Twilight leaned heavily into the throne she sat in and sighed tiredly as the doors closed ending court. Spike looked at her in concern as she moved to rise only for it to take several tries, with a groan and the sound of bones grinding and popping she rose. "Spike, send the letter." She said with a weary voice.
"Are you sure Twilight? It's not like it'll change anything." He said as he pulled a yellowed letter form his pocket.
Twilight nodded. "My times almost up and He's coming, I can feel it." She said sadly before her body was racked with coughing. After a moment she calmed down and removed her hoof form her mouth. "I need to go lay down. " She said as she walked to the doors where the guards opened them and she walked out, her wing's being limply dragged behind her. Spike watched her leave before noticing that a trail of bloodied hoof prints followed behind her. Spike sighed before lifting the letter and blowing a small flame on it sending the letter off. Once he had done this he walked to the doors, nodding to the two guards as he passed and down the hall.
As he walked he stopped a maid and requested that she gather Twilights medication, the maid nodded and ran off for the medical wing. As he walked he passed the many stained windows depicting Twilight and his friend. As he waked memories of times long passed came forth making their presence known once more. Memories of his friend in their prime, when they had thought they could take on the world and still come home, Rainbow changed that thinking when her time came. It hadn't exactly been pleasant either.
There had been an attack by the griffon kingdom, they thought that with Celestia gone Equestria would be easy pickings. They were wrong, and the their defeat showed it but such victory came at a cost so great that Equestria morned, the lose of the Captain Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts. She had taken the post several years prior to the invasion and is that time she became known as one of the greatest Commanders the Wonderbolts had ever since their Founder in Hurricane Dash over a thousand years ago. Loyalty, Honesty, Honor and Glory; the watchword instilled in the Wonderbolts by Rainbow. After her passing the Wonderbolts were never the same, she had always been a lead by example type of pony, always leading the charge and carving a path head long into even the most dangerous of odds. After she was laid to rest the time of leaders who tried to return to the ways before was short lived, every pegasus had seen what effect Rainbows leadership had brought and it stuck.
Next was Pinkie Pie, no one would have ever thought such a mare would be brought low. It always seemed that when she was down she could bounce right back with just as much skill but there are some things that even laughter and happiness can't stop. For Pinkie it was her own body giving out, turns out that Pinkie's 'Pinkie Sense' was her body reacting to the natural Chaos Magic she produced. By the time Twilight and Discord managed to find a cure it was too late, the Pinkie Pie that everypony know of was long dead and what had taken its place was what could only be described as a monster. She was laid to rest beside Rainbow and despite all she had done was still seen as one of the greatest heroes of Equestria.
Surprisingly Fluttershy was the next to go, perhaps it was that she was just a too pure a soul for the world, perhaps it was simply fate playing a cruel joke only she could understand. Either way Fluttershy's time had come and the world was one good soul less for it. Despite her death and the many years it had been since her kindness still was shown. Animals for all over come to her grave and her home became a animal shelter tended by those who dedicated their life to following in her footsteps. Nowadays Fluttershy was heralded as not just a great hero of Equestria and Element of Harmony but as an avatar of nature itself.
Rarity managed to hold out for a long time and passed peacefully in her sleep. Before her time came Rarity not only fulfilled her dream of being a famous fashionista but was seen as among the best. Creatures from all over came to her for designers and she even went down in history for her invention of a special material that could repair itself. When she died the entire fashion industry seemed to grind to a halt for at least one day to pay respects.
Unsurprisingly to any pony Applejack held out the longest living far into her hundreds and even surpassing Granny Smith in age, experience and even wisdom; even in her twilight years the fire from her youth still blazed. She was famed for not just her wisdom and honesty but being able to single hoffedly slay a Hydra and then buck it off her property after it had eaten a battalion of Royal Guards.
As Spike came out of his memories she saw he had reached the doors to his last friends room and slowly he turned the knob and pushed it open to see Twilight laying in her bed. Pillows propped her up and she watched tiredly a motherly smile on her face. "Reminiscing on good times?" She asked in a weak voice causing Spike to smile.
"Yeah, both the good and bad." he replied receiving a nod from Twilight as he pulled up a chair and at by her bead.
"Spike, my time is closing, promise me you'll do good for yourself." Twilight asked receiving a nod from Spike. Twilight smiled and leaned back tiredly. "Good, then I can go easier." She said as the door opened and the maid Spike stopped entered.
"Princess, I brought your medicine." She said calmly.
Twilight smiled sadly. "That won't be necessary Morning Glow, I'm afraid all that it will do for me now would be too little to matter." She said with a sigh. "Thank you for your dedicated help Morning; I hope you live a good long life, I don't want to see you joining me anytime soon." She said with a tired voice as her eyes began to unfocus. "so you all came..." She whispered. "And here I thought you'd have better things to do than wait for this old mare." she said with a chuckle.
Spike looked around concerned when he saw no pony except him and Morning. "Twilight, there's no one there." He said gently.
Twilight smiled. "No there wouldn't be, would there. After all you're not one step from the edge, I promise I'll see you again Spike. Tell the Princesses goodbye for me." She said as she raised her hoof as if she were grabbing something only for it to fall away and here eyes to close the smile still on her face.
Celestia and Luna teleported into the throne room to find no pony their quickly they exited the opulent room and and walked down the halls which seemed oddly empty. As they reached the main hall they paused when they saw Spike standing alone before a freshly installed stained glass window. "Spike, we received an urgent letter from Twilight, what is going on, where are the Guards?" Luna asked in concern.
"They went home for the day Luna." He said calmly as he looked at the new window. "To day you and your sister face the consequences of your decisions to abandon the throne and disappearing without even a word." He said as he turned around and walked toward them. "To day at 7pm Princess Twilight Sparkle was declared deceased, the cause being from extreme old age, as the Princess Twilights Assistant I am obligated to inform you that the Equestrian Monarchy is to be reverted to the duel throne diarchy and leadership is returned to former Princess Celestia Sol Solaris and former Princess Luna Selene Moon. You will be sworn in and recorinated in three days time of this announcement." He said calmly as he walked past them without even a single glance.
"But she was an Alicorn, she should have been immortal!" Celestia yelled in panic as she turned to Spike who stopped and turned to her with barely a trace of emotion except anger.
"Twilight's immortality was linked to the Elements of Harmony, with them destroyed you only scentensed her to a more painful death as she was forced to watch her friends die before she could. Once you are sworn in as Rulers I shall go over all changed laws and treaties with you before resigning my post as Assistant to the Crown." He said as he turned and walked away once more. "Have a good evening Princess."