@Background Pony #ED95  
Sigh, you’re just being ridiculous, or maybe you’re just trying to troll? You haven’t presented a shred of evidence for anything. If you think that picture contradicts anything I’ve said, then again, you obviously just haven’t read my posts, or you’ve somehow misinterpreted something. I acknowledged that alicorns and non-alicorns may have different levels of authority with some things, the thing you don’t seem to understand is that gender is irrelevant to who can become one because there’s a path for good, benevolent leaders to earn alicornhood. Gender plays no part in this.
 
We’ve had 6 seasons and counting of MLP, and while it should have been obvious from the start, there is overwhelming proof that mares and stallions are equal in MLP. All of them going about their lives and interacting with each other in all the episodes is the proof of that, and there are ponies of both genders in a wide variety of walks of life in the show, too. Equestria absolutely is gender-egalitarian.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
Yeah, you’re right. This argument is pointless. Why present evidence when the other side is just going to repeat talking points?
 
So, bye, I guess.

@Background Pony #ED95  
Don’t be ridiculous. It absolutely is gender-egalitarian, and anyone who thinks otherwise is frankly delusional or just doesn’t pay any attention to what they’re watching, especially six seasons in where we’ve seen nothing but both genders being treated as and interacting as equals. Neither gender is advantaged or dominant, there’s no gender roles, and so on, I’ve said this stuff already. Mares and stallions are very clearly equal in every way in Equestria, and also equally capable; even with physical activities, we’ve seen that both genders are pretty even. Non-alicorns and alicorns may have different responsibilities as far as royals go, as I said, but gender has nothing to do with it.
 
Your picture shows non-alicorns having a different seat placement, but it clearly does not involve gender in any way. Don’t even pretend that picture contradicts anything I’ve said, because if you think it does, I’m afraid you simply haven’t read my posts. Equestria being gender-egalitarian is a fact, not only is that completely evident in everything we’ve seen in the show, it’s also been one of the goals of the show itself right from the start, to promote gender equality. Now please, I’ve got an appointment later today, so find something else to do.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
Yup, totally egalitarian:  
 
Just because you keep repeating something doesn’t mean it’s true, especially when the evidence supports the opposite.

@Scrounge  
Just woke up, unfortunately, wasn’t looking forward to continuing this conversation, but whatever. And yes, the writers don’t tend to do much for secondary characters, though they have been improving with that somewhat in more recent seasons. Most of them don’t get much screentime or development, and even Celestia has no episode. You could just as easily criticize the show for having villains ‘smack around’ her most of the time, so lacking writing like that is nothing exclusive to Shining Armor.
 
And mind you, we don’t know much about Blueblood, he’s probably not even a bad guy, but the point I was making is that a pony can become a non-alicorn through inheritance and stuff like that, but for a normal pony to become an alicorn like Twilight did, they have to be a good, benevolent leader, and other stuff she did. I don’t see your point with Blueblood, he contradicts nothing I’ve said.
 
And no, the titles of prince and princess are most assuredly equal. This is MLP, a show with a message of gender-equality, and Equestria is very clearly and canonically gender-egalitarian, where neither gender is advantaged or dominant in any way, and there are no gender roles. We’ve had a full 6 and counting seasons, and it’s pretty clear that they have de-jure and de-facto gender equality in every way. The genders have been portrayed as equally capable and equally respected. Non-alicorn royals and alicorn royals may have different responsibilities and requirements, which is the point I was trying to make, but princes and princesses are logically going to be exactly the same, and either can be a normal pony OR an alicorn.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
I’m not questioning Shining Armor. My only problem with him is that the writers like to let villains smack him around a bit too often, and I suppose a risk you take when you’re not a main character. He’s okay.
 
But my entire point about Blueblood is that he shows no signs of being a good, benevolent leader, and if Twilight had acted like that, not only would she and her friends not have accomplished the things they did, but she probably wouldn’t have had any friends (other than maybe Pinkie who likes EVERYONE).
 
I am in no way saying the princes should be alicorns. I’m just saying it’s kinda strange that there don’t seem to be any present-day princesses on that same level, and it seems like the titles of “prince” and “princess” don’t necessarily equate to each other. It’s a societal construct (if that’s the proper term), not an inherent property of either gender, and I doubt anypony would be thinking much about it beyond “that’s how things are”, kinda like, I dunno, how most Americans don’t think much about Andrew Jackson being on the $20 bill or whatever.
 
Sleep well.

@Scrounge  
Platinum is a good example of a non-alicorn princess though, even if she lived a long time ago. And one of the more popular theories for Blueblood happens to be that he’s like a descendant to her (we obviously don’t know much about him, of course) Either way, no, I’ve given plenty good reasons for Shining and Blueblood not being alicorns currently.
 
And as far as the requirements, that’s nonsense and you know it. Being a good, benevolent leader is the same thing regardless of your genitals, so the requirements certainly aren’t going to be any different. We saw what it took for Twilight to become an alicorn, and it took her and her friends a lot of time and effort (pretty much everything pre-MMC led up to that). Shining or Blueblood would absolutely be an alicorn had they done/learned/experienced the same things with friends like Twilight did. And Starswirl probably would have been too, had he properly understood friendship.
 
Anyway, probably going to bed soon, dunno. Felt pretty exhausted today.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
“Suspicious” was probably the wrong word. “Peculiar”, perhaps?
 
And by “bar” I meant the requirements for becoming one. And I’m standing by the assertion. The only non-alicorn Princess we’ve heard about is Princess Platinum, and that was in the ancient past. On the other hand, Blueblood gets to be a prince.

@Scrounge  
It’s not suspicious, no. As I said, at most you can blame Hasbro’s marketing department.
 
And while they can apparently be born (good luck explaining that one lore-wise), it also clearly doesn’t come with the title on a silver platter, either, a prince or princess is not automatically an alicorn just because they inherit a title or something. Shining Armor for example isn’t one because he got his title as a prince consort, not that I don’t think he’d be a good candidate, because he obviously would and I think he’d make a good alicorn too.
 
Anyway, the bar is not set lower for anyone, the circumstances of say, Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle aren’t exactly comparable. That’s not to say that Shining Armor isn’t a very capable and benevolent leader too, he just hasn’t gone through the whole process like Twilight has, and he got his title through marriage. We saw with Twilight how much it took for her to earn her alicornhood, along with the constant help and support of her friends, of course.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
How about this: The lack of male alicorns looks suspicious, but by itself indicates nothing, at least as far as in-universe goes. That fair?
 
 
@Background Pony #ED95  
Yeah, the bar seems set a bit lower for princes than for princesses. Though it’s theoretically possible that male alicorns would just get a title other than “prince”.

@Background Pony #ED95  
Sigh. Yes, I’m very much so sure. While it does have more female character screentime overall, the show was created with equality in mind, and Equestria is very clearly and canonically gender-egalitarian. Neither gender is advantaged or dominant, or anything like that, and there are no gender roles. We’ve had a full six seasons and counting of ponies of both genders interacting together and being portrayed as clear equals, de-jure and de-facto.
 
Alicornhood is clearly something a pony of any race or gender can earn. It’s a matter of being a good, benevolent leader and stuff like that, as I said, and anything else would completely crush their legitimacy.
 
Now, let’s end this thread, and hopefully it will die again. Permanently, this time, please and thank you.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
Are sou sure? In the picture about the love poison, they had a prince and a princess, so supposedly equal. Guess who was the alicorn. Maybe it’s just an oversight, but let’s not pretend the imbalance isn’t there.

@Background Pony #ED95  
There’s no significance, and it’s not implying anything. MLP as a cartoon is more focused on female characters screentime-wise (more even in more recent seasons with a lot of secondary characters, though) but it’s never portrayed either gender as superior or dominant or anything of the sort. Plus, Hasbro’s marketing team is obsessed with princesses, because they think they sell. It means nothing though, the show has clearly portrayed both genders as equally capable and respected, and alicornhood is a matter of merit and being a good/benevolent leader.

@Background Pony #9A8B  
Anyone can become one regardless of gender, but only women have been shown to succeed. Depending on whether it was an error or not, the ratio is something between four/five to zero. So… yeah.

@Scrounge  
Anyone can become an alicorn, regardless of gender, especially since Equestria is very clearly gender-egalitarian in all ways. There’s a clear path for ponies who are right for the job (good, benevolent leaders, etc, we saw with Twilight), and gender is totally irrelevant. Starswirl almost became one, except he didn’t quite understand friendship like Twilight, as Celestia mentioned herself.
 
@Darth Sonic  
I want off this ride.
 

 
Maybe I should just go back to sleep ;-;

@Scrounge
 
@Darth Sonic  
ONCE MORE, I HAVE BEEN AWAKENED!!!

@Princess♠Molestia  
That’s not a function of gender, though, at least not directly. It’s because alicorns are considered a superior race.

@Princess♠Molestia
 
Some ponies just want to watch the world burn…

@Darth Sonic  
I did it for the lulz.

@Princess♠Molestia  
How about no?
 
Background pony crowds are filled with clones and are terribly inconsistent, meaning you cannot hope to use them to determine anything related to population statistics, plus the ponies are primarily monogamous, so the gender ratio, is in fact, almost surely even. Now go away, foul necromancer.

@Princess♠Molestia  

 
WHY HAVE YOU AWAKEN ME, MORTAL?!

No. In fact it makes him inferior.
 
Do you think it’s coincidence there’s more females than males in my country!? Huh?

@Starswirl
 
This is true, though in their defense that was their first time going to an event like the Grand Galloping Gala, while Blueblood would theoretically be used to them or at least know what would be expected or acceptable behaviour.
 
@Background Pony #AD5D
 
This is also a possibility I’ve considered, but his reaction to Applejack’s wares seemed genuine to me. Then again, I’d expect royals to be at least decent actors.
 
Great Primus above. There really is a lot of potential with this guy.

Utterly random and totally not related headcanon:  
When a princess learns their final lesson, they become an alicorn.  
When a prince learns their final lesson, they become a Krogan.

@NotYourAverageLurker  
That’d work I suppose.