//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Luster For Magic // Story: Luster Dawn Friendship Successor // by SamSwordsman123 //------------------------------// Chapter One: A Luster for Magic Starlight and Sunburst had both their hooves and horns full over the next few years. They were responsible for running the Castle and School of Friendship after Twilight had gone back to Canterlot in order to assume her position as ruler of Equestria. Their position was to teach the ways of harmony to every creature and keep the races of the land united in friendship. They also had to oversee the Cutie Map for friendship problems. Now they had another big responsibility as well. They were parents. The first couple years were spent changing diapers, cleaning up messes Luster innocently created with her magic. It was a busy life for the family. Starlight had to temporarily let Sunburst take on the role of full head stallion. Someone had to stay home at the Castle and take care of Luster. She sat in a rocking chair, holding her daughter and smiling down at her. Luster Dawn, the greatest thing that had ever happened in her life, and that was saying something. Starlight had many good things happen in her life ever since the first time she’d set hoof in this castle so long ago. It had started with her redemption here after Twilight had defeated her with words and gotten her to accept friendship. She’d then reunited with her first friend who was now the love of her life, Sunburst. She’d become a hero by saving Twilight and the rest of the important figures in Equestria from Queen Chrysalis. Now she was a mother to a wonderful little unicorn filly. Starlight could look at those cute chubby cheeks forever. “Oh Luster you are just the most adorable thing,” Starlight said. “What did I ever do to deserve to become a mother to a filly like you? Oh who am I kidding? I’ve done lots of good things right?” It was true. She had done a lot of good thanks to being redeemed and turned away from the villainous path she’d walked. Still, the memory of what she’d done haunted her and caused her to worry again. Ever since she’d found out she’d been pregnant with Luster, there had been a new fear in Starlight along with the joy of being a mother. She thought back on her past misdeeds which she’d done out of hatred for cutie marks. What if something happened to make her little Luster turn bad? Even worse than she’d been? Or what if Luster ever got in danger? Equestria had many dangers, Starlight knew that all too well. Queen Chrysalis, her worst enemy, though frozen in stone, still haunted her. Starlight saw her face every so often in her sleep. She shivered at the memory of a nightmare that had haunted her recently. Sunburst entered the room with Luster sleeping in her crib. He approached the baby, and grinned evilly before turning into Chrysalis. “The daughter of Starlight Glimmer! This is the perfect chance to get my revenge! I’ll destroy her, and Starlight shall feel the worst pain of all! The loss of a child!” Chrysalis charged up her horn to prepare a fatal spell. But then her wicked smile faded and turned to a thoughtful one. “But wait! I have a better idea! I shall take Starlight’s child away, and raise her as my own! I shall turn her child against her like she turned my hive against me!” Chrysalis laughed and took Luster in her holed hooves before flying out the window. Starlight took a breath. “That’s not going to happen Starlight,” she told herself. “Chrysalis will never return. She’s trapped in stone forever. She’s not going to take Luster away.” At that moment a foul smell entered Starlight’s nostrils. Covering her nose with a hoof, Starlight levitated Luster and removed her dirty diaper before putting on a fresh one. “PU!” Starlight said. “Your sister, Phyliss never got stinkies like this. But then she was my plant baby after all.” Still, Starlight smiled down at her daughter again. “You are never gonna become a stinker like I was though. I’m going to make sure of that. You are going to be a good filly and mare.” Things got easier when Luster didn’t require diapers anymore and learned to talk. Starlight could return to her position as headmare with Sunburst. Husband and wife came into the castle’s dining room prepared to make breakfast. Today was the first day of summer, school was out, and Luster was nearly five. “Hey, Sunburst. I’ve been thinking,” Starlight told her husband as she poured milk into the pancake mixture. “About what?” Sunburst asked as he looked up from his favorite book of all time, The Widems Guide to Magical Arcana. “About Luster. It’s about time for us to send her off to school someplace. Don’t you think?” Starlight asked. “Hmm. Yeah, I guess you’re right. You think she should go into the school of Friendship or Cheerilee’s school?” Sunburst asked before gasping. “Or maybe we could enroll in Twilight’s school for Gifted Unicorns.” Starlight chuckled. “You mean Celestia’s school. Twilight hasn’t renamed it after herself you know.” Sunburst blushed. “Right. Well, what do you think?” Starlight smiled. “Now lets not get ahead of ourselves here, we haven’t even started teaching Luster to use her magic yet.” “Well, maybe we should,” a voice said as the door to the dining room opened again. Trixie Lulamoon entered the room. “Between our great and powerful trio of skill, wit, and tricks we’re bound to make a great prospective student for the school of Gifted Unicorns!” “Morning Trixie,” Starlight said as she went back to making the pancakes. Trixie scoffed as she watched Starlight working. “You know, you could probably ask for some servants around here since we’re living in a castle. Twilight should have had those around when she was princess here.” “You know Twilight, she was never one to take her royal status with too much luxury. Heh, even Celestia made food herself. She made me a very creative pile of pancakes with fruit faces when I went to Canterlot to help her and Luna with their friendship problem,” Starlight smiled fondly at the memory of the late Princess. “I don’t mind making stuff myself. It would take all the fun out of it if I had somepony doing everything for me.” Trixie scoffed. “Well… I wouldn’t mind having somepony do all my meals and other things for me. If I’d been the Princess here I would have had it filled with servants and a royal guard as well. Maybe that would have prevented Chrysalis from abducting Twilight and the others so we wouldn’t have had to save them. Seriously, why didn’t she ever have her own guard in the castle at least?” “She just wanted to be an ordinary pony for the most part. But she can’t be that anymore since she’s ruler of Equestria now. Plus she and her friends were the bearers of the elements of harmony. They were probably equal to their own guard,” Starlight said. “Now, would you mind going to wake Luster please? I wouldn’t want her to miss breakfast.” “Sure thing, one great and powerful wake up from the best godmare in Equestria coming up.” Trixie trotted off to get Luster. Starlight continued to make the pancakes while Sunburst sat quietly at the table continuing to read The Widems Guide to Magical Arcana. Starlight put all the pancakes onto a platter and began to carry them to the table. Then a loud noise suddenly sounded, like an explosion. Starlight jumped and dropped the pancakes, Sunburst likewise dropped the book. “What was that? Are we under attack?” Sunburst asked worriedly. “Is there a new villain here to abduct us?” “I don’t know!” Starlight gulped. “But that sounded like it came from- “Luster’s room!” they said together. Both parents galloped out of the dining hall and toward their daughter’s room. They found Luster shaking in her bed with Trixie holding her. “I’m sorry little Luster! Sorry!” Trixie said. “What’s going on?” Starlight demanded. “We heard something like an explosion!” “Uh-“ Trixie blushed as she looked up. “I kinda… uh… used a little magic boom as an alarm clock!” “You what?” Sunburst asked. “Trixie! That could have been dangerous!” “We wanted you to wake her up! Not scare her!” Starlight snapped as she levitated her daughter into her hooves. “I thought you’d make a responsible god mare!” “Sorry!” Trixie said. Starlight hissed and let out a scream of fury. A powerful beam of magic shot out of her horn and flew above Trixie who fell on her stomach in a cowering manner. If not for how close a friend Trixie was to Starlight she probably would have received more than a scare back. “Well, come on. Let’s go have breakfast… after I make fresh pancakes. You can clean up the mess I dropped,” she added to Trixie. “With your hooves.” “Sure thing, Princess Starlight,” Trixie replied with dropped ears as she got up. Trixie cleaned up the mess Starlight had made because of her explosion while Starlight got another batch going. “We’ll need more flour…” Starlight noted as she poured the last of what was in the bag out. “I think it would be good to go shopping today.” “Okay, we can go into Ponyville after we’re done eating,” Sunburst said as he reading his book with Luster on his lap. “And that’s the Cerebration Transmarkification Effect.” “Cool!” Luster said as she listened to her father tell her about the magical theory. “Am I going to be able to learn magic soon?” Sunburst chuckled. “We were just discussing that before you woke up. Yes, Luster. It’s time to begin your magic training.” Luster beamed. Over the rest of the day after shopping, Starlight, Sunburst, and Trixie all helped her understand the basics of magic. “Focus, gather the magic to your horn with your mind. Now with your eyes, look at the object you want to pick up.” Luster did so. A gold aura surrounded her horn, she focused on a cup and surrounded it with her aura. The cup moved a teeny bit at first- “Its okay, you just need practice. Not everyone can- Starlight broke off as not only the cup began to rise up the air but all the other things on the table did as well. She dropped her jaw, as did Sunburst. Trixie, meanwhile, clapped her hooves. “I have one Great and Powerful Goddaughter!” Sunburst grinned. “She might make it into Celestia’s school after all!” “Well… its still too soon to say.” Starlight replied. “Let’s…. wait until summer is almost over before we make a decision.” Over the next two months Luster performed simple but extraordinary feats with magic. She did seem to have the gift with it. So Starlight, in the end conceded. A month before summer was about to end, Starlight reluctantly drafted a letter to Twilight asking if Luster could be allowed to attend the school for Gifted Unicorns. The ruler of Equestria’s reply came in the morning. Dear Starlight, My faithful former student and stewardess to my former castle. I’m happy to hear Luster is becoming good at magic. I would be happy to allow her to attend the school for Gifted Unicorns. She just needs to take the entrance exam. Love, Your Former Mentor and Friend Twilight. “Yes! Yes!” Sunburst began bouncing around. “Luster’s going to be attending the school!” “She still has to take an entrance exam,” Starlight reminded her husband. Sunburst scoffed. “Entrance exam? Please, that’s only to get a measurement of magic power. I had to take that myself back in the day. Celestia gave all of us a chance to hatch a dragon egg, but no one could… not until Twilight that is. Your magic has to be at a good enough level is all.” “You still need to have a great amount of magic power!” Trixie said. “Sure, some with good amounts are let it but it’s the great ones that are the best. Like me!” Starlight sighed. “What’s the matter Starlight, aren’t you excited?” Sunburst asked. “Our daughter is going to get enrolled in the most prestigious magic school in Equestria!” “Look, I know you’re excited because you think Luster is getting a chance to get what you never could. But I’m just worried. What if the power goes to her head?” Starlight asked. Trixie laughed. “Worried she might turn a bit like old godmare here?” “No, I mean like me. What if she becomes really gifted and then turns….bad?” Starlight asked. “I don’t want that to happen.” “Oh, come on Starlight. Luster is a hardworking filly who takes her studies seriously. She pays attention, is polite, and we’ve never had to give her a time out.” Starlight took a breath. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m worrying too much. Doing some Starlighting you know? “Like mentor like student. I bet I know what will help clear your mind,” Trixie said. “A day out with your husband! When was the last time you had that?” “Um…” Starlight put a hoof to her chin. “I-don’t know! Its been so busy with being a headmare, stewardess and parent.” “Well you are in need of a one!” Trixie insisted. “Alright. Sunburst, how about we go to the café? Let’s get Luster and- “Oh no! You need to lay off your responsibilities for a while!” Trixie said. “Leave Luster in my hooves!” Starlight frowned. She was still a little upset at Trixie for scaring Luster on the first day of summer. “I don’t know.” “Hey, you named me her godmare. That means I would watch her when you couldn’t. You’ve never let me do that in all these years. I know you take your responsibility as a mother seriously, just like you did for Guidance Counselor and Headmare. But you’ve been taking it too seriously these past few years! Its time for you to take a break and let me do my responsibility as godmare.” Starlight hesitated, then sighed. “Okay, but if you let her get hurt or scare her again, I won’t be as forgiving.” Trixie gave a nervous chuckle. “Note to self, beware of the scary and strong Mama Starlight!” So Starlight and Sunburst went out into town for lunch and relaxation. They waited at a table in front of the Hayburger silently. Sunburst looked at his wife in concern. “You know, Starlight. You might have gone a little far there with threatening Trixie like that. I think you might be a little overprotective.” Starlight sighed. “Well everypony has to make sure their children are safe. I worry about Luster… that’s my job.” “Well you’re worrying too much! Luster is going to grow up to be a very gifted unicorn I know it!” Sunburst said. “With how successful you, me, and Trixie have been in teaching her magic I have no doubt she’ll become one of the greatest spell casters of her generation. Just like you.” He put a hoof on her. “Then who knows maybe she’ll become a hero of Equestria as well?” That last bit didn’t have the affect he’d hoped for. “Or she could get hurt badly!” Starlight exclaimed. “Not every hero has a happy story you know! All those times Twilight and her friends saved Equestria they were lucky none of them lost their lives. We always seem to be lucky whenever a villain pops up, but who knows how long that luck lasts? Eventually somepony could get killed you know!” “Starlight calm down!” Sunburst said. “Calm down?” she repeated. “How can I calm down when the future of my daughter could be filled with danger! That’s it, she’s not going to the school for Gifted Unicorns!” “What? No, you’re going to far. This is what Luster was born to do!” Sunburst shouted, no becoming angry as well. “Oh I see what this is about! You want her to succeed where you failed!” Starlight pointed a hoof at her husband. “You couldn’t pull through with magic school so now you think you’re getting a second chance through your daughter!” Sunburst looked at his wife with an open mouth. “I just want what’s best for her!” “So do I!” Starlight snapped. “And I think it would be best for her to remain here in Ponyville where we can watch her and keep her out of danger!” “Well I think you’re denying her the chance of a lifetime!” Sunburst said. Suddenly a waiter appeared holding a pair of hayburgers in his hooves. He set them down at their table. “Your food Sir, Madam.” The couple didn’t say another word as they ate their meal. Starlight had a half a mind to take her food and teleport back to the Castle as she thought of Luster being with Trixie. ___________________ Trixie sat on the sofa with her goddaughter on her lap. Luster listened with an eager smile as Trixie told her a “Great and Powerful” story of how she and Starlight had taken on the army of Changelings to rescue Princess Twilight Sparkle and the others from Queen Chrysalis. “The changelings were everywhere! Buzzing, buzzing! Ready to descend upon us! But I used a smoke bomb to help us escape. Than the foolish Discord got himself captured while he tried to distract more of them as we got closer to the throne room! A changeling disguised himself as Discord, but your mother and I saw right through that disguise thanks to our ingenious code word!” “Code word?” Luster asked. “Oh course! We knew that if we got separated we needed to be sure that we were who we said we were. Changelings can take on the form of anypony, or creature. So one of us would say Klutzy and the one who rejoined us when we were separated would say Draconeques. It was my way to make fun of Discord then,” Trixie chuckled. “So what happened after the changeling disguised himself as Discord?” “He tried to lead us into a trap. But I restrained him so Starlight and Thorax, the one good changeling at the time… could move on to the throne room and face Queen Chrysalis!” Trixie said. “Eventually I was captured and brought there as well, it took an entire tunnel full of changelings to take your Godmare down!” “Oh you’re so great Aunt Trixie!” Luster said. Trixie smiled. “Not as great as your mother though. She and Thorax found Queen Chrysalis. She had an entire army waiting for them! But with powerful words they convinced her army that there was another way to live! That they could share love instead of feeding off it! Thorax did that with Chrysalis, and it gave him a new bright and beautiful form!” Trixie put a hand over heart in a mock show of being in love. “Then all the other changelings saw it was true and they wiped the hive with Chrysalis! Your mother freed me and all the others, then Chrysalis ran off with her tail between her holed legs!” Luster sighed. “Wow, my mother is really amazing! I want to be just like her, a hero!” Trixie chuckled. “Well someday you might be! Come on, I think its nap time! You want to be hero you need your rest to grow!” She took her goddaughter in her hooves and carried her to her room. Luster lay on the bed without complaint and knelt her head down. Trixie than yawned. “Time for my nap as well,” she said lazily before heading off to her room in the castle. ___________________ Luster waited until Trixie’s hoof falls faded into the distance before jumping back down onto the crystal floor of the castle. She crept out into the hallways, to the front door and opened it with her magic. She saw the town of Ponyville ahead, the sun was warm on her coat as she headed not in the direction of town… but for the endless amounts of trees surrounding it. The Everfree forest. “I’m going to find a monster in there, and defeat it. Be a hero like my mother,” Luster said as she trotted off with a confident smile.