Equestria had been waiting for a second princess to join Twilight’s reign for years. It was common knowledge that princesses Celestia and Luna, though born sisters, had both wound up happily ruling the land in harmony, raising the moon and sun in tandem and keeping the ponies of the land happy.

Of course, after Princess Flurry Heart’s coronation, there was a second princess available, but Flurry Heart ruled the Crystal Empire specifically, never ruling over Princess Twilight’s domain. It was an unspoken rule. The retired princesses– Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, were always there in the background (Cadence most of all; it was her daughter, after all!) but they’d stepped away to let Twilight run the show for the time being.

It was inevitable, however, for Princess Twilight, the princess representative of friendship as an element, of peace across the land, of a powerful Alicorn that had worked for her success… it was inevitable that she would eventually seek an heir. Or, at the very least, a companion in her lonesome regal journey as the sole ruler of Equestria.

Her pick? Luster Dawn. Top student of the Magic Academy, run by Celestia but formally in the name of Twilight now, Luster was incapable of making proper friends on her own; it was the perfect opportunity to select a student and train her to be great, just like Celestia had done for Twilight! With her royal advisor by her side, and friends available to help Twilight come to the decision that this was a smart pick, Twilight offered Luster the position of her student. Or rather, offered her the chance to work toward becoming the next princess of Equestria.

The outcome wasn’t guaranteed. There was Sunset Shimmer, a reknowned Unicorn who had fled to the Mirror Realm, who had been Celestia’s student before Twilight. But with the luck Celestia had had with Twilight, who was to say the current princess couldn’t pick an Alicorn of her own? If Luster proved herself, the purple princess was sure things would work out well in the end.

“You really need to work toward making friends, you know,” Twilight had told the young Unicorn one afternoon in the Canterlot Castle. “It was what kept me going when I had moved to Ponyville!”

Luster had shaken her head, golden mane swaying to and fro in its high ponytail it was always tied up into, “I just don’t see the point! You’ve been saying this but I achieve more on my own!”

“I thought you said you enjoyed working and isn’t searching for friends work?” Twilight had recalled the first conversation they’d had after the offer was presented to the mare. Luster had hummed.

“I enjoy working, but I just don’t enjoy ponies!”

“Give someone a chance, Luster. I know there’s a group of creatures out there for you somewhere.” And there was! Within months of Twilight pushing her and the mare’s attendance at the university, Luster Dawn had befriended a Griffon, Kirin, Dragon, Changeling, and another pony. They’d shared common study habits and all went to sit at the same table in the library at once, creating a study group accidentally! Twilight had laughed wholeheartedly at the intense similarities she and her student shared.

Time passed and Twilight did anything but age. Her friends had grown weary and grey and the princess could do nothing but watch on as Rainbow and Applejack raised Zap Apple into adulthood. Lil’ Cheese became the next comedian of Ponyville. Discord began confiding in Twilight when it came to the aging of the once-virile Mane Six.

“Fluttershy hasn’t changed, has she?” The Draconequus had said once, startling the princess. Twilight had hummed in response.

“No… not much. She’s still Fluttershy. None of us have changed all that much,” After their final few adventures, Twilight had left the defeat of monsters and villains to the young six, with Gallus leading her guard now, though, another group needed to take their place, she figured.

“You’ll miss them when they’re gone, you know,” Discord had snapped the Alicorn back to reality. She was immortal, now. Celestia, Luna, and Discord had seen generations pass under their watchful eye. Now it was Twilight’s turn. She felt her stomach turn at the reminder.

Here, now, watching Luster Dawn earn her wings after nearly a decade of training, Twilight missed her friends more than ever. The young Unicorn earned her wings, pink and gold spiraling up into the sky as her group of friends watched on in awe, amazed that the young student could earn such a title at such a young age! (She was no younger than Twilight had been, but that was beside the point).

“Oh, wow, Twilight!” Luster marveled at her new appendages, grinning ear to ear as she spun around trying to take in the reality of the situation. She had defeated a villain– thinking back, Twilight wasn’t sure which villain. There were so many all the time– and in doing so, she saved her friends and proved that friendship meant a lot to her. The newest generation of Elements had secured themselves to this six set of creatures and Luster had earned the title of princess. Twilight was so, so proud. Celestia was, too, as she watched on from afar.

“Congratulations, Luster. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are, and I can’t wait to welcome you into the castle when you’re ready to join me on the throne.”

Luster had stared up at Twilight with a strange look in her eye that the purple princess couldn’t quite place. Looking back now, she should have noticed what was wrong instantly, “I’ll be ruling with you?”

Celestia had plenty of students. Not all had become Alicorns. Twilight wasn’t even sure if Cadence counted as a student of Celestia. She was her niece, sure, but student? It had taken the princess a long time to decide to retire and even longer to choose an heir! Twilight had been lucky to have that blessing placed upon her shoulders. Had Celestia had children, maybe then the burden of ruling would have been given to those colts or fillies, but Equestria was only so lucky to have one Alicorn-born princess in their midst. At least, for now. Who knew what the princesses were up to in retirement?

The point was, that Celestia hadn’t given up the throne to the first student she saw potential in. She’d seen flaws in Twilight and gotten to know her! Known her friends, known everything about her and even considered her close friends before deciding she was mature enough to handle ruling the very country in which she resided in. Had Luster Dawn really thought she’d get the throne immediately after her coronation? Or ascension?

“Yes, of course!” Twilight had smiled down at her student, confused at the request for clarification, “Celestia and Luna raised the sun and moon, and now they’re still capable of doing that of course, but in name and to help in retirement, we’ll take over the maintaining of dawn and dusk, ensuring balance in the continued rule of Equestria!” It was an honor! It should have been an honor!

But as time went on, Luster only became more frustrated. She’d worked toward her wings, to become an Alicorn, and Twilight could see she was frustrated at having to share her power. Which was ridiculous! She wasn’t sure if she could, but if proven unworthy after her ascension, could Twilight take her wings away? Maybe she’d ask Celestia about that…

“...I’m just saying, who needs friends now that I’m a princess?” What!? Had Twilight heard correctly?

“What?” One of Luster’s friends spoke up. The whole group was there! In the hallway of Canterlot Castle, was Luster Dawn breaking up with her friends?

“I’ve proved myself worthy! I don’t need to keep friends around to reiterate the point! Now I can go back to being solitary and enjoying my privacy in my projects!”

“Luster, you can’t be serious!” Twilight felt the same as the Dragon! What was this mare talking about? “We’re supposed to be the new Elements of Harmony! We can’t just stop being friends!”

“The Elements of Harmony exist in name only, now. The tree was lost to Sombra ages ago! Don’t you read up on history?”

“You were supposed to teach us! That was the dynamic– you were the smart one!”

“You’re dismissed,” Luster had cut off the pony speaking, turning to leave and nearly catching sight of Princess Twilight watching from afar. It made the purple mare’s stomach churn hearing the student she had seen so much promise in turn around and decide to destroy the lessons she’d been taught right in front of her mentor.

Twilight had to confront her! Stepping out, she cut off the younger mare. “Luster Dawn–”

“That’s Princess Luster Dawn,” The younger Alicorn sidestepped the mare before her and Twilight’s jaw dropped. The audacity! Twilight had given her that title! Who did she think she was? What was happening?

Twilight angrily stomped after her pupil, “Luster Dawn! You were trained to be a student of the university of friendship and to appreciate friendship in your life! What’s happened to you? Why are you being so cruel to your friends?” The pink Alicorn shrugged as she continued walking.

“I have no need for them anymore. I need to focus on how to better Equestria and I can’t deal with any distractions!”

“Friends aren’t distractions! They’re a support system!” Luster rolled her eyes and Twilgith’s jaw dropped further than it ever had before.

“What happened to you?” The princess breathed, absolutely offended at her choice of partner in monarchy. Luster scoffed.

“I trained all this time to be a princess only to learn I get no kingdom of my own! Even Princess Cadence’s daughter gets her own kingdom! You got your own castle!” Twilight was appalled! Had Luster even taken in what the friendship lessons were about? So many questions rolled through her head, but there was no satiating Luster Dawn. The more Twilight asked, the worse the attitude of the pony before her got. She should have let it go sooner. She never should have chosen Luster Dawn as a student.

The development of Breaking Dawn didn’t come as a surprise to Twilight.

All the pressure and anger and clear jealousy that being a princess alongside Twilight rather than in her place had broken Luster Dawn and she’d turned to darkness, becoming a mess of a pony and wreaking havoc on the ponies of Canterlot and beyond. Pink coat now a deep burgundy and her golden mane now a shimmering lavender, Luster had engulfed the city in a blazing sunrise, never allowing the sun to rise or set, keeping Equestria in a permanent purgatory of time. It was days before Twilight was finally able to end the tantrum she’d pushed her student to have.

“Luster!” Twilight had cried, chasing down the corrupted young Alicorn. It broke her heart to see history repeat itself, yet another set of Alicorns turning against each other. But this was the only option. Luster couldn’t be reasoned with!

“Luster Dawn is no more!” The tall creature had hissed at Twilight, blasting a beam of magic right at her, missing narrowly and setting a tree ablaze. “Breaking Dawn is here now! I shall take over and I shall rule Equestria alone! You’re too soft! Friendship is meaningless!”

“Luster, please! I don't want to do this! Please, tell me you can come back from this! Apologize!”

“Never!”

Twilight had lost track of what happened after the shouting match. Eqeustraia was excited about the new Alicorn princess, and Twilight had failed. She’d chosen the wrong one to take over and now here she was, preparing herself to banish the pony just as Celestia had done to Luna. Her heart shattered.

“I’m sorry, Luster Dawn!” With a blast of that magenta magic and screams of protest from the Alicorn, Luster Dawn was banished, never to be seen until a millennia later. It was the default banishment spell, it seemed. Twilight could only hope that her citizens would understand the sacrifice (they would. It wasn’t something they’d never seen before).

When a thousand years later, when a new student would emerge for Twilight to train, she would think nothing of the tree shifting in the Everfree Forest, waking once more after a thousand years dormant. As golden eyes opened in the dim light of the forest’s canopy, a truth would come to light and Equestria would once more be in grave danger.

Author's Note

silly luster dawn! you cant just rule equestria off the bat! you need at LEAST nine seasons of background adventures and you've barely had any!!!
idk if people read sequels but i LOVE writing this story! its an overarching new version of MLP:FiM called mlp Friendship is Enchanting! sooo stick around in this story to see how that plays out bc Crystalline Destiny was just the beginning!!