//------------------------------//
// My interview with the Princesses by Dr Whooves 
// Story: Daughter of the moon 
// by Helia_Writes 
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Our leader, Princess Celestia, has been ruler for as long as anypony can remember. Her Royal Highness has publicly spoken about how old she really is, but the important question is: how?

The answer can be found by simply asking the right Princess. Each section will be about the Princesses answering a very popular question about alicorns.





Chapter 1: How do alicorns live so long?

There are many different theories to this question, here are some examples:

They are Gods that have come to rule over us mortals.

They are manifestations of the Celestial bodies and systems they represent.

The amount of magic they have grants them millennia of life.

I sat down with Princess Celestia and, more recently, Princess Twilight to talk about this question.

Princess Celestia told me that they were all partly true, each answer coming together to make a while truth. She didn't go into much details. Princess Twilight, however, had a very clear answer for us.

"Alicorns are like demi-gods, except it's not purely biological. Apart from me, every alicorn in existence has had to ascend. Celestia ascended when she raised the sun for the first time, therefore discovering her destiny. So it's linked to destiny. The magic level of an alicorn factors into our long life, and as far as I'm aware, it grows as we do. Lastly, we are connected to our Celestial bodies and systems. If the sun were to supernova and die, then I expect Celestia to start to weaken and die a few years after" - Princess Twilight Sparkle. 


This answers our question about their long life. It's all to do with their magic and its source. They are immortal as long as their source lives. 





Chapter 2: Do alicorns need sleep, food and water?

Once again, Princess Celestia was pretty cryptic about this, but Princess Twilight happily answered truthfully.

"I spent over 900 years on the moon without air, food or water. I survived, yes, but it severely impacted my growth and lungs. If I had all those things on the moon, my size would be taller than Cadance, but still a little bit smaller than Celestia" - Princess Twilight Sparkle

We asked her about sleep and whether Alicorns needed it, and once again she happily gave an answer.

"Yes, we do require sleep. We only need it for our body when it requires healing. I can go a few days without sleeping, until I pass out. We do not get any common symptoms of insomnia. The real reason we have to sleep is because of our mind, it requires rest or It won't work properly, just like anyponies"

I commend Princess Twilight on her clear and straightforward answers.





Chapter 3: Why do alicorns run Equestria?

I managed to speak to all three princesses on this one, and all three actually gave three very different answers.

"As Solar Regent, I believe it is the council and the public that keep us in charge, running the nation. It's the smartest decision, as we have the most experience and can run a nation for thousands and thousands of years" - Princess Celestia 

"I've only been on Equus for a few weeks, and I believe that it's the most logical way. If Equestria had a monarchy or diarchy with an earth pony, unicorn or Pegasus, then every few decades there would be a fight for the crown. In the past, there was a monarchy composed of unicorns, and because of this there was a war between the three tribes. Alicorns represent the harmony between all tribes" - Princess Twilight Sparkle

"The laws say that an Alicorn has to sit upon the throne, but I'd like to personally believe that it's because we live for so long that ponies have recognized that we can take care of them and their future generations" - Princess Cadance

All these answers are all very informative, and the biggest reveal is that they rule so that we can live in peace.





Chapter 4: Are there any other alicorns out there?

This was an interesting question, and it had an unusual affect on Princess Celestia.

"No" - Princess Celestia

"Look up into the night sky, look at all those stars. Each star is either bigger or smaller than our sun, and have many different planets orbiting them. There could be more alicorns out there, ruling their own kingdoms on their own world, but we may never know. There are only four known alicorns. Turn your gaze to the moon, and look at the mare in the moon. That is a mark of a powerful banishment spell. My mother is on that moon, waiting for the day she can come back. Her name is Princess Luna, and once I find a way to rid her of the darkness that corrupts her, we can all be a happy family again" - Princess Twilight

So while it's unknown how many alicorns are out in the universe, it's safe to say that there is only four as Princess Twilight said.





Chapter 5: Can alicorns be killed?

This had an interesting effect on Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance , and their answers were very vague. Princess Twilight answered truthfully once again, but unfortunately could not reveal everything. 

"I do not intend to answer at this time" - Princess Celestia

"I cannot answer this question, I'm sorry" - Princess Cadance

"Now this is an interesting question, and I can't quite answer it fully, but I can tell you some. Alicorns can bleed and be torn apart, yes, however it doesn't kill us. Any time we are hurt enough that it would kill a normal pony, we fall unconscious. The greater the wound, the longer we will be unconscious. We can regrow limbs, and worst case, regrow our whole bodies from our Celestial bodies. There has been records of ponies being able to kill an alicorn in the past though" - Princess Twilight





Chapter 6: Conclusion

After interviewing all the alicorns, it's safe to say that there is definitely more we can learn about their species, but that it will stay a secret for a long time.

Now we know that alicorns cannot be killed, but still can be injured momentarily. We know they live a very long time, possibly till the end of time. And we know how many there are.

Thank you for reading my guide to alicorns. - Dr Whooves