Princess Twilight tried not to share her surprise at what she had just heard, as she slowly set her cup down on the table before her. "I'm not sure what you mean Luster?"

She and her faithful student were sharing a quiet afternoon in Canterlot Castle's Tea Garden, though neither mare drinking tea at the moment. Twilight had been thrilled to discover that the unicorn disliked tea as much as she did.

Celestia herself might have had a stroke if she knew what was being done in her favorite spot of the whole castle. But as Twilight would be quick to say, it wasn't her castle anymore, now was it?

Of course, she would never actually say that to her mentor. Twilight still had too much respect for the elder alicorn, and more than likely, always would. But it was fun to think about.

Luster set her coffee down. "I mean, why did you pick me to be your student?"

Twilight frowned slightly. "Why wouldn't I? You were top of your class at the School for Gifted Unicorns. I saw much potential in you, and so I made you my student."

Luster bit her lip. She didn't like having to say this, but her life since moving to Ponyville, and the friends she now had, forced her to ask it. "Is that the only reason? Because I'm a unicorn?"

Twilight's frown grew slightly. "What are you saying, Luster?"

Luster almost quit right then and there, the look in her mentor's eyes scaring her a bit, but if there was one thing she was, it was too stubborn to quit when she could. "I talked to Headmare Starlight, even to my mom since she was in the same place I am once. They both said it's a tradition for a princess to pick a unicorn as their personal student."

Twilight's frown began to melt away, as she began to see where her faithful student might be going with this. "Celestia said that it was too help find the next bearer for the Element of Magic."

Luster looked up at Twilight's crown, and the Element of Magic imbedded in it. "Isn't that you though?"

Twilight nodded, smiling slightly. "Well, yes. I am the current Element of Magic, though it's been many years now since I have had to even think about it. Let alone use it."

Luster looked over at Gallus, who had a knowing smirk on his beak and a gleam in his eyes. It was all Luster needed as she looked back at her mentor and asked the question that had been bugging her for some time. "Then why keep taking a unicorn as a student? You're not gonna hoof all of this on me, are you? I don't want it. I never wanted it."

Twilight let head fell slightly. She had been expecting that to be honest, but not quite like this. "No Luster. I don't plan to force any of this on you. You're not the first to say it though. But those who did never really thought about it enough. I know you have."

Luster let out an audible sigh of relief. "Oh, thank... Well, you. That's a weight off my shoulders." She shook her head. "I just discovered the joy of having friends. I'm still getting used to Ponyville, even though everyone's been super nice to me. I don't even know what I want to do with my life."

Twilight smiled. It always gladdened her heart to hear that from someone. "And I will not force you into something you don't want Luster. You will always have a place here. Never think you can't come back to Canterlot. But you can be anything you want, or go anywhere you want."

That made Luster feel ten feet tall right then and there, as her eyes gleamed in delight, but soon she brought herself back to the question that had started all of this. "So why then are you still picking a unicorn as a student?"

Twilight sighed as she sipped her drink. "Are you saying that I shouldn't have picked you, My Faithful Student?"

Luster gasped in horror and rushed over to the princess's side, muzzling her. "No, of course not! I love everything you've taught me. Everything we've done together! You've made me a better pony."

She looked up into her mentor's eyes and tried to smile. "But you're holding yourself back. You started the School of Friendship, for all races to learn more about friendship. You went to Canterlot High and made friends with the entire school, full of people you didn't know very well if at all. A species you didn't even know much about, even by the end."

Twilight smiled at that. It was true of course. Even if the connection between worlds was gone forever now, she and Sunset were still friends with the Rainbooms and all of Canterlot High. It had been those first three days that had helped her become a better princess and a better pony.

Even now, twenty years later, and fifteen years after the connection between worlds had been cut for the final time, she still lived by the words Principal Celestia had told her that night, at the Fall Formal. Words of wisdom she had repeated to herself every morning.

"A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but inspiring others to stand with her."

And the more Twilight about what Luster was saying, the more and more she began to see that her student was right. She had been holding onto this tradition, even though she knew it no longer served a purpose.

Luster saw that her words were beginning to have an effect, and muzzled her mentor once more. "I'm not saying you should never have another unicorn student. That's not very nice. But another pony might come along and impress you with something they do. What if you don't even think about it because they're not a unicorn? That's not fair to them, or to you. You know it isn't."

Twilight was silent for a moment before her smile grew and she pulled Luster into a hug with a wing, one the unicorn leaned into. "I see the student has surpassed the teacher in some ways. You've come a long way Luster, and I couldn't be prouder of you."

Luster blushed as she looked away, but her smile was still there.

"And you're right. It's not fair to other ponies that I never once considered taking a non-unicorn as a student. No more. I won't hold myself to just a unicorn from now on." She smirked at the unicorn next to her. "Unless you don't want any competition?"

Luster shook her head. "It does get kind of lonely, being your only personal student. I wouldn't mind if you took another."

Twilight nodded, filing it away for later. She kissed the top of Luster's head, just below her horn. "Thank you again, My Faithful Student. You've given me a lot to think about, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

Author's Note

Just to clear on one part. Luster Dawn, in all the stories she is in that I write, is in no way, shape, or form, related to Starlight and Sunburst.

It's just a coincidence that she looks like she could be their daughter. They're not even married. They never even thought about something like that.

Cover art was done by LimeDazzle. As was the case for the sequel.