THE EQUESTRIAN BESTIARY

The Alicorn

MIGHT : 4/5*

RARITY : 5/5

Deus Equus Ferus

Written by Spaced

The alicorn stands proudly as one of the most beautiful, powerful and rarest creatures living in Equestria today – and no doubt, one of the most famous as well. The alicorn is the alpha member of the pony genome, boasting the wings of the

pegasus and the magical capability of the unicorn. Blessed with a lifespan that can cross several millennia and magical reserves that most unicorns can only dream of; the alicorns form the royal family of the Equestrian kingdoms - leading with the wisdom gained from thousands of years of experience that their lifespan has gifted them with and the extraordinary magical might that allows them to exploit and control such things as the sun, moon and by extension - the seasons that we experience during the year.

While a unicorn’s magical ability can be attributed occasionally to his or her natural talent – most unicorns require years and years of study to perfect their magic. alicorns however, seems to have a predestined gift to control a certain facet of nature. Princess Celestia (easily the most well-known alicorn at the time of writing) has a very deep relationship with the sun – not only does she have control over it, but her magic is fuelled by it; making Celestia more powerful during the daytime and somewhat weaker (but still powerful) during the night time hours when Celestia is outside the sun’s influence.  It is this writer’s hypothesis that the alicorn’s cutie mark is what dictates the alicorn’s magical influence – Princess Celestia is blessed with a cutie mark of the sun, and can therefore control it, as well as be powered by it. In the legends of Princess Luna, she is generally depicted in pre-Nightmare Moon pictures as having a moon for a cutie mark, gifted with complete control over the celestial body as well as being powered by it, Just like Celestia’s sun. Princess Crysilia, leader of the Crystal kingdoms has a cutie mark comprising of a crystal shard surrounded by several snowflakes and has complete control over ice and snow, as well as enjoying heightened magical levels during the winter months.

However, due to the extraordinary rarity of the Alicorn (currently there are only four officially registered – Celestia and her sister Luna; Crysillia and her daughter Cadence.) It is impossible to form a proper conclusion at this point, to properly test this cutie mark theory would require a physical subject and rigorous examination – something not exactly befitting the royal family and as such, no true scientific examinations can be performed at this point.      

In terms of physical appearance, a fully grown adult alicorn (the length it takes to reach full adulthood is unknown, but is thought to be at least several decades.) towers over its pony brethren in terms of size – usually around six to eight feet taller, as well as a far larger wing span than the pegasus or griffin.  The alicorn’s mane also appears to reflect the current magical state of its owner – when at her full strength, Celestia’s mane flows with a life of its own as if it is being bolstered by solar winds. But a pre-adolescent alicorn or an alicorn who has been severely weakened has a mane more similar to that of other ponies.

Below is an excerpt from “Ancient legends” a fascinating journey of an unnamed scholar’s attempts to unravel some of the livelier myths of Equestria. In this passage, he had the extraordinarily rare opportunity to interview Princess Celestia herself.

“I have no doubt that if I told you my name, you would not have heard of me; however, despite the fact that I have always considered myself nought but a humble pony, I am somewhat well known in certain circles of society.

I have met Lords and Ladies, Tribal leaders and witches; Great magicians, Griffin warlords and Draconequi, but I have never met a Pony like Princess Celestia. And I never will again.

She knew my name, and said it with a sense of esteem I had not thought possible. Even more surprising, the Princess was incredibly knowledgeable of my published works, and enquired with genuine curiosity about my travels through and beyond Equestria. I feel no shame in admitting that I spluttered and blushed like a ten year old foal, but she simply chuckled in a warm manner and gently placed one of her majestic wings around me, guiding me to a seating position in her oratory. Oh, I could speak at length about the many topics we covered and bonded over! Ranging from the benign, such as our mutual love of Banana cake, to ancient tales of murder and intrigue between the three tribes. But I will not bore you with the love-struck nostalgia of a very old Pony; I had come to discuss one specific topic with Celestia.

Alicorns.

I noticed with regret how the fair Princesses’ cheerful continence cooled slightly when our meandering conversation finally reached its destination. Part of me wished I could have forgotten about my study, if only temporally, so our evening could have continued on its merry route. But alas! The pursuit of knowledge has no time for a hormonal scholar.

Celestia was kind enough to invite to her private library, where she kept some of the most precious and ancient pieces of literature in the whole of creation. I doubt you, dear reader, will require much in the way of imagination to picture my excitement at this fountain of knowledge that was open to me, albeit temporally. Piles of dusty books and scrolls were arranged in neat rows upon immaculate shelves, stretching all the way up to the distant ceiling. Huge slabs of carved rock, depicting long forgotten events took pride of place upon the walls in shining glass cabinets; tribal paintings of Pegasi origin, depicting the forming of Cloudsdale and the unification wars were hanging down from the ceiling like tapestries.

However, it was one of the slabs of rock that caught my academic attention. Celestia did not seem at all surprised when I galloped up to what was clearly an ancient artefact. The Rock slab itself was in poor condition; obviously the years had not been kind. A number of the drawings upon the surface were unintelligible, much to my dismay.

What I could see depicted a vast starry night sky, showing all the constellations and a glowing moon, with a palace sitting on the edge of the highest cliff.  Within the highest tower of the palace, the windows were wide open, depicting two unicorns and a baby foal. The Unicorns were in stunningly regal dress, while the foal was surrounded by what seemed to be jewels and gold.

“What is this?” I asked in wonder.

“The oldest record of our past I have in my possession,” Celestia replied. “I think the baby foal in the picture is me. But to be honest...I am unsure.”

It seemed even Princess Celestia herself did not have all the answers. I restrained myself and only asked her a few questions, as the topic seemed to be an uncomfortable one for her – and many of the answers I received were not the ones I expected. For one, Celestia explained that the birth of an alicorn is regarded as a supernatural event and is regarded as a premonition for the future, be it good or bad. Alicorns can be born to any variation of pony parent, be it between two pegasi, a unicorn and a pegasi (the most obvious combination) or two earth ponies.  I then asked Celestia if she remembered her own parents, and the look of sadness in her eyes broke my heart. She never answered that question, but I had been very foolish to ask such a personal question in the first place.”

Ancient Legends: Chapter 5

*Although the alicorn is regarded as a peaceful species, the MIGHT classification reflects the strength of the subject.