//------------------------------// // The Main Course // Story: The Rise of Lunchtime Luster // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// Lunchtime Luster shielded her eyes as she enered Princess Celestia's chambers. She was fully accustomed to the brightness of the sun during this time; she would be a poor excuse for a princess of the early afternoon if she wasn't. There was something about Celestia's chambers, though, which seemed to increase the luminescence to a level far greater than she was accustomed to. It had to have been an enchantment placed by the princess on the room. Luster made a mental note to ask Celestia to teach it to her once she had taken her rightful place alongside her. Even more radiant, though, was Celestia herself, a fact which Luster did not enjoy admitting. While she did not particularly dislike Celestia herself, she did harbor a large amount of discontent for the fact that she was receiving so much glory while Luster received none. Here she was, basking in glory, bathed in sunlight, lourding her beautiful palace and extravagant quarters over Luster. She had everything Luster wanted, everything that she deserved to have, everything that she would have after this talk. Despite this, she could not deny the radiance emanating from the being sitting on the throne that lay before her. Celestia was indeed a wondrous sight, one which demanded respect. And respect would be given, Luster thought, as soon as she received the respect that she deserved. Celestia had plenty of ponies who gave her respect. Passages were written about her, songs were composed in her honor, and she could probably get anything her heart desired, be it material goods or words of praise, simply by requesting it. Luster didn't have a single bit of that, despite deserving it just as much. Until she had that, she would not allow herself to be added to the masses who praised the ground Celestia walked upon. "Good afternoon," Celestia said, staring at Luster. Luster could see the slightest hint of...something in Celestia's eye. She couldn't read minds (except to figure out a pony's favorite lunch), but she was sure there was a bit of confusion behind her gaze. Perhaps it was from seeing an alicorn that she had never met? Or maybe she wasn't used to meeting a pony who did not bow before her. Either way, Luster found herself not particularly thrilled with the way that the princess looked upon her. She would say nothing about this, though. It wasn't out of respect; more like necessity. She would have to at least attempt to feign some manner of politeness despite her frustrations, or else Celestia would likely not even give her words a chance. "It is a good afternoon, indeed," Luster responded "For it is my afternoon. I am Princess Lunchtime Luster, the ruler of the early afternoon, and I am here on royal duty to gain the recognition that I deserve!" She figured that such a greeting did not exactly fit within the guidelines of politeness that she had just set for herself moments ago, but maybe politeness wasn't needed in some situations, such as when greeting a fellow noble who had no clue who she was. "Is that so?" Celestia responded, tilting her head. Luster could swear that she saw the tiniest bit of a smirk creep up in the corner of Celestia's mouth. She clenched her teeth, doing her best to not tell the princess off for her utter disrespect. Tact in situations like this was as important as the sprig of parsley on a good sandwich; perhaps it didn't play a role once one got to the meat of the situation, but it definitely added something to the initial presentation. "It is so," Luster replied, immediately following a deep breath. "I reign over all things related to lunchtime! Ponies revel over the morning sun, but it is in the early afternoon when the sun shines--" "I'm quite sorry," Celestia cut in. "I mean no offense, but I can't say I've ever heard of you." "And that," Luster cried, stomping a front hoof on the ground, "is exactly the problem!" She was unable to keep her frustration in any longer; she knew quite well that nopony knew her name, but to hear anypony, let alone Princess Celestia, say so was not easy to deal with. "What do you mean, exactly?" Celestia asked. Luster felt her eye twitch once again. This looked to be a trend today. "What I mean," Luster said through clenched teeth, "is that nopony knows my name, when everypony should!" She found herself beginning to pace as she went on. "Everypony knows you and your sister Luna. Books have been written solely about you! Even Cadence and Twilight Sparkle, who have not been princesses for nearly as long as the two of you or myself, are known throughout the land. But what of me? You and Luna control the morning and night, but what of the pony who reigns over the imd-day?" "Well..." Celestia said, raising a hoof to her face, possibly to hide an oncoming smile. "If we wish to be technical, I'm the princess of the sun, and that covers mid-day as well..." "No!" Luster shouted. "You have your realm already! Why must you claim power over more? You raise the sun in the morning and Luna raises the moon at night! It is I who holds power over the middle of the day!" "I'm well-aware of our duties, Miss Luster," Celestia said calmly. "But you seem to be mistaken on-" "I am not mistaken!" Luster interrupted. "Just because the ponies here do not know of my power does not mean that it does not exist!" Celestia sighed. She could already tell that today was going to be a long day. "Miss Luster," Celestia said, resting her front hooves in her lap. "There is no need to shout at me. I would appreciate if you watched your tone." Luster frowned heavily, but finally nodded. Yelling would certainly get her nowhere. "So..." Celestia continued, once she was sure that Luster's yelling fit was over. "What exactly is it that you want from me?" "I want to receive the recognition that I deserve," Luster responded. "I have read many books written about the princesses, and my name does not appear a single time in them. This is a travesty of justice, Celestia, and it needs to be rectified immediately. I wish to be rightfully added to your history books. I wish to wear my own tiara as you all do and be looked upon with reverence, as all princesses should." She nodded to herself, proud of her self-restraint. Despite her current mood, her current demeanor was as mild as a calm early afternoon breeze. "I see," Celestia told her. She cleared her throat, once again bringing a hoof up to mask the little smile that had appeared on her face. "We do not just choose princesses arbitrarily, you know." "But I already am a princess!" Luster insisted. Celestia held a single hoof up to silence her. "A horn and wings do not a princess make, Miss Luster," the sun princess said. "Becoming a princess requires a lot more than that. My sister and I raise the celestial bodies. Cadence has the power to control and enhance love. Twilight Sparkle has a vast understanding of the powers of friendship and magic and has written new magic. Do you truly believe that your powers can match those?" "Of course," Luster responded without hesitation. "Do you know the degree of power that control over the early afternoon holds?" "I'm afraid I don't," Celestia answered, smiling lightly. "Well then, allow me to give you an example," Luster said, her previous scowl twisting into a confident smile. "I know that princesses should not abuse their powers, especially on an employee of another princess, but I must admit that I used my powers on your snarky secretary outside." "Oh...?" Celestia said, a bit of legitimate concern finding its way into her expression. One hoof began making its way towards the underside of her desk, where her security call button was installed. "Yes," Luster answered. "I used my power over all things lunch-related to spoil the lettuce on the sandwich that she had been craving all morning! I promise that once I am recognized in history as a princess alongside you and the others, this will be the only story of my abuse of power." Celestia slowly rose a brow. "Oh dear," she said, biting her lip. "That is quite serious. And you promise you won't use your powers frivolously again?" "I do," Luster agreed. "I accept that it was wrong, and such a mistake will never occur again." "Excellent," Celestia said. "You've learned a very valuable lesson, one that every princess should understand. Now, you do realize that if you were to be accepted as a princess, you would not be able to wear a tiara, correct?" "I beg your pardon?" Luster asked, confused. "No tiara," Celestia replied. "And why not?" Luster asked. "Princesses wear tiaras. A tiara was part of my vision of being a princess." "I understand," Celestia told her calmly. "But I'm afraid we only have four tiaras in Equestria." "...You're kidding me," Luster said, perplexed. "I'm afraid not," Celestia told her. "It's a very serious situation, this shortage of tiaras. It's actually why I haven't brought on any new princesses." Luster opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the door opening behind her. She turned around to see an amber mare enter Celestia's chambers. She folded her wings to clear the entrance, beginning to close the door with her magic. Then she saw Luster staring at her. "Oh, I'm sorry," the mare said, fixing the tiara resting in her mane. "I didn't realize Princess Celestia was seeing somepony." "It's quite alright, Princess Sunset Shimmer," Celestia told her. "I'll call you once we're done." "Alright, princess," Sunset responded. She gave the bewildered Luster a nod before exiting and closing the door behind her. "...Princess Sunset Shimmer?!" Luster cried out. "Oh, yes," Celestia responded, sipping from a previously-unseen teacup. "She figured out her own spell for interdimensional travel, and since she had learned from her mistakes and embraced the power of friendship... "She also tried to overthrow Equestria!" Luster shouted. "And she gets to be acknowledged as a princess of your land?" "To err is pony," Celestia told her with a smile. "To forgive, divine." "And she has a tiara!" Luster exclaimed. "I thought you said there were only four?" "There are," Celestia answered simply, setting her teacup down. "Princess Twilight's is one of the Elements of Harmony. And before you ask, we're out of those, too." She hummed quietly and opened a nearby closet, levitating a red fez out of it and placing it daintily on Luster's head. "Is this acceptable?" Luster's fury could not properly be expressed in words. This was not for a lack of trying on her part; she certainly did make an attempt, but to call her rage-filled broken syllables words would have been an affront to language majors the land over. "Are you mocking me?!" the enraged Luster bellowed. The princess of the sun's light smile faded. "I was just making a joke or two, Miss Luster," Celestia said. "But I suppose I did take it a bit far. I do apologize." "No!" Luster shouted back. "The time for apologies has passed! You have insulted the princess of the early afternoon for the last time, and for that, you and your country shall pay!" The room was suddenly bathed in a somewhat-bright-but-not-like-super-bright light, and an aroma filled the air that was akin to a mix of fresh lettuce and ranch dressing. A pale orange light shone through the window and onto Luster's horn as she cackled maniacally. The light was joined by a thick wall of white smoke, both of which began to swirl around the angry alicorn until her body was fully enveloped. Celestia watched in confusion as the light-and-smoke mixture pulled tightly around Luster, then suddenly burst. The space where Luster had been standing before was now occupied by a white alicorn with orange sunbeams trailing down the sides of her body. She spread her orange-tipped wings, her gaseous sky-blue mane and tail billowing behind her. "...Miss Luster?" Celestia said, looking slightly concerned. "You're making a scene." "I am no longer Princess Lunchtime Luster!" the somewhat-sinister figure said through a scowl. "Tremble before me, for I am Post Meridian, and lunchtime shall last...forever!"