Luster Dawn Friendship Successor

by SamSwordsman123

Chapter 2: A Parent's Role

Chapter Two A Parents Role
Sunburst and Starlight walked home to the castle silently with narrowed eyes, refusing to look at each other directly. Sunburst just couldn’t believe how overprotective Starlight was being! Their daughter had such potential at such a young age! She could accomplish so much with the right knowledge, and Starlight wanted to keep her from doing that. Sunburst huffed under his breath, not bothering to talk to his wife. He could only hope that once both of them got back to the castle, Trixie would be able to do her role as a guidance counselor for Starlight and make her see sense.
The walk back to the castle was the least pleasant in Sunburst’s memory. Usually he and Starlight would be holding hooves or resting their heads against each other as they returned. But today they were doing neither. Even though Sunburst still held his anger at Starlight, he hoped this would only be temporary.

They finally entered the castle. Sunburst didn’t know what to expect.

“Trixie!” Starlight called out. “We’re back!”

The shout echoed through the castle halls. But there was no reply.

Starlight sighed. Her horn lit up as she activated a locator spell in order to find Trixie. The castle was huge and her friend could be anywhere inside it. Starlight had put a locator spell on everyone that lived in the castle with her for instances like this to save time having to search everyone of the hallways.

She headed toward Trixie’s room, the first place she could think to look. Sunburst followed behind, watching his wife as her horn glowed brighter, meaning that they were getting close.

Starlight opened the door with her magic. “Trixie?”

Looking past her, Sunburst saw that Trixie was there on her bed napping. He brought a hoof to his face.
There was no way this day couldn’t get any worse.

Boy was he wrong.

“Trixie!” Starlight yelled.

The guidance counselor woke with a start.

“What are you doing napping!” Starlight demanded. “You’re supposed to watching Luster.”

“Oh, calm down Starlight,” Trixie said. “Luster’s asleep in her room. I put her down for a nap.”

Starlight frowned. She turned back the other way and walked to Luster’s room down the hall. Sunburst reluctantly followed, expecting everything to be alright. Luster would be in her bed sleeping soundly. But when Starlight opened the door to the filly’s room, his mouth dropped open as he saw an empty bed.

“She’s gone!” Starlight exclaimed.

“Hey, relax. Maybe she just woke up to use the bathroom?” Sunburst suggested.

Starlight’s horn lit up again as she walked in that direction, hoping her husband was right. But her horn did not glow brightly.

‘She’s not in the castle!” Starlight screamed.

“What?” Sunburst was now concerned as well.

The couple ran outside along with Trixie. Starlight pointed her horn in all directions, a look of desperation on her face as she hoped to get even the smallest spark to lead her in the right direction. Sunburst felt relief when there was a slight glow… they sprinted toward Ponyville. But Luster was not in town, Starlight’s horn lead them all the way to-

“The Everfree Forest!” Sunburst said. “Why would Luster go in there?”

Starlight turned a glare at Trixie. “What happened while we were gone?”

Trixie gave a nervous expression. “I was telling her about that time we took on the changelings. Then she said she wanted to be a big hero like you.”

Starlight looked at the forest. “No! She went looking for monsters! That silly little filly!”

“Come on! We got to get her!” Sunburst yelled as he galloped off.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen!” Trixie stated as she and Starlight trailed behind him.

“I know,” Sunburst said.

Starlight didn’t say anything, she kept her eyes focused as she ran. Sunburst allowed her to get in front of him as she was the one with the locator spell activated. Their argument was now in the back of Sunburst’s head. All that mattered now was his daughter’s safety, they had to find her and get her back home to the castle safely.

Luster Dawn walked through the shadowy grounds of the Everfree forest. She’d started out being confident, shouting out in the hopes of attracting a monster to her. But now, she had no idea where she was. She didn’t know how to get back home, the forest was like a huge maze.

The sun soon began to set as Luster wandered around. The confidence and determination she’d had was now gone, and replaced with worry. Luster now wanted to be back home with her mother, father, and godmare.

What if she never saw them again? What if she was going to be stuck out here forever?

Luster finally snapped and began to cry at that thought.

“Mommy! Daddy! Please come find me!” she sobbed.

Crunch.

Luster shivered at the sound behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a huge creature resembling a wolf made of wood. It growled. Fear gripped Luster as she began to back away. All thoughts of bravado and being a famous hero like her mother were gone now. Her heart filled with the desire to run, to get away from this scary thing.

She turned around to run the other way. Only to find another wolfwood creature blocking her way. Luster tried right and left, but both of those ways were blocked as well. She was completely trapped!

Luster cringed as the creatures neared her with hungry mouths made of wood filled with sharp teeth.

“Luster!” a familiar voice said.

Starlight Glimmer appeared on a nearby hill, gazing down at the Timberwolves surrounding her daughter. She teleported directly by Luster’s side and sent out a wave of magic energy that blew all of them to pieces.

Relief and admiration for her mother filled Luster.

“Mom! You’re so amaz-

Luster broke off. Suddenly the twigs that had fallen to the ground from the wolves were now beginning to reassemble themselves.

“Luster, come on!” Starlight shouted as she levitated her daughter onto her back and took off in a gallop as the body parts came together.

Luster held onto her mother’s neck as Starlight sprinted through the forest in a direction Luster hoped would lead back home. She looked over her shoulder and saw the timberwolves fully recovered and coming after them. They were coming fast, their long wooden legs covering more ground than Starlight’s shorter ones.

“Come on mom, we got to get away!” Luster screamed.

Starlight nodded, she closed her eyes and gathered magic to her horn to cast a spell. Luster hoped it was teleportation. Unfortunately before Starlight could perform the spell, she tripped. A rock that she was unable to see while focusing and still running caught her hoof and she fell over. Luster slid off her mother’s back and fell a few feet away. The Timberwolves were descending upon them. One placed its paw on Starlight and breathed into her face which mixed with an expression of disgust and fear. Luster could also smell the stink, it was so terrible! A growl sounded above her as she looked up and saw another Timberwolf

Luster closed her eyes, not wanting to watch. There was a sound. Not the crunch of teeth sinking into flesh. A snap, like the sound of magic. Luster opened her eyes slightly, saw the Timberwolf look in another direction. Luster looked as well and saw her father and Aunt Trixie coming.

“Teeth away from my wife and daughter!” Sunburst growled.

“And keep away from my goddaughter!” Trixie said as she fired another magic beam at the Timberwolf near Luster.

Starlight rose to her hooves, she, Sunburst and Trixie all sent out spells at the Timberwolves. They were reduced again to rubble which began to reassemble themselves again. Luster gave a frightful expression, if they kept regenerating she and her family couldn’t beat them. She hid behind them, hoping for the best. The Timberwolves reassembled, but instead of attacking they looked at the three ponies and filly with what looked a scared expression on their wooden faces. Luster couldn’t see her parents expressions but could imagine them being fierce. The wolves retreated back the way they came, seemingly afraid of the three unicorns.

Starlight took a deep breath and looked at her daughter. “Oh Luster!” she said as tears appeared in her eyes and she wrapped her forelegs around Luster. “I was so worried about you!”

“I’m sorry momma,” Luster said.

“What were you thinking running off like that!” Starlight demanded.

“I just… wanted to be like you and Aunt Trixie,” Luster said. “Like a hero.”

“Luster. Being a hero doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble,” Starlight said. “You could have been eaten. I’ve told you to stay away from the Everfree forest.”

“It was my fault,” Trixie said. “I told her that story and it made her do this. Starlight, I wouldn’t blame you if wanted to disown me as Godmare.”

Starlight shook her head. “This was Luster’s doing, not yours Trixie. You had no way of knowing she would run off like this. But if you hadn’t come along and saved Luster just now I might feel differently. Just make sure you watch her when you put her to a nap from now on.”

“I will,” Trixie promised. “No more sleeping on the job.”

“Hey, Starlight. I’m sorry about earlier. Maybe I wasn’t thinking about Luster’s safety as much as I should have,” Sunburst said.

Starlight sighed. “I’m sorry too. It’s a parent’s role to protect their child, but I do want Luster to succeed as well. But… we won’t always be here protect her. She needs to do that herself someday if its needed. Today was a good example of that. Besides, if there is one pony I know can guide her on the right path… its Twilight.”

“So you think it would be best for her to go after all?” Sunburst asked eagerly.

Starlight nodded. “We got lucky today, like we always seem to. No one loses their lives. But who knows how long until that luck runs out?”

Far to the north, on the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, luck was about to run out for another family. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart were running for their lives. Behind them thundered an enormous beast resembling a red rhinocerous.

“I crush you! I crush you ponies!” the creature said.

He was gaining on them, Shining Armor knew they weren’t going to make it… unless.

He closed his eyes, knowing what he had to do.

“Cadence, Flurry, fly!” he said. “I’ll catch up!”

But he knew he wouldn’t as he turned to face the Rhinocerous.

“Shining no! Flurry you fly, I have to help your daddy!” Cadance said.

The preteen natural born alicorn flapped her large wings and took off toward the city where her parents ruled.

“Cadance! You keep going! Let me deal with this! It’s my job to protect you and her!”

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Cadance snapped as she flew at the rhino with charged magic.

The thick hide of the red rhino was strong. Cadance’s magic caused it no harm, it didn’t even slow it down. He laughed.

“What is that supposed to do, hurt me?”

Shining Armor growled and shot his own beam. It hit the rhino’s skin and caused no damage at first, but he maintained it. The skin was thick, but after a moment of being hit even the rhino began to feel the burn.

“Arrgh!”

He turned to Shining Armor who kept his focus on the beam. The rhino charged the stallion, Shining held his ground, aiming his beam at one of his foe’s legs. If he could burn one of those enough it might give him and Cadance a change to escape.

“I trample you pony!”

Shining Armor’s magic suddenly failed. He’d used up all he could in one beam. The rhino came upon him, he felt the strength of its weight land on him. Then it was over.

Cadence’s eyes filled with tears as she saw her husband’s body fly.

“Shining!” she screamed. “No!”

The Princess of Love flew to her stallions side. She took him in her hooves and put her head to his chest hoping for a heartbeat. There was none.

“Shining no! Please don’t leave me!” she cried.

“Oh don’t worry, you’ll be with him soon enough,” The rhino said.

He charged again.

Author's Note:

I hated killing Shining Armor and Cadence off, but it was the only reason I could think of that Flurry Heart would be ruling the Crystal Empire as it seemed to be portrayed on the stain glass window in The Last Problem. Doesn't seem like they'd retire when Flurry comes of age from my standpoint, though who knows? And yes, the red rhino is the thing the Young Six were shown defeating in their stain glass window. I'm thinking of having that shown next chapter, we'll see.

Please note that in the newer version that Trixie is the one who first arrives to save Luster as my editor when I was making the newer version felt Starlight was too powerful to be taken down by some Timberwolves.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

Comments

[Xp45]

Clever!