Princess or Alicorn - what's worse and what's better?

[Gary S. 102]

As you know there were and are some complaints about her new status and i actually never followed what was the people's bigger issue about her change. So just out of curiosity i started this poll.

Even if you haven't any problems with it, what of the two changes about Twilight do you like less?

[Stormbringer 346]

I mean, I can survive Twi being a princess. That's actually okay. I just don't like Twilicorn. It's bearable, but I just prefer her being the little unipone she used to be.

[Frostgage 7,976]

I have no complaints with Twilight being a princess. She's my favorite pony, and I believe she's earned that role, so I completely approve of it.

 

The alicorn thing kind of bothers me though. I would have preferred Celestia and Luna to be the only alicorns in Equestria, as they're clearly older/more powerful than any other pony. But honestly, it's not that big of a deal.

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

Neither change really bothered me, but I anticipate that most of the problems will be with alicorn Twilight.

[Obsidian Sky 14,004]

Both does not really bother me. I liked her before the coronation, and i like her after.

 

I guess many have problems with the alicorn thing because they think she will outlive her friends, but has it ever been confirmed that "normal" alicorns have a longer lifespan? i would think the whole immortality deal would only be true for the royal sisters.

[Khaoios 1,970]

Im gonna be honest, in my eyes, this is how i see the difference. 

 

Princesses - Alicorn form, yes, but high and almighty, no (that includes Celestia and Luna, not matter what age)

 

Alicorns - Gods (older and much more ancient, with an age length over 2,000 years old)

 

So, in terms of Twilight, even though she's an alicorn, she is not high and mighty, so I will say she's more of a Princess.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

It's whatever, bro

I mean, it's not really affecting Rarity

 

yet

 

 

I liked Twilight more as a unicorn, but I have no problem and am not bothered in the slightest at her being an alicorn/princess; it was bound to happen anyway. She WAS Celestia's apprentice, after all

The only reason I like her better as a Unicorn is that she had...more personality She felt more real; and although her coronation was going to happen regardless, it was a bit premature in my eyes.

 

So, although I'm not bothered at all by her being an alicorn/princess, I do sorta miss regular Twi every now and again

 

Things change, though, I guess.

[OptimisticNeighsayer 478]

I used to say that either being a princess or an alicorn was fine, but not both.  Now I think that being a princess is hardly bad at all, but being an alicorn still is.  She just sticks out too much.

[Shanks 10,816]

It is not either that are particularly bad it is how they were handled that irritate me. A rushed season 3 finale in a season that had very little to do with it otherwise except for some vague hints that could be left way open to interpretation, a good season 4 premier but one that didn't answer as many questions as it should have while the rest of the season 4 for the most part while it didn't play it up too much which is a good thing it treated it like nothing happened at all which makes the whole thing seem completely pointless. I am still in wait and see mode but still have some reservations about it and am getting very very annoyed at all the inconsistencies and out of character moments in season 4 not for Twilight in particular but for a few of the others and the massive overuse of deux ex machina.

[Adorkable 2,737]

I don't think either are a bad thing.

 

Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first when I heard Twilight Sparkle was going to become a Princess, but I didn't know how things were going to turn out, so I waited to see for myself.

 

After watching Magical Mystery Cure, Equestria Girls, and Princess Twilight  I never developed a problem with Twilight Sparkle becoming an alicorn princess. Actually, I thought it was more amazing than anything. Now she has the qualities of all 3 pony types, and she's still my lovable Twily. ^^ <3

[Nature's Spell 526]

Although I do wish they would make more of her status, I'm fully on board with our Purple Princess. Alicorn=Princess and you can't have one without the other. I also strongly believe that her ascention can be supported by canon and does make sense in the context of the show.

[Espurr 449]

I SAY: meh.

As much as most of you all seem to have a problem with one or the other, I say that being an alicorn isn't so bad. I mean, you get to have wings and do magic. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? Ahem. But being a princess isn't so bad either. You have all of equestrian under your rule! Just think:

MAN THE BATTLE STATIONS! WE ARE AT WAR WITH THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! I ALICORN STARRY SKY, WILL DEFEAT CELESTIA! Ponies, we have taken out all of the elements of harmony and luna and cadence. All that's left is Celestia. Grab her, tie her down and then put her in stone. Just as she did to my husband, DISCORD! You, grab the wand. Somebody, go get Trixie. This isn't a war my alicorn sister will want to forget. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Or something like that. All that power could go to one's head in the end.

[Castle Bleck 19,386]

Celestia & Luna: We had to learn how to move celestial bodies and regulate day-to-day life.

 

Cadance: I had to defeat a Woobie, Destroyer Of Worlds sorceress and use love to conquer hate.

 

Twilight: I had to complete Star Swirl The Bearded's final spell and save my friends' destinies.

 

Donut Steel: Oh, yeah? Well... I'M BATMAN!!!

Edited March 19, 2014 by Anti-Villain

[XxConfusedUnicornxX 834]

Honestly, I like Twi as a unicorn because her being an alicorn sort of casts the rest of the mane 6 in her shadow.

[Quill Waver 1,408]

Well, referring to the title, princess and alicorn seem to go hoof in hoof; if you are one, you are the other. The only exception to this would be Blueblood, but the prince did not earn his role.

 

As far as Princess Twilight Sparkle goes, here is my standpoint:

 

Yes, she did earn her wings and rightful place at the throne. She achieved a level of self-actualization that very few people (or ponies) ever achieve in their lifetime.

 

I personally think that each of the Mane Six have the capacity to become alicorns; they all have done heroic and selfless deeds befitting of a princess. They merely need to realize their true destinies and learn, on a deeper level, what it means to be them.

[ALIS 38]

I'll come out and say it, it bothered me and it still bothers me. Everytime someone says what is the big deal nothing changed I am reminded even more why I am bothered.

 

She is a Princess in name only and it hasn't really been a big plot point. They made a massive change to a character, in a very average single part episode of a half season with almost no build up and than did almost nothing to follow up on that change.  Everyone knows how this happened, Hasbro added Princess Twilight to their half season and left the writers  scrambling to figure that mess out. To their credit they've been good at dancing around the cringe worthy aspects of Princess Twilight. That is why I don't like Princess Twilight and love the writers who pulled the show out of Hasbro's tail spin.

 

I remember when the she'll become an Alicorn someday was a big joke that no one took seriously because it was just a lame direction to go in. Luckily the writers figured out the answer to this conundrum, make her an Alicorn then make it meaningless for all practical purposes.

Edited March 19, 2014 by ALIS

[DryGuy84 (Inactive) 927]

The title doesn't matter to me, and I think she's even more adorable with wings. Which should I choose? Maybe, none?

Honestly, I like Twi as a unicorn because her being an alicorn sort of casts the rest of the mane 6 in her shadow.

 

How? She's had LESS screentime since she became a princess, otherwise nothing has changed (for better or worse).

[mars 4,863]

Personally, I like alicorn!Twilight. I think that it was going to happen eventually, and the change- although drastic- didn't really feel like it was such a surprise. The only thing that is a bit frustrating is that we haven't focused on Twilight and what has changed because she's an alicorn. They touched on it lightly during the opening episodes Season 4, and Twilight Time was dedicated it to it... But I don't think that's enough, really. There have been many incidents where the writers had opportunities to showcase what Twilight's new alicorn/princess status means, but they haven't! 

[DryGuy84 (Inactive) 927]

It's whatever, bro

 

I mean, it's not really affecting Rarity

 

yet

 

 

I liked Twilight more as a unicorn, but I have no problem and am not bothered in the slightest at her being an alicorn/princess; it was bound to happen anyway. She WAS Celestia's apprentice, after all

 

The only reason I like her better as a Unicorn is that she had...more personality She felt more real; and although her coronation was going to happen regardless, it was a bit premature in my eyes.

 

So, although I'm not bothered at all by her being an alicorn/princess, I do sorta miss regular Twi every now and again

 

Things change, though, I guess.

 

I think that technically counts as a separate change, but yea I think Twi needs to be put in the spotlight of a "slice of life" episode again.

[Scootalove 10,689]

At first, I didn't really think the change was that bad but now I think that Twilight becoming an alicorn and a princess was a big deal to others since most people don't like change. I'm not bothered by the change though.

[Katana 298]

I don't like letting myself get into excessive rants, so I'll just try to keep it down to the more core bits; the ones that ultimately caused me to stop watching season 4 entirely were the huge changes of character.

Nobody writing for her character can now very easily forget "She's a princess now. She's important. She's saved the world about 8 dozen times." (forgetting of course that she did this with 5 others, who then go completely back to being looney bins when Pie Day rolls around) Any attempts to forget this were cut off by stapling some wings onto her.

The end effect, though, is that she's nowhere near the silly, dorky character she started the show as. Remember when she became guinea pig for a corset by Rarity? Remember when a flowerpot, anvil, piano, and entire wagon cart fell on her while she was in a wheelchair? Remember when she attempted to research how to do a sleepover, and pondered over whether having a tree crash through your window counted as camping? Remember the chemical-filled science lab she keeps in her basement for experiments?

 

Sure, some of that stuff is things that "happened to her", rather than "things she...happened...?", but writing can do what it wants; one day Twilight could inherit a lunar satellite from her parents simply because the writers happened to hit that part of the dartboard. Like I said, I stopped watching Season 4, so maybe by some chance they made a sequel to Lesson Zero, but in all honesty, even when I tried writing episodes, I feel like that seems a lot more difficult now that there's a sign with "I am Important." written in a distinctive font strapped to her side. I feel like if an anvil dropped on her head today, she'd fall to her knees in serious pain as violin music strikes on, and gets a 5-minute half-conscious internal monologue about how she has to get up to keep supporting her friends and save the world.

 

On the plus side, I've been watching Teen Titans Go, and Starfire seems to be pretty much the type of overeager, happy-to-please girl I like, while still very often ending up with the Idiot Ball for laughs.

 

Also, on another tangent: Yahtzee summed up a bit of this well in his Darksiders review, around 3:58.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1404-Darksiders

The more excessive details you add to a character, the more is taken away from the parts that matter. Simple is really best.

 

• Rainbow Dash gets wings because she LIVES around being an amazing, fast, daring flier.
• Fluttershy gets wings because winged creatures are often seen as being fragile, or wary of danger. Ever played Fire Emblem? Pegasi tend not to be your tanks, especially if archers are on the same continent as them...
• Rarity gets a horn because unicorns are seen as regal, mythical creatures.
• Applejack gets no features besides a hat because her four limbs are what's strongest about her; she's solidly built and doesn't need anything more than that.
• Pinkie Pie wouldn't benefit from anything beyond her natural hairstyle.
• S1-S3 Twilight gets a horn because her talent/obsession is magic.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Katana

[XxConfusedUnicornxX 834]

The title doesn't matter to me, and I think she's even more adorable with wings. Which should I choose? Maybe, none?

 

How? She's had LESS screentime since she became a princess, otherwise nothing has changed (for better or worse).

She looks more OP It's sort of unfair to the other mane 6

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

My opinion is that none of these are the problem. The problem is that we don't know what they mean.

[Honeybloom 13]

I don't really know how I personally feel about it, to be honest. 

I agree with what Nature's Spell said - Alicorn seems to equal princess. I guess you can't be one without being the other - every princess we've met so far is an alicorn. If I could change the way that worked, I would probably take away Twilight's wings. I don't know, she just doesn't feel like Twilight to me anymore, and I feel like if it was a real group of friends things wouldn't work out due to jealousy and stuff. I mean, being a princess is enough, why did she have to be an alicorn as well?

 

This is just my opinion though; overall, I still like Twilight, and obviously her role as royalty hasn't gotten to her head yet?.

[Quill Waver 1,408]

At first, I didn't really think the change was that bad but now I think that Twilight becoming an alicorn and a princess was a big deal to others since most people don't like change. I'm not bothered by the change though.

That is my argument for the whole thing: Twilight Sparkle is still Twilight Sparkle. She hasn't truly changed; only her appearance and title has, so my question to the dislikers of "Twilicorn" becomes...

 

what is the real problem here?