Alicorn from a practical application was never a big thing.

[FNGRpony 655]

Now in the past I've tackled the topic of twilight and the princess hood,

and i was going to make a thread about,

"you know outside of her flight at the start of season 4, it's mostly been un necessary."

 

And i realized i missed the real issue, or rather the nit pick.

 

Alicorns are just flying unicorns.

 

I've seen the argument from fans Cadence could have just as easily worked as just a unicorn.  And for the most part their right.

 

In luna's role as a villain or a hero has it really mattered that she'd had wings?

 

When Celestail comes to town, they wheel her bag ass in in her cheroot.  she doesn't even fly into town.  
why couldn't Celestial herself just been an extra special unicorn?

 

Long story short, there's nothing out side of status, that really makes Alicorn this world ending template that fans went on and on about in the first place.

 

Those wings do not amyfly that unicorns magical ability.

I'm arguing if you slapped wings on sombre he wouldn't have been the least bit more powerful.  He would been able to fly, but with the way he moved in his shadow form, would been un necessary.

 

The only way you could really use and abuse being an alicorn,

to be broken is if you could either a have a pegisis like rainbow dash get real good at magic,

who learned to cast amazingly well while flying,

 

or make a twilight sparkle fly like rainbow dash and use her skills as such.

 

but there isn't a character like that.

 

there is no Alicorn flying ace.

There is no alicorn who (outside of black mailing her way in) get on the wonder bolts.

 

Please reply ^^.

Here lets put this another way,

 

did wings make nightmare moon a more effective enemy?

[Malinter 3,064]

while pyhsically they are just flying unicorns, the wings are more or less just for show, its the difference in magical power that is more significant.

[Nature's Spell 526]

The wings do add a certain drama, but I think mostly it helps them relate to the Pegasus on their own terms. Now you might wonder what allows them to relate to the Earth Ponies and I'm honestly not sure. Not every Pegasus is an awesome flyer and not every Unicorn is great at magic and I don't think it really matters. However it's possible that being an Alicorn makes a pony even better at what they are good at, maybe.

 

 

Very Royal looking. Way to take charge Princess Twilight. Edited December 29, 2013 by Nature's Spell

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

I think that you got it right. "Alicorn" is more about status than anything else.

Unless there is something that the show hasn't told us yet.

 

I mean... Cadance seems to be pretty powerful in The Crystal Empire, Chrysalis seems to use Celestia as a standard of "powerful" in the Canterlot Wedding. But none of this comes necessarily from the princesses being alicorns.

 

I guess that being an alicorn is more like a symbol that shows ponies that this "winged unicorn" tends to know that she is doing.

[hawkflame 3,308]

I think Alicorn status is more a symbolic representation of power and status than an actual example of additional ability. It shows that they are special, regal, that of an elite class. Even compared to someone like Sombra-not to suggest that they are more powerful than Sombra, but they are in something of a special class, like being knighted.

 

I guess being an Alicorn is sort of similar to having a crown. The crown itself isn't special, aside from maybe having some monetary value, but *having* a crown is an indication of your power and importance.

[Princess Lona 381]

I think it started purely as a toy thing. With shows like this the toys are being designed way before the characters are being created in the writer's room, so Hasbro had no idea that this wouldn't be just another throw away crappy princess show. Alicorns were invented because to a marketing executive:

Pony=$

Flying pony=$$

Unicorn=$$

Flying unicorn=$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$OMFG$$$!!!!!!

Since the toy designers wanted alicorns to be special, and it was decided that Celestia was already going to be a "princess", the writers made "alicorn" and "princess" mean essentially the same thing in the logic of the show.

 

You're absolutely right though, there is no real reason for any of these alicorns to have wings.