Everything I've Known

Canterlot.

The name made you think of spiraling towers, perfectly groomed unicorns, fancy shops, possibly illegal drugs and dirty bars.

But the one thing everypony always thought of was the alicorn princesses which resided there.

One particular purple alicorn was practicing magic in her bedchambers, which she had kept since she was a mere unicorn filly, her teacher's beloved student, raising her like she was her own foal.

Princess Twilight Sparkle thought wistfully of those simple days. She remembered her entrance exam. She was so nervous, her magic wouldn't ignite. It took the Sonic Rainboom from one of her best friends, Rainbow Dash, to get her to let it loose. She giggled as she remembered how she hatched Spike, then accelerated him into adulthood in mere seconds, as well as turning her parents into potted plants. Oh, the joy she felt when Princess Celestia declared her her personal student. Twilight also remembered how Celestia allowed her to keep Spike, who she nurtured and loved like a little brother. All the great memories they had together, Twilight and Spike. From studying to teasing Shining Armor about his crush on Princess Cadence, Spike was beside Twilight, and her beside him.

She remembered catching Spike playing with Smarty Pants, who was so embarrassed he locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out for a week.

She remembered going to the ball Princess Celestia's school was holding for the students and relatives, and the teachers. She immediately chose Spike as her date. Twilight blushed as she remembered Spike and her shared their first kiss together, mostly because the other foals were. Oh, she remembered her parents giving her a scold and lecture about it, but she found, deep down inside, she didn't regret it one bit.

Some part of her yearned to be back there, but unless she came up with a secondary time-travelling spell, it was impossible.

Speaking of inventing spells, the lavender princess was creating one right now. The cool breeze ruffled her soft fur and whipped her blue and pink mane around her cheeks and neck. She gently brushed it away with a delicate hoof. Her gut hurt somewhat, afraid of this spell. It was risky, far too risky, but she desperately wanted to impress Princess Celestia.

Twilight was jotting down the last of her notes as she was spooked by the large door opening.

"Who is it?!" Twilight asked, raising an inky quill in defense.

"Calm, young Twilight, it is only me." The calm, soothing voice of the ruler of the moon, Princess Luna reassured the younger alicorn, who sighed in relief and set the quill down.

"I'm so sorry, Luna, I've just been on the rather stressed recently." Twilight apologized to the dusky blue elder.

"From your work, I presume?" Luna gestured with her long, spiraled horn, her starry blue mane flowing serenely around her. "You are doing well."

"Th-thank you, princess," Twilight took the compliment to heart. Although not as close to her as Celestia, Twilight was fond of Luna, in a friendly way.

"Pray tell, what are you planning to accomplish with this spell?" The larger of the two asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, it's based off of the spell Princess Celestia used to turn me into an alicorn, except it can turn anypony into any species." Twilight explained, "However, I've only got earth ponies down so far, and there's still bugs in it, but it's almost completely smoothed out."

"Very impressive," Luna commented, glancing over Twilight's notes. "However did you figure out how to replicate sister's spell?"

"Well, you know how my cutie mark shows my talent in magic?" The blue one nodded as the purple rubbed the pink star on her own flank. "As it turns out, not only did the Sonic Rainboom unlock my powers, but the magic signature of a spell another unicorn, or alicorn, did is copied into my mind. But it varies greatly depending on the difficulty of the spell."

"Say Rarity casted a simple jewel-finding spell. I can master it in a few tries because the signature is simple, and therefore stronger. The species-changing spell, on the other hoof, is immensely complicated, and I must completely rewrite it to understand it, and from a very complicated and, as a result, weaker signature." The purple one flared her wings, very proud of her explanation.

"That is astounding, Twilight. I don't think I've ever heard of another pony with a gift like that since
Starswirl the Bearded." The elder was significantly surprised. Celestia sure knew how to pick students.

"Isn't it?" Twilight smiled, but blinked and rubbed her eyes. "However, working on this spell has taken a lot of time from me, and I haven't slept much."

"Then how about taking a break?" Luna suggested, "It would not be wise to keep working when your mind is frayed."

"It's almost done though." Twilight's eye twitched, "And I cannot stop. Until. It's. Done."

"Okay then, but please try to take at least a nap." The lithe moon-pony stood up, nodded respectfully, then started towards the door in one long, graceful movement. An odd, barely noticeable sound caused Luna to look back. Twilight's horn was lit up with a magenta glow, aimed towards Luna. Luna cast a shield around herself just as Twilight's magic collided with it.

Twilight pulled herself out of the rubble of her room. The result of their spells impacting created a large explosion which shook the ground all the way to Ponyville. Twilight was momentarily amazed by the castle still intact, except it's insides being what was affected. She was snapped out of her awe as she remembered somepony.

"Luna!" She called out, scrambling around and digging, hoping, wishing, praying she'd find a midnight blue feather or a lock of shimmering mane. She tilted her head back and screamed loudly. "LUNAAAAAAAAAA!!"

After fifteen minutes of fruitless howling, Twilight came to a horrible conclusion.

"I think I just killed my teacher's little sister."