Hivemind Control

"I really appreciate you coming out on such short notice. I don't know what we would have done without you." Golden Glint walked along the road, her rippling silver mane drifting listlessly behind her. Her short yellow coat had been rubbed with wax to help it glisten in the sunlight, though there was nopony around to see it at this location.

"I believe that you could have made do with what you had," answered Princess Luna. "I have faith in your capabilities, as well as your ingenuity. Still, I believe it is a good sign that you feel no shame in asking for help when you feel you are overwhelmed. That said, I must wonder why you asked for me, specifically?"

Golden Glint reached up and rubbed her neck. "Honestly, I thought Princess Celestia might be too busy. Everypony seems to invite her to events, and you come along as a 'plus one.' I can't tell you how many newspaper headlines I've seen that mention 'Princess Celestia and her sister.' I thought you might relish the opportunity to be the focus of an event, for a change."

Luna smiled. "I see. It is good that you didn't want me to feel as if nopony cared. I appreciate it. While I cannot cast my vote in the upcoming election, due to not being a citizen of your town, I will tell you, and this is between you, me, and the trees, that I endorse your campaign, and will support your election."

Golden gasped. "That means so much to me! Thank you!" She bowed as deeply as she could, lowering her nose into the dirt.

"Think nothing of it," chuckled Luna, waving for her to keep going. "It's not as though I can give you a public endorsement. That would be an unethical conflict of..." She trailed off, her face immediately flushed of the mirth it had displayed mere seconds ago. She looked around at the trees along the side of the road, and flattened her ears. She narrowed her eyes, glancing from bush to bush. "Do you hear that?"

Golden rubbed her ears and cupped them in the direction Luna was looking. She listened hard, but the world was silent. "I don't hear anything."

Luna spent another minute or so looking to the bushes. She knew something was in the wooded area, but she couldn't trace it. "Who lives in these woods?"

"Deer, mostly. A few coyotes, some bobcats, but no ponies, as far as I know."

"Any bandits?"

"None that I've had reported to me."

Luna kept a wary eye on the trees as she turned back to the road. "Come along. We must make it to the safety of the next town."

As they picked up the pace, Golden began to look worried. "Are you sure it's bandits? It might just be a pair of stags, fighting over which of them is allowed to pick a mate."

"No," answered Luna authoritatively. "There's no rattle from their antlers, no bleating out in dominion, and more importantly, no birdsong. Somepony is in there, and they're giving off an unfriendly aura."

"Perhaps it's just a hermit?" smiled Golden nervously. "Please?"

"A hermit wouldn't be chasing us, and likely wouldn't be so close to the road. They also would have called out to us that they were not a group of bandits."

"Fine," came a masculine voice from behind them as a bush rustled. Luna and Golden stopped and turned to face their pursuer, Golden moving closer to Luna for her own safety. He wore a long cloak and boots, and a wide-brimmed hat covered the sections of his face unguarded by a mask, hiding all but his blue eyes. "You seem to be a smart cookie, princess. Yes, we're here to make off with your valuables to enrich ourselves. We had planned to shake you down a bit further, but I'll tell you what we're going to do instead. You hand over those jeweled shoes of yours, and we'll forget this whole thing. Nopony will be harmed, and you'll receive safe passage along our road."

Luna scowled at the highwaypony. "How dare you," she growled, her voice booming enough to cause to local wildlife that had not fled the bandits to rush off for their own protection. "This is an Equestrian road, to be used by Equestrian citizens free of charge. It is to be a safe place, removed of your kind."

"Now, now, there's no need to shout," chuckled the robber, soon joined by others. "If you don't want to just leave them here, I'm sure you and your young ward there would be happy to be escorted back to our camp where we can negotiate a more fair price."

"And you're going to swallow it," added another bandit, licking his teeth as he stepped out of the trees.

"Over my dead body," snorted Luna, her horn glowing as icy black tendrils sprouted from between her wings.

"As you wish," shrugged the bandit as the group all drew their weapons.

With a shriek of fear, Golden Glint dove into the trees, prompting a smirk from Luna. With her out of the way, Luna could swing more easily, with more confidence that she wasn't hurting somepony innocent.

The first three bandits all ran at her at once, thrusting their spears at her chest. With a well-timed wave of her hoof, she knocked the spears aside, letting them slide past her before blasting their carriers back with a black burst from her horn.

Just as she returned to her resting stance, she had to block a wave of swords swinging at her, only able to kick away one of the assailants before needing to block her other side as the spearponies returned. With a subtle redirection, she managed to let the other sword wielder's slice follow through and cut the head off of one of the spears behind her back.

The lustful dreg from before had slunk around behind her, his hooves grappling with Luna's wings, pinning them down and biting her. With a shout of pain, she bucked, flinging him up into the air and kicking him hard in the throat as he came back down, knocking him out of commission entirely.

As she was fighting off the ponies that surrounded her, she didn't notice the spokespony for the bandits approaching with a curved dagger, fang-like in appearance. As her attention was once more drawn to the swordsponies, he ran up next to her and drove his blade deep into her shoulder.

With a cry of pain, Luna stopped holding back. Her magic, which had this far been set do disable and disarm, was now set to kill, and with a few quick lashes, two of the bandits lay dead on the ground, with the rest running away in utter terror.

"Are you alright?" asked Golden Glint, stepping out of the bushes. "I'm sorry I ran, I jus--"

"Don't blame yourself," interrupted Luna. "As princess, it is my duty to ensure the safety of my subjects. Did they hurt you at all?"

Golden shook her head. "No, I'm not hurt. But you, you have a knife in your shoulder!"

Luna nodded. "Leave it in for now. Let my pulled-out feathers and cut hair rest where they lie, and keep your eyes peeled and ears open. I will call for an escort when we come into town."