Cult of Luna

Twilight paced around the cave, trying to both find a solution to their dilemma and ward off the searing pain that she experienced. Every hoof step was a struggle, and her back howled in agony as the fresh wounds made their presence known. She grunted and grimaced. "Ugh, I wish they hadn't stolen our magic!" She said in frustration, "then I could cast a healing spell and rid us all of this agony!"

"It's not so bad," Cadance said, trying to keep an optimistic perspective, "I mean, at least they gave us a cave to stay in. A lot of evil tyrants would've just killed us and been done with it."

"Gee, thanks for the encouraging words," Twilight said sarcastically. Cadance was taken aback. Usually, Twilight was way more kind with her. "Well, excuse me for trying to keep a positive outlook on things!"

"Cadance, we're stuck in a cave in the most remote part northern Equestria, we're surrounded by ponies who, for some reason that I have yet to deduce, hate us and worship Luna, and we have no magic. How the hay can you have a positive outlook on things?!"

"It's better than being a muttering mare!"

"I am NOT a muttering mare!"

The two sisters-in-law began arguing louder and louder until Celestia turned and snorted at both of them. "WOULD YOU TWO KINDLY QUIET DOWN?!" She shouted. They turned and gave her an angry look. "Oh, look, it's the Princess of Jealousy!" Twilight said as sarcasm dripped off her words, "maybe if you hadn't been jealous of the attention Luna was receiving, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"How dare you, Twilight?! I am still your superior!"

"My superior at what?! We both rule Equestria equally, so I don't see how you're my superior. I can make laws just as well as you can!"

"Your thing is friendship! Cadance's thing is love! My thing is the sun! Luna's is the moon!"

"Well, it seems to be that we have a lot of things, don't we? By the way, I love the eloquence. It's about as good as your acting!"

Celestia gasped. "We agreed never to speak of that!" Twilight smiled wickedly. She had Celestia right where she wanted her, and she went for the jugular. "Oh, did we? I must have missed that meeting thanks to your horrible scheduling!"

This quip led to a very loud argument among the three of them. Celestia insulted Cadance's ability to spread love to Equestria. Cadance insulted Twilight's intelligence, telling her that she had nothing in her cranial cavity. Twilight took great offense to this and insulted Cadance's commitment to Shining Armor. "My brother deserved so much better than you!" She said as hatred flew like fire from her lips, "in fact, I think I know why he's fighting with you so much. MAYBE HE'S REALIZED THAT YOU WERE NEVER WORTH LOVING!"

Cadance gasped as tears came to her eyes. The insult's barbs penetrated her heart and crushed it. Her beloved sister-in-law just told her she wasn't worth loving. She had foal sat for this mare. She thought she knew her like a book. She loved her, but apparently Twilight's reflection of that love had all been a gigantic lie. She turned away from Twilight and went to a dark corner of the cave, sobbing.

Twilight backed up as she realized what she had done. The pain of knowing she had torn a rift between herself and Cadance was immense. Tears came to her eyes as well and she stepped over to where Cadance was. The pink princess turned and saw, not the fellow princess she loved and admired, but a rebellious filly in need of a good, sound spanking. Anger filled her gaze as she turned away. "What, Twilight?" She said gruffly, "I don't have time for ponies who would so readily insult their family members. Maybe you aren't worth loving, either."

Twilight gasped in shock and then felt her anger rise again. After all, Cadance had insulted her first. Who the hay does she think she is?! She gritted her teeth and launched at Cadance. The sisters-in-law turned enemies-in-law rolled around on the dusty cave floor, screeching insults at each other not fit to reprint in this story. Cadance went after Twilight's romantic failures and the fact that she was still single, and Twilight told Cadance she was too old and Shining wasn't physically attracted to her anymore.

Then Celestia walked to where they were fighting. "Cadance! Twilight! STOP!" She said sharply. The two fighting mares stopped and looked up at her. "Look at us," Celestia said in disgust, "fighting like immature school foals! If we're going to get out of this situation, we need to work together. I know we're all frustrated at our circumstances, but fighting among ourselves isn't gonna help. I think we all owe each other a sincere apology. Cadance, I'm sorry I said that you were incapable of spreading love to Equestria. You're the kindest, most loving pony anyone's ever met."

Cadance smiled and looked up at her adopted aunt. "Thanks, Aunt Celestia. That means a lot." Then she turned and looked at Twilight. The purple princess looked down at the dirt, embarrassed over the way she had been acting. "Twilight," Cadance said sincerely, "I'm sorry I told you that you could never keep a stallion and that you were stupid. I was acting like a filly."

"So was I," Twilight said, "I know Shining Armor loves you very much…and so do I."

The two mares embraced each other, whispering apologies into the other one's ear. They broke apart and smiled. Their friendship was as strong as it ever was, and nothing could break it. They knew they would fight anything or anyone in order to keep it that way. They were stronger than steel, and they would go through fire and water to be with each other.

Celestia looked at them and smiled. "I guess that wraps that up," she said, "now, how are we gonna get out of here?"

Twilight frowned. "I just don't know. This problem isn't resolving itself like I thought it would. Usually, by this time, we've met another pony who's willing to help us out on our friendship mission."

Suddenly, all three of their flanks began flashing. "Wait…it's over?" Twilight asked in bewilderment, "but we haven't stopped Luna's cult! Isn't that our friendship problem?"

"Twilight," Celestia said, "have you ever been called on two friendship missions at once?"

"Well, no," the Princess of Friendship replied, "the Cutie Map usually only sends us out on one."

"Well, who's to say that the map can't call you out to solve multiple friendship problems at once? Maybe our spat here in the cave was one of them, and stopping Luna's worshippers is another."

"Good point," Twilight said. She wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. Of course! She thought, two friendship missions! One to solve the tension between the three of us, and one to solve the tension between Luna and her cult. They need to understand that Luna is a friend, not a goddess. I just hope we can teach them that difference. But, still. Something troubles me. What if there are more missions within the mission?