have been an artifact from the original script pitch.

Part of why she's an alicorn may have been "How do we explain Cadence, a unicorn, having enough power to recharge Shining Armor when even Celestia, an Alicorn, got her flank kicked?" (Despite Twilight, a unicorn in charge of saving Equesria twice before the Episode) "Ohh! Ohh! Lets make her an alicorn too!" "Yeah, and call her Princess, the kids wont understand "Dutchess" anyway..."

;D ;P

[Rosewind]

That's an interesting catch! I think -- just like BG ponies getting fandom names outside of the official ones -- alicorn snugs right into that label too. Swirly is right though, I'd probably call them winged unicorns for correctness, since that's what they are.

[Solaria]

Alicorns need to decide what they want to be. I want to use the term Faustarthicornasus and be done with it. Also, don't we view alicorns as having earth pony heritage as well? Even if we don't name them as such, wouldn't winged unicorns disregard a third of their innate mix of poniness?

[YABrony]

If alicorns has earth pony heritage, then wouldn't unicorns and pegasuses have it as well?

[Solaria]

If alicorns has earth pony heritage, then wouldn't unicorns and pegasuses have it as well?

Well, I'm saying that I subscribe to the theory that "alicorns" embody all three of the pony types, like some kind of super pony. A "winged unicorn" doesn't really seem to acknowledge the earth pony third in my opinion.

[YABrony]

Well, I'm saying that I subscribe to the theory that "alicorns" embody all three of the pony types, like some kind of super pony. A "winged pegasus" doesn't really seem to acknowledge the earth pony third in my opinion.

Well, unicorns of myth are suppose to have cloven hoofs and a beard like a goat. Not very horse-like if you ask me. And aren't earth ponies are suppose to be stronger than the other two (Rainbow Dash being an exception).

BTW, don't you mean "winged unicorns"?

[Solaria]

Haha that I do. Fixed. And that was my understanding of earth ponies: innate magical ties to the land and usually greater strength.

[flutterscotch]

I think they view them as "unicorn princesses". Considering that Twilight specifically says "You're a princess, I'm just a regular old unicorn....How many unicorns can just spread love wherever they go, I only know one..." in Ep. 26.

[SirShadowdeath]

I think they view them as "unicorn princesses". Considering that Twilight specifically says "You're a princess, I'm just a regular old unicorn....How many unicorns can just spread love wherever they go, I only know one..." in Ep. 26.

Stole what I was going to say.

[Lux]

Hello.

First, nowhere in ine show were the princesses called Alicorns. The trem Alicorn refers to the substance that makes up a unicorn's horn in myth (not pony myth, general myth). Alicorns are really the name the fandom gave to the princesses.

Actually they aren't given a type name like they do with pegasus or unicorn or earth pony. They're only called Princess.

Probably the most accurate name would be a winged unicorn.

I have heard in fandom lore that a winged unicon or alicorn is created by the infusion of all three pony types, making them have the benefits of those types (flying, magic, connection to nautre).

[EquestrianScholar]

Yes alicorns being all three types at once is how I see it as well so winged unicorn doesn't fit in my eyes. On Cadence the way I see it she wasn't supposed to be an alicorn anyway, and apart from 'marketing' purposes there was no reason for her to be one.

On the use of the term Alicorn: "Alicorn has also been used as early as 1993 by Piers Anthony in his novel "Demons Don't Dream" to mean winged unicorn (a concept that had already been existence for decades without being called alicorn), which he defined as the cross between a unicorn and a griffin." Also I wish people would stop bring up the horn thing as while that may be true there is nothing wrong with calling them alicorns and the fandom isn't the first to use the term to mean winged unicorns. It isn't an incorrect use of the word.

[YABrony]

First, nowhere in ine show were the princesses called Alicorns. The trem Alicorn refers to the substance that makes up a unicorn's horn in myth (not pony myth, general myth). Alicorns are really the name the fandom gave to the princesses.

True but I thought the term alicorn came from the Latin word alatum meaning winged, and unicorn.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

My opinion is that she was originally a Unicorn in the story Faust helped with.

[Solaria]

My opinion is that she was originally a Unicorn in the story Faust helped with.

Interesting. That would make sense, and I like that Faust used the term alicorn too, though I don't know if she just used that term because Nemns did.

[Lux]

Yes alicorns being all three types at once is how I see it as well so winged unicorn doesn't fit in my eyes. On Cadence the way I see it she wasn't supposed to be an alicorn anyway, and apart from 'marketing' purposes there was no reason for her to be one.

On the use of the term Alicorn: "Alicorn has also been used as early as 1993 by Piers Anthony in his novel "Demons Don't Dream" to mean winged unicorn (a concept that had already been existence for decades without being called alicorn), which he defined as the cross between a unicorn and a griffin." Also I wish people would stop bring up the horn thing as while that may be true there is nothing wrong with calling them alicorns and the fandom isn't the first to use the term to mean winged unicorns. It isn't an incorrect use of the word.

Interesting how that was used in that story.

And granted that there is nothing worng calling them that. The only thing I was noting was that they were never called that in the show. It wasn't like Twilight ever said, "Princess Celestia, what's it like being an Alicorn?"

I personally use the term Alicorn in my fanfics, because it's how the fandom defines them.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Way way back in the day when Faust was responding to Kathleen Richter's blog that said MLP:FiM was all kinds of horrible things, she made this point.

Color has never, ever been depicted as a race indicator for the ponies. When your characters are purple, blue, orange, yellow, black, white, red, green and pink, who’s to say which is supposed to signify a white person, a black person, an Asian person? The only races in My Little Pony are Earth Pony, Pegasus and Unicorn, and they are all treated equally, ruled by a leader who embodies the traits of all three. This leader is white only to signify day, and she co-rules with her sister, who is purple to signify night.

- Lauren Faust, emphasis mine.

I kind of like the name tri-pony, so I think I'm going to use that from now on. It reminds me of the tri-force, only with ponies.

[flutterscotch]

I kind of like the name tri-pony, so I think I'm going to use that from now on. It reminds me of the tri-force, only with ponies.

BWHAHAHAHAHAH

[Solaria]

And thus at least one pony's outlook was altered that day, if only slightly.

*hooves on hips*

Now for a celebratory mango juice while I think of something more to contribute.

[EquestrianScholar]

Interesting how that was used in that story.

And granted that there is nothing worng calling them that. The only thing I was noting was that they were never called that in the show. It wasn't like Twilight ever said, "Princess Celestia, what's it like being an Alicorn?"

I personally use the term Alicorn in my fanfics, because it's how the fandom defines them.

I haven't read the book myself, I found that information with a google search.

Yes true but if I remember correctly the MLP:FiM Wiki stopped using the word alicorn on their pages because people kept of bring up it was a word meaning a unicorn's horn. At this point I think every one of the more veteran fan knows this fact and it gets annoying when brought up. -laughs as I shake my head-

That is the term I would use too, as winged unicorn doesn't fit the canon of 'three in one'. I would either need to use alicorn or make up my own word for what the princesses are.

[starswirlthebearded]

Allow me to expand on what I meant. The term Alicorn is taken from a modern novel, which is to mean winged unicorn. While it doesn't say that it implies it with Latin etymology as someone else pointed out. We, as a community, can make it to mean an embodiment of all three types of ponies, but in the end, in universe, it seems that they do not have a word for them except for princess. Which means when they refer to the type of pony a princess is, it is a winged unicorn for them. This would explain why twilight referred to cadence as a unicorn instead of an alicorn. Let's face it, "winged earth unicorn pony" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Within the community, I refer to them as alicorn, because that is the accepted term. But if the question is how other ponies view them? They view them as royalty first and foremost, and as exceptionally powerful unicorns whom happen to have wings. There has been no indication that they are seen as anything different.

Think of it how humans view race... A person may have the heritage of white, hispanic and African, but only what people see will be used to describe them. If they have no white features, who would see them as white? They'll see them as a person of hispanic and African decent if those are the visible features.

[elsporko]

In universe reason Twilight said unicorn could be because using the horn to cast magic is unicorn magic. Twilight was comparing Cadence to unicorns because they use the same kind of magic.