Athame by King Balberith

Athame was born in Haylem, a small agricultural village that worshipped the Princesses devoutly. When Nightmare Moon tried to take over Equestria, the eclipsed sun and cold nights during the power struggle decimated the town's crops, starting a famine that nearly took out the town. Since then, Princess Luna is not allowed to be worshipped, and Celestia is their sole deity. The town finally recovered, their crops starting to thrive again. And then she was born. Her mother had an affair with a batpony whom she had met while traveling, but in a religious community, she could be arrested for adultery. Instead, she pretended that there must be something wrong with the child. That her filly was cursed by Nightmare Moon. Rejected by her parents, Athame's fillyhood was mostly spent on her own, ostracized from the townsponies. Despite this, she loved Celestia devoutly and went to church regularly. It was at the church that she met a strange old mare who took her in for some time, and during her stay with the mare, she learned of Wiccan culture and magic. Earth ponies and Pegasi could use magic? The curious young mare was very intrigued. The old mare taught her many things, and when she died, she left her home in the woods and all her belongings to Athame, and thus Athame inherited all the things she could ever hope for in her magic. After this, she lived a very secluded life, tending to her garden, collecting crystals and bones and water for her magic, and only going to town for supplies. She was the first pony in town to once again pray to the moon princess, as the moon is a highly important part of Wiccan rituals and magic. Praying to both princesses felt right to her, and she led a very happy life in the woods. However, trouble was brewing in town. The townsponies suspected her to be a witch, using dark magic and cursing the town in the name of Nightmare Moon. Her batpony heritage made it clear enough. She was evil, and had to be destroyed. A mob formed, going to her cabin. They arrested her and burned down her cottage, destroying everything she owned, and killing her few pets. The trial was a whirlwind, and a mockery of a trial. She was found guilty, and sentenced to death. At dawn she was tied to a post carved with images of the sun, and burned at the stake. As the fire was lit, she looked up and saw the sun and moon sharing the same sky. She didn't understand why she had to die. She was given a heretic's burial. But the townsponies were not satisfied with her death. There had to be others. Ponies she had conspired with, or corrupted with magic. Thus began the witch hunt, and the subsequent killings of many ponies. It finally became so infamous that word reached Princess Celestia, who was absolutely livid. She traveled to the town, and graced the village with a fiery vengeance that burned everything she saw. She left the town a smoldering pile of ash, and all the crops as dust. After this, all the ponies of the town could farm were rocks. Celestia demanded the records of the trials and the ponies killed in her name. She gave them proper headstones, posthumous honors, and apologized. She couldn't comprehend these horrors done in her name. Athame was the first one killed. Celestia shed a few tears over her grave, and had the sun and moon both carved onto the headstone. She raised the moon that night for them, a beautiful blue moon, bright and big in honor of the dead.