Chapter 14: Recovery
A few days after the battle, Luster was in front of the Castle of Friendship with her mother. They were lying on the grass, enjoying the sight of the sun setting on the horizon.
“I’m glad you’re finally letting me see you again, Mom,” Luster said as she nuzzled Starlight.
Her mother smiled, returning the affection. “Well… no point in being separated anymore since the Ponyville Express did a story on you and exposed you as my daughter.”
She held up today’s edition of the Express. It showed Luster and her friends on the front page in front of City Hall. It read Luster Dawn, daughter of Starlight Glimmer, Stewardess and Headmare of the Castle and School of Friendship (respectively), has saved Ponyville with four friends. Luster Dawn studied for a time at the School for Gifted Unicorns as Princess Twilight Sparkle’s top student. Together with her friends, River Song, Gallop J. Fry, Yelena, and Georgia, they defeated Starcutter and saved the captured town of Ponyville. Is this the beginning of a new rising star in Equestria?
“Well, you are certainly on your way to becoming a hero, Luster,” Starlight said. “I’m very proud of you.”
She nuzzled her daughter again. Luster smiled, happy to finally be able to spend time with Starlight again after so many weeks apart. But then, she pulled away from the nuzzle.
“What’s wrong?” Starlight asked.
Luster sighed. “I don’t know, Mom. I defeated Starcutter, I know. But… I’m just not satisfied with how I did. It didn’t feel right. I didn’t win by my skill or through the magic of friendship. I just... missed and hit the chains keeping Discord from using his magic. It just doesn’t feel like I should call myself a hero for it.”
Starlight looked at her. “Do you remember how I had to save Twilight from the changelings? Due to Chrysalis' throne, I couldn’t rely on my skill in magic or rainbow lasers either.”
“Yeah, but you had Aunt Trixie, Discord, and Thorax with you,” Luster said. “You were able to persuade the other changelings to see another way, thanks to Thorax.”
“That's precisely my point. We were lucky that he joined us back then, or all would have failed.” Still seeing a grimace on Luster's face, Starlight smiled gently and placed a hoof on her daughter's shoulder. "Luster, you saved Ponyville, that’s enough to call you a hero. Sometimes luck is what we have to rely on when all else fails. There is nothing wrong with that."
Luster sighed. “I understand a victory is better than a defeat, I just hope I didn’t disappoint Princess Twilight.”
“I’m sure Twilight is very proud of you,” Starlight assured her. “She has no reason to be disappointed.”
…
Twilight paced around her throne room.
“I can’t believe Luster didn’t manage to do it! Maybe she’s not the one meant to be my successor after all! Maybe I need to stay longer for one!”
“Twilight, calm down!” Spike said as he sat on the chair next to her throne.
“Calm down! How can I calm down? Luster was my biggest hope!” Twilight said.
“Even if Luster’s not able to do a rainbow laser right now, there’s still time. Remember, you couldn’t perform one without the Elements for years!” Spike said. “Even if she doesn’t ever perform one, that doesn’t mean you can’t find another student that can.”
“But years have already passed, Spike!” Twilight shrieked. “Haven’t you seen how all the other girls have aged a lot more than I?”
“And here we go with the Twilighting,” Spike muttered to himself. “Yeah, that’s kind of hard to miss. Rarity’s got gray hair now. Of course, I still think she’s beautiful.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “Maybe I have to stay longer for the good of Equestria! Maybe I have to live without the others!”
“Okay, okay Twi, calm down!” Spike said, flying down and putting his claws on her shoulders. “Even if the others are gone… I’d still be here for you. Now, just breathe slowly, okay? In and out, in and out…”
After a few slow, long breaths, Twilight's heart finally calmed down. Spike's efforts earned him a warm hug. “Thanks, Spike. I know I can always count on you when I’m losing it. I thought I’d moved past that ‘Twilighting’ stuff.”
“Hey, old habits die hard, huh? You haven’t done that in a long time, though.”
“Say… you don’t think maybe I’m making a mistake, do you?” Twilight asked.
“This is your choice, Twi. If you’re content with the lifespan of a normal pony I can’t stop you,” Spike said. “I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to. Like Celestia said, no pony lives forever, just as long as you’re happy, that’s what I care about.”
Twilight sighed. “We should at least congratulate Luster formally in an award ceremony. She did save Ponyville after all. Wasn’t the way I’d hoped, but if not for her, we might be singing a different tune right now. She did prevent even more lives from being lost. For that, she should be awarded. Also… we need to hold funerals for the soldiers that lost their lives in the retaking of then town.”
“What about Starcutter?” Spike asked.
“We’re still having guards investigate his office in the Crystal Empire. They’ve gone through his records but haven’t found anything yet.”
“Still, it’s pretty overwhelming with witnesses. But it’s strange, isn’t it? Starcutter is an Earth Pony, yet he was able to use that Ruby of Reign to control all those ponies.”
“Yes, only a unicorn could activate it,” Twilight noted. “Luster said there was one that was acting of his own free will, Sharp Eye. But he teleported away just before Luster defeated Starcutter.”
“Do you think maybe he brainwashed Starcutter along with the others and made him act like he was the one to stage the coup?” Spike asked.
“That could be, but until I get solid evidence either way, I can’t trust Starcutter,” Twilight said. “He will remain imprisoned until there’s evidence to prove his innocence or guilt.”
…
River tossed and turned in her bed in the Treehouse of Harmony. She was asleep, but her dream was not a pleasant one.
She kept seeing the guard trying to pull her toward him while Luster held her back.
“River! Shoot him!” Luster called out.
“I can’t!” River said.
“You have to!” Luster shouted. “I can’t hold it!”
As the unicorn’s head sweated, she lost her grip, and River was pulled onto the horn of the enemy unicorn. She woke with a start, gasping as she recalled her dream. Was that what would have happened if she hadn’t shot the guard trying to pull her in? Would she have been killed?
Still, she couldn’t help but think there might have been another way. Maybe she could have simply used a weaker magic to stop the unicorn. There had just been no time to think. She had to act to save her own life.
River tried to go back to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, the image of the stallion laying in a pool of blood played in her mind - haunting her like some slasher from a horror movie. She cringed, thinking of how he must have had loved ones; friends, a family that was probably mourning his loss now. She could imagine them shouting at her, looks of hatred in their eyes. The Kirin had always wanted to live a life of fun and excitement. But right now, her heart was filled with nothing but guilt.
Come morning, she still lay awake in bed, her eyes bagged and bloodshot from lack of sleep. Yawning, she got up when the sun rose. She walked out of her room in the Treehouse of Harmony and made her way through the crystally structure and found Luster and the others at their table in the entryway.
“Oh, hey, River!” Luster said as the Kirin walked down the shining stairs.
“Hey,” River replied glumly.
“River?” Luster exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” River insisted.
But Yelena frowned at her. “River not fooling friends. River always cheerful one of us. River can be honest with friends if something bothering.”
Georgia put a claw on River. “Tell us.”
The Kirin sighed, feeling the urge to cry. “I… just can’t stop thinking about how I killed that guard.”
“River, there was no choice...” Luster said, trying to console her.
“But maybe there was!” River argued. “Maybe I could have used a sleeping spell or something!”
“Do you know any sleeping spells?” Luster asked.
“No,” River admitted. “But still, there had to be another way!”
“It was in the middle of a battle, our lives were on the line. Sometimes, it's either kill or be killed!” Luster said. “I used to think that being a hero would be all happy, but that battle… that was a terrible thing. And worst of all, we weren’t fighting an enemy of Equestria, we were fighting amongst ourselves.”
River nodded as tears leaked out. “Yeah! That makes me feel even worse! The guard I killed wasn’t fighting me of his own free will! He wasn’t a bad pony! He had been forced to do those terrible things!”
“Whoever mind-controlled all those ponies did this," Yelena argued. "Starcutter, Sharp Eye, whoever. They’re the ones responsible for all those ponies losing their lives,”
River sniffled.
“Well," Gallop said. "Whoever it was, if they ever show their faces, Princess Twilight or our group will take them down!”
“Yeah!” Yelena agreed.
Luster put a hoof on River. “I know what you did was hard, and it will likely hurt for a long time. But it wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to do to survive.”
River nodded. “I just… can’t help feeling remorse for it.”
“The fact that you do means you’re a good creature,” Georgia said. “Somecreature who didn’t feel sorry for that would have to be heartless.”
“I know this isn’t gonna go away soon,” Luster said. “But I’m here for you, River. Just like you were all there for me after I left my home.”
River smiled weakly. “Are you gonna go back to your parents permanently?”
Luster shook her head. “Mom wanted me to come back once the newspaper came out. But thanks to us defeating Starcutter I was able to convince her to let me stay here with you. After all, friends stick together.”
The pony and Kirin hugged each other, Georgia quickly joined, along with Yelena and Gallop.
“This is what friends do, they support each other through thick and thin.”
“Thanks, guys,” River said. “I know I can’t undo what I did. But you’re right, I didn’t really have time to think.”
A scroll suddenly formed above Luster. She opened it and let out a joyous gasp.
“Princess Twilight is coming to Ponyville again!" she announced. "She wants to hold an award ceremony for all of us defeating Starcutter, as well as to conduct a rite for all the guards that died in the attack!”
…
That night, Luster and her friends all stood in the Castle of Friendship before Princess Twilight. Starlight and Sunburst watched proudly as Twilight delivered her speech to the gathered ponies and other creatures.
“Just days ago," Twilight began. "A crisis happened, both here and in the Crystal Empire. The Captain of the Guard in the Empire, Starcutter, used an artifact to mind control its guards and force them to overthrow my niece, Princess Flurry Heart. The battle that took place in Ponyville was a sad one, which should never have happened. For this was not a battle with an enemy, but with our own, and when members of a nation fight each other no one can truly win. We may have won this battle, but it was not a victory. We lost many good soldiers here in Ponyville, both from Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Of course, thanks to my faithful student Luster Dawn, as well as her friends; River Song, Gallop J. Fry, Georgia, and Yelena, the bloodshed was stopped quickly. If not for them, there would have been more lives lost. They all worked well together during a time of danger - their teamwork and friendship helping them to defeat Starcutter. For their role in protecting Equestria, I reward them with the Equestrian Pink Hearts of Courage.”
Twilight placed the medal around Luster’s neck while Starlight and Sunburst did the same with River and Gallop, then Yelena and Georgia. As soon as the awards were given, everycreature bowed, showing respect to the new heroes.
“Congratulations, Luster,” Starlight said. “I remember when I was awarded the same medal along with Discord, Thorax, and Trixie.”
“You’re a great and powerful lifesaver, Luster!” Trixie said.
“And don’t forget about me, as I was the one who caged Starcutter!” Discord said. “Of course, the real hero is Luster. I’m sure she would have been just fine. If they had managed to perform a rainbow laser!”
“Discord!” Fluttershy snapped, giving him her stare.
The Spirit of Chaos chuckled nervously, “You did do a good job when you were fighting! I’ll say that! Got that Starcutter off his hooves! But you still need a little more work.”
Luster nodded, knowing Discord was correct. She looked at her mentor. “I know I didn’t win by my skill in magic. But I will strive to improve, Princess.”
Twilight nodded. “Good, I look forward to seeing you do better next time! I wonder who you will face?”
“Oh, please don’t be Chrysalis!” Starlight whispered fearfully.
Hearing her, Sunburst put a hoof around his wife. Now that the newspaper had made it public information that Luster was their daughter, he shared her worry.
“Everything’s gonna be okay, Starlight. Chrysalis doesn’t know where Luster is.”
“But she could still find out just by asking a pony or other creature!” Starlight said.
“Well… she’ll be with her friends. The magic of friendship always wins in the end, right?” Sunburst said.
Starlight sighed. “Yeah, but we don’t go without casualties.”
“Let's get this party started!” Pinkie Pie called out from up on the stage.
A DJ began playing music for creatures to dance along to. Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich, Big Mac and Sugarbelle, Starlight and Sunburst, Fluttershy and Discord, and many others paired up. Luster and her friends sat at a table eating some of the party food. As they did so, a middle-aged mare approached them.
“Hello, you’re Luster Dawn?” she asked in a not very pleasant tone.
“Um… yes?” Luster replied as she looked at the mare. She wore a black garment and veil through which her horn was visible, a traditional mourning outfit.
“I’m Morning Darkness,” the mare said. “My son… he was an officer working for the Crystal Empire. From what I heard his body was found in front of this castle.”
Luster gaped. She looked over at River, whose eyes widened at the unicorn. This had to be the mother of the guard whose life she had ended.
Morning Darkness looked at Luster with a deep frown. “Was it you who did that to my son?”
“Um…”
“No, Miss! It wasn’t her, it was me!” River said.
Morning turned to the kirin.
“I’m the one who killed your son,” River confessed.
The unicorn looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Tell me what happened.”
River gulped. “We… Luster, me, and all our friends… we were on our way here to fight Starcutter. Then… Sharp Eye, that bad unicorn who was not controlled, he saw us and set the other officers on us. I was fighting your son, and he… he had me in his magic. He tried to pull me on to his… his horn. But Luster, she… she pulled me back and told me to… shoot!”
River sniffled. Morning looked at her.
“He was about to pull you onto his horn?” she asked.
River nodded tearfully. “I wish I could have done something else. But… there’s no excuse. I took your son from you, and that’s-“
Morning stepped toward River who closed her eyes as though expecting an attack. But instead of striking her in any way, Morning wrapped a hoof around her tearfully. River’s eyes widened as she did this.
“You had no choice… well… maybe you did. But you did what you had to to save your own life. My son would understand that. I do.”
River cried softly at the act of forgiveness. “Thank you!”
Morning released her from the embrace. “Don’t be too hard on yourself now. We have to forgive ourselves. We will all make mistakes in our lives, but we must learn from them.”
River nodded as Morning walked off. Luster smiled.
“Does that make you feel better, River?” she asked the kirin.
“I’m... not sure. I mean… knowing the family forgives me makes things easier. But it still... hurts you know?”
“Well… we never got to finish that vacation we planned,” Luster said. “How about we resume it tomorrow? You wanted to show us the Kirin Village, right? Maybe going back there would help you unwind.”
“Maybe,” River replied gloomily.
“But before that… let's dance!” Luster said.
Gallop instantly got up from his seat and looked at Luster with a blush.
“I know we said we would dance at the Gala, but would you mind doing it now?” he asked, offering a hoof.
“Oh, not at all!” Luster said, taking his hoof and allowing him to pull her from her seat. “Come on River!”
With the kirin managing a smile, the Future Five all walked out onto the dancefloor to enjoy the party honoring their victory.
…
In Grogar’s Lair, the ancient villain and his minions watched an image from a few days ago of Starcutter being dragged off by the guards.
“So Starcutter has been defeated,” Grogar said. “Excellent.”
“Excellent? How is that excellent?” Tirek questioned. “He was the commander of your forces of brainwashed ponies wasn’t he?”
“And he has stated that you are still alive!” Chrysalis pointed out. “Is this not a cause for concern?”
Grogar shook his head.
“Princess Twilight does not trust him," he explained. "I am in the clear. And even if she were to believe him, it matters not. She cannot stop what is coming. This victory of hers is nothing of the sort. By fighting at all, she has lost this battle. Hundreds of ponies have been killed in a fight amongst themselves. Princess Twilight has sacrificed a relevant fraction of her military while I have lost none. Now, only two steps remain. We shall recover my Bewitching Bell… which is now stored in the chaos realm of Discord. That imposter draconequus took the bell after he got his magic back from it.”
“And how do we get it back?” Tirek asked. “It took me, Chrysalis, and Cozy working together to retrieve it from Mount Everhoof! How do we even get into the chaos realm anyway?”
“There are ways,” Grogar said. “Lately, Discord has been opening a lot of portals to the chaos realm allowing animals to come and go through them for that wife of his.”
He showed an image of Discord and Fluttershy cuddling.
“One way we could manage it would be if one of us were to turn into an animal that yellow mare would love.”
He looked at Chrysalis with a smile. The changeling queen’s eyes widened in surprise and disgust.
“You want me to turn into an animal to get into the chaos realm?”
“That would be one way,” Grogar said. “But I can think of another. One that I’m sure you’ll enjoy… for it involves the daughter of that pony you want revenge on.”
The former changeling queen stepped forward, grinning evilly.
“Yes, I’m ready to take Starlight Glimmer’s daughter from her!”
“Then you shall go to Ponyville now!” Grogar commanded.
Chrysalis shot him a slightly annoyed look for his bossy tone, but she knew better than to protest.
“Very well, Grogar, but I have one request. Tirek and Cozy Glow will come with me.”
Grogar looked at Chrysalis in suspicion, “Why?”
Chrysalis hesitated, “Because… because… because I trust these two.”
The words hung in the air for a moment while Tirek’s eyes widened, and Cozy Glow’s mouth fell open.
“Hmm… very well, I suppose I have no use for them at the moment. But this will provide a slight complication. Cozy Glow is a full-grown pony now, but she could still be recognized. I think an illusion would change that. King Sombra?” Grogar looked at the dark-hearted unicorn who stood next to Sharp Eye who managed to join them since the battle in Ponyville.
Frowning, Sombra channeled his magic and cast an illusion on Tirek and Cozy Glow. Cozy’s peach-colored coat turned to a chalky white, while Tirek was made to look like a unicorn. A black unicorn with a red face.
Grogar smiled. “Perfect. Now, go!”
…
“Say, Chrysalis, did you mean what you said back there? About trusting us?” Cozy asked as the trio walked out of the lair.
“Of course,” Chrysalis said. “You are dependable allies. I feel I can rely on you both. After all, Lord Tirek, you returned my magic the last time we retrieved the bell.”
Tirek gave a small smile. “Well, I did think working together was smarter. We certainly came close to ruling Equestria the last time.” He then pounded his fists. “If not for everycreature coming back together, we would have had Twilight Sparkle and her friends for sure!”
Cozy smirked. “And this time we have an army of our own behind us thanks to Grogar! We’ll succeed this time, no doubt!”
“Don’t be overconfident,” Chrysalis cautioned. “Grogar has an army, yes. But I’m not sure we can trust him. This Grogar is indeed the real one, but I still think we should be wary. I want to be the one to use him and not the other way around.”
“Yes, I’m not going to be anypony… or ram’s pawn!” Tirek declared. “I always admired Grogar from the tales of his tyranny. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let him stab me in the back if he so desires!”
“We better be prepared for such a scenario,” Chrysalis said. “We’ll retrieve Grogar’s bell… again, and-”
“And then we will steal the power?” Cozy asked eagerly.
But Chrysalis shook her head. “No, this time we shall let Grogar have it. But we shall add a small trap in it as a precaution.”
Back behind the trio, Sombra and Sharp Eye stood in front of the lair watching their comrades leave. Their horns were lit as they cast hearing spells allowing them to hear the trio’s words.
“Interesting, perhaps we should tell Grogar of this, my king?” Sharp Eye asked Sombra.
The armored dark unicorn shook his head. “Let them try to betray Grogar. I serve no pony but myself.”
Sharp Eye nodded and bowed. “And I serve you, my king... and teacher. You taught me everything I know about magic, ever since the Crystal Empire returned. I have longed for the return of your dark reign.”
Sombra grinned. “Soon I will have the Crystal Empire back, do not worry, my loyal servant. Your patience and loyalty will be rewarded. This time, I will require your help, though.”
Sharp Eye nodded. “Whatever my king commands. I will not let any pony get in your way this time.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
1,036 users online
1,435,959 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Thats what flowey the flower said and it's sort of true when you have to survive and save millions of people you have to take a person's life it sucks but it happens
Gallop instantly got up from his seat and looked at Luster with a blush.
“I know we said we would dance at the Gala, but would you mind doing it now?” he asked, offering a hoof.
“Oh, not at all!” Luster said, taking his hoof and allowing him to pull her from her seat. “Come on River!”
Omg thats so adorable between gallop and luster 😍😍 yes guilty as charged i ship them 😅
“And he has stated that you are still alive!” Chrysalis pointed out. “Is this not a cause for concern?”
Grogar shook his head.
“Princess Twilight does not trust him," Grogar explained. "I am in the clear.
Hmm I did say something about that all trust issues that he got away because Twilight did not believe star cutter so yeah Grogar got away
Wow ok so everything is back to normal well as normal as it can be with luster reuniting with her parents once again because that's the newspaper already blabbed it out got to love those but it looks like Twilight is having some thoughts about staying longer because she needs to find the true barrier of The Elements of Harmony nice but I'm sure luster will succeed somehow meanwhile river still feeling guilty for what happened to that guard that she had to kill just to save her own life it was a tough situation for her especially to a kid while the ceremony was going on for their victory the mother of the guard that river killed wanted to know what happened to him but River told the pony about everything what happened and it looks like she forgave her but to River it still feels hurt and it will take time to heal and it looks like they need a vacation but little do they know gorgar and Legions of Doom are preparing to strike again it looks like they're going to infiltrate discord portal and somehow get the Bell and find a way to betrayed gorgar and king Sombra knows it but he even let that one slip by and let them do what they have to do I'll give him that he's clever but anyway this was a very interesting chapter can't wait to see what's going to happen next
Divide and Conquer, I can see. But there can only be one!
And since when is Yelena Yak literate?
10486015
What do you mean literate?
10486028
Actually that's the wrong word. What I meant is why is Yelena speaking proper sentences? I swore I read the previous chapters and she speaks like any Yak would, broken English and third person.
10486509
Oh I probably wasnt focusing on that. Thanks. I only really had her speak a couple lines here.
10486528
You do still have an editor or proofreader cleaning up the previous chapters right? They do seem messy, especially the formatting. No offense.
Megan didn't break her promise actually. The Twilight won't outlive her friends was when she first became an alicorn not when she replaced Celestia. That said have fun with your writing.
10496872
Thanks. Yeah, I said it just looked that way, but I see Luster Dawn as a way out.
Here's my main fault with the idea Luster would take over from Twilight. You're assuming she would even agree to it in the first place, or even could be an alicorn.
She says yes. No problem. Luster says no, and wants no part of it?
Then what? Make Twilight a tyrant and villain by forcing it on her?
Yes I know Luster was a mirror of Twilight at the very start of the show. But Twilight had things her future student didn't. Namely life and death struggles where she more than earned her position.
Luster only has whatever the fans decide to throw at her (unless Hasbro does something in the future with Equestria after the Last Problem.)
Until then, or maybe not, everything the fandom does with Luster is an AU. And you can't convince me otherwise.
10502563
Yes, it's all how we envision it. But I'm giving Luster life and death struggles in my version here where she will earn it as well, she has to face the real Grogar here. It won't be as much as Twilight of course but still something to prove herself.
Yes that would be a problem. But you seem to not have read my story even the first chapter of my story if you assume it is being an alicorn here. In my story I have something different, something I based on something I found on the mlp wiki and other information. Even if it is being an alicorn, Twilight could make a spell to transfer her alicorn wings to Luster or something if she's willing to accept. It was proven through Cozy Glow that alicorns can be turned back. Luster definitely wouldn't want Twilight to die, but Twilight accepted Celestia's choice here even though she didn't like it. She didn't want her mentor to have to suffer anymore because of her pain, you can't force someone to be happy... or live if they don't want to anymore.