What does it take for non-alicorn ponies to become alicorns?

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I wonder. So let's try to get to the bottom of this, together. To start off, though, we have to take a look at what we already know about alicorns; or rather, natural alicorns, meaning Celestia and Luna, the originals. According to the Journal of the Two Sisters, several important factors of alicorns/ Celestia and Luna are mentioned.

 

1: It's heavily implied that the royal sisters were born alicorns, and that other alicorns existed in their time.

 

This is found pretty early on in the journal, where it states (Luna's journal entry): “Oh forget it. I was going to try to write in the ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE, which Celestia and I learned when we were fillies. The Alicorns thought it was an important part of our education...” and “”see, when we ran and flew in the hills of Canterlot, we'd pretend we were princesses...”

 

2: Born alicorns don't require ascension to princesshood through a feat of exhibiting and understanding of magic.

Neither Luna nor Celestia were given princess status for any grand accomplishment that turned them into an alicorn, like Twilight, but simply for already being an alicorn, who never ascended from a “lesser” race of pony. Referencing the Journal of the Two Sisters, it states “They knew that Alicorns stood for everything Equestria was founded upon: love, harmony, and friendship. And because Alicorns are a combination of Pegasi, Unicorn, and Earth ponies, they believed that we could represent the citizens of Equestria in an unbiased manner......so they asked us to be their princesses.”

 

Now that we can get a sense of how Natural Born Alicorns work and ascent to royal status, what about 'lesser' ponies who can become Alicorns? How can earth, unicorn, and pegasus ponies become alicorns, and get title of princess?

 

To start, I think it's best we simply assume that Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasus share a similar ancestor race- that being – you guessed it, Alicorns. Alicorns, as stated previously, are a race all their own; and have perfect understanding and are representations of 'peace'. Friendship, love, and harmony. It's difficult to imagine any pony race existing before the alicorns, who likely made the world a very pleasant place to live, when they were more prevalent (something along the lines of Garden of Eden, I'd assume) But the “master race” that Alicorns were eventually likely branched off into 3 separate races that they represented- Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth ponies- through the generations. And while those 'lesser' ponies weren't a combination of the 3 races, like the Alicorns, they all still carried their ancestral Alicorn genes.

 

I feel this is a proper assumption that the MLP series itself hints at. Take for example, Mr and Mrs Cake- two Earth ponies, giving birth to a filly who's a unicorn, and a colt who's a pegasus. Easily explained with Alicorn ancestral genes in their DNA.

 

Now, as for a unicorn, earth, or pegasi pony transforming into an alicorn- let me just state- CELESTIA/ LUNA ARE NOT the ones who transform other ponies into alicorns. Because there seems to be a common misconception that they do, when this is not actually the case. (carefully observing “Magical Mystery Cure” one can see that Celestia's horn never glows in Twi's transformation scene, but rather, it's a magical energy that comes out of Twilight, envelops, and transforms her)

 

First, taking a look at Cadance. In the book “Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell”, it tells of Cadance's transformation to alicorn and the accomplishment that triggered it. “As a baby pegasus Cadance was found in the woods by earth Ponies, who took her into their village. When she grew up, she reversed a love-stealing spell cast by a pony named Prismia.” Prismia wore a magic-enhancing necklace that amplified her evil and jealousy, but when Cadance confronted her, the necklace amplified Cadance's love. Once Prismia changed her horrible ways, Cadance was surrounded by magical energy and transported to a strange place where she met Celestia, who adopted her as her royal niece.

 

Since the Alicorns, according to the Journal of the Two sisters- represent Friendship, love, and harmony, I suspect that in order for a non-Alicorn pony to transform into one, they have to accomplish a task that proves that they understand and have mastered those three attributes.

 

This was possible for Cadance, who already had the utmost understanding of Love, given it was her special talent and what her cutie mark represented. She had fought for and brought about harmony against Prismia, and understanding of Friendship was a given, seeing as how love is just a higher form of it. Once all three elements are realized and mastered in a pony, then it must react with or trigger the dormant Alicorn gene in a pony that does, and transforms them.

 

This was also seen in Twilight, who also accomplished/ understood the magic of friendship (enough to discover that its its own unique kind of magic, even, and above simple Alicorn/ earth/ unicorn/ or pegasus magic), was a champion of harmony (along with her friends), and also mastered/ understood love (in the form of loving her friends).

 

At least, that's my understanding of it. But what does everyone else think about how non-alicorn ponies become alicorns?

[AppleCore 41]

I personally don't think Earth ponies, unicorns, and Pegasus share Alicorn ancestry (as you suggested). That would mean that the pony race 'downgraded' from the powerful all Alicorn race. That is completely going against the principles of Darwinism. 

 

I don't think it is genetics or anything of the sort that makes one an Alicorn, otherwise there would be plenty more where that came from. Magic plays a large role in Equestria and I believe that when the time is right and a good deed is done, the right pony is made Alicorn.

[cider float 2,535]

A bad decision, toy selling demands and terrible writing by the staff. :okiedokielokie:

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

One word, marketability.  

[The Awesome One 1,314]

I think one would have to prove himself/herself to be worthy in front of the Alicorn princesses who would decide if he or she can be awarded with immortality and great power or not.

 

My headcanon tells me that all of Celestia's person students over the years were actually potential successors in her eyes as she feared that she would never get her sister back and she would always remain Nightmare Moon on the moon and Twilight was her latest candidate (she did not know that of course).

 

However, when Luna did come back, Celestia decided that she could not let a pony with the potential of Twilight to be wasted and made her a princess anyway. 

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Well, based on the Crystal heart spell, Cadence's ascension had something to do with her love reacting with Prismia's magical amulet. So it seems that becoming an alicorn more or less just boils down to getting a sufficiently strong magical object to zap a pony, and then a little later that mutates them into an alicorn.

That being said, I rather dislike how Cadence ascended; I would have preferred to hold that only the Elements of harmony have the power to ascend a pony into an alicorn, in keeping with how harmony is stressed as being what Alicorns represent in the journal of the two sisters, and preserving the uniqueness of alicorns and the EOH. I mean, why the HECK didn't princess amore get turned into an alicorn then? She created an entire EMPIRE with the crystal heart, an object of incredible magic, and from what the comics imply she also imprisoned a race of shadow beings with that heart if the crystal ponies were besieged by the umbra before the crystal heart. This makes Cadence's ascension come of as pretty arbitrary.






Honestly, I would like to think that a pony would need to exemplify at least one element of harmony or love (Lets say exemplify EITHER loyalty, kindness, honesty, Friendship, generosity, laughter or love) to ascend, and do a great act that benefited Equestria greatly-- unfortunately, Given how Twilight's ascension really didn't help ANYONE and she didn't accomplish anything great so much as saying "friendship is magic!" more or less, that doesn't hold true.

[Tom Snyder 4,111]

We can't really say what it takes to become one, Twilight met her conditions; but never knew what they were. So in all honesty, next to nothing is known about them.

[cider float 2,535]

Well, based on the Crystal heart spell, Cadence's ascension had something to do with her love reacting with Prismia's magical amulet. So it seems that becoming an alicorn more or less just boils down to getting a sufficiently strong magical object to zap a pony, and then a little later that mutates them into an alicorn.

That being said, I rather dislike how Cadence ascended; I would have preferred to hold that only the Elements of harmony have the power to ascend a pony into an alicorn, in keeping with how harmony is stressed as being what Alicorns represent in the journal of the two sisters, and preserving the uniqueness of alicorns and the EOH. I mean, why the HECK didn't princess amore get turned into an alicorn then? She created an entire EMPIRE with the crystal heart, an object of incredible magic, and from what the comics imply she also imprisoned a race of shadow beings with that heart if the crystal ponies were besieged by the umbra before the crystal heart. This makes Cadence's ascension come of as pretty arbitrary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I would like to think that a pony would need to exemplify at least one element of harmony or love (Lets say exemplify EITHER loyalty, kindness, honesty, Friendship, generosity, laughter or love) to ascend, and do a great act that benefited Equestria greatly-- unfortunately, Given how Twilight's ascension really didn't help ANYONE and she didn't accomplish anything great so much as saying "friendship is magic!" more or less, that doesn't hold true.

Well Lauren Faust intended there to be only two alicorns. Celestia and Luna. But of course Hasbro had to make Princess Cadence an alicorn... because you know... marketing. Twilight becoming an alicorn is just another one of those reasons. :okiedokielokie:

[colt_following 169]

What does it take?

 

 

First, Hasbro has to tell you to turn them into an alicorn

[Shanks 10,811]

Judging by how different Twilight and Cadences ascensions are it is reasonable to assume that there are multiple different ways it could happen but what both Twilight and Cadences ascensions have in common is that they both passed a sort of trial and I suspect that this trial could differ depending on the individual. 

[#1FluttershyFan 206]

All it really takes is an uber-powerful god (*cough* Celestia *cough*). Oh, you mean what it takes to become alicorns, like personality traits. I would love to go into that but I would loose control and it would turn into a huge rant about how Twilight wasn't totally worthy and all that and I don't want to deal with that right now.