• Published 30th Apr 2019
  • 9,782 Views, 426 Comments

New Moon - AzuraKeres



Centuries ago, Luna was shunned by her ponies and exiled at the hooves of her elder sister. She perished in her solitude, but her soul lived on through a stone. And some unknown time later a voice calls her to come out.

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29: Let's Talk

Author's Note:

Loving Bud

A teacher at Manehattan Academy and mother of Nebula and Artemis. Due to her daughter’s illness, she resigned at her home to care for her.

Summer Lazuli

A coach at Manehattan Academy and a close friend of Loving Bud. For some time she’s been wondering about the odds of having something more with Bud.

Loving Artemis

Loving Bud’s son, who is the reincarnation of Princess Luna. 

Loving Nebula

Loving Bud’s daughter, who is the reincarnation of Nightmare Moon.

Tenure Grace

A social worker and nanny of Nebula and Artemis. Due to the choker around her neck, she is forced to follow Gold Jaeger’s influences.

“Nebula,” Bud voiced. “You need to stay in the stroller.”

“I want to see Luna first,” Nebula demanded as she tried to push her mother aside. A few days have passed since Bud took her sick leave to care for Nebula. Never did Bud imagine that she would be exhausting her vacation days in her first month on the job. But then again, she did not account for becoming the mother of two ancient creatures that happen to be the remains of Princess Celestia's sister. Not exactly what she expected from her motherhood, but she wouldn’t change it any other way.

Though, she would feel a lot better if her rebellious daughter complied with her mother and stayed in her stroller. Bud has an appointment with Doctor Dime today for a checkup on Nebula’s condition. Her daughter has thankfully shown a fast improvement after the doctors from Canterlot concocted a drug for Nebula to ease her headaches. Nebula would try to resist Bud, complaining how icky it tasted, but a poor taste isn’t going to stop Bud if it makes her little filly feel better. The end justifies the mean.

“Nebula has to be feeling better if she has enough energy to throw a tantrum.” Lazuli voiced from the living room while keeping her gaze squarely on Artemis. The two were playing a staring contest, which Bud found odd for a foal that is barely a month old to learn. Then again, he is the reincarnation of an alicorn.

“I’ll know that soon enough when I hear it from the Doctor,” Bud said. “We don’t want to risk contacting Artemis with Nebula’s sickness, do we?” Bud stressed those last words to Nebula as the fuming filly gritted her teeth and laid into the stroller.

“Well, I know that,” Lazuli said. “I’m just saying.”

“I know Lazuli,” Bud sighed as she pushed the stroller through the open door of her bedroom. Her gaze then set upon Tenure Grace, who was silently standing beside the entrance to her bedroom. Her eyes appeared fixed upon Lazuli and Artemis. “You okay there Grace?”

“I am well,” Grace answered. “But more importantly, I suggest you hurry off to the hospital. And remember not to let Nebula perform her little shadow trick.”

“I already know that Grace,” Bud said. “And I’m positive that Nebula won’t be doing any funny business during her checkup. I know she wants to be passed this just as much as we do.”

“You’re right,” Grace sighed and craned her head with a hoof. “I apologize. I’m just feeling weary, that’s all.”

Bud blanked at Grace’s response. It seemed obvious that something was bothering the licensed mare. She has been appearing more tense than usual these past few days. Bud had approached Grace about it and she explained that the government officials have been pestering through most of the wakes of her days. Bud had offered to step to give those ponies a piece of her mind, but Grace assures that she can handle it.

Well, if that’s how Grace feels, then Bud should take her word for it. Dealing with them is a part of her job after all.

Bud sighed and placed a hoof on Grace's shoulder. "I want you to at least try to relax, okay? Lazuli is here for Artemis, so it's okay to use that time to unwind yourself.”

“That would be rather unprofessional on my part,” Grace raised a brow.

“I don’t need a professional, Grace,” Bud retorted. “Just ponies I can trust. And right now, I need this pony to cool her head before she ends up being the next one I take to the hospital.”

Grace resigned with a nod and walked to the living room couch to catch a closer view of Lazuli and Artemis’s contest. When Bud traced back her eyes to the stroller, she noticed Nebula was again trying to crawl herself out.

“Nebula!” Bud voiced as she pushed her daughter back inside and covered her with blankets. Nebula was getting bothered by Bud's interference and displayed her fangs in order to punish her mother. To Nebula’s dismay, Bud halted the filly when she pinched her soft ear. “If you’re going to keep disobeying me, then you leave me with no choice. Safety belts.”

Bud strapped the filly with belts that were attached to the stroller. She had never used them because she liked for her foals to have freedom inside the stroller. Both were foals that would cause rowdy antics that Bud would find to be the most adorable. But Nebula’s condition was a serious matter, and she would go through any lengths to ensure her recovery. Even if it meant using the oppressive locks on her.

“I want to see Luna,” Nebula whined again as she shifted about in her attempt to shake the belt off of her. Bud sighed at her daughter’s continued struggle.

“You’ll get to have Artemis all to yourself once we’re certain you’re all better,” Bud assured the filly as she rubbed her cheeks. “Just be patient, Nebula.”

Seeing that nothing can be done, Nebula relented back on the seat of the stroller and gazed at the back of Artemis. His face seemed transfixed on the tomboyish mare. She was bothered that she couldn’t catch a glimpse of his face. She went for days without his gaze, his warmth, his touch...but if she only has to bear it for only a few more hours, then has no choice but to hold her fangs.

"Make haste with this menial task," Nebula pouted with her cute demanding voice. "You've harbored me long enough as it is." Bud happily nodded to her daughter's compliance.

“Don’t overexert yourself,” Bud told Grace. “And Lazuli, remember to only feed Artemis at most five cuts of pineapples. I don’t want him gaining too much weight after he went through a whole container last night.”

“How’d he even manage to break in the refrigerator?” Lazuli wondered while keeping her eyes on Artemis. “I thought Princess Celestia sealed off his magic?”

“The Princess did not seal away his magic, Lazuli,” Grace informed. “The suppression spell is meant to restrain the Artemis’s pool magic to prevent any powerful erratic spells from emerging out of him.”

“I knew that,” Lazuli grumbled.

“Five cuts Lazuli,” Bud voiced as she made her way to the front door. “Remember that.”

“I got it, Bud,” Lazuli answered.

When Bud finally left the apartment, the room went silent as Lazuli and Artemis continued to gaze at each other. Grace simply observed their shenanigan from the comfort of the couch. However, feeling a bit unnerved by the quiet, she felt compelled to speak.

“How long do you intend to play this game?” Grace asked.

“As long as Artemis needs to realize who’s the best gazer here,” Lazuli answered. “If it’s boring you, you can always just go. I got things handled here.”

“I thank my services are muchly needed here,” Grace retorted.

Lazuli’s eyes shifted toward Grace with a glare, but then widened as she realized that she looked away from Artemis. The colt raised his hooves as he cheered at his indisputable victory.

“Hold on,” Lazuli voiced. “She distracted me. We have to run it back.”

“The leisures will have to wait,” Grace voiced as she hopped off the couch. “I believe it’s time we feed Artemis.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lazuli said as she grabbed hold of Artemis. “I’ll get the pineapples.”

“The pineapples can come later,” Grace said. “What Artemis needs is a light diet. Fortunately, I happen to know a recipe that will suffice.”

“And what? You think I can’t cook a good enough grub for Artemis?”

“Can you?” Grace raised a brow.

“...Just shut up and cook,” Lazuli grumbled as she carried Artemis into her bedroom.

“Then I shall call you when I’m finished.” When Lazuli shut the door, Grace made her way for the small kitchen. If her memory served her correctly, Bud and Lazuli should have the right selection of ingredients that she needs to serve Artemis. A nice meal will surely put Artemis to rest for a bit, giving her enough time to speak her mind to Lazuli. That careless mare must be reprimanded for her foolishness.


“You and Bud should think about purchasing a dinner table,” Grace recommended.

“And where do you think we’ll put it?” Lazuli countered. “In the living room?”

Grace, Lazuli, and Artemis were seated around the living table on their haunches. After clearing the table of a vase that Bud’s mother had bought, Grace laid bowls of vegetable gumbos before each of them.

“You made gumbo,” Lazuli sighed.

“Why do you sound disappointed?” Grace couldn’t help but feel offended. “I would figure an athletic pony such as yourself would understand the nutrients that come into gumbos.”

“There’s not even a single fruit in this…” Lazuli complained. Artemis shared Lazuli's letdown, which pricked the nerves of the licensed mare.

“Quit acting like babies and eat your food,” Grace leered at the two.

“You do realize Artemis is a baby, right?”

Grace did not bother responding to that question. Instead, she whisked a spoon with her magic and picked a spoonful of the gumbo to enter her mouth.

Lazuli picked a spoon and dawned her eyes upon the bowl of gumbo for a brief moment before scooping a spoonful of Artemis’s bowl. The colt sat beside her and she prodded the spoon to the colt. Artemis sniffed the spoon and wrinkled his snout.

“C’mon Arty,” Lazuli said. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

“Then perhaps you should show by example then,” Grace voiced and then took another spoonful of her gumbo.

Lazuli gave the advising mare an annoyed glare before pausing upon the spoon. Artemis simply stared at Lazuli, waiting for what she will do next.

“...fine,” Lazuli sighed. “You did win the contest.” Lazuli ingested the gumbo in the spoon into her mouth. Lazuli slithered her tongue about inside and then gave the smile. “See, it’s good. It just smells bad.”

Lazuli picked another spoonful of Artemis’s gumbo and prodded it towards the unsure colt. This time, the colt resigned to opening his mouth and allowing Lazuli to guide the spoon inside to deliver the food. Artemis clamped his mouth shut and sucked out all of the contents from the spoon as Lazuli pulled it out.

“See,” Lazuli said. “Not too bad, right?”

The colt opened his mouth wide in response. Lazuli chuckled at the colt’s innocent response and obliged to feed him more of his gumbo.

“You know,” Grace started. “I am capable of feeding him and eating at the same time. Your gumbo will get cold at this rate.”

Lazuli didn’t respond to Grace. Instead, she unfurled one of her wings and used it to pick another spoon from the table to dip into her bowl and ingest the contents.

“A simple decline would have sufficed,” Grace complained.


Moments passed as the mares and colt had their feast. Grace had quietly observed Lazuli and Artemis as they were the only ones to fill the silence in the room. Lazuli was flamboyant in her feeding of the colt, regaling the colt to comply with the food.

In mere minutes, the colt let out a yawn Grace was expecting. The colt leaned his body to Lazuli, goading the mare to pick the colt and lay him in between her hindlegs. Lazuli briefly brushed the colt’s head as he buried his face into Lazuli’s coat.

“Guess you won’t be needing pineapples now, huh,” Lazuli whispered to the colt.

“Summer Lazuli,” Grace called for the mare’s attention as she dropped her spoon into her bowl. “As I recall, you work as a coach for Manehattan Academy, correct?”

“Yeah," Lazuli raised her brow. "What about it?”

“The salary of a school coach in Equestria is commonly measured by the prestige of the school and the successes that coach achieves with their team. Seeing as you have only begun your career, I imagine that yours is more among the entry-level.”

“Why the heck are you talking about bits?” Lazuli was getting annoyed. “Bud and I pay our fair share of the rent. The rest we combined together for savings and to buy things for the apartment.”

“But you most likely have a larger store of savings than Bud, do you not? One that she may not be aware of.”

“If you got something to say,” Lazuli glared at the mare. “Then just come out with it.”

“Alright then, I will,” Grace shut her eyes briefly and then gave a serious gaze at Lazuli. “Some nights ago, I discovered that you happen to have a night job. Particularly one at a place where a foal doesn’t belong. The Dove is what it’s called, correct?”

Lazuli widened her eyes in surprise. “How the heck do you know about that?”

“Because you do not try hard enough to keep it a secret. But that’s not what’s important. My main concern is that you brought a baby colt inside a nightclub. Do you not realize how inappropriate that was of you?”

"Hey," Lazuli angrily voiced. "I have my reasons for doing what I did, so don't you dare chalk me off as the senseless one here."

"It is senseless, Lazuli," Grace retorted. "There was no need to bring a colt to a nightclub. You do remember that I'm his nanny, do you?"

"Not by Bud's choice. You've basically just barged in here and forced us to just tolerate you."

"How do you not understand that you're in the wrong here?" Grace's snout flared. "Under no circumstance should you have ever brought Artemis to that sinful place."

"Will you quit your hiss fit? I made sure he didn't see anything."

"Lazuli, I don't believe you understand the severity of this. This act of bringing a foal to a nightclub can warrant Bud losing custody of her foals."

"Is that a threat?" Lazuli glared at the mare as she laid Artemis aside.

"By Celestia," Grace gritted her teeth. "How can you be so single-minded? Bud does not need a mare that is this irresponsible. If you can't realize the harm you're causing for others, then perhaps you have no business raising her foals."

"Bud left me to watch Artemis," Lazuli raised to her hooves. "The only reason I went to the club that night is because I have a stallion baby as a boss there."

"Then you should have come to me before going to that club!" Grace raised on her hooves. "How is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Right, leave Artemis with a mare I know nothing about."

"I am a licensed social worker," Grace sneered, feeling offended by Lazuli's words. "Caring for foals is a part of my job."

"Let's get something straight here," Lazuli placed a hoof on the living room table. "I have no trust in you whatsoever. Bud may accept it because she has no choice in the matter, but I got my eyes on you."

"What?" Grace faltered. "Shouldn't you be willing to accept me as well if Bud is?"

"You keep yourself under wraps and you expect to just trust you because Bud is? The only reason she folded is because she hates conflict, but I'm more than willing to step in for her and her foals' sake."

"I'm not your enemy here," Grace weakly argued. "I'm here to help Bud just as you are."

"From what I know, you're only here because the snooty city officials want to be in our business. How are we to know what you're reporting to them? For all we know, you could be working with those jerks to take her foals away."

"That's not true!" Grace slammed her hoof on the table. "You don't know anything about me! So don't you dare go around making these random accusations!"

"Then start talking then! Who the heck are you!?"

"I am a social worker! That's all you need to know!"

"Bud doesn't need a professional! She wants a pony she can trust! And I can't trust you if I know next to nothing about you! It's pretty unfair given much you got on us!"

Grace's patience dwindled at that moment and her anger overcame her, goading her body to pounce the blue mare to the ground. However, Lazuli easily pushed the mare off and flipped atop of Grace to pin her to the ground.

"Oh," Lazuli voiced. "So you got nothing else to say then, huh? I'm fine with a scuffle, but I think you better rethink about picking a fight with me. I'm the number one guard at that club for a reason."

Grace shook her body in an attempt to remove Lazuli from herself. Her horn then glowed, but then stopped when she met the fierce glare of the blue mare. Those piercing golden eyes of the blue mare appeared to be brimming with a calm rage.

"I didn't ask for this you know," Grace's voice cracked. She couldn't hold back the tears that followed. "All of this was forced on me too. I'm never allowed to say no to him. I can't deny anything he does to me. The only thing I can do is endure. That's all I'm ever allowed to do."

"...This isn't about me, isn't it?" Lazuli stepped off from Grace and offered her hoof. The broken mare hesitantly takes Lazuli's hoof and is hoisted back on her hooves.

"Look," Lazuli rubbed her back. "I'm sorry for the way I said all of those things. But I'm dead serious that I don't trust. Maybe if you opened up more, I could see you more as a…you know, a friend."

Grace averted her gaze from Lazuli and wiped her tears.

"You know," Lazuli started. "That gumbo wasn't half bad. Where'd you learn to cook that?"

"...I learned it from a head maid," Grace eventually answered.

"A head maid," Lazuli wondered. "You mean you used to be a maid?"

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," Grace said.

"Why you gotta make it sound so cryptic?"

"..." Grace did not face Lazuli's way.

Lazuli sighed. "Well, I think I had my fill. I'm going to take Artemi—"

When Lazuli turned back to the living room table, Lazuli noticed that the blue colt was nowhere to be seen. "What the? Where's Artemis?"

Grace stepped beside Lazuli and noticed the colt's sudden disappearance as well. “He was asleep, was he not?”

“Well clearly he woke up,” Lazuli voiced. Her eyes trailed across the room, speculating where he could have gone. Eventually, she noticed the door to Bud’s room was slightly inched open.

Lazuli immediately went for Bud’s bedroom and Grace followed. Lazuli calmly opened the door and inside she discovered the colt hidden within her mother’s bed sheets. “There you are,” Lazuli sighed in relief. “Don’t scare us like that.”

Lazuli and Grace gathered at the bed and noted the colt shaking within the sheets. Lazuli slowly peeled the sheet to reveal Artemis’s face as he appeared to have a trail of tears on his face.

“I’m sorry Artemis,” Lazuli apologized as she neared her face to Artemis. “We didn’t mean to scare you like that. But it’s over now. So, you don’t have to hide from us.”

Lazuli lowered her head beneath Artemis, goading the colt to gnaw upon Lazuli’s ear. The colt then climbed atop her head when she slowly pulled back from him, giving her the chance to lift the colt off the bed. The colt made a cute growl as he continued to gnaw his teeth on Lazuli’s ear.

“This is most certainly not how I imagine this conversation to come to,” Grace mumbled.

Lazuli leveled the colt atop her head with her hooves as she spoke, “Let’s just call a truce here. I know that you may not like me and the feeling is mutual. But...I guess you are right that I could have asked for your help before going to the club. However, I want you to be more open about yourself. I need to know who I’m leaving the foals with when I’m not around in Bud’s place. You get that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Grace sighed. “I can understand where you’re coming from. However, this conversation lacks seriousness with Artemis covering your face.”

“It’s called humility,” Lazuli chuckled. “Maybe you should learn some, Ms. Licensed Social Worker.”

“Ugh,” Grace cringed. “Don’t say it like that. It sounds so gaudy.”

Lazuli lifted the colt off of her and hoisted him to her pectoral. “At least that we can agree on.”

“You have a strange habit to make light of things, don’t you,” Grace couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s one of my many perks,” Lazuli proudly said. “But anyway, since we’re done with this whole drama, how about I give you a lesson in humility.”

“Haven’t I endured enough from a certain filly?”

“Naw, Nebula does that with every pony; me especially.”

“Okay,” Grace raised a brow. “So what do you have in mind?”

“I say we play some card games till Bud gets back. I got some boxes in my room that we can play in the living room.”

“We just had a serious conversation about who’s better to help Bud with her foals and you want to end it off by playing card games?” Grace deadpanned.

“Yeah,” Lazuli shrugged and made her way out of Bud’s room. “That about it sums it up.”

“...fine, why not. But I’ll make you think twice thinking you can humiliate me in a foals’ game.”


“Guys, we’re back,” Bud happily announced as she pushed a stroller into the living room of her apartment. “I just got the most wonderful news from the doctor. He said that Nebula is...is...why do you two look so glum?”

Bud was bewildered by the two adult mares that bore a glum gaze toward Artemis, who was gingerly sliding cards to the two on the living room table.

“Um,” Bud started as she picked Nebula from the stroller. “Are you guys okay?”

Before either could respond Nebula leaped out of her mother’s hold and pounced upon Artemis. The cards spattered out of Artemis’s hold and sprinkled across the table and floor.

“Luna,” Nebula voiced. “It has been too long since we have held each other. We must never let this happen again!”

Bud instinctively approached her foals but then stopped when she noticed Artemis was giggling at Nebula’s sudden affection. Nebula really needed this, so she resigned to leave the two to their own device. Besides, she needed to figure out what's going on with the two mares.

“Lazuli,” Bud prodded her hoof on Lazuli’s back. “Is everything alright with you?”

“I lost…” Lazuli whispered.

“Lost? Lost what?”

“Are we sure that this is really a colt?” Grace voiced with a tinge of irritation. “Him bearing a ridiculous pool of magic is one thing. But for him to bear such luck and calculation is beyond absurd. My pride won’t take this.”

“I-I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Bud voiced. “What did Artemis do?”

“That—” Lazuli swiped the cards that Artemis gave her off the table. “That colt beat us in every card game we’ve played. At first, I chalked as dumb luck, but now I’m thinking that that colt is a genius in disguise. He’s a baby foal for Celestia’s sake! How am I losing to a baby!?”

“I can’t let this stand,” Grace said. “None of this makes sense. I had so much of the games in my favor and that colt took it all away from me like it was on a whim. I refuse to be played by a baby.”

“Well,” Bud awkwardly started. “As long as Artemis had fun, I think that’s all that should matter. A-anyways, I have good news.”

“Why is Nebula all clingy with Artemis,” Lazuli asked. “I thought she was still sick?”

“That’s the thing,” Bud said. “Doctor Dime said that Nebula is all better now.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Grace voiced. “I liked that filly more when she was more lethargic.”

“Better hope she doesn’t bite you for saying that,” Lazuli chuckled. “You know that little filly can hold a grudge, right?”

“Yes,” Grace sighed. “I’m well aware of that more than any pony else. But don’t write yourself off. She has her records of biting you as well.”

“Yeah, but I’m more a challenge for her.”

“Must you make everything a competition,” Grace chuckled.

“Wow,” Bud’s eyes sparkled. “I can’t believe you two are finally getting along. I’m so proud of you two.”

“I can’t help but think that you’re placing us as foals,” Grace complained.

“Whatever,” Lazuli sprawled to her back. “Since you’re back I guess you can go back to having Artemis all to yourself now, right?”

“Well,” Bud started. “Nebula and I do miss having Artemis with us.”

“Welp, it was fun while it lasted. I didn’t think I would enjoy myself as much as I did having the little colt around so much.”

“He just has a way of putting a smile on others,” Bud said.

“Well,” Grace voiced. “Right now he has me questioning my own intelligence.”

“Is it really that bad?” Bud wondered. “It’s just a game.”

“How about saying that after playing a few games,” Grace challenged Bud. Her sudden rise in voice surprised her, compelling her to clamp her mouth before apologizing. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so rude.”

“No, no,” Bud waved a hoof. “It’s okay. I actually like seeing this side of you.”

“So does that mean you’re up for a few games with the small brain freak?” Lazuli asked.

“We’re not calling him that,” Bud said. “And yes, I don’t mind. We can have Nebula play as well.”

Lazuli and Grace’s body perked up at the mention of Nebula playing. “I will not tolerate becoming a mockery by that filly,” Grace stated.

“Something tells me that she would hold it over our heads.” Lazuli said. “I’m not sure about this.”

“If we’re going to play,” Bud said. “We’re going to do it as a family. Which means every pony gets to play.”

Grace crawled to Lazuli’s side and whispered to her ear. “I believe the time is ripe to make use of our truce. We both know that we cannot allow that little devil to degrade us.”

“Alright,” Lazuli nodded. “Fine, but we only do this once.”

Lazuli and Grace worked together to ensure that neither Artemis and Nebula could claim victory over them. However, in a game of blackjack, both of the foals bankrupted the two of them painfully quick of their chips. Bud was relieved that their game did not involve actual chips else they would have been in serious debts to her foals. And knowing Nebula, she would make it a living nightmare for the two of them.