//------------------------------//
// Prologue: 1005 years ago 
// Story: The Love of a Mother 
// by Ashen Heart 
//------------------------------//

1005 years ago

Deep in the Everfree forest stood the Castle of the Two Sisters, Celestia sits on her throne with a grimace on her face. It was the middle of the day with the sun shining bright in her eyes. Silently she wondered who thought it was a good idea to put a bunch of windows in this room. Trying to shield her eyes from the sun a little she ushered a guard to send in the next pationer. Walking in with a deep bow, Fancy Rain was nothing if not the heir of sophistication.
“Your Highness,” he said with his smooth voice.
“Raise Sir Rain, and tell thee what thou wish,” Celestia said keeping a smile upon her face. 
“Yes of course, Your High-” Fancy Rain was continuing before he got cut off from the noise of the doors swinging open hard.
“TIA! TIA! Thy have the most wonderful of news! Oh thou will be most overjoyed to hear! I am ha-” Luna came running in excitedly, only to wither under the hateful gaze Celestia had given her.
“Luna! This is unacceptable, thou know better than to interrupt during day court.” Celestia scolded.
“Yes, but thee thought thou’d wa-”
“Luna, whatever it is can wait. I am in the middle of helping the good citizens of Equestria.” Celestia continued, interrupting her sister.
“But-”
“No Luna, whatever it is, it can wait. Now go sleep or thou won’t have any energy for the night,” Celestia said with a steel in her voice.
“But thou always say that,” Luna grumbled as she left the room.
“So sorry about that Fancy Rain, she tends to get over excited about the most simplest of things. Thou may continue on,” Celestia said gesturing for him to continue.
“Yes of course, well the good citizens of…” Fancy Rain droned on. As Luna got farther away she stopped hearing them, but Celestia’s words were stuck in her head.
She never listens to me, always busy with everypony else. Where is the sister I used to know so well. The one who cared and always had an ear to talk to.

A Couple Months Later
	
Long after the night has begun, Luna is hidden in a secret room that she had made solely for the purpose of the new foal that was almost here. Hanging up the latest pictures Luna had painted for her coming daughter, Luna sat down looking over the nursery rubbing her extended belly.
“It’s almost time little one. Just a little longer and thou will be here with thee, my little Nebula,” Luna smiled down at her belly, feeling her daughter already kicking away. Luna stood back up, climbing the stairs back to her room, she put the glimar back on her belly so no one would know she was pregnant.
“Luna!” Celestia exclaimed. “What is thou doing in here? Thou is supposed to be in the throne room helping ponies!” 
“Tia? What tis thou doing in thee room?” Luna asked shaking her head.
“Thou needs to get back there now! What if someponies been waiting on thou?” Celestia said, pushing Luna towards the throne room.
“Tis no point, no pony ever comes to my court. They are all asleep.” Luna said, sidestepping out of Celestia’s grip.
“But Lu-” Celestia says, not getting any further when Luna closed the door on her. Sighing Luna turned back around looking over her room. Walking to her bed she pulls out one of the many books shes read over a million times. 
“I won’t be alone for much longer, once you get here.” She says well smiling down at her belly.

2 months later

Sitting in her bed reading a book, Luna is quietly humming a lullaby for her coming daughter. She had worked on it for a month to make sure it was perfect, and she could tell Nebula would love it, for already she would stop kicking whenever Luna would sing it. This time though Nebula didn’t stop kicking, instead Luna felt something wet staining her fur and sheets. Springing up out of the bed Luna cried out excitedly.
“She’s coming! She’s finally coming!” Luna hurried down the stairs to her daughters nursery. When she got there she hurriedly casted a couple of spells: a sound barrier to make sure no one heard the screams, a numbing spell to dull some of the pain, and finally an elasticity spell to make it easier for Nebula to come out.
“Come on Luna, now's the time thou’s been practicing this for months now,” Luna encouraged to herself. After an hour of pushing and struggling, Nebula was finally here. Holding her daughter close, she nuzzled her daughters head brushing the fur away from the little horn that was there. 
“My Nebula, thou is finally here with thee. So precious is thou, how did thee ever deserve one as pure as thou?” Luna wondered absentmindedly, while cleaning her daughter and lying her down in her crib.
“Hush now, quiet now it’s time to lay thy sleepy head. Hush now quiet now it’s time to go to bed. Hush now, quiet now, close thy sleepy eyes. Hush now, quiet now, my how time sure flies. Drifting, drifting off to sleep the days excitement behind thee. Drifting, drifting off to sleep let the joy of dreamland find thee. Hush now, quiet now, lay thy sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed.” Luna sings the lullaby to her daughter. Slowly Nebula drifts off into a peaceful slumber, letting Luna have a moment to just gaze down at her beautiful daughter. She loved every little bit of her already. The way the moon shone off her midnight blue hair with the pink streak catching a bit of the starry night in it, the way her lavender fur glistened from being freshly cleaned, the fluff of her feathers as they slowly opened and closed, and the light twinkle in her daughter's eyes that shined with life.
“Sweet dreams, my little Nebula.” Luna said, kissing her daughter under her horn, before walking up the stairs back to her room.