//------------------------------// // 09 - A Loving Family (2e) // Story: New Moon // by AzuraKeres //------------------------------// Bud had attuned to the breathing of her daughter between her hindlegs as her hoof felt the rise and drop of the filly’s body. She had spent a long hour immersing to her daughter’s dark blue that felt smooth and warm. And yet through the everlasting motions, Bud could sense a lingering coldness within the filly, who seemed nonchalant about Bud rubbing against her back. Her daughter had been gazing through the window beside their seat. From her perspective, the only thing she could possibly see were the top of trees blurring past them and the sun barely looming above them. It wouldn’t be long for the night to come. Bud had recalled that her daughter’s goal was to enshroud Equestria in an eternal night. She hoped that her daughter could at the very least find solace in the darkness to come, but then again, she would know it would only be temporary peace for her. The sun would rise again, and she would again be reminded of her failure. Her sad little Nebula sought for something grand in her eyes but was flushed out when her desire threatened the aspiration of others. Bud would rather not encourage her to try it again, but she’d hoped that her daughter would seek her for guidance. Maybe she can find comfort in her new life as Loving Nebula. “Ms. Bud,” her attention wavered from the sound of a giggling filly. “Artemis won’t stop biting me.” “I warned you that he does that,” Bud reminded her favored student, who was currently becoming a chew toy for her baby colt. Her student, Raven Inkwell, had tried to keep control of the colt by mimicking Bud’s hold of Nebula, but the rapacious colt had exposed the filly’s weak spots with his small teeth. Raven tried to contain her jerks and laughter as the colt seized Raven’s falter to invade her neck. Bud noticed the eyes of other passengers glaring at them as Raven’s attempt to compose herself was working out poorly. “Um, Lazuli.” Bud whispered to Lazuli, who was seated on Bud’s other side which was closest to the window. Her friend was slouched on the passenger seat as she gazed indifferently through the window. Her eyes trailed from it at the sound of Bud’s call and said, “Yeah, I got it.” Lazuli leaned over Bud and Nebula and grabbed the distracted colt from Raven. “Wait,” Raven said. “I can get it right this time.” “It’s alright Raven,” Bud murmured to her student. “You can play with Artemis as long as you like once we’re off the train. For now,” Bud nodded towards the other passengers that were no longer looking their way. “Let’s try to keep our voices down.” Raven returned to her seat with a slight blush and apologized. Bud nodded with an empathetic smile and then looked back to her friend, who was slouching again in her seat. Only now, she had the colt wrapped beneath her chin as he started gnawing on Lazuli’s shoulder, dampening her sky-blue coat with his slobber. “Sorry,” Bud murmured. “It’s not a big deal,” Lazuli said. “It’s not like he has any fangs.” Bud felt a shift between her hindlegs and noticed her daughter was now gazing at Artemis. She didn’t know what to think of it, so she resolved to go back to rubbing her quiet daughter as she waited for the train to take them to their destination at Baltimare, the place where she and Lazuli grew up. Two days had gone by since Princess Celestia’s stunning appearance at the hospital. The words she had left with Bud still weighed heavy on her mind. Her daughter coming from a race of traitors and her son promised the tutelage from the most powerful pony in all of Equestria was far too astounding to wrap her head around. A simple pony like herself had never dealt with something so phenomenal. Bud would’ve liked to get some of Nebula’s input on the matter, especially of this “Luna” she continued to refer to her son as. Sadly, she’d been silent on the topic. Perhaps it was a sensitive subject for her, which only made Bud more curious. But she knew if she pushed on it, she would only receive more threats and insults from her daughter. So, she resolved to be attentive to the brooding filly and wait for when she was ready to share her concerns. Whenever Nebula would allow her, Bud would groom and shower her with silent affection for as much as the filly would permit. It had actually become more frequent as the days went by. Hopefully nothing would change too badly when she meets her mother. Bud had sent a letter to her mother informing of her arrival to her house instead of meeting up at Ponyville, where her cousin’s wedding would take place. She believed it would be better to reveal her foals in private rather than surprising her mother in front of the whole family. Either way though, Bud doubted she would get a positive reception. Before evening came, Lazuli helped pack Bud’s belongings before she was finally discharged from the hospital. The operating hours for the train station were soon to end so Bud was swift to get herself out. She would never expect when she reached the entrance lobby that she would be stopped by Hawk Inkwell of all ponies. “Ms. Bud, it’s so nice to see you’re well.” His voice was disturbingly friendly from the usual rigidness she had grown accustomed to. she could’ve sworn he was an imposter if not for Raven Inkwell standing at his side. Bud found their conversation to be surreal as Hawk expressed his concern for her well-being. She’s always known him to be cold and dismissive of her, so it was rather difficult to tell if his words were genuine. If anything, his verbose talking came off as pandering. He finally spared Bud of the awkwardness when he explained that a group of his relatives that happen to live in Ponyville would be participating at her cousin’s wedding. Apparently, they were well acquainted with Chiffon’s family and plan to go to pay their respect to the occasion. They’d also given an invitation letter to Hawk, requesting his presence at the event, but Hawk claimed that he would be far too busy to leisure. Instead he chose to delegate the task to Raven, claiming that it would be a good chance for Raven to familiarize with other ponies of her family. And he requested that Bud would escort his daughter there since she and Lazuli were heading to the same place. He did a terrible job of disguising his ulterior motive to Bud. The fact he was aware of her relation to Chiffon and that he knew she was heading out to the wedding made it evident to Bud. If she had to guess (and she was certain she was on the mark), his reason for being here was because of Princess Celestia. Bud’s meeting with Celestia did not go unnoticed by ponies. Her gossiping friend, Passion Touch, had mentioned it was the talk of the city. All sorts of rumors were spouted about Bud’s mysterious relationship with Celestia. The Summer Sun Celebration was approved to take place at Manehattan that year, so Passion explained that some ponies believed it had something to do with Bud. The wildest of the rumors that Passion gleefully shared claimed that Celestia was in a scandalous romance with Bud and she was the father of Bud’s foals. Bud could only be in awe of the crazy theories that ponies could come up with. Hawk most likely had heard of these rumors and planned to use Bud as an opportunity to elevate his daughter. Getting close to Bud would likely provide chances for Raven to interact with the Princess. He was fortunate that Bud was fond of her, else she would have politely rejected his request. Still, she had to question Hawk’s mind for leaving his daughter with a mare he hardly knew. “Didn’t think we’d be coming back here so soon,” Lazuli mumbled when a silhouette of the city could be seen from afar. “Kind of wish we didn’t have to if I’m being honest.” “What do you mean,” Raven exclaimed with a lowered voice. “Baltimare has the largest number of museums with the widest collection of artifacts among all settlements of Equestria. Some of those artifacts are even said to exist before the foundation of Equestria. It’s filled with knowledge of the past; how could you dislike it?” “Do you think a pony like me could ever enjoy all of those nerdish stuff? C’mon, I’m a mare of sports, not history lessons.” “I thought Baltimare has a flight team?” “Oh, they do, but you shouldn’t expect much from them. Can’t even compete with the pegasi from Ponyville without me to carry them.” “That’s…disappointing,” Raven said. “What about you Ms. Bud? Do you like Baltimare.” “Well,” Bud started. She was honestly indifferent about her hometown. Nothing too extravagant or significant she could recall besides helping her mother at the daycare center. But She'd rather not disappoint her student with that. “It does have its perks besides the museums.” “Say,” Lazuli interjected. “What do you think your mom is going to think when she finds out she’s a grandmother? I bet she’s going to leap like a filly when she sees them.” “That would be the best-case scenario,” Bud commented. “Don’t tell me you’re scared,” Lazuli chuckled, but pursed her lips when she noted no response from Bud. “C’mon Bud, you should know that she could never hate you. And don’t forget She runs an entire daycare center. I bet she’ll be ecstatic when she finds out she’ll have more foals around her.” Bud wouldn’t have it any other way than for her mother to be happy for her, but she knew she shouldn’t expect that. Before she left for Baltimare for Manehattan, her mother had urged her not to rush to anything too life changing. Manehattan was a big city she wasn’t accustomed to, so her mother wished for her to only focus on adjusting before anything else. And now she was coming back with a pair of foals that her mother would believe she was carrying for months without telling her. She’d be more than just disappointed when she sees her. Not wanting to think any more on her inevitable demise, Bud resumed rubbing the back of her silent daughter. Only to be distracted again when her son espoused a yelp of laughter from Lazuli when he discovered a weak spot on Lazuli’s shoulder. A white mare hummed to the sound of a guitar playing from her kitchen as she placed bowls across a dining table in her dining room. The steam emanating from the fresh casserole in each bowl warmed her face as she proudly smelled the aroma of her labor. When she placed the last bowl on the table, she untied a green apron from around herself, folding and then draping it over her lifted forehoof. She looked through the window in the dining room and noticed it was getting dark out. Hopefully her daughter would be coming in a few moments. She would hate for her cooking to get cold. To her delight, the mare heard a pair of knocks from her door. “Oh,” the mare tossed the apron atop a corner table in the room. “That must be my lovely little Bud,” the mare said as she proceeded on her way to the front door. “You can’t back out of this now,” the mare heard a voice from behind the door. “We’re already here.” “I’m sure she’ll be understanding Ms. Bud,” she heard another voice say. She looked through the scope of her door and saw Loving Bud with a grimacing face. She could also see two other ponies, one of them she recognized as Summer Lazuli and a young filly, pushing against Bud’s back to stop her from retreating. Confused, the mare opened the door and said, “Bud, what’s the matter with you?” Bud’s eyes widened at the mare in front of her. Her mother, Loving Hope, hadn’t changed at all from the few weeks she hadn’t seen her. Her voice was still as caring as she remembered, but she was sure that would change the moment she noticed what her daughter was carrying. “Oh my,” Hope gasped when her eyes dawned upon the filly in Bud’s hoof and the colt strapped to a baby carrier attached to Bud’s pectoral. It was a gift from Leaf Clip before she had left the hospital but mentioning that now would likely add more fuel to the fire. Bud closed her eyes nervously and waited for her mother’s ire. “They’re more wonderful than I could have ever envisioned.” Bud opened her eyes unexpectedly at her mother’s reaction. Hope gleefully approached her daughter and examined the foals. Nebula squirmed closer to Bud as she cast her left wing defensively against the invasive mare. Her brother on the other hoof tried to nip Hope’s snout when she got close. To his surprise, Hope nuzzled the colt, which left him faltering in awe. “They’re so adorable,” Hope cooed. “Bud, please let me hold the filly.” Nebula glared at Bud to reconsider that option, but sadly for the filly, Bud was raised too well so she respected her mother’s wishes. Nebula put up a fruitless struggle as Bud passed her to the ardent mare. Trapped with the clutch of the white mare, Nebula was pampered with streaks of kisses from Hope. The filly tried with no result to push away from the mare as she yelled, “Stop that! Cease your perverse harassment, you savage beast!” Of course, since Bud was the only one capable of understanding her, the others only heard the foal cutely moan in complaint. When Hope relented on her kisses, she announced to the filly observing from beside Bud, “And two is this sharp little filly here. Don’t tell me you had another one.” “Of course not,” Bud said defensively as her mother chuckled at her daughter’s reddened face. “Hello ma’am,” Raved used this opportunity to finally introduce herself. “My name is Raven Inkwell. Ms. Bud is actually my teacher from Manehattan Academy. It’s a pleasure to have the chance to meet her mother.” Raven then pulled out a card from her saddlebag and gave it to Hope. “Wait, was that a business card?” Lazuli asked. “Why the heck would a filly need one of those?” “My dad had them made for me,” Raven answered. “He said that I should use this trip to network with ponies around Ms. Bud.” “Course he did,” Bud mumbled to herself. “Oh, well aren’t you a respectful filly,” Hope commented after briefly examining the card. “It’s nice to know that my lovely Bud has such an admirable student.” “Mom,” Bud couldn’t stand it any longer. “What’s going on here? Why are you so nonchalant about me having foals?” “What do you mean nonchalant? Can’t you see I’m showering this filly with so much love?” “Get this molester away from me,” Nebula shouted, but of course no pony but Bud understood her words. But she didn’t care to bother with that right now. “You know what I meant,” Bud said. “Well of course I would be excited to see my grandfoals,” Hope said. “It was mentioned in the letter that you had twins.” “My letter never mentioned anything about foals.” “And for shame on you for that. Unless of course it was all supposed to be a surprise, then sorry for ruining the moment.” “How did you find out?” “I got another letter besides yours from a doctor. I think his name was Doctor Dime. Anyways, his letter was marked an emergency so I immediately got scared that something bad may have happened to you. I was so relieved that you were okay, but then I was surprised when he mentioned that you popped out these two little sun shines.” “When did this happen,” Bud raised her voice. “I was never told about this.” “We can talk all about it inside,” Hope said. “Come in, I already have dinner ready.” Hope walked back into the house as Raven followed behind. Bud stood frozen, trying with no success to process all of this. her mind rebooted when she felt a tap on her shoulder from Lazuli. “See,” Lazuli grinned. “I told ya you it wasn’t serious.” Bud’s old home was just as she remembered. As she walked over the bamboo floorboard, Bud cringed at the displays across the hall. Her face reddened again when she saw her favored student gazing in wonder at all of them. There were lots of frames lined across the halls. So many that a pony could mistake this house for a small gallery. In the short hall from the entrance, her student witnessed pictures of Bud as a foal, dressed in frilly dresses and costumes as her mother doted her with. And in the living room, she saw frames of Bud in her elementary days with a flowery saddlebag and old school uniform that used to be required by Baltimare law. Her mother had turned the whole house into a live photo album of she and Bud’s life, exposing all of her embarrassing pics to all of her guests. Why in Equestria would she do this to her daughter? Nebula had continued to fight off Hope’s hold as Hope was guiding Raven to the living room. Hope settled Nebula atop the seat cushion of a light green couch and the filly attempted to use that moment to fly off and make her hasty escape. But to the filly’s dismay, Hope caught her before she could rise from the couch. Again, Nebula flailed and spouted unheard threats (except for Bud who was awed at the filly’s language) that came to no avail for her freedom. “Come now,” Hope said. “Won’t you let you let your grandmother shower you with love?” “I refuse to be an object of your foul affections,” Nebula sneered. “She’s certainly a rebellious one,” Hope sighed. “Hmm, I wonder if this might work.” Hope held Nebula down to the couch with the filly’s belly sprawled and her wings constrained by Hope’s proximity. Hope then added a tip of Nebula’s ear to her mouth and started nibbling upon it. Nebula widened her eyes at the bizarre touch on her ear. “What’re you…guh...st-stop it…I…,” Nebula stammered and impulsively kicked her hindleg back as her other ear started fluttering. And then to every pony’s surprise, Nebula suddenly began to make a low squeaking noise. “Woah,” Lazuli commented. “I didn’t think she could make that noise.” “It’s so cute,” Raven added. Bud could see her daughter trying her best to disguise her bliss, but it was obvious to every pony with her closed eyes flinching and the pitch of her squeaks rising. “How did you do that?” Bud asked. Hope pulled her grooming teeth from Nebula and said, “You don’t remember? I used to do the same to you when you were little. It was one of the only things I could do to get you to calm down. To think it would even work on my grandfilly. Does this run in our genetics? Bud, come bite my ear real quick.” “I am never doing that.” Artemis gazed in wonder at his fatigued sister and then turned his eyes to his mother. He moaned a sound to grab her attention and slapped the tip of his ear to gesture to her. “Hm?” Bud wondered. “Do you want me to do the same thing?” Bud unfastened Artemis from the baby carrier and lifted him closer to her face so she could nibble on the tip of his ear. The little colt immediately giggled, which made Bud stop. “Do you like that?” Artemis made a joyous noise, earning a grin from his mother, who decided to continue nibbling upon her son’s ear. “Can I try,” Raven asked Bud as he curiously observed the giggling colt. “Before Bud could answer, Hope clapped her forehooves together. “Now that I got that out of my system, how about we have dinner.” Hope picked up the taxed filly that was no longer trying to resist her. Bud thought to take note of this for the next time Nebula made another show of violence. Bud was a bit surprised to find two highchairs around the green-clothed dining table. The one placed next to her seat was her old one with scratched up flowery patterns on the tray. Her son was seated in it and was looking aimlessly at the bowls of casserole that were laid across the table. Bud didn’t recognize the other one. Her mother must have recently bought it after receiving that letter from her furtive doctor. Nebula was angrily eyeing Hope from that seat, no doubt upset from the little treatment she endured. “What’s wrong, my lovely Bud,” Hope asked her daughter. “You haven’t touched your food. Don’t tell me Manehattan has made you distasteful of your own mother’s cooking?” “Of course not mom,” Bud answered and took a bite of the casserole. The taste was just how she remembered it. “And about you Lazuli,” Hope looked to Lazuli who flinched from beside Bud. “You haven’t said much since you’ve gotten here. Do you like the food I make?” “Right, sorry ma’am,” Lazuli hurriedly said. “The food is really good.” “Of course it is,” Hope grinned. “No pony can cook casseroles like this old mare.” “Where is my bowl,” Bud heard her daughter ask. “Don’t worry my cute little rebel,” Hope cooed to the filly. “I didn’t forget about you.” There was a small food container on each tray of the highchairs. “I made something special for both of my adorable grandfoals.” Hope opened the lid of the container near Nebula and the filly was beholden to a white and yellow semifluid substance. “Ta-da, it’s mashed bananas.” Nebula furrowed her brow at the food. “Mashed bananas? Why by the moon would I demean myself by eating that?” Hope picked a spoon that was next to her bowl with her mouth and withdrew a sample of the mashed banana towards the filly. “Keep that vile blob away from me!” “Come now Nebula,” Hope said as she held her grip on the spoon. “I know you must be hungry after your trip on the train. Do I have to fiddle with your ears again to be a good filly?” “You shall do no such thing you ignormu—” Hope poked the spoon in the filly’s mouth during her tirade. Nebula flinched sporadically and swallowed down the food in her mouth. She then spat out the little that remained. “You don’t like it,” Hope lowered the spoon back on the table. “I was sure that bats like bananas.” “She’s a Thestral, mom,” Bud said. “Oh, have you heard about the stallion that your cousin is going to marry?” Hope suddenly switched the conversation. “No, you never mentioned him in your letter. Who is he?” “From what I’ve heard, he’s a baker just like our Chiffon. They say he’s a bit thin around the edges, so Chiffon is going to have to get some more meat on his body. His name is said to be Carrot Cake.” “A baker, huh? I guess I shouldn’t find it surprising. She did say she wanted to run the Sugarcube Corner after her parents.” “It’s such a shame,” Hope sighed. “I would’ve liked it if Chiffon went out of town to at least experience the world before she settled down. A pony shouldn’t tie herself to a single place at such a young age.” “What’s wrong with that? I would’ve stayed at Baltimare to help at the daycare center, but you wouldn’t let me.” “Of course I didn’t,” Hope said matter-of-factly. “There’s so much out there in the world that you can do. All you’ve ever known has been here in this old city. I wanted you to find something besides here that would make you happy.” “But I was happy at the daycare center.” “I know you were, but I didn’t want it to be the only thing that would. Just look at yourself now. a teacher at the big city of Manehattan. You’re enjoying yourself there, aren’t you?” “I mean, yeah,” Bud half-heartedly admitted as she glanced at Raven, who was eating her bowl of casserole. Her ears perked when she heard Artemis fiddling with the small container on his tray. She saw him drooling atop the lid. Bud picked up a napkin at the center of the table to wipe his face clean. Bud then opened the container, which also contained mashed bananas, and picked a sample with her own spoon. She scooped it and lifted it to her son. As soon and it was within his reach, Artemis lunged upon the spoon like a crocodile diving for its prey. Bud chuckled as the colt engulfed the spoon in his mouth. When she withdrew the spoon from her son’s maw, bits of the mashed bananas spilled out and stuck on his chin.. Artemis swallowed the batch that remained and opened his mouth wide for another. Nebula grimaced at the display between Bud and Artemis, but not for too long when Hope resumed feeding her against her wishes. Every pony had relinquished for the night after having their fill of dinner. Lazuli had left to spend the night with her family, though she didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it. Bud gave Raven her old room to sleep in for the night, leaving Bud at the couch in the living with her foals. Raven was unsure about the arrangement, but her teacher assured her that all would be fine. Hope picked out a comforter from a closet for her daughter and grandfoals to share. Nebula commented how gaudy it was with its heart-shaped patterns, but she still found herself snuggling comfortably in it once they were covered on the couch. Bud had scooched herself farthest back upon the couch to provide room for her foals. Nebula leant her body across Bud’s as Artemis lay flat on the cushion . Bud draped her hoof over them and had the sheet squarely beneath their necks as she watched them closely until both foals fell asleep. Night had finally come as the moon floated bare at the open sky through a window. There, Bud could still see a shadow of a mare plastered to the moon as it had been her whole life. Bud figured something about it would have changed now that the creature that was supposed to be there was resting beneath her. Bud looked down to check on her foals again. Artemis was already asleep minutes after devouring the container of mashed bananas. Nebula on the other hand was still wide awake, quietly observing the moon like herself; as they did the last few nights until both of them were asleep. “Tell me,” Bud heard her daughter murmur. “Between the sun and the moon, which do you believe espouses the most beauty from the land?” “I…,” Bud was caught off guard by her daughter’s sudden question. Usually this would be a quiet moment between the both of them. “Well, I’ve never really thought about that before.” “I like to think Luna did the best. She worked hard to make the night a sanctuary that all ponies could revel in long ago. Can you at least give me your opinion of the moon? Don’t you think it’s a fascinating spectacle? Or have you not thought of that as well?” “It is fascinating,” Bud agreed. “I actually once thought of it as a friend.” “A friend,” Nebula said curiously. “You will have to provide more context for me to understand.” “Well,” Bud started nervously, somewhat adamant about sharing this. “This may come as a surprise, but before I became friends with Lazuli, I was kind of an odd filly.” “I would say you’re still odd now, given what you are the offspring of.” “Anyways, I never really had friends of my own age. My interest in foal-caring was never helpful in fitting me with other ponies. I usually spent my time at the daycare center helping my mom and her employees.” “Can you hurry to your point,” Nebula said. “This story is already getting rather plain for my taste.” “At night,” Bud started again. “I used to write in a diary to talk about my day, but it got really boring since I wanted to tell it to another pony rather than just keeping it to myself. One night, I tried talking to the shadow on the moon and I don’t know why, but I saw it always there and quiet, I believed it was listening to me. I was actually happy to find some pony besides my mom to confide to.” “You mean to tell me that you thought of the moon as some sort of imaginary friend,” Bud heard her daughter chuckling. “My, that is pathetic.” “I guess,” Bud tittered. “Looking back at it now.” “Luna would’ve appreciated that,” Bud heard her daughter and was astonished to hear those words. Was that her first complement of Bud? “Did the stone truly choose you for such a ridiculous reason as that?” “Stone? What stone?” “Perhaps it’s safe to confide in you. You did protect Luna’s identity from the sun harlot after all.” “—” “As you know, I desire to cover the lands under an eternal night to help ponies realize the magnificence of the moon. But that desire is not my own. Or I should say that I am a manifestation of that desire derived from Princess Luna. With the power of the stone, Luna’s desire was given sentience and thus I existed. “I still don’t understand. What is this stone?” “It is known as the remnant stone,” Nebula answered. “It is a stone that holds inconceivable power; crafted by the Thestrals. They made it to see the fruition of Luna’s dream; however, for some odd reason, you now bear it. It is the only way I could understand the connection we have.” “Wait, but wasn’t it with you on the moon? Did you escape somehow?” “I did nothing,” Nebula forlornly answered. “I was certain Luna and I died on that moon. Perhaps the stone performed an act to save the both of us. No, that’s definitely what had to have happened. But why did it lead us to you?” Bud looked again at the moon. The shadow shaped as a mare, the mare in the moon, was still present for all creatures to see. “Then why is that shadow still there?” “Am I to assume that you believe that the giant mark on the moon was me?” Nebula deadpanned. Bud wanted to answer yes but was hesitant out of the off chance that she might say something ridiculous. Or in the worst case: offensive. “Well it’s not,” Nebula continued. “What you see is simply proof that the barrier that the sun devil cast is still intact. I spent centuries trapped within its bound, endeavoring with no success to break through. I wanted to lift Luna’s spirit by achieving the task myself, but it would seem the stone succeeded where I failed.” “That sounds unbelievable. How did it even manage to do it?” “I have some theories, but I can’t know for certain. Perhaps when we died, the stone sapped our soul and left our dead carcass behind for the barrier to hold. Or maybe, just before we met our end, it discovered a fault in the barrier and slipped through that way. The only thing that knows the truth lies inside you.” “You mean the stone inside me,” Bud looked at herself. How on Equestria something so strange could find its way inside her? It was difficult to take that part of Nebula’s words to heart, but she could see the logic in it. “Regardless,” Nebula said. “It’s evident that Luna and I will have to rely on your care. In my current state, I can’t even hope to protect her as well as myself.” “You’re both my foals. Of course I’m going to protect the two of you.” “Don’t let our roles get to your head,” Nebula warned her. “I refuse to call you my mother.” “Why not,” Bud was a bit disappointed by her daughter’s refusal. “Don’t let my appearance fool you. I may look like a foal, but my true age is centuries beyond yours. I can allow you to refer to me as Nebula, but I won’t demean myself further by acknowledging that I have a commoner as my…you get the point.” “I get that my daughter has a potty mouth,” Bud nonchalantly said as she pulled both her foals closer. “But I’m happy to know that you feel that you need me.” “Don’t treat me like a baby,” Nebula complained and then yawned. “Uh, forget it. I need rest.” Nebula leaned her head on Bud. “You’re not afraid of sleeping anymore?” Bud asked. Her daughter did not have another breakdown like the first time she woke up but the worry still waned in Bud on the last few nights while she was observing her daughter. “Perish the thought, you oaf,” Nebula grumbled. “Your dumb face is assurance that I will wake again. I have nothing to fear, knowing that. But don’t you dare take it as a compliment.” “Good night my Nebula,” Bud happily said as she laid her head atop the arm of the couch. “…Good night.”