Can an Alicorn turn off their passive magic by choice? & Immortality?

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Time for a two-fer topic! Let's tackle Alicorn immortality, first Because I'm seeing lot of people convinced that alicorns are immortal. Why this is, I suspect, is only because fans are concluding that  if you live over 1000 years, like the royal pony sisters have, or if you can raise the sun and moon, then you're an immortal god, I guess. From what I could dig up, the only thing I've seen cemented as canon are an alicorn having a longer lifespan and slower age rate than normal ponies; that Faust didn't intend for the sisters to be gods or deities of any sort, and that - seeing as how the alicorns who raises Celly and Luna as mentioned in the Journal of the Two Sisters, are anywhere to be seen in any sort of other media, whether it be the movies, comic, show series, whatever, are nowhere to be seen, that alicorns, can in fact die. (unless y'all want to consider the "animation glitch alicorns" that pop up in the background of the show on many occasions canon. hint hint wink wink)

 

moving past that, let's hit up topic for discussion number 2. The possibility of an alicorn; with the magical power of all 3 types of pony, being able to control whether they can turn off their passive magic for one or two types of pony they're made up of, and decide to live only with one kind of passive magic.

Example:

passive pegasus magic passive earth pony magic passive unicorn magic

passive pegasus magic passive unicorn magic passive earth pony magic

passive unicorn magic passive earth pony magic passive pegasus magic

 

ect.

 

Celestia, Luna, and cadance were able to perform a spell that removed their magical abilities (both passive and active) entirely, which also removed their cutie marks, for the magic to be transferred to another vessel.

So with that said, would an Alicorn (or even a normal unicorn) have a spell handy (if one exists) to shut off a specific kind of passive magic they were born with (or in the case of Alicorns, two, at the least). and decide to leave one kind of passive magic on for them to be able to access the abilities that come with it?

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

What, exactly, is passive magic?

[ManaMinori 4,143]

What, exactly, is passive magic?

the magic each pony seems to be born with that allows them to do what each member of their race can do. Pegasi- fly, manipulate weather, walk on clouds/ earth ponies- grow stuff easier and better, physically stronger, faster runners, ect/ unicorns- affinity for spells, ect

 

[Malinter 3,064]

The royal sisters are so long lived that to the ponies they are immortal for all intents and purposes, even if they biologically are not. Until we see one die they can be classed as 'biologically immortal' which is how certain creatures in real life are classed. Luna can even transform her body at will (and even regresses to her filly form if wounded in a pyshicial/emotional way in the comics)

 

Also death may not even apply to Alicorns like it does to a normal pony, many fans actually believe Twilight died and was reborn as an alicorn. Given that Celestia can apparenty enter this place at will could imply that even if they die they might possibly reincarnate. This would even allow for the sisters to be born to regular ponies and crazier still, not be sisters by blood at all (dun dun dunnn....) 

 

Given their nature at magic, i believe they can surpress it. Luna can transform her own body completely so taking a form that uses lesser magic wouldn't be so difficult.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Shire Pony Malinter

[BlossomGearSun-Dash 7]

Maybe they just live for thousands of years.

[Fractured 2,683]

High level unicorns can perform age spells, and StarSwirl the Bearded's botched time travel spell made him de-age significantly. It's possible they're using one of the two variants to stay alive, basically making them immortal even if they didn't live forever.

As for Scen 2., it's entirely possible, but it seems pointless to make a spell for something like that when you could just not use your traits. The only reason I can think of that such a spell would exist would be if an Alicorn wanted to hide that fact through removing their horns or wings. Considering they didn't do that in Twilight's Kingdom, and it would have been a favorable option, it seems unlikely.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Shimmer5000

[cuteycindyhoney 13,282]

Why would anypony want to shut off a part of themselves like that? It would be like a human trying to turn off the sense of smell or hearing.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Why would anypony want to shut off a part of themselves like that? It would be like a human trying to turn off the sense of smell or hearing.

You've never thought about cases of a pony being born a race they might not have thought they fit into, and wanting to cut themselves off from anything associated with that race and their abilities? Much like how, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Scootaloo desperately tries to access what passive magic of her pegasus race to try and become a better pegasus, herself.

MLP:FIM shares a ton of similarities with the Disney Faries Tinkerbell movies- and in one, specifically (The Tinkerbell movie), Tink is born as a fairy and is given a choice of talents that would determine her role and passion in the future (like pony cutie marks). Long story short, she discovers she's a Tinker fairy; doesn't want to be one, and goes onto ignoring what she's meant to be good at, and tries all these other talents in the hopes of becoming some other kind of fairy with that specific ability.

 

In the case of alicorns, which many people perceive to be OP for- well fuck, just being alicorns, due to the fact that they have the power and abilities of all 3 pony races, then how interesting would it be if the show or comics or books or something presented an Alicorn that acted in a way opposite Scootaloo did; and offered more insight and explanation into the workings of their magical abilities and...anatomy, and what might occur if such a powerful being chose to dislike and shun the race of pony they were born as, along with the passive magic from the 3 races that defines what they are, and tried to be some other kind of pony? if hated enough, you don't think that that would drive them to shut off that part of themselves?

[cuteycindyhoney 13,282]

snip

If you have the ability to do something, but don't want to do it, just don't. Why would you want to find a way to make sure you could never do it again, if all you have to do is not do it?

[Pastel 7,627]

Yeah I agree with @cuteycindyhoney, I don't understand why they would decide to live with one kind of passive magic? To specialise in it?

Edited August 1, 2014 by Blobulle

[ManaMinori 4,143]

If you have the ability to do something, but don't want to do it, just don't. Why would you want to find a way to make sure you could never do it again, if all you have to do is not do it?

I already answered that in my last post, though- in an extreme case, you'd want to cut yourself off completely from the things that associate you with those abilities; rather than simply choosing not to do it. People with eating disorders and difficulty with weight loss don't just accept it and live with what drives them to be like they are; nor do they make sure that they never put another morsel of food in their mouths again, like what you're proposing. Some are willing to go under the knife to get parts of their anatomy- their stomachs removed and sewn to a smaller size, don't they? How is the case that I'm proposing; somepony not wanting to settle on just not doing what they have the ability to-an ability that they had no choice in deciding, but were born with (much like the people with eating disorders or whatever) but wanting to rid themselves of it, entirely, if it causes them grief? You can't tell me that there's no similarity.

[Pastel 7,627]

I already answered that in my last post, though- in an extreme case, you'd want to cut yourself off completely from the things that associate you with those abilities; rather than simply choosing not to do it. People with eating disorders and difficulty with weight loss don't just accept it and live with what drives them to be like they are; nor do they make sure that they never put another morsel of food in their mouths again, like what you're proposing. Some are willing to go under the knife to get parts of their anatomy- their stomachs removed and sewn to a smaller size, don't they? How is the case that I'm proposing; somepony not wanting to settle on just not doing what they have the ability to-an ability that they had no choice in deciding, but were born with (much like the people with eating disorders or whatever) but wanting to rid themselves of it, entirely, if it causes them grief? You can't tell me that there's no similarity.

But the passive earth pony/pegasus/unicorn magics don't handicap them, why would they want to get rid of them?

Edited August 1, 2014 by Blobulle

[ManaMinori 4,143]

But the passive earth pony/pegasus/unicorn magics don't handicap them, why would they want to get rid of them?

true, it may not be a handicap for most the Earth/ Pegasus/ Unicorns that posess said passive magic. But don't you think that at some point (maybe before even meeting Rainbow Dash) that Scoots might've wished that she had been morn a different pony race, when she discovered that unlike other Pegasi, she didn't have the ability to tap into her passive magic and fly? Or that Celestia, for example, being an alicorn, at some point would've wished that she had been born something other than what she is? (surely, outliving her subjects and friends would be devastating to her- to any alicorn, really. And it was shown that she was truly heartbroken when she had to send her sister to the moon for an entire millenia.) How much easier it would've all been had she could've shut down her system, so to speak, cut off some of the passive magic from one or two of the pony races that she had access to within her alicorn body, and perhaps shorten her lifespan significantly, and not have to suffer for those long 1000 years without her sister; grieving over the fact that not only was she blind to Luna's own grief and envy before she had transformed, but knowing that she was unable to stop her beloved sister's transformation (and be spared from the guilt and pain of not being able to have reformed her, either?) Celestia (and the other alicorns) have already shown to have the power to completely transfer their power to somepony else, so it would seem like cutting off a source of passive magic within them would be a breeze, if they wanted to do it, in such extreme events.

[Pastel 7,627]

true, it may not be a handicap for most the Earth/ Pegasus/ Unicorns that posess said passive magic. But don't you think that at some point (maybe before even meeting Rainbow Dash) that Scoots might've wished that she had been morn a different pony race, when she discovered that unlike other Pegasi, she didn't have the ability to tap into her passive magic and fly? Or that Celestia, for example, being an alicorn, at some point would've wished that she had been born something other than what she is? (surely, outliving her subjects and friends would be devastating to her- to any alicorn, really. And it was shown that she was truly heartbroken when she had to send her sister to the moon for an entire millenia.) How much easier it would've all been had she could've shut down her system, so to speak, cut off some of the passive magic from one or two of the pony races that she had access to within her alicorn body, and perhaps shorten her lifespan significantly, and not have to suffer for those long 1000 years without her sister; grieving over the fact that not only was she blind to Luna's own grief and envy before she had transformed, but knowing that she was unable to stop her beloved sister's transformation (and be spared from the guilt and pain of not being able to have reformed her, either?) Celestia (and the other alicorns) have already shown to have the power to completely transfer their power to somepony else, so it would seem like cutting off a source of passive magic within them would be a breeze, if they wanted to do it, in such extreme events.

I understand what you mean now.

I agree they could do that indeed, but only during extreme events as you said. In my opinion, that would almost never happen.

 

And Scootaloo will fly eventually.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I understand what you mean now.

I agree they could do that indeed, but only during extreme events as you said. In my opinion, that would almost never happen.

 

And Scootaloo will fly eventually.

I'm glad you finally understand. Would you believe that the case of such extreme events would apply to both show characters and OC's who might be alicorns as well? Or should a different reasoning apply to the characters the profession staff from the show make vs characters the fandom creates? Just curious. Obviously the alicorns in the show won't be turning off certain parts of their passive magic unless the situation was absolutely dire, as we've seen with Tirek, but under any other circumstance, such as simply wanting to incorporate themselves into the society of a "lesser" race badly enough to cut themselves off from the other sources of passive magic in themselves, and- as given example to in my last post, drastically shorten their alicorn lifespan if in doing so, out of emotional distress.

[Pastel 7,627]

Would you believe that the case of such extreme events would apply to both show characters and OC's who might be alicorns as well? Or should a different reasoning apply to the characters the profession staff from the show make vs characters the fandom creates?

Why would there be a difference? It depends on the backstory of the alicorn, I guess both OCs and alicorns from the show can be concerned.