Fallen Kingdom

It was many years after AJ's death that I first noticed the golden tips of Tia's long flowing mane. It had gotten longer, and I wondered why.

"Tia?" I called down the hall. She was in Luna's quarters, getting ready for dawn.

"Yes, Twilight? What do you need?" She replied. Her white coat was sleek and shiny as always, and her eyes were still dull from sleep. I shifted around on my hooves, embarrassed to ask if a princess dyed her mane.

"Well, you see, I noticed some gold on the tips of your mane, and I just wanted to ask why it was there." I smiled at the princess, and she returned it. Her smile was somber, though.

"It's natural. Like when a regular mare gets grey hairs. I'm getting old." She laughed, and I joined in, for lack of a better activity.

"You mean to say that after thousands of years, you're just now getting old?!"

"Yes! It happens to everypony."

"I thought you were immortal? If you have gold hairs then that means that you're-" I stopped dead in my sentence, and my eyes widened.

"You're gonna die one day?" I asked, shocked.

"Of course I am. Like I said, everypony gets old and dies!"

Luna walked in, exhaustion made her hoof steps heavy and lethargic. Her eyes, though, were wide-awake.

"Sister, it is your turn." She bowed her head, and Tia sighed in relief. I scowled, and she laughed at my obvious distaste at the timing of it all. She whispered quickly in Luna's ear, and flew off from the balcony, the sun following.

"So, I hear you talked about being old, huh?" Luna asked, lying down on her bed. It was decorated with the sun and a pair of wings next to the sun. The background was black with little stars pricking the darkness. I had always found the quilt to be very peaceful, and I favored it more than Tia's.

"Yeah. But I didn't think that you would die eventually. I mean, you have always been here; who will rule when you die?" I asked. Luna regarded me with a 'really?' look.

"You will, obviously. You will be just like Celestia and I; you'll raise the sun and the moon, take on a student, and you'll do long and boring paperwork all about the standing relations with the neighboring empires. It's really easy once you get an assistant. And of course you will have Cadence to rely on. She is always open to help others. You know how she is with that.

"There's also something I'd like to show you. Come with me," Luna rose from her bed and flew out the door and down the hall. She lead me down multiple flights of stairs and ended up in the crystal caverns where Cadence had been imprisoned on her wedding day. I winced as I stepped on one of the broken shards of amethyst. I yanked the piece out of my hoof with magic and continued following the princess of night.

"Ta da!" She said with an extravagant flap of her wings. She threw her mane back and laughed at my perplexed countenance.

She turned around and frowned. Using magic, she whipped a white sheet off of what I had thought was a hunk of rock. Instead, I saw a portal. Beyond that was an image of greenish-blue pulsing light, with flecks of gold and underlying tones of black.

"This is called to Realm of Magic. It's the eternal pool of energy where all ponies draw upon for their special powers. Pegasi use this energy to fly, even though the shouldn't be able to, what with the size of their wings. Earth ponies use it by channeling the raw power into the ground, making it fertile for growing things. Unicorns use it by harnessing the energy within and manipulating the world around them through levitation, transfiguration, and other such spells. Alicorns are the most connected to the Realm of Magic because they use all three of the traits associated with the pony species, and then add on to their power by being seemingly ageless." Luna paused and looked at me.

"So," I began. "In the case of Alicorns, I am assuming that channeling too much of the energy can burn up their physical bodies, causing them to turn gold and fade away to ashes. Am I right?" I asked. Luna nodded.

"Yes, almost. See, it's not just the channeling of energy that wears us out, but it's also the realm needing the energy back. We use so much of it, and we need to return it. That's why the pool of energy is eternal. Used energy is given back once it's no longer needed. Earth ponies don't just rely on their magic, they rely on sheer skill as well. Pinkie's family didn't have the skills necessary to keep a real farm going after an initial burst of magic. Pegasi only need a boost when taking off, and then when landing. After that, their bodies know automatically what to do to keep themselves in the air and not crashing."

I nodded. "So this is the place where I got my wings and my green hoof?" I asked.

"Yes."

With that, we left back up to the palace, both eager to get some sleep during the day (I had stayed up all night studying history and how to rule a kingdom).

"Good night, Luna." I said.

"Good night, Twilight Sparkle."