Cult of Luna

Meanwhile, Luna was in the midst of being pampered and catered to. Being a royal pony, she was used to having her every wish fulfilled, but these ponies did it in such a way that it caused her to be frightened. They would smile at her, and they weren't sincere smiles like the ones she received from her sister or Twilight. They were intensely creepy smiles, born out of incessant hero worship rather than genuine friendship. Do they really believe me to be a goddess of some kind? She thought.

The answer came in the form of Nightmane, who strolled down the red carpet they had laid out for her and bowed in humble reverence at her hooves. She tried bowing back to signal that he should stop, but he wouldn't rise until she was back above him. So she gave in and sat back on the high throne they had built for her. I don't deserve this, she thought, I'm no better than anypony. I just rule and raise the moon. That's all I do! I mean, really, I'm not immortal, I make mistakes…I am no goddess.

"Nightmane?" She asked.

"Yes, oh most holy one?"

"OK, first of all, could you stop referring to me like that, please? It makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh, a million apologies, most wondrous Princess! How would you like to be referred to?"

"Well, I don't mind being addressed as a friend."

"A friend? Oh, but Your Highness, I could never address you in such a manner. Thou art holy, and I am but a mere peon in your presence, a speck of dust on your robe of grandeur and magnitude."

"You are a very eloquent speaker, Nightmane," Luna said genuinely, hoping to sway him into friendship and away from worship. But he was not to be moved. He was going to worship her, whether she liked it or not. "Thank you for the compliment, Your most wondrous and beautiful Highness," he said as he groveled some more.

"OK, second of all, you can quit groveling."

"But thou art worthy of…"

"I am not worthy of any of this, Nightmane. But I can see that you are bound and determined to perform your worshipful acts. As much as I would enjoy being spoken to and addressed as a friend, I can see that this is getting us nowhere. So, for our newfound relationship's sake, you may refer to me as Your Highness. No more, no less."

"Of course, Your Highness!" After saying this, he turned and addressed the ponies of the village. "HER HIGHNESS, PRINCESS LUNA, WISHES TO BE REFERRED TO AS 'YOUR HIGHNESS.' NO MORE, NO LESS!" "PRAISE BE TO PRINCESS LUNA," the crowd responded solemnly. Luna backed up a bit in her chair. She didn't want them to praise her! She just wanted them to be friendly!

"Now, our glorious leader, Her Highness Princess Luna, shall say a few words!" Nightmane suddenly announced. Lune shrank back even more. She didn't want to give a speech! She just wanted to solve the friendship problem and go home. But she couldn't disappoint so many eager faces. Plus, she didn't often get the chance to give speeches in Canterlot. For the most part, that was Celestia's job.

So, she stepped forward and cleared her throat. "My fellow Equestrians, I would like to thank you for the warm reception you have given me. But, I…"

"PRAISE BE TO PRINCESS LUNA," the crowd responded and cheered.

Luna gave them an odd look. Nopony ever interrupted Celestia while she was speaking. So why did they do it to her? If they worshipped her, why didn't they let her finish? This is way too odd. I've got to get them onto friendship's side, or else we may lose them forever! She cleared her throat again and went on:

"…I wish that you wouldn't treat my sister and my fellow princesses with such spitting hatred. They aren't worthy of your hate. They are worthy of your love and affection."

"But, Your Highness!" Somepony suddenly shouted, "they are demons! Thy great and holy book hath proclaimed it!"

"Have you ever considered that maybe that book didn't come from me?"

The ponies all stopped and murmured. "Well, no, we hadn't," the same pony went on, "but that book has been right so far. You have come to us!"

"Yes, and didn't you think that maybe I would come to you anyway? Maybe the book made a broad generalization and you all fell for it?"

Again, a murmur went through the crowd. Nightmane suddenly stood up and quieted them. "My friends, Her Highness did give the inspiration for the book to my ancestor, who passed it down to me! The Order of the Moon and The Book of Luna shall not falter! You all have read its holy pages, and you all know what it says inside and out. Our princess is here, and now we must do as she commanded in the book and sacrifice the other three!"

The crowd gave a loud cheer and began stomping their hooves. Luna looked around wildly. She tried to cry out and get them to stop, but her voice was drowned out. She even tried using her Royal Canterlot Voice, and that was drowned out. The noise was absolutely deafening. She couldn't hear herself think.

Before she knew it, she was being hoisted up on a mobile throne and carried outside. Through the snow, they crunched along, as Celestia's sun poured down upon them. Now that they were outside, Luna could finally get her thoughts together. I have to stop them, or they'll burn my sister and Cadance and Twilight alive! But how…?

Her mind began working overtime on the dilemma. If she commanded them to stop, they might do it. After all, they did worship her. But the problem with that was that their belief in this book and what Nightmane said was so strong that it might drive them to perform the sacrifice anyway. They might think she was angry with them for not doing it fast enough, or not performing it in the correct manner.

They went along until they arrived at the cave's entrance. The three ponies at the front went inside. They brought out the three princesses, who were biting and pawing with their hooves. Luna hoped that they could break free, so that the four of them could take this cult down together. But no such event materialized, and they were bound and gagged.

Celestia looked up at her sister, and Luna saw pain in her eyes. The Princess of the Night found herself weeping for her beloved sister. Nightmane also caught notice of this and said, "the prophecies are coming true! See now, our princess weeps for the sins of Celestia! She weeps! On with the sacrifice, for Luna weeps for the sins of these heathens and the sins of the world! PRAISE BE TO PRINCESS LUNA!"

The other three princesses offered a mournful look to Luna as they were dragged off to be executed. Luna's tears became a river as she realized that she was powerless to stop this crowd. She could raise the moon, but she couldn't do anything to resolve this situation. This is so much more than a friendship problem, she thought, this is a crime. Suddenly, her anger began rising as she realized that they were breaking Equestrian law. It IS a crime! She exclaimed internally, and they will be made to pay. I'll make sure of that. I swear, on this day, my sister and my friends will NOT die.