New Moon (My Little Pony)

09 (3/4) A Loving Family

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 settle 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 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 out 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 at 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.