//------------------------------// // The Appetizer // Story: The Rise of Lunchtime Luster // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. She read through this latest book, fuming. The revisionist history evident in the tome was simultaneously astounding and engaging. She wasn't quite sure why she'd even bothered to bring it with her. It wasn't worth checking; it was just the same as all the others. Tome after tome spoke of Celestia. Her radiance, her benevolence, her charm and her glory. Chapter after chapter spoke of Luna. Her intellect, her wisdom, her fall from grace and eventual return to her rightful position. Page after page spoke of Cadence. Her compassion, her kindness, her beauty and grace. Paragraph after paragraph even spoke of the new one, Twilight Sparkle. Her unassuming beginnings, her prodigious talent, her learnings on the topic of friendship, and her ascension to princessdom. Everything about those four was chronicled within those tomes. Yet not a single word was written about her. For all she saw, not a single quill had touched parchment with an intent to inform of her selfless deeds. No ink had been shed to wax poetic about her life, her goals, her accomplishments. She was a Princess as well; she deserved far better treatment than this. Even Luna -- who had become corrupt and attempted, not once but twice, to plunge Equestria into eternal darkness -- was spoken of favorably and plentifully. Her deeds for ponykind warranted praise and worship, not apathy and neglect. The level of Equestrians’ adoration towards the princesses of morning and night bordered on worship, but today would mark the rise of the princess of the early afternoon! "Luster?" a voice called out. "Lunchtime Luster?" "That is Princess Lunchtime Luster," she replied, standing up and spreading her glorious wings, wings the color of the afternoon sky as long as it wasn't raining. Luster watched the secretary stifle a chuckle. She frowned. If this mare truly knew of her power, she would not dare to chuckle, snicker, giggle, or even chortle in her direction. And that was just the problem: nopony knew of her. That would all change after today, though. After today, she would ascend to her rightful place in history, and all would know her name. "Princess Celestia will be ready to see you in five minutes," the secretary said, barely taking the time to look in Luster's direction. "Five minutes?" Luster asked, doing her best to keep her temper back. "Why in Equestria would you call my name to inform me that it is not yet time for my audience with Princess Celestia?" "I thought it would be nice to give ample warning so you wouldn't get too engrossed in your book," the secretary replied, her gaze never leaving the magazine in front of her. "Well I find that incredibly unnecessary and inconvenient!" Luster told her. She was beginning to lose patience with this pony who would not even look at her, a princess. Where did she find the nerve? "Sorry," the secretary said, licking a hoof to turn the page of her magazine. "Please sit down and the Princess will be with you in five minutes." "You called me up!" Luster said, one eye twitching. "And now you're telling me to sit? You are speaking to a princess!" "I'm only asking you to sit down, ma'am," came the secretary's reply. "Your majesty!" Luster said with a sneer. The secretary rolled her eyes. "Please sit down, your majesty," she said, with a layer of snark so palpable it could practically be tasted. "I will not!" Luster said, shaking her head defiantly. She did not take orders from ponies like this. The secretary finally looked up from her magazine, raising a brow at the angered alicorn standing in front of her. "Very well," she droned. Then her eyes turned back to the magazine, which was certainly piquing her interest far more than the pony attempting to demand it. Luster stood there in front of the desk. Part of her did desire to sit back down. She had slept wrong last night, and her left hind leg was aching. But this was a matter of principle now. To concede and sit as that damnable secretary requested would be a concession that she was not willing to allow. No ache would sway her from her current position. The seconds ticked by, slowly and painfully. It was nearly Luster's favorite time of day, the one time of day which fell under her command. And here she was, standing pointlessly in front of a desk, staring daggers at a pony who would barely acknowledge her presence. She would have her revenge, though. It was improper for a Princess to use her powers for personal gain and grudges, but this pony's behavior was practically treasonous. She was sure that she could find an ancient law somewhere that could justify- "...Lunchtime Luster?" the secretary suddenly asked, breaking the silence. "That's your name?" Luster cleared her throat, not even bothering to correct the impudent secretary's omission of her title. The joke would be on her when she used her mighty powers against her. She simply nodded, her lips pursed in a small sneer. "So do you lust after food?" the secretary asked. "Or do you only feel lust during lunchtime?" "Excuse me?!" Luster shouted, her cheeks coloring. "How dare you ask a Princess a question like that?" "I was just asking because of your name," the secretary said, seemingly unphased by the outburst. "You know. Luster. One who lusts." "Not that luster!" Luster said, snarling. "Luster! The state or quality of shining by reflecting light! Akin to glitter, sparkle, sheen, or gloss! Ponies revel over the morning sun, but it is in the early afternoon when the sun shines--" "Oh," the secretary said, chewing idly on her bubble gum and turning the page. “Would you look at that? This pony says she saw Elvis Pranceley in her pancakes.” Luster groaned and shook her head, doing her best to hold her rage back. She remained in position, still refusing to move despite not wanting to be in this pony's presence any longer. "Hm...you know, have you considered changing the spelling of it to end in R-E instead of E-R?" the secretary asked. "It should cut back on the confusion." "I assure you that I have not had that particular problem come up before," Luster told her, gritting her teeth. "I guess I've been reading too many romance novels," the secretary said. "It would seem so," Luster snarked back, expecting to garner a reaction. None came. It was hard to snark a snarker, she posited. Luster stared anxiously at the clock on the wall. Seconds seemed to pass like minutes to the restless princess of the early afternoon. Her left hind leg throbbed as if to yell at her for her stubbornness in not sitting down. A part of her still felt like she was achieving a minor victory by defying the damnable secretary's request for her to sit, but at this point it was starting to feel like a rather hollow one. Luster did her best to push the aches out of her mind, instead focusing once again on the clock. She was positive that it had been more than five minutes by this point, and the clock gave credence to her belief. Indeed, a sixth minute had passed, and she was still stuck here in this blasted waiting room. It was positively unacceptable, and she would not stand for such treatment anymore. Not today, the day which would mark her rise to power. Not now, as the clock struck noon, signaling the beginning of her time of day. "It has been six minutes now!" Luster demanded. "I insist that you let me in to see Princess Celestia!" The secretary glanced up with her eyes alone, not even giving Luster the dignity of raising her head to face her proper. "I'm sorry, your majesty," she said, with about a thimbleful of authenticity. "I can't control when the princess is ready to see you. She'll buzz for you as soon as she is." Luster felt her right eye twitch. There was nothing she could say back to that. As much as she felt she was being disrespected, she knew that did not give her the right to disrespect Celestia, which was exactly what she would be doing with any sort of retort against the secretary's reasoning. Unwilling to stand near this bothersome pony any longer or put up with the throbbing in her leg, Luster finally decided to give up her minor victory. She turned tail and strode silently to the seat she had previously occupied. No sooner had her rump touched the chair than the sound of a buzz rang out from the desk. "Princess Celestia will see you now," the secretary droned, her voice muffled by the perfume sample that her snout was pressed against. Luster's blood boiled hotter than fresh lentil soup (which, coincidentally, was exactly what she planned on having for lunch in celebration of the imminent success of her meeting with Celestia). She got up from her seat once more, seething. She considered saying something to this contemptible mare behind the desk, but decided that perhaps a display of her power was more fitting for one who had bothered her so. She lit her horn up as she strode past the secretary, offering her naught but a sideways glance as she entered Celestia's office. Hopefully Celestia would forgive her for the great misdeed she had just perpetrated, but at this point, her approval would not matter much anymore. Soon, they would be on equal hoofing. "Thank goodness," the secretary said. "Just in time for my lunch break." She had been waiting for this moment all day, and the name of the pony she had been dealing with hadn't made it any easier. Her hoof shook with desire as she reached into her lunch bag for the delicious sandwich she had put together. After a tantalizing sniff, she took her first bite into her much-anticipated meal. It only took a few chews to melt the joy from her face. "Ugh..." she said, spitting the partially-chewed morsel into a napkin. "How can the lettuce have gone bad?"