Luster Dawn Friendship Successor

by SamSwordsman123

Chapter 13: Luster's Problem

Twilight paced around her tower nervously. Luster had missed the most important lesson of all, just as she had when she was young. But how was she going to get her to learn about Friendship? Luster needed to that lesson if she was to be the one. She was Twilight’s greatest hope for breaking the curse of immortality and not outliving her friends. But in order to become the new Princess of Friendship, Luster needed to let friendship into her heart.

Twilight racked her brains, not knowing what do. Luster was just like her when she’d been young, she’d considered friendship to be tedious and been more interested in books until… she’d made her own best friends in Ponyville. They had taught her friendship in the first place. None of the lessons from Celestia had done that, so maybe Twilight needed her friends to teach Luster friendship. They could maybe help her get started.

It was worth a try, she decided.

Walking up to her desk, she took a quill and ink.

Dear Spike,

I know you are very busy with your duties as Friendship Ambassador, but I have an emergency back in Canterlot and need you here. Flurry Heart’s Coronation went well, though the Crystal Heart was stolen and we had to move it up a day to prevent the empire from being buried in snow, just like when she was born.

Love your big sister Twilight

Twilight sent the letter, which would in seconds pop out of Spike’s mouth. Now she just had to wait until he arrived in a couple days when her next meeting of the Council of Friendship occurred. And Luster would attending that meeting as well.

Spike:

The purple dragon flew toward Canterlot. It had been nearly two weeks since he’d been home. He’d had to miss his adoptive niece’s coronation in the Crystal Empire. But he had his job to keep the peace as a Friendship Ambassador, flying around settling disputes really kept this dragon busy. As he landed in Canterlot he saw many different creatures in the city. Not only ponies, the city was now home to species from all over Equestria.

He saw Dragons, Griffins, Kirin, and Yaks as well as ponies. Some of them were even in relationships with each other. Spike saw a larger dragon holding a flower up to his pony lover and couldn’t help but smile as he thought back to Rarity. The pony he himself had been in love with for so long when he’d been young. She had never married, being so busy with running her fashion business which had grown so much she was now the top fashion designer in all of Equestria. The business consumed so much of her time she made trips to every part of Equestria managing the stores, just like he himself was so busy as a Friendship Ambassador.

Spike also spotted Twinkleshine in the crowd, one of Twilight’s old friends from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She sat with her hooves around the griffin she was married to as somepony else took her picture while their group of adopted children watched. Spike smiled at the happy ponies around Canterlot, things were so peaceful right now. There hadn’t been any villains appearing since Rhinor, though someone had stolen the Crystal Heart, which meant someone was out there with that energy. Well, whoever it was… if they showed their face Spike was sure Twilight would be able to kick that creature’s butt.

Finally, he reached the throne room and opened the door. Twilight was inside along with one of her servants going over a list of some kind. Likely preparations for some big event coming up, then Spike remembered, it was the festival of the Two Sisters coming up in a couple weeks.

“I got here as fast as I could. But being a friendship ambassador is a full-time job these days. Making peace between the Absidians and Diamond Dogs has not been easy,” he said with a shrug.

“That’s why I picked you for the job,” Twilight said, looking up from behind her scroll. The servant bowed to her and took the list in his magic. She then walked up to him, “But I’m glad you could come.”

They hugged for a moment then both flew up to their chairs. Twilight in her massive throne and Spike on his smaller chair which resembled the throne. The room had been greatly redecorated from how Spike remembered it when he’d been a baby dragon. After all, everything had been destroyed and needed to be rebuilt after the battle with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow who had destroyed this place. The stain glass windows here now showed Celestia and Luna’s sun and moon cutie marks as well as Twilight’s star one, the tree of harmony

“So, what’s the emergency?” Spike asked.

Twilight looked at him sadly. “Ever since I took over Celestia’s school, my focus has been on teaching magic. But now it seems my top student has missed the most important lesson of all.”

Spike knew what she meant, her search for a successor she could give up her immortality to.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She managed a smile at him. “Let’s just say it will be good to have my royal advisor and friendship ambassador by my side.”

“Your majesty!” a voice called.

The ruler of Equestria and her dragon advisor looked over in the direction of the doors to see Gallus, now a grown up griffin in gold armor with his wings spread.

“She’s here,” he said.

“Send her in Gallus,” Twilight said.

Gallus let his wings fall down and then opened the other door to the throne room. Revealing a pink pony with an orange ponytail. Spike had never met Luster face to face, not since he’d been present for her birth at least. His duties as Friendship Ambassador didn’t give him any chance to help Twilight with her teaching at the School For Gifted Unicorns so he didn’t know any of the students there.

The daughter of Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst wore an expression mixed with nervousness and excitement. She slowly approached the throne, it was her first time being in this part of the castle. She usually only saw Twilight at the school.

“Your majesty,” Luster said as she got closer.

“Luster, I may be the ruler of Equestria. But I’m still just your teacher,”

“And you’ve been wonderful,” Luster rubbed her hoof fidgetingly. “I’ve enjoyed every moment at the school of magic. But… I’m just not sure it’s the right place for me.”

“I see,” Twilight said.

“And its not the work,” Luster elaborated. “I could spend weeks in the library doing research. It’s just that… there’s a lot of focus on making friends.”

“If that’s your problem, you’ve come to the right place.” Spike stood up and grinned.

“But that’s just it. I don’t wanna make friends!” Luster said.

“What?” Spike exclaimed.

Twilight frowned at him, he cast a glance at her and saw her expression saying Let me handle this. He cleared his throat and looked away with a frown, folding his arms.

“So you’d rather leave the School of Magic than make friends?” Twilight asked Luster.

“I was hoping to set off an independent course of study,” Luster said rubbing a hoof to her chin. She’d been thinking a lot of what to say when she’d gotten the summons from Princess Twilight saying they needed a talk. “I want to accomplish as much as you have someday!”

“It will be hard to do that without friends,” Spike said.

“I’m not so sure,” Luster countered. “Friendship looks like more of a distraction than anything else. And ultimately a waste of time!” she smiled after expressing her belief openly. She’d kept that belief hidden so long from her parents, it felt so good to express it openly.

“What?” Spike said again, grasping his head as though his mind was blown.

“I know you and your friends accomplished a lot together. But that was sooo long ago,” Luster said. “And as far as I can see you rule by yourself now.”

“Uh, hello!” Spike said, growing increasingly annoyed. “Royal advisor right here!” he held up the medallion around his neck.

“And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that,” Luster waved her hoof in the air. “In fact, I think its better. Plus if friendship ultimately fade away, why make them in the first place?”

Twilight thought for a moment on her students words.

“You know what Luster Dawn? You’re right.”

“What?” Spike exclaimed for a third time, dropping to his knees. “Friendship is more trouble than its worth?”

He looked at Twilight and whispered to her, “This is your top student?”

She merely smiled calmly and flew over to Luster. It was time to share her wisdom. “Friendships take work, and there’s no guarantee they’ll last.”

She walked out of the throne room for a moment into the hall with more stain glass windows, Luster and Spike following her as she looked at them. There was one showing Twilight defeating Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, as well as the Young Six’s battle with Rhinor, and the latest addition in the middle of Flurry Heart’s Coronation as the ruler of the Crystal Empire.

“It can be complicated, they can be messy, and they never go the way you plan. Friendship is a hard thing to navigate. I remember the first time I realized it might not last forever.”

“You see… when I was done packing all my things for the trip back here to start ruling… I tried to talk to all of my friends… but they were all so focused on their tasks for my coronation. It was like me leaving meant nothing to them.”

Luster nodded as they walked back to the throne. “Exactly, you moved away, your friends didn’t care and that was that.”

“Actually, not exactly,” Twilight corrected. “They came over to my castle and when I told them how I felt they said they were just trying to focus other things to keep their sadness locked up. Then we had to rush to the train station and my friends couldn’t get their tasks done correctly for my coronation. Applejack’s brother Big Macintosh got all the deliveries for the food wrong, Rarity got spiders on my dress, Fluttershy’s animals were out of control, Pinkie’s Pie fireworks ruined the Wonderbolts display and I nearly fell to my death jumping after my crown!” Twilight said.

“Okay I get it now,” Luster said, thinking she understood at last. “Your coronation was such a disaster, you and your friends never really recovered and that’s why you all drifted apart.”

“Well, you’re half right.”

Luster gave a stumped look, not knowing what to think now. “So, your coronation wasn’t a disaster and your friendships just faded away over time?”

“Not exactly,” Twilight said once again.

The door to the throneroom opened and Pinkie Pie stepped in, now older with bags under her eyes. a bunch of party stuff in her hair, a rubber duck and candy in her larger than ever mane, as well as a teddy bear and flags on her tail.

“Sorry I’m late, but it so hard to find a sitter with a sense of humor for Little Cheese.”

Her son Lil Cheese (though he sure looked like a girl with those big eye lashes and pink mane) entered the room, bouncing a rubber chicken on his head. The toy made several squeaks as he played with it before letting it drop to the ground. Rarity was right behind her, she had a strand of gray hair in her mane, but Spike still thought she was breathtakingly beautiful. On her body for some reason, she wore a fur coat.

“Honestly, I would have been here sooner. But you would not believe how busy Yakyakistan is these days.”

They took their place by Twilight’s side as Luster looked shocked to see them in pony. Next came Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Maybe we could get to places on time if you let me do some of the chores instead of always doing everything yourself,” the Pegasus said.

Rainbow Dash now had a mohawk style mane and wore a jacket marking her as Captain of the Wonderbolts since Spitefire had retired. Whenever she wasn’t leading the latest generation of Wonderbolts, she was spending time with Applejack as the Cowgirl Pony needed someone to be there for her. With Rarity traveling around Equestria to manage her fashion empire all the time, and Pinkie constantly putting on parties both in Ponyville and planning Canterlot Galas, there wasn’t anypony else to keep Applejack company.

“Maybe I would if you did them the right way,” Applejack shot back in a friendly manner with her rival. She had the same old cowgirl hat, but since Granny Smith had passed she now wore that scarf in memory.

Looking at all the others, she stammered. “Oh! Heh, sorry. We’re not the last ones, are we?”

The answer to that was a portal being opened beside them to the Chaos realm. Fluttershy stepped out of it, her husband Discord was right behind her. Though he merely handed her a sack which she took under wing and gave him a loving smile. The spirit of chaos closed the portal, leaving everypony to their meeting.

“Discord’s heading to an O and O convention,” Fluttershy said. She had a ponytail made of blue flowers in her hair. “Or he’d be joining us.”

Luster looked around at the Mane 5 for a moment, hardly able to believe her eyes. “I just assumed that since you aren’t together all the time now…”

“That we aren’t friends?” Twilight finished.

This caused her friends and her to all laugh.

“That’s not the point of my story,” Twilight continued. “It’s true my coronation as a disaster.”

“So even though everything changed, and you moved away from your friends, you didn’t grow apart? And this is the Council of Friendship? That’s what you’re all doing here?

“Duh! This time every moon!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Heh, what she means is this is how we’ve been ruling together!” Applejack said.

“And how we continue to face every problem and threat to Equestria over the years,” Rarity added.

“But mostly, its how we keep in touch!” Pinkie finished.

Lil Cheese climbed on Spike’s wing and she had to pull him off.

“No matter how busy life gets!”

Twilight took a step closer to Luster. “Sometimes friendships can be hard, and it takes work to maintain them. But without friends, things can be a lot harder.

Luster was now at a loss. “I never thought about friendship being something to work at. And I don’t mind work. I guess… if they don’t have to fade away, maybe making friends isn’t the waste of time I thought.”

She sighed. “But… I’ve been so focused on my studies. I don’t know wear to start.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s alright because I know exactly where to send you.”

Comments

[BoltSlayer]

this chapter was perfect and whats in it still brings a tear to my eyes

[SamSwordsman123]

10166307
Why thank you! I had to rewatch a good amount of the episode to get the scene just right. Next time its on to Ponyville.