There is something to be said for the sense of peace found in the break of dawn. For many, it is a brief flash of a second of time before the sun has risen and they must throw themselves back into the chaos of their daily lives. Some bow their heads, if they're awake, and say a soft bit of thanks to their celestial princess for bringing the next dawn.

The eclipse born were not like that. Often already awake, they still stopped and enjoyed that moment when the dawn began. Each looked up at the sky, lifting their muzzles to the coming sunlight. It warmed their faces, settling their hearts with each second it crept across the horizon.

"And we live another day." Dawn beat his wings as if shaking off the dew of the night. "Shall we get breakfast?"

"Of course!" Star said cheerily.

"We're too young to make a decision like that." Night blinked at the others as they all stared. "We don't eat until ma serves it."

They all made noises of sullen agreement and charged for the kitchen to see if she was awake, and had breakfast prepared. In fact, she was not awake yet, but the other eclipse born were tired of waiting around, and began to make some themselves.

"This is way better than bugs." Dawn nibbled on a sweet biscuit as he watched the others, who were all wearing aprons. "Do you even know how to cook?"

Star smiled mischievously. "I can burn stuff. Ma taught me."

"You want to burn a couple eggs?" Night poked her side. "Ma's gonna get upset."

Star pouted, but shrugged and started cracking some into a bowl. She glanced up at the other eclipse born. "It's gotta be fast, right?

Dawn brushed her aside. "We'll get in trouble. Let me." With a dark inverted flash of their eclipse nature, she became a bat, using her hooves, mouth, and wings in concert to cook. It was so effortless, with the stove top and frying pan like second nature.

Night squinted his eyes at it. "Are you sure you've never cooked before?"

"I promise." Dawn stared at the eggs, carefully watching the way they formed in the pan, wiggling and changing shape as the oils on them reacted to the heat. "But I did watch them, the day ponies. They are good at cooking." With a sudden twist, she had the entire pan of eggs flipped over.

"Woah!" Star reached in to try and steal a piece. "But you're not part of them."

Dawn bit her tongue as she continued cooking, shaking her head. "Please don't steal. It's almost done." She began serving plates of eggs for her found siblings. "Enough for everypony."

Ma charged into the room. "What in Equestria is going on in here? My kitchen?!"

Night shrank back nervously. "Sorry ma. we were hungry, and just wanted to make breakfast."

Dawn slunk off the stool she had been on. "I didn't make a mess."

Ma charged over with a glare, examining the top of the stove, then the pans and other utensils. The only thing messy was the one that was just used, and it was, relatively, tidy. "Hm." She turned to face Dawn. "You made all this?"

Dawn looked at the floor. "Yes, ma."

Ma grabbed a fork and took a big bite. She chewed it with loud munches a moment. "Mmm. You have talent." She patted Dawn with a hoof. "Want to help me make lunch later?"

"Yes, ma!" Dawn nodded eagerly. "Anything you want me to do."

The others laughed and joked around her as they ate, teasing Dawn for being the one that got into cooking, instead of them.

Night poked Dawn with his horn. "I'm gonna learn a spell that cooks for me!"

Star licked her lips. "I don't care, long as I can eat it!"

Dawn chuckled softly, pleased to have something special. Even if it was just eggs. As if remembering, she returned to her pegasus form as she ate.

They finished up and cleaned the dishes together, giving them to Ma to inspect. With her nod of approval, they were free to scamper out onto the roads of their little town. It had a simple structure, which suited their purposes well. It wasn't too big or small. Their town had always been the way it was, with some fillies born there and some moving in later. No other eclipse born but themselves.

It didn't make it any easier to find their place among the others.

"The freak patrol is here." That massive round colt glared at them as they approached the roadside. "What do you want?"

Star glared right back. "We're not freaks! You're a freak!"

Night gently nudged her. "Hey, what happened to being the peacemaker?"

The portly colt laughed at them all. "Freaky freakponies! That's all you are. Come charging in here like that. You're lucky Miss Sweep was lonely."

Dawn marched up to him with a pout. "No, she wasn't! You just bully everyone because you don't have any friends!"

He turned bright red and stomped his hoof. "I got plenty of friends!" He charged off with an angry snort as if to locate some of those supposed friends.

"Real charmer," Star muttered. "Come on, let's play tag or something."

They trotted off to play their games, passing by the townsponies with barely a look at them. Having found a comfortable place together, they almost started to forget how troubling things had been before they arrived there.

That peacefulness was shattered one day when Ma came marching over, interrupting their play time. She frowned at them all with a penetrating glare. She had an expression on her face that could have cut through a boulder. "Get inside. Now." She marched out without waiting for them.

Inside, a newspaper was spread on the table. They spotted it as they came in, hard to miss with all its exclamation points and clear outcry. It spoke of Princess Celestia's raise from one of a diarchy to becoming a monarch. The Eclipse Born gathered around the paper in a semi-circle, reading it curiously.

"So?" Star peered at the others. "What's the big deal?"

Night stared at it, not comprehending. "I mean, yeah. There's two princesses."

Dawn gave them a flat look. "Really?" He pointed at the headline. "Not anymore. Princess Luna's up there." He pointed up towards where the moon might be, if it was still night. "She made that eclipse, and now she's gone."

"Well, the other one's still there," Star muttered.

Dawn sank in his seat. "I thought she didn't like us."

Night squinted at the paper. "I dunno, but..."

Ma stepped inside, knocking the door shut behind her with a sway of her hips. She stared them down, shaking her head slowly. "We all knew it would happen someday."

Star huffed. "Yeah, I mean, they had to do something after... you know."

Ma sighed and reached out her hoof. Dawn leaned into it, starting to sniffle. "You're all mah precious foals, you all know that, right?"

They nodded softly, gently gathering together in a big hug as they consoled one another.

Night got up, marching over to the kitchen. He came back with an apple pie he'd helped Ma bake the day before.

Ma snorted softly, guiding that pie to rest on the front table. "Now's not the time for that." She crossed her arms. "Celestia's on a war path. She wants anypony that has 'sympathies' for her sister under control. Or in prison."

Star narrowed her eyes. "She's gonna start another fight?"

Dawn slumped at the words. "And I thought we were done with fighting."

Night stood up. "It isn't a fight." He flopped down bonelessly. "She already won. This is just her cleaning up."

Ma stepped over to him, gently pulling Night into a hug. "And what are we going to do about it?"

"Well, she can't take all of us!" Star said. "Right?"

Dawn fluttered his wings nervously. "Not without us fighting, um." He glanced at the others. "Besides, we're not doing anything wrong! We're not part of their fight. We just wanna be foals."

Ma gave them a long look. "Celestia didn't think she was doing anything wrong, either. Just trying to stop a power-mad little sister." She turned away. "I won't let anypony do that to you." She shivered at the thought. "I won't let them take you away. Not one of my foals."

Star shook her head. "Then what do we do?"

Night made a soft noise. "She's gonna come, isn't she?"

Dawn fidgeted with his hooves. "What if we fly away?"

Ma gently bonked Dawn on his head. "Where to? This is Equestria. Princess Celestia owns it, all of it." She took a shuddering breath. "Ain't fair. But that's how it is."

Star sank into her seat. "Then what are we going to do?! Are they gonna have another riot and chase us out? I can't do that again!"

Ma spread her arms. "I won't let them. The town knows yer all good foals. Yer gettin' good marks in school, an' even makin' friends." They looked suddenly guilty. "Ya made friends, didn'tcha?"

"Sort of." Night stared at the table. "Some ponies were real nice to us. But others always think we're up to something bad. We've done nothing wrong."

Dawn shrank in his seat. "So we made some friends?"

Ma nosed at each scared little foal. "It'll have to do. Ah'll go talk to the mayor, see what she had to say. Better to nip this one right on the tail afore it gets away from us."

They sat there, fidgeting nervously, until Ma returned with a spring in her step. "Ya can't say no to Mayor Honey Drop. She's got enough influence to run this town like clockwork, and not even the princesses know better than her." She glanced over at them. "This is a nice place for you all."

The group of them erupted into cheers, and a thousand questions. Was it all over, that easily?

Ma gently waved for their quiet. "It ain't over. We got one chance. Y'all mind your Ps and Qs and be good little foals, an' there won't be troubles for us." She gestured to the paper. "We don't need the princess comin' here to stir up trouble, if she does."

"When she does," Night said quietly.

Dawn stood up and pointed his hoof at him. "We won't give her a reason to!"

Ma nodded at that. "Exactly. The mayor says we get one chance. The town won't stop y'all from stayin' wit' me and bein' cared for."

Star was rubbing her hooves together eagerly. "Yeah, so, we have to prove we're not, uh..."

"Bad ponies?" Night muttered.

Star clapped her hooves. "We'll do our best, Ma! No matter what."

Ma gathered them up for a big group hug. "Ah ain't have a little doubt in any of you. Ya'll just need ta remember that others won't feel the same way." She kissed each of them on their heads. "No matter what, ah love ya'll."

With her departure, they spent a moment standing around quietly, shuffling their hooves. Star glanced towards where Ma had run off to and her horn lit up, darkening the room. "We have to be careful."

Night slumped in his seat. "Really? We didn't even do anything."

Dawn shrank into himself. "We were born."

Star gave him a look. "Don't get like that." She moved a hoof under Dawn's chin to lift it a little. "We'll get past this, together."

Night smiled. "The eclipse born?"

Dawn fidgeted with his pocket. "Ooh, we need a flag or something!"

Star tapped her hoof on the table. "Now's the wrong time for a flag. That'd give Princess Celestia even more reason to want to 'take care' of us. We gotta be good ponies!"

"We're already good ponies." Night brightened a little, however. "But we can show off! The princess doesn't know about us!"

Dawn hummed. "Do you think she wants to see dark little ponies, even if they're nice?"

Author's Note

Our little foals are trying to rub their heads together. What is the best way to avoid being caught up poorly in current politics?

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