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Emerald Ribbon1,454 words
Sand Tracker1,416 words
Silverblood474 words

Emerald Ribbon

The sun was drawing close to the horizon, casting shadows all across the land of Equestia. The life-bringer, mover of the sun, was ending her day. But for the moon, her night had just begun...

Luna opened the door to her room and leaned against the door frame, sighing heavily. Her head spun with fragments of memories and dreams, all tangled together and twirling in her mind.

Bright hoofsteps sounded from down the hall, and Celestia rounded the corner, humming happily, her mane waving to her own inner beat. “Good night, Luna,” she said cheerily, pausing by the door to her own room. “Give everyone good dreams tonight!” She winked, and vanished into her room.

Luna blinked blearily after her for a moment. She snorted, and shook her mane roughly. “Good dreams,” she muttered. “What does she know about good dreams?” Nevertheless, she made her way out of the doorway and walked heavily through the halls. Moonlight was beginning to shine through the windows, illuminating the empty halls and vacant corridors. The only sound was Luna’s hoofsteps, echoing loudly. She reached the throne room, climbed the steps to her throne, and seated herself. Her gaze lifted, and she stared absently through the tapestries decorating the cold stone walls.

For moment, all was still. She blinked quietly, and a single tear ran down her cheek. She sniffed, and rubbed it away. “Stupid dreams,” she whispered. Another tear fell. “I wish we were all together again,” she sighed. “A family…” Her voice trailed away. Without moving a muscle, her aura flared to life around her horn and lanced downward, opening a compartment built into the side of the throne. She extracted a dark, unlabelled bottle and held it in front of her face, eyeing it gloomily. “Moonshine,” she mused. “Let’s see if it lives up to its name.” She took a deep swig, swallowed, and frowned thoughtfully. “Tastes nothing like moonshine.” She eyed it again. “But good enough.”

Without further ado, she set to downing the bottle, sighing gloomily between sips.

At last, she held it to her lips, and frowned as she found it empty. “All gone?” She sighed again. “Just my luck.” Her aura flickered, then failed completely. The bottle smashed on the floor in front of her throne. But Luna ignored it, instead looking up, and seeing the pale light of the moon shining through a window down the hall. “Let’sh go out for a b...bit.” she decided. “I want to tashte real moonshine!”

She rose to all four feet and staggered down the hall, wings flared for balance. Her corona flickered on and off at random intervals, sending statuettes toppling and knocking tapestries off-kilter.

She came to a halt, eyeing an open balcony ahead. Her eyes narrowed, and she licked her lips. Suddenly, she broke into a gallop, racing towards the open air. At the last minute, she flapped her wings awkwardly and took off into the air, soaring over the stone railing with inches to spare. Gliding over the countryside, she hummed happily and laughed for sheer delight of feeling the wind in her feathers. “I’m flying!” She crowed happily. “Flying, haha!” Spotting lights in the distance, she frowned. “What could that be?” she asked the world. “The city is over there!” She giggled. “Shomepony got really losht!” Banking, she changed directions to fly over the strange lights. As she got close, the formed themselves into lanterns, set beside gaily coloured tents and wagons. Luna dipped in the air in surprise. “Gypshiesh!” She cried. “I love gypshiesh! They’re sho colourful and nice and… and colourful!” Landing with surprising grace next to the encampment, Luna trotted forward and nosed at the nearest tent. “Pretty…”

Suddenly, the cloth fell away under her touch. She reared and snorted in surprise. When nothing else happened, she moved cautiously forward, and poked her head into the tent. It was dark inside, but her eyes were made for the dark, and she could clearly see the sleeping forms on the far side. A pretty mare, pale green with a dark yellow mane, curled protectively over a small bundle - a foal. Luna started, and backed up as quickly as she could. She glared at the tent. “They’re taunting me,” she mumbled. “Familiesh, familiesh everywhere - Do you think I’m shtill dreaming?”

“Princess?”

A voice from behind caused Luna to jump again, wings flaring outward in shock. She spun around, stumbling over her hooves. “Who’sh there!” She whispered, memory of the sleeping foal overcoming even her base tendency to shout.

A purple mare stood behind her, bowing so low her dark mane fell over her front hooves. “Your Highness, I… I can’t believe you came!” the mare cried. She looked up, eyes filling with happy tears. “I’ve been praying you would come all night!”

“You’ve... been praying… For me?” Luna furrowed her brow, unable to comprehend the mare’s words.

“Yes, yes!” The mare smiled tearfully. “Please, Princess, I need your help!”

“With... What?”

“Princess, I’m in love with a stallion,” the mare explained. “But his parents don’t think I’m right for him. They’re refusing me the marriage, but if a princess ordained that we were right for each other, they’d have no way to refuse! Please, princess, will you bless my marriage?” The mare gazed upward, eyes wide and pleading.

Luna blinked several times, trying to comprehend the mare’s request. “What’sh your name, citizen?” she asked.

“I am Emerald Ribbon, Your Highness.” The mare bowed again. “Please, will you grant my request?”

Luna shook her head, trying to drive her brain into motion. But the moonshine was fogging her abilities, and all she could think of was her dreams, and her memories, and the mare with her foal…

“A foal,” she heard herself saying.

“Your Highness?”

“I want a foal,” she said. “The first foal he givesh you… will be mine. That’sh the price you musht pay for my… my bleshshing.”

“I… That’s a steep price.” The mare looked around frantically. “I… could there be something else? I… I make ribbons!”

“No, I want a foal,” Luna repeated. “If… If you shacrifice him sho you won’t be alone, you wouldn’t even… even love him.”

The mare hesitated, then bowed again. “If that is your price,” she whispered. “Then, Princess, I will pay it. Just please, please let me marry my love.”

“Great. That ish… great.” Luna frowned, thinking. How would she give his mare her blessing? Oh, wait, here was an idea.
“Here.” Luna shook her forehoof until her silver horseshoe flew off. It hit the mare in the forehead, then bounced onto the grass. “Oh! Oh, shorry! I’m sho shorry.”

“It’s fine,” The mare shook her off, rubbing her head. “I’m fine, really - Is this for me?” She lifted the horseshoe gingerly with one hoof, staring up at Luna with wide eyes. “Really?”

“You must show… show it to hish parentsh,” Luna commanded. “Then they should believe that I give my bleshshing on thish marriage.”

“Oh, thank you, Your Highness! Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?”

“You know your price,” Luna wavered slightly from side to side, then shook her head. “You… You promished your foal.”

“I did.” The mare’s face fell, and she bowed again. “I… I will repay.”

“Good, good.” Luna blinked down at the mare again. She felt the urge to… do something more. Bending down over the mare, she felt her aura ignite, flaring around her horn in dancing motes of dark blue. It spread to the mare, who looked up, startled, then awestruck as it crackled about her ears, jumping from each strand of hair that made up her mane, then lingering over her womb. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished.

Luna hesitated, then stammered. “Um… Congragulationsh on your marriage. I… I musht go. Goodbye, citizen.”

“Farewell, Princess,” the mare gasped, looking awestruck and delighted in turns.

Nodding, Luna staggered forward a few steps, and pushed herself into the air, flapping as hard as she could to gain a few feet of altitude. She managed to clear the last of the gypsy tents, getting part of the way across the surrounding fields before her wings failed her, and she plummeted to the grass, sliding under the bushes. Gasping, she tried to get to her feet, but the dizziness in her head finally overtook her, and everything went black.

About midday, Luna was awoken by ringing bells and singing voices. She opened her eyes, and was greeted by a pounding headache and light bright enough to blind an eagle. She squinted out long enough to see there was some sort of Gypsy wedding going on in the field, then put her head down and went back to sleep.

Author's Note:

And so it begins... I named the Gypsy mare Emerald Ribbon, because everyone says about the mare in the PMV that she looks like Esmeralda.

Also, I am aware that to true Gypsies, the term 'Gypsy' is generally seen as insulting, but it is the word used in the song, so I am also using it here. I also have never seen anything Gpysy-related in my life, only through books and movies, so the bits shown here are highly likely to be unrealistic. I apologise to any Gypsies who may be reading this.

For the same reasons, my brief descriptions of the alcohol Luna was drinking are also entirely based on fiction, and may not be accurate to life. I called the liquor 'moonshine' because it was Luna drinking it.

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