Chapters With a squeal of a newborn foal, their mother welcomed them to the world. The doctor was distracted, gazing out the window at the strangely dark pitch of the sky despite it having been so bright a moment before. He barely registered her words as she told him that the filly was gray and white, with a wispy mane that reminded her of the night.
The doctor staggered back. "Y-yes. They appear to be in good health. Let's make sure you remain that way as well."
The little filly squeaked and raised her head, opening her eyes for the first time. There was an instant of sapphire blue, but it was quickly replaced by a light violet. As her gaze focused, it changed again, settling on a pale pink. The doctor recoiled in surprise, but kept his cool enough to make sure the mother was properly treated. "Congratulations, ma'am."
And so began the life of the eclipse born, the foals that were just lucky, or not, to have been born in that moment the moon covered the sun and hid away the daytime shine. It had come and gone so quickly, but the mark it left on the foals born in that moment would remain. They could never forget the fact that they were an anomaly. That they were supposed to be cursed.
But alas, they were too young to know of such things. All they knew at that moment was joy at the feeling of being alive. They grew up as well as they could in the caring grasp of their parents, until the day they had to start heading outside, to be educated.
They swiftly discovered they weren't as welcome there, looking strangely as they were. They bore the scorn and scrutiny for some time, hoping the foals would one day accept them.
It was the early times of Equestria, just years after Luna's banishment. It was in that fraught time that these foals found one another. What began as an accident of meeting slowly grew into a tight-knit friendship.
"Night Glimmer!" called one of the fillies. "You give that back!" She chased the laughing colt around the classroom, until he finally relented and gave the book back. She plopped herself down to look at it and tried to put it on the table, but accidentally pulled the cover off in her hooves.
One of the other foals, not part of their little club, snickered. "The cursed filly broke her book."
"Figured." Another foal rolled her eyes. "They can't have nice things, I hear."
"What?" Night Glimmer's lip quivered, and she buried her face in her wispy mane.
One of the fillies from their group, Dawn Stardust, trotted over. "Ignore them. They're just trying to feel better about themselves." She flicked her tail at the detractors. "You got us."
Another filly came up on Night's other side. "Yeah. No matter what happens, we'll be here for you."
The colt approached. "And me! You're my friend, Night."
She shoved him. "You're the one that stole it in the first place." But there was no malice there, the two laughing about it a moment later.
That was how their friendship grew. From that time to another, and another, their group formed a tight-knit sort of harmony. Even when the pressure grow stronger, it only seemed to force them into a tighter circle.
Especially the worst time, when they had to flee a panicked crowd.
"Night!" shouted one of the fillies as the panic reached its peak. "I can't find her!"
Another looked around frantically, turning her gaze down one alleyway, then the other. "Where did—"
They never got to finished, vanishing through a wall. Night yanked each of them out of place one by one, securing them in a safe little abandoned room, away from the mob. She exhaled, leaning against the wall as she peeked outside. She quickly pressed herself against it again, eyes closed, trying not to think about the scared looks on their faces.
"Night?" The colt, Star Streak, approached on unsure hooves. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She pressed her hoof to her chest. "You?"
He smiled nervously. "Fine."
The others slowly came out of hiding, shivering with fear. The foals huddled together in a circle, embracing one another. Night settled her wispy mane over them like a blanket, letting them get out their fears and sadness.
Star Streak stood up first. "I don't care what they said. It's not our fault the crops were bad!"
"They're just angry," Night said softly.
"It's not fair." Dawn stood up. "They blame us for everything that goes wrong. And the most we can do is run and hide."
Star rubbed at his cheek. "Well, what if we ran, and we hid?"
Dawn sat up at that. "Isn't that what we're doing?"
"No." Star gestured to the building. "I mean, really hide. Go to another land and start fresh. With all of us together, we can get through it."
"Where would we go?" Dawn looked around at the others. "It's not like we can hop on a boat and find a new place."
Night took a slow and shaking breath. "We have hooves." She swallowed nervously. "We can walk."
Star looked to her, hopeful. "What do you think, Dawn? Please."
She blinked slowly. "I... I want to see what's out there. I'm tired of this place." She started pacing. "If we, uh, go, where they don't know about us. Maybe?"
Star flashed a smile. "Well, you have me! I'll protect all you fillies."
Dawn blinked. "But I'm a colt."
Star stared a moment. "You are not."
"I am so!" Dawn tackled Star, the two wrestling to prove their gender identities.
Night laughed and pulled them apart. "Come on. We should rest up, then start moving."
The group looked at one another, each of them slowly smiling. They met in the center, one hoof a piece. "We are the eclipse born," they said in unison. With a firm nod, they flopped in place and settled for the night.
It was still dark when they awoke, Dawn stretching and peering outside. "You know, the moon looks kinda nice."
"Wish it could just stay like that," Star muttered.
Night gently poked him with her hoof. "The moon hasn't done us a lot of favors." He peeked his head out of their hideout, looking left and right. "I think everypony's gone."
They stepped out, still huddled close together as they trotted down the street. Each was lost in their own thoughts. How far would they have to go? What would they do for food? Would they ever find a place that didn't care about them?
Star gently sighed. "I sorta hope to be left alone, but I don't want to be alone either!" She crashed sidelong into her friends. "At least I'm not all alone."
"Right." Dawn put on a determined face. "We're sticking together. No matter what happens, we stay together."
Night squeezed between them, hooking their necks with hers. "We're the eclipse born."
"Yeah!" they all cried in unison, marching away from that riotous town to find another.
They spent their first day of traveling looking over their shoulders. Every sound made them jump, wondering if the mob had found them. As the day turned to night, they began to relax, snuggling up to one another and telling stories about the adventures they would have once they were free.
"How did you get there?" Star looked at Dawn firmly. "You moved into town not that long ago, right?"
Dawn sank at the mention. "My parents moved after the last time I got chased out of town. They told me to hide in a hole, but I knew that wouldn't be safe." She tucked her hooves underneath herself. "They'll be so mad when they find out I'm gone. I know we need to leave, but..."
Star looked guilty quickly. "Sorry, um, I was wondering."
Others joined in the admissions, most of them also having moved to town, their parents also having heard that little village already had an eclipse born, and seemed to be getting along. Night settled down with a sigh. "I think I've always been here. I don't remember anything before."
"Really?" Dawn asked. "You must be the first one then. The one we all came to be with."
Timid smiles spread across the campfire. Star rubbed at her cheeks. "My mom said she saw me get up on my hooves and look up at the moon, the second it passed over the sun. She said it was like I knew I was different. Well, I know not, for sure."
Dawn spread his wings. "Well! Um, I can do a funny thing." He wiggled his flank, and a shimmering light appeared. The pegasus was gone, replaced with a bat pony with slit eyes. "Hello." He shrank back. "Please don't be scared of me."
Star stared at him. "That's... that's..."
"Amazing!" Night smiled brightly. "So, you can turn into anypony?"
Dawn shook his head. "Not anypony, just this." He waved over his bat-like form returning to his normal pegasus self. "Just that. Um, cool, right?"
Star pointed up at her horn. "I have a special trick too." That got all the others looking at her. "W-watch." She made her horn glow, but then turned down the light, and began going backwards, sucking up the light in the area and plunging it all into darkness. The others began to cry out in alarm, and she panicked, releasing it all in one big burst.
The other eclipse born gasped in surprise as it turned back to day again, staring at Star as she shrank back nervously. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that."
"No, no." Night stepped forward, putting her hoof on Star's shoulder. "That was incredible. It would be super useful!"
Star shuffled her hooves. "Yeah?"
Night pointed up at his horn. "I don't have any special night tricks, I just like magic. Um, that's... okay, right?"
Dawn bounced in place. "I'll protect us with my wings. I can fly really high!" He bounced around in a circle. "And catch bugs to eat."
They all looked to one another. Star burst into laughter. "I don't want to eat bugs! You can keep those. We can cook something else."
Dawn gagged at the idea. "Maybe not every day, but it's better than starving."
"We won't starve." Night stamped his hoof. "We'll work together, and figure it out."
With soft noises of timid agreement, they started their hike for the day.
The more time that passed, the easier it became to look over their shoulders less. The food ran low as they ate everything they brought, looking around at one another for signs of hunger.
Night finally suggested it. "We, um." He nudged some grass. "It's, you know, food, technically?"
"Anything is better than bugs," Star muttered. "Fine. But it better not make us sick!"
"I don't think I'll get sick." Dawn leaned down and bit off some of the tops of the grass. It came strangely natural after that. Civilized or not, ponies were horses. Graving quietly as they meandered, following their noses towards tall grass, came naturally enough.
They did manage to find a town. It was filled with friendly faces, the little group looking at one another and starting to feel safe for the first time.
A plump motherly figure marched up to them. "Who let these foals go wanderin' off like that?! Well, more fer us! Yer staying here, and I won't hear a word otherwise." She shook her hoof at the foals to make that clear. "Call me mom from now on."
That was only the start of how their adventures began.
Author's Note
The start of a new story. We have a town that didn't have any eclipse born within it, willing to take our plucky group in. Surely, from here, they will live a happy life with nothing wrong ever! Yay!
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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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"Shut up and get in line, before I throw you all in one!" The captain shouted at them, all but pushing the prisoners through the door. He waved his sword at them, rolling his eyes. "Your fault for stepping out of the first line you were born into."
They led the prisoners on through the countryside, bound to cross a small town of no importance. A pity a few special little ponies lived there.
Star sat beside Night, watching the sky in their village. As soon as their momma heard the guard coming, she quickly shoved the kids off somewhere safe, far away from their judgmental looks. Night patted Star, getting her attention with a smile. "The rumor around school is there'll be something cool happening soon."
Star nodded at him. "Maybe Princess Celestia will forgive her sister."
"I heard the rumors. Something strange was seen during an attempt at a new potion, but nopony can say much about it." Night bounced in place with clear excitement. "I want to see it, whatever it is."
"Momma told me to steer clear of the royal guard while they're here, not follow some mystery pony." Star rolled her eyes. "Did you at least learn something from class?"
"Yeah, actually!" Night clapped his hooves. "I learned a new spell."
Star frowned at that. "They don't teach spells at school."
He grinned. "I practiced this one on my own. Want to see it?"
"Fine." Star leaned her head against her forehooves, watching him with one raised eyebrow.
Night walked over and placed a rock between his hooves. "This one's cool." He compressed the rock as his horn glowed brighter and brighter. When he opened his palms, there was a single shiny gemstone there. "Look." He offered it to her.
"That's..." She held it up, looking closer at the object. "...real." She reached out to poke at it. "That's, surprisingly, a really nice trick."
"A really nice gift," he corrected her.
"You know, you keep finding rocks to make into gems and I might end up marrying you some day," she teased.
His cheeks went pink. "S-stop saying stuff like that." That didn't stop him from placing the gem into her waiting hoof. "Here."
Star held the gem up to the sun and stared, smiling at the rainbow effect. She put it away with a blush on her cheeks, just visible under her fur. "Thanks."
"Is it, uh." Night danced in place. "You deserve it." He cracked a smile. "Don't be mad, but do you think the others want one too?"
Star chuckled softly. "Maybe. Ask them, you big silly."
"Hey." Night lifted his head, ears swiveled towards town. "Those guys sound noisy."
Star turned her gaze in that direction as well. As one, the two rushed off to find the rest of the gang.
It was Dawn who caught up with them first. "Guys! Guys!" She crashed headlong into Star. "Whoa!"
They both stumbled. Night laughed at them, holding out a hoof to help pull them apart. "Having fun?" Dawn nodded rapidly. "Why?"
"Oh, just because." Dawn stuck his tongue out at them. "Besides, there's a commotion down there." With a flap of his wings, he pointed where the noise was coming from. "A whole lot of ponies are gathering."
They peeked out at the crowd forming there. Guards held a bunch of ponies hostage, making the group of three press close together. Night shivered as he watched. "Guards aren't happy. Wonder what they want." Dawn stared in fear of the weapons. Star slipped ahead to investigate the situation.
Night grabbed Star. "Wait! Mom doesn't want us here. You're going to go trotting out where they can see you?!"
"Well, I have to know." Star pointed at the crowd of ponies. "What is that, an execution? Do they plan to execute those ponies in the street?"
Dawn swallowed thickly.
The guards were shouting firm commands, slapping the prisoners into order, but not killing them, it seemed. Star glanced back at the other two, making her choice known with a silent glance at the others. Night shuffled his hooves. "Well, I guess. Just, try to stay hidden." He slid into a shadow nearby, lifting his head.
"Apologies." The head guard nodded to the townsfolks. "We'll be on our way in the morning. This sorry lot has to be fed and houses until then, and we'll be on our way."
"Right. If they cause problems, you'll answer for it," replied the town guard.
The lead guard waved a hoof. "Just be sure that you're not causing us problems. You wouldn't want that now, would you?"
Star ducked as the two leaders passed by, letting them trot right by. A smaller pony appeared, catching the two by surprise. The new foal sneered at the Eclipse Born. "Hiding? You should! Those guards'll arrest you and take you off with the others, I bet."
Night snorted at her. "Right. Good thing the town guard won't let that happen."
"Not good enough!" the other filly said with a laugh. "They won't protect you all the time!"
"What's this?" One of the guards came over, drawn by the loud argument.
Star trembled. She could see the coldness of the mare's armor, and remembered what ma had said about these ponies. "Sorry! Just heading home." She began to creep away from the guard.
The guard nodded at Star, eyes on the louder new foal. "Is there a problem?"
"No sir," she said innocently.
Star scurried away from the scene as quickly as possible, leaving the others behind. Her mind raced in circles trying to imagine the terrible things that would come to pass. She arrived at home and slammed the door shut, just to have it burst open, throwing her forward to the ground. The others of the group rushed in behind her.
They saw that Star was upset. "Uh, I can tell what happened next was very funny?" Dawn tried.
"No!" Star rubbed her muzzle, wincing at a bruise she felt growing on there.
Night put an arm over head. "Sorry. Can I help?"
"It's fine." Star rubbed at her muzzle again. "Let's not be arrested."
"Yeah, you heard Mom," Dawn murmured.
Night grunted and rolled onto his side. "You know, Mom would hate seeing us get hurt like that. What are we gonna do?"
Star shook her head. "I don't know. What is going on out there? Why are so many ponies being taken away?"
The two boys looked to one another, having no answers.
Star sat up. "They're bad ponies, or they say they're bad." She swallowed thickly, pointing at herself with a shaking hoof. "That pony said we 're bad ponies!"
The others grew concerned at this, and Night threw his hooves up in frustration. "That's why you ran back here? Because of her? She doesn't know anything about you!"
"But..."
Night put his hooves on her shoulders. "But nothing. We are not bad. We are good." He pressed his forehead to hers. "We may be dark, but we're not bad."
She blushed at the closeness, though her ears flicked in uncertainty. "Right. Yeah."
Dawn stood up on his hindlegs, tapping Night's shoulder. "Uh. Shouldn't we figure out how to prove this?" He dropped to his haunches. "We should do something good, really good, so ponies will know, for sure, how great we are."
"Well, what kind of good can we do?" Star asked, a smile beginning to appear.
The boys exchanged looks and shrugged, neither of them really knowing the answer.
The door opened anew, their mom entering with saddlebags filled with groceries. "Oh, you're right here. Such good foals." She paused, seeing them huddled together with nervous expressions. "Are you scared? There's nothin' to be afraid of. Everythin' is goin' to be okay."
Dawn smiled as bright as he could. "Momma, if we wanted to show the town how nice we are, what'd be the best way?"
"Hm." Miss Sweep jumped up onto her rocking chair, folding her legs beneath her body. "The mayor has a barn-raising contest tomorrow. First time the town comes together for somethin' big since ya got here."
The group shared glances with silent thoughts of how they could help.
"How big is this?" Night asked, giving their mother a smile.
"Biggest. We raise barns for a season, ta get ready for winter. An' we have plenty of food stored, of course." Ma pointed to her bulging saddlebags. "Now be good and help get that all put away. It'll turn into your dinners often enough."
Dawn gasped excitedly as he flew over, grabbing a bag and darting for the kitchen to start sorting everything out.
The next morning, all the young ponies of their town lined up in the town center. Guards walked by, glaring down the row. "We're missing one," hissed out the head guard. "One of our prisoners. We think they're hiding, somewhere in this town."
The ponies didn't say a word, each glancing sideways to their neighbors to see if they were about to speak up.
"You," a guard picked out Dawn, prodding him roughly with a sword. "What do you know, foal?"
"N-n-nothing." Dawn shrank down, trying to escape the glare of the guard.
Night spoke up immediately. "He's innocent. He hasn't done anything wrong." He turned his nose up at the guards.
The guard scoffed at Night. "Look at you." He turned away sharply. "I will not tolerate dissent! And if it means imprisoning every last one of you, then so be it!"
At that moment, Star made herself known. "Sir." The crowd turned to stare at the unicorn. "I saw them walking around just moments ago." She gestured with a hoof at one of the buildings. "That way."
The guards perked up and trotted in the direction Star had indicated.
Night stared at Star in amazement. "Why did you tell them that?" he whispered when she trotted over to them. "Did you even see anything?"
Star snorted, waving them along after her as the guards searched for their escaped prisoner. "Of course not." That part she kept quiet, between herself and the others in the group.
They met the others as the sun was dipping low beyond the horizon. Mayor Honey Drop had given a speech earlier in the day, explaining to everyone in town just how important this barn was. It was hard keeping the townsponies focused with the guards still searching for the missing prisoner.
Mayor Honey Drop came up to speak to the workers personally. "Good job so far!" She grinned wide. "Keep it up, everypony! We got us a brand new building by the end of today!"
Wanting to take part, the Eclipse Born darted around, helping fetch things or put things away as needed. They were all a bit small for the heavy work. Still, there was the occasional plank to set in place, or tools to hold ready. Even if it didn't really feel like helping, they made themselves available as able-bodied assistants.
They worked in harmony, despite their doubts. The Eclipse Born couldn't really see how much the villagers needed them working together like that. They hadn't been able to watch themselves grow closer over the days, nor had they paid attention to the subtle shifts of approval that came from the other townsponies.
Not that this stopped the other foals. As Star carried a bucked of nails, a colt crashed into her, sending the nails flying. He stood up with a laugh, calling out, "Serves you right, freak." He trotted off, grinning mischievously.
Night ran over to Star to help her up. "You okay? What a jerk." He helped pick up some of the fallen nails. "Can't believe ponies like him."
Star sighed softly. "I don't understand."
Dawn fluttered over, landing with his share of tools. "Neither do I. Um, but we should keep trying."
The group picked themselves up, dusting off. A new pony appeared as they began collecting tools.
"I'm really sorry about him," said the new foal.
The group glanced at one another, suspicious.
The new foal smiled, perhaps trying to be disarming. "I've seen you all helping all day long. I just thought you'd appreciate some extra hooves?" Without waiting for their approval, she bent down and started scooping up pieces of wood and tools. "My name's Merry Mule. I moved into town a few days ago."
Despite her name, she was clearly an earth pony, not a mule. She was also, well, merry. The girl positively exuded happiness.
Merry hummed happily to herself while she continued working. "I can't help but notice how helpful you all are." She passed a hammer to an adult. "You're as bright as your pelts are dark!"
Dawn smiled at that. "Thanks!"
The others made noises of agreement. Night moved a beam into place, straining himself. He let out a whuff of air as soon as that weight was gone from his shoulders. "Think it'd be more interesting to do this ourselves?"
Merry laughed at the idea. "We're too small for that." She waved it away. "But we can help the 'dults get it done!" She leaned in closer. "You hear about that escaped convict?!"
"The one they've been hunting?" Star asked with a tilt of her head.
The pony gave her a grin, leaning in close with wide eyes. "Do you know what crime they committed?! Now, just a rumor, but I heard they set a fire or two!" The thought chilled them. Fires in a peaceful land like Equestria always spelled trouble. "Worse yet, the reason they went wild is that they supported Luna!"
A trio of shivers passed over them.
Author's Note
I already like Merry.
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It had finally begun to calm down, and as the barn rose ever higher, the three were able to find some respite.
Merry trotted beside Dawn, talking with him cheerily. Star glanced over her shoulder, seeing them in deep discussion together. She looked to the darkening sky with a muted yawn. "It's been a long long day!" she mumbled.
Night nudged her with a smile. "Yeah. It has. We helped out, though."
Star sighed and looked back out towards the town. The guards continued to walk around, seeming restless despite the late hour. "We did, hope it helped us too."
Night circled in front of her. "We can't help ponies just to get something. That's a little, um." He fished for the word, but couldn't find it. "It's not right."
"I know." Star sighed. "Still, I'm tired of being judged."
He put a hoof under her chin. "I'm not judging."
Star blushed, looking into his eyes. "Um, yeah, well. We're on the same side, silly."
Behind them, Dawn slid in closer to Merry. "It's really nice running into you today. It feels like everypony's got something they're upset about."
Merry shrugged. "Yeah. It's, well." She looked back at the group of ponies moving around to make the last few adjustments on the barn. "At least we finished with that."
"Yea." Dawn rubbed behind his head. "We're alike." Merry looked at him quizzically. "Ponies get on both our cases, um. Wanna see something?"
"Well, sure?" Merry smiled. "Show me."
Dawn closed his eyes and focused on his magic. With a dark flash, he turned into the familiar form of a bat pony.
Merry stared, but didn't run.
Star was on Dawn an instant latter, swatting them about the shoulders. "We're in public," she hissed. "You wanna get beat up?!"
"Ow! Hey! Quit it!" Dawn covered their head with their wings.
Night tried to pull Star away. "Hey, calm down!"
"They don't need you defending them, Night. I can handle myself just fine!" Dawn shot back.
Merry looked between the others with a blush on her cheeks. "I think it's cute."
All of them stared at Merry, dumbstruck a moment. In the surprise, Dawn returned to their pegasus form.
"You like that?" Star pointed at where Dawn had been, mouth open wide.
Merry shrugged and blushed. "I just don't see any reason for them to change."
Night grinned. "Finally. Another pony who gets it. What are we gonna do with you two?" He looked at Star, shaking his head.
"I'm gonna go home." She lifted her nose into the air and began marching away.
Dawn shrank a little. "I didn't mean to, um, tell her I'm sorry, please."
Night nudged in. "Tell her yourself. Merry, we should all head home. Long day and all."
Merry nodded. "Alright! See ya!" She darted off. "And thanks again!"
When Night returned, he found Star in a corner of their shared room, curled up. "You can come out now. Nopony's mad at you or nothin'." He leaned down, placing his hooves on Star's shoulders. "We knew we needed to be careful, right?"
"Yeah." Star peeked up at him, sniffled. "I'm sorry, I got scared. It was so public, and he looked so..."
"I know." Night gave her a quick hug. "I know. He feels bad, but he still did a stupid thing."
Star nodded, rubbing her eyes a little with her hooves. "So, the town should like us now?"
Night shrugged. "Maybe? I think they're just, um, they're just tired from all the work and worry." He nestled in with her. "I doubt they love us now. We helped because we wanted to. Let's be happy there's a new barn. It was kind of neat, right?"
"Yeah. It was." Star curled around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It was nice."
"Good." Night leaned into her. "Because, honestly, it was fun."
"It was." Star closed her eyes. "You're really good at finding gems, you know that?"
"Thanks." Night smiled, rubbing his head on hers. "I just want to do good for ponies." He yawned suddenly. "No starwatching tonight. I'm so tired."
Star nodded, nestling into him with a yawn. "Night night."
***
The next morning came. Star peeked open an eye and looked down at Night. The colt was sleeping soundly with his hoof wrapped around her. Star let out the softest of sighs and slid off the bed. She stretched out with a little grunt, then trotted out to the main living area with a smile. The smell of fresh apple pie was on the air.
"Ma?" Star peeked into the kitchen. "Are you up already?"
"Of course I am, child." Ma wiped some sweat from her brow as she slid a fresh pie out of the oven. "You were all out most of yesterday. What were the lot of ya so busy wit'?"
"We were helping." Dawn trotted in, glancing over the food cooking there. "We worked all day to help put up a barn!"
Ma turned back to the stove as she replied, "Good fer ya. That barn needed raisin', glad it got done." She turned back for the oven. "Breakfast'll be ready soon."
Star smiled at her mother's back, tail swishing a little from side to side.
Dawn went over to the pantry, looking at what was in stock, and helping himself to some oats for a bowl of cereal. A hoof bonked him lightly on the head on the way out. "Jus' said food's comin', show some patience."
Star giggled, but poured herself a glass of juice.
Breakfast came and went. Dawn nibbled the last bits from his bowl. Night, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, stared at his food before taking a bite. "What are we doing today?" They took a fresh bite, perking up as they devoured breakfast. "Maybe we should find Merry?"
Night shrugged as he chewed. He took a sip to clean up his mouth before replying, "Sounds like a plan to me. Maybe we'll make a few more friends this time."
Ma sat back and folded her arms. "Figures. Of all the creatures, y'all went an' decided to make friends with the other outcast? That ain't gonna get ya more friends."
"We don't care about that," Star shot back. "Besides, if ponies don't want us for being us, they can stay away."
Ma looked at them, clearly not agreeing. "That's all fine'n'dandy. Just don't come cryin' to me when yer feelin' lonely. I can't be everythin' for ya."
Despite her words, the group set out at a lively trot onto the road outside. They went from house to house in search of the pony they'd met yesterday. After some searching, they finally located Merry.
They knocked on the door.
A moment later it swung open. A tall, burly pony opened the door, looking down at the group of fillies and colt with a raised brow. "Merry? Think these're the friends you mentioned?" He stepped to the side.
Merry popped out a moment later with a big smile. "That's my dad! Isn't he big?" She hopped out with a laugh. "Gives good hugs too."
"You don't get in any trouble." Her dad closed the door without returning to sight.
Night looked at Merry curiously. "He's kinda scary."
The group turned and started trotting, moving down the road a little.
"Maybe, but he's nice. Always has been." Merry smiled as she looked aside at the others. "You should know better than to judge ponies just on their outsides like that."
They all blushed at having the lesson turned about on them. Night cleared his throat. "So, where are we heading?"
"We could play tag in the fields?" Dawn suggested. She flapped her wings excitedly. "I'd be real good at that!"
"I'm sure you would." Merry moved in to bump against him. "But no flying. That's hardly fair for the rest of us."
"Come on, I can do a little!" Dawn flapped her wings for emphasis. "Just to make things more even?"
Merry nodded. "Uh huh. So what else are we doing?" She perked with a sudden notion. "Why don't we help. You all like helpin' ponies out. This time, we can help the guards."
"Help them?" Night shook his head. "I'm not helping somepony who wants us locked away."
"Not that kind of help." Merry gestured at the nearby buildings. "We can go searching for that prisoner, so they won't have to."
Dawn frowned thoughtfully. "If we found them, that'd be big news. Everypony would know we're good ponies if we did that." She turned to the others, smiling a little. "I bet momma would be proud of us for that."
Night grunted and looked down.
Star shook herself out in her steps. "That sounds a little dangerous, but if we did it." She trailed off on that last part, imagining it all.
Dawn blushed and nodded. "Yeah! If we could, we'd be famous!"
"We'd be heroes." Merry smiled at that.
"We have to do this," Dawn said firmly.
Night threw a hoof. "Fine, fine! Since you're all so set on this."
Merry giggled. "That's the spirit! Let's get out there and find ourselves a criminal!"
They marched through the town, heading down the street. The Eclipse Born had to be quick about moving around all the adults walking by. They didn't have time for foals getting underhoof, and odd foals even less.
Soon, they found themselves on a side road heading out towards the woods. The road was dusty from disuse. It didn't help that ponies avoided the area as much as possible on account of being a little spooked by what lay beyond.
Night stepped ahead of them, tapping at his head. "You'd all be lost without me. Watch!" His horn glowed as he wove a spell into being, thin laser lights firing out in all directions a moment. "Let's find who doesn't want to be found." He smirked and led the way. "This way!"
The four foals dove into the forest and began walking in the direction the beam had pointed. Night pushed bushes aside for the others, helping them find their way through. Merry advanced to the front, proving she could take care of things in the way faster with her bulk. "Real kind of you, but focus on that magic of yours. Make sure we don't get lost."
Star laughed. "No doubt about it. Night always gets us where we're going, no matter what." She reached over and rubbed his head. "Did you teach yourself all your magic?"
Night wrinkled his face at that. "Of course I did! Who else was gonna teach me?" He pointed to the left. "That way."
Dawn flitted about from bush to bush, exploring around as she followed. "I wanna learn some magic too."
"Magic's for unicorns." Merry gave Dawn a playful shove. "You should learn to be the best pegasus you can be. Or that other thing. What was that other thing you turned into?"
Dawn looked aside with a blush. "Um, well, I can also turn into a bat pony. We all have different gifts."
"Oh, well, that's neat. I'd like to see that sometime." Merry hastened towards a shack ahead of them.
"Maybe," Dawn said with a little smile.
Night held up a hoof. "Don't go rushing in there." It came out in a warning hiss as he backed towards some cover. "Could be dangerous in there."
Merry slid into a hiding spot beside Night. "You're being awfully quiet. What do you think is in there?"
Star and Dawn ducked down beside them.
"Trouble." Night stopped his magic. "Trouble we have to catch, without getting hurt."
Author's Note
This should be easy, right?
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The group of four crouched in the grass, staring at the shack from a good distance away. The door swung open with an ominous creak. From inside, a mare stepped out. She looked worn down, like she was half dead already. She looked around nervously, as if even the grass around her wasn't exempt from concern. Anything could attack her, and she seemed to be preparing herself for it. Only when she was sure did she take quick, frightful dashes of steps around her shack towards a worn down well that used to service it.
Night looked from one to another. "Let's go," he whispered. He pushed the grass aside, lifting off his front hooves. "Come on!"
Merry put a hoof on his shoulder. "I was expecting a bad pony, not—" She waved a hoof slowly at the skulking and defeated pony. "that. I feel like we're just picking on her."
The mare took some water into a cup, and sipped it.
Dawn watched the mare carefully, frowning at the way she moved, and how she acted so scared of everything around her. "If she was in jail, and expects somepony to come catch her, that explains a lot of it."
Star grumbled under her breath. "We should still go grab her."
"Why?" Merry said with a shake of her head. "She doesn't seem dangerous, and she's just getting a drink." She gestured at the nearby well with a hoof. "Ponies are allowed to do that."
Night groaned at her. "You have a point. A really good one." He pointed at her. "Let me think."
Star nodded and crossed her legs. She settled into a sitting pose, staring at the shack in the woods. The mare returned inside, closing the door with care. She had looked around cautiously before returning. "I say we talk to her, and ask her why she was put in prison. If it was for a good reason, then we grab her."
Merry shook her head. "We shouldn't ask her anything. It'll be too obvious at that point."
Night grunted in frustration. "It's not the easy way." He took a slower breath. "But we don't live the easy way." He looked over to Dawn, who was staring intently at the house.
"Uh, Dawn, what are you doing?" Night asked.
Dawn blinked and turned away from the house. "I've been trying to listen to her in there." He pointed towards the shack. "She's whispering, to herself I think."
"Something scary?" Merry leaned in, squinting at the shack.
"I don't know." They shivered. "I only hear little snips and snatches of things." Their ears twitched as they concentrated on the noises inside.
Night stepped forward. "We'll find out. Let's turn down the lights."
Star nodded and her horn glowed. Darkness seeped out, spreading around them. It crept across the grass like a slow wave. When it reached the house, it began creeping up the sides of the walls and roof.
When it was all dark, Night closed the distance to the door at an easy trot and knocked on it directly. "Miss?" He backed up in a dart a few feet away.
A moment later, the door creaked open with a slow swing. The mare peeked her head out, glancing left then right.
"I think she can't see us," said Star in a low whisper.
Night nodded. "That was the idea. Miss? Sorry to bother you, but we have a question. Why were you put in prison?"
The mare stared off into the darkness. She shuddered quietly before looking down at herself. "I'll tell ya, I guess, if yer goan' to stand around and ask things." She sank miserably. "Inner beasts don't always come out like that. Musta ate somethin'."
"We, well," Night stammered. He turned away, thinking hard on it.
Dawn stepped closer. "Miss, are you really so dangerous? Is there something we should be afraid of?"
The mare let out a slow breath, head hanging down. "Maybe ya should be."
Star gasped softly at the response.
Night stood his ground. "What did you do? Why are the guards chasing after you?"
"I tried killin' somepony." She laughed bitterly. "Almost worked, jus' got me thrown away."
Night scowled, pointing at her. "She's a bad pony. Let's get her," he whispered to his co-conspirators.
The mare looked around wildly. "Who was that?! Who said that?" Her eyes narrowed as she focused on them, even though she couldn't really see. "Are you the voice? Are ya the voice in ma head, come to take me?"
Merry didn't look confident entirely, but didn't back away either. With a sudden grunt, she charged forward, crashing right into the mare. Both went tumbling, the mare weaker than she even looked.
Star and Dawn rushed in with ropes, wrapping the mare up.
She tried to flee, thrashing. "I'm dangerous! Leave me alone!" she screeched at the top of her lungs, throwing herself around as much as she could. But the gang of foals proved to be more than enough to handle her weakened form. The darkness faded, no longer being concentrated on, and returning sight to the mare and Merry.
Night pointed at the mare with a smile. "Alright! We got a bad guy, so now we just need to get her back to town." He turned around and looked back the way they had come, then back to her. "We'll work together."
With Merry on one side and Night on the other, they hefted up the mare, quietly sobbing, onto their shared backs.
Dawn fluttered overhead. Star brought up the rear of the group.
"This will show everypony," Dawn smiled with clear victory.
***
They didn't get to where they were planning. The guards spotted them long before then, rushing up. "Who's that?" asked one as they closed the distance. Able to examine her properly, he gasped, lowering his spear. "That's one of the escapees!"
"Good job little foals," said another guard. He looked at them with a bright smile, lifting up the mare. "We'll handle this one."
"Please don't hurt her!" Merry stepped forward, looking nervous for the mare she'd just helped capture. "She's not dangerous."
The guard shook his head. "We won't hurt her. She has a jailcell with her name waiting for her. Tell us your names, little ones."
The group introduced themselves one by one.
"Well, that's very interesting. We'll be sure to let Princess Celestia know how helpful you've been."
"So, when will she be coming?" Dawn fluttered in front of the guard, looking him in the eyes.
The guard gently pushed her back. "I can't say with certainty when she'll visit a specific little town like this. We are guards, not her schedule-makers."
"Secretary?" asked the other, inspecting the mare's ropes. "We sure ain't one of those."
The foals looked at one another, smiling with excitement and pride. They'd done something good for the town and proven they were heroes.
As the guards moved off with their captured prisoner, Star turned to the other foals with a pleased expression. "See, we helped." A thought came to her, causing a frown. "But why didn't she look dangerous? She looked sick and weak."
Merry shrugged. "Maybe she was just pretending?" She didn't look so convinced by that. "I don't think it's that simple."
"We should tell the town about this." Night bounced with clear energy. "Everypony'll want to hear how we saved them from a bad pony."
"Right!" The other three cheered in unison with their approval.
The group of foals parted ways as they stepped out, going in different directions to spread the word about what they'd done. Some of the adults nodded along with their words, while others looked doubtful. It didn't matter. They'd gotten some attention, and a few ponies who didn't believe them went to check with the guards and ask if that really happened.
As they met up again at Miss Sweep's house, the foals were practically bouncing with energy and pride. Dawn pointed a wing at the house. "Come inside, Merry. We'd love to introduce you to our mom. She's really nice."
Merry nodded and followed the group inside.
"Miss Sweep?" Star peeked in slowly. "I don't think she's here." She lifted her head and called for their mother once more.
"I was taking a nap." Sweep walked in at a casual pace, yawning. "Oh." She stopped, spotting Merry. "Look at this. You all made a new friend?" Her voice had a twinge of both surprise and pleasure to it. She leaned down to get a closer look at Merry, who blushed lightly. "Ain't you cute? I'm Miss Sweep." She hurried right past towards the kitchen. "Let me get something for your bellies."
The foals all followed Miss Sweep into the kitchen. The instant they got in there, she started pulling out ingredients and setting them up on the counter.
"You don't have to go to any trouble," Merry said shyly, looking over at the other foals.
Night snickered softly. "You can't stop her once she gets cooking, and it's always worth it." He opened up a drawer to reveal stacks of recipes. "She likes making treats. It's basically all we eat."
Merry raised an eyebrow. "That sounds a little unhealthy."
Sweets looked over her shoulder. "They're layin' it on thick. They get three square meals and a few snacks at times. Don't ya worry about them."
As they spoke, Miss Sweep started humming to herself, putting together the first of the treats she planned to serve.
Merry stepped up beside Night. "So, your momma seems real nice."
Night whirled towards her. "She's the best. Um, she's not our mom mom, but she took us in, and that makes her even nicer." He smiled warmly. "She's like the mom we all wished we had."
Star nodded slowly. She looked down at her hooves. "Our parents didn't really like us. They were scared." She sighed with distant memories. "But Miss Sweep does, and we love her back."
"Aw." Sweep placed a bowl of easily grabbed yummies down on the table. "Nice to hear that once in a while." Food out of her hooves, she grabbed up her foals for a good hug. She held them close, kissing each on the cheeks. "So sweet! And I love you all back."
The foals blushed as one at those warm words, squirming only a little bit in her grip.
Merry giggled at the sight. "I'm glad you have a good family. My family's nice too. Different than yours, but nice." She smiled brightly, taking up a bit of food to nibble on.
Dawn flitted about the room as he nibbled on a cookie from the bowl. "It'd be really neat if we could find more ponies like us."
Night raised a doubting brow. "I don't think there are more Eclipse Born. We're lucky we found each other." He looked down thoughtfully for a moment, trying to remember something. "I don't think any other town is supposed to have ponies like us."
"I know." Dawn shook his head, looking down.
Merry cleared her throat softly. "What's an 'Eclipse Born', anyway?"
Dawn looked to her with surprise, then to his siblings, who all seemed equally shocked. "How do you not know about Eclipse Born?" He shook his head. "Um, well, they're born under an eclipse." He nodded quickly. "The special one. We were born at just the right time, or wrong time, depending on who you ask."
Star waved a hoof. "Ponies think that means we're bad. But it just means we're different."
Night nodded in agreement, shuffling over to sit next to her. "We don't have anything wrong with us. Some of us can do odd things. I just like magic, and that isn't that strange, um, is it?"
"It's not," Dawn agreed with a nod.
"Not one bit." Star smiled at Night. "I'm glad you like magic. It suits you."
"Right?!" Dawn fluttered up into the air again.
Merry sat back, looking from one of them to the other as they talked. "You made that dark. That was, um, unusual. I couldn't see, but you all acted like you could."
The others exchanged looks.
"We could," Dawn answered with a nod.
"How?" Merry leaned over, looking curious.
"Easy. We can all see in the dark, because we're Eclipse Born," Night said simply, as if that was a complete answer. "Oh, oops, guess I do have one small odd thing." He laughed with obvious tension, glancing away.
"Neat." Merry looked far more intrigued than scared by it. "What can—"
Dawn landed before her, wings turned into leathery bat wings and the rest of him changed with it, a bat pony instead of a pegasus. "I can do this."
Merry stared at Dawn, eyes wide. "Whoa. What else can you turn into? Oh, what about flying? Are your wings stronger like that? Or—"
Dawn laughed, looking pleased at the attention. "It's different. My ears are more sensitive when I'm like this. My wings aren't stronger, but I can do sharper turns. It feels a bit different, and oh, I can do this." They squeaked like a squeezed toy as they flitted around in a circle.
Merry watched with delight as they talked. "Can I touch your wing?" She reached up, carefully touching the base of it. He didn't resist as she explored curiously. "Wow. I never saw a pony with wings like this." She looked him in the eyes. "You look so different, but not in a bad way."
Dawn blushed lightly, glancing away with a shy smile. "Thanks. I don't use it often, though." He returned to his normal pegasus form, wings feathery instead of leather.
"I can't believe it," she murmured, looking down. "So, what can you two do? Night can cast spells that are a little unusual, and Dawn turns into a bat pony. That leaves Star."
Star blushed faintly, looking at Night. "I don't have anything as neat as them. You already saw mine. I'm the pony that made all that dark, so we could talk to that mare."
Night nodded quickly, looking over at Star. He spoke with clear conviction. "It's really neat!" He pointed a hoof up towards the ceiling. "She's great with her magic."
Star shook her head furiously. "Not nearly as good as you! Darkness is my main 'spell' and I don't even think it's really a spell."
"Sure it is." Night stepped over, hugging her gently with a wing. "I know you don't think of yourself like that, but we both work real hard. You just haven't figured yours out yet."
Star wrinkled her snout. "There's not much to figure out. I do it, and things get dark. Isn't that it?"
Night put his hoof around Star. "You can do a lot more with your magic if you just let it be a part of yourself." He tapped his head with his free hoof. "Think about it. Right now, you just make you and everything around you dark, but what if you could make specific things dark."
He moved in aside Merry. "If you made it dark just around Merry, she couldn't see. We wouldn't do that to Merry, but somepony we wanted to not see?"
"Oh." Star smiled warmly, her cheeks reddening from the attention. "You really believe in me. Thank you, Night. But how would I make it do that?"
Night reached out one wing, which had become a bat wing despite his other still being a feathery pegasus one. "Like this. At first, I could only do all of it at once, but I practiced and got better control, slowly."
Star stared at him with confusion, then down at herself. "So, I need to imagine my magic only happening in one place?"
"Try it," Night said simply.
She turned her focus towards Merry, closing her eyes. "Is it okay, Merry? I don't want to scare you."
Merry laughed and shook her head. "It's just a little darkness." She spread her hooves out. "Do it, Star."
Star nodded and closed her eyes. She concentrated, her horn glowing as she tried to guide the darkness to just Merry.
The darkness came, but it was a floating ball just between them, floating harmlessly there.
Merry inclined her head at it. "Close."
Star opened her eyes to see what she had done. "Oh, but, wow! That means I can do it." She applauded despite her failure to blind Merry. "I'm going to have to practice a lot more." She clapped her hooves. "I'll save that for later."
Merry nodded, looking from one to the other. "That's real cool you all have these gifts." She looked at each of the foals, smiling. "I'm so glad we're friends now." She put a hoof to her cheek. "But I don't have any of that. I'm just a pony. A little strong for my age, but that's about it."
Dawn shook her head. "It's nice having somepony normal around. I mean—" She blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Um, I didn't mean it that way."
Night closed in on Merry's side, leaning against her a little. "You don't need to be anything but what you already are, which is great."
She gave him a hug, nuzzling gently into him. "Thanks. That means a lot." She looked down as she spoke, then up and around at them all again, a smile on her lips. "You're a lot nicer than some of the whispers I heard. I knew they were a bunch of nonsense anyway."
Author's Note
They did the thing! Now everyone will love them, right? Merry seems to like them at least.
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After spending the night at Miss Sweep's home, Merry headed out early in the morning to find her father. The door was open and light spilled out into the early hours. The sky above was painted with hues of pink and gold, while the sun hid just beyond the horizon.
The Eclipse Born all had a rough night of sleep. Star was the last one up. She walked over to the door and peeked out. "Do you think it worked?"
Sweep leaned in over her. "Do you think what worked?"
Star jumped in surprise at her mother's presence. "Oh! Um."
Night and Dawn looked up at them from their bowls.
Dawn swallowed what he already had. "We caught a criminal." He looked around before continuing, "And we hoped it'd get the town to treat us better."
Sweep shook her head. "Y'all coulda got hurt! Ain't worth chasin' no ne're do wells just to make grumpy ponies happy. If any of ya got hurt, ah'd be broken-hearted."
"Sorry," Dawn muttered, looking down.
Star rubbed gently against Sweep. "We did it for you too. We want to be able to go around town, but ponies don't even want to sell us stuff."
Sweep looked between her foals with concern etched deep into her face. She dropped a bit lower and gathered up Star into her arms. "Ah 'ppreciate the idea, ah really do. But if ah had to pick 'tween you gettin' hurt or a hundred moons of their back talkin', I'll take the back talking. You're all okay, right?"
"We're okay," Night assured her.
Dawn nodded along with Night. "We found her house and went in, and she was nice." He paused. "But also kinda not? She seemed afraid."
"Who?" Sweep set Star down. "Who're you talkin'—Oh! The fugitive?" She draw a soft hiss of a breath. "Best to put her words clear of your little heads. Can't be listenin' to criminals. They'll tell all sorts of lies."
Dawn shrugged at that. "I don't see how she could have hurt us."
Sweep shivered, glancing aside. "Y'all took a mighty big risk. Now, get ready fer the day, which won't include no not one bit of huntin' fer bad ponies, ya hear?"
"Yes, Miss Sweep." They chorused as one.
Night smiled up at her, then moved to finish his breakfast.
Star watched them, but looked away with a frown on her lips. "Miss Sweep?" Sweep looked over. "What if they send somepony to catch us, like we did?"
Sweep let the near silence draw out as the others went about their morning routines. "Ah'd stand in their way." She put a hoof to her chest. "Ah'd be the mare y'all done caught, standing in the way." She shivered at the thought. "Enough of that! Get movin'!"
The foals finished getting ready and headed out. Dawn flitted ahead of the others. "What do you think we should do today? We've got all this free time. Where's Merry live again?"
Night snickered softly. "That eager to see her again?"
"Yeah?" Dawn landed, trotting backwards to face them. "Why wouldn't I be? She's nice!"
Star nodded with a smile. "I'm glad you made a new friend."
Dawn blushed lightly. "Thanks." She glanced around as they reached the town proper, looking over the houses.
A pony pointed at them, a thing they'd learned to notice quickly. It was a guard pony, and several were approaching. They glanced around, taking stock of possible escape routes, but held their ground.
One of the guards approached the foals with a calm look on his face. "You're all the little ones that captured the fugitive?" He paused and looked at each one. "I'm sorry to say we don't have any awards, but I appreciate what you did. Good deeds deserve something." He tapped a hoof on the ground. "Let me ask, what is it you small lot were hoping for?"
Star stared at him a moment. "We wanted ponies to stop being so mean to us."
The guard snorted with amusement. He looked over them again. "You want to be accepted, but what you really did wasn't for the town." He waved a hoof over them. "You did a service for Equestria, as a whole. Best I can do is make sure the mayor knows what brave little foals you were."
The group glanced among one another.
"Does that mean you'll make ponies be nicer?" asked Dawn. He looked over the guards hopefully, wings twitching at his sides.
"Unfortunately," he began with a sigh, "the mayor has no control over how his citizenry thinks, nor do I. It's not against the law to not like a pony, and I'm an enforcer of those laws." He nodded with the severity meant by it. "Keep on doing the right thing, and ponies will come around in time."
The foals glanced among themselves, but didn't say anything more to that. They watched as the guards left, walking back to the other side of town. The town didn't seem much different to them.
"Well, um," said Merry from behind.
The foals looked around to see Merry standing there. "Morning." She nodded to them with a bright smile. "Pa was mad at me 'playing guard', but we did it in the end." She joined them at a trot. "So, what do you all do for fun around here?"
Dawn bounced on his hooves. "Lots of things!"
Night snorted. "We could go swimming."
Merry grabbed Night and Dawn and mashed them together. "Why aren't you all at school?"
Dawn squirmed a bit against her, but didn't pull away. "We don't go. The teachers don't want us, and the students are scared of us."
"That's awful!" Merry released them, just to cross her arms. "Well, you're heroes now. They can't keep you out. I should go to class, and I want my friends with me."
Star smiled and nudged her playfully. "You've been here one day."
"Yeah? You all seem nicer than most of them." She waved around. "You don't talk behind my back." Merry turned for where class was held. "C'mon. If they don't let you go, I'll go with you wherever you want to be, but we have to at least try, right?"
Dawn nodded in agreement as he fluttered at her side. "Right! The teacher's gonna have to be a lot nicer after what happened yesterday."
Star and Night fell into their wake, walking behind.
Night leaned in towards Star. "What if it doesn't work?"
Star shrugged. "I dunno, then we go with Merry and find something more fun to do."
The group of them seemed to agree with a little cheer as they sped up towards the tiny building that served as the community's schoolhouse. It was run by volunteer teachers who were usually older ponies, or ones that simply had time to spare.
As the group of foals approached, they found the door was shut. Merry tried to open it, but it didn't give. She went for knocking on it instead. It was quiet a long moment before it cracked open and a snout poked out.
The elderly stallion looked down at the lot of them. "What? More of ya? Get in here." He backed up, the door opening wide. "We're already busy. Get to yer seats!" Not that the tiny town had proper school desks, just a bunch of foals gathered in a semi-circle facing their teacher of the day.
Merry pointed at the others, who were standing together nervously. "They're with me! I want them in class with me."
The stallion snorted at the idea. "I don't care where you sit, jus' sit!" He huffed as the lot of them got inside and he closed the door behind them. "Now, as ah was sayin'! You gotta be extra careful when you go plantin' things. Most things wanna go in spring, but some don't." He tapped a pointer held in his mouth at the black board. "See these? Spring. These? Fall. And these." He pointed to the smallest list. "Right in the cold of winter. Notice most of 'em are veggies. Ain't nothin' wrong with some veggies!"
Dawn nodded as he pulled out a bit of parchment from her bag. "We can learn this," she said as she took notes. "We can even grow something, so we have more money."
Star clapped gently. "We could have a garden. Miss Sweep'd be so proud."
"Shush!" The teacher hurled an eraser, not that it got anywhere close to them. "Next thing..." He moved along to the next subject.
Night leaned in towards Merry and lowered his voice. "Are we allowed to be here?" He glanced at the teacher, who was now explaining the importance of good manners.
Merry shrugged with a muted giggle. "Teacher didn't stop you. Take notes." She dug out her own pad and got a pencil in her snout to dutifully note down what the teacher was saying.
Night squirmed. "I don't have paper."
"You can share mine," Merry said with a nicker.
"Me three?" asked Dawn with a roll of her eyes. "We can pass it back and forth."
Merry put her note down where all their eyes could see what she was scribbling down busily. A crumpled wad of paper landed on it just moments later.
Looking up in a dart, Night caught one of the other students looking away as innocently as they could. He gave them a dirty look before going to remove the wad of paper.
When he unrolled it, he found it said, "Go back to where you came from." Night crumpled it back up and dropped it beside himself.
Fortunately, that was the only overt act, and they made it to lunch. "Break time." The older stallion unlocked and opened the door. "Got an hour. Be back and sitting in time for the rest of the day!" He called as several foals darted right by him.
Merry looked to her new friends, smiling. "I was planning to run home and fetch something." A look around showed many other foals were doing the same. Some had pails or bagged lunches they were working on. Others still just played.
The Eclipse Born looked around nervously, but no one approached or threw anything more than dirty looks. They gathered up tightly, like a small band of soldiers.
Night cleared his throat. "So, uh, how about we go get some lunch for all of us?"
Dawn nodded quickly. "Meet back here. We can eat it here, so we don't miss when things start up again."
They moved out from under the tree they'd been sitting at. It was only a stone's throw away from the schoolhouse itself, which sat in a field of grass just off the main street. Foals were already running about and playing with one another. After a brief dash, they scurried into their home to face a confused looking Sweep. "Y'all don't usually come in so eager-like. That hungry, or got into that much trouble?"
"No," said Night. "I guess you can say we're just really happy!" He turned to Star, then Dawn. "We got into class today, and we want to eat there so we don't miss anything."
Sweep clapped her hooves together. "Well ain't that somethin'! You jus' wait right there and Ah'll get something yummy to bring back to class." Humming joyfully, she got right to fixing up lunches to go for the whole crew of them. "That mean you'll be goin' everyday now?"
"That'd be great!" Night looked to Star, who nodded along with him. "Yeah. School could be kind of nice."
Dawn giggled as he flapped around. "If I knew it was gonna be like this, I'd have tried it before!" He folded his wings on landing and sank to his haunches. "We got the okay of the teacher. We just have to show the other foals we're alright."
"We can do that!" Star bounced a bit on her hooves as she watched Sweep with interest.
Sweep finished putting things into small containers and lined them up. "One fer each of ya." She passed them to eager little hooves, and one glowing horn. "Mind yer manners and learn some good thin's."
Night smiled brightly. "Thanks Ma!" they chorused together as one.
The Eclipse Born carried their lunches back to class with Merry. The grass field surrounding it was full of ponies eating or playing together, but there wasn't any groups around their tree, so they quickly reclaimed it and got to devouring the sammiches that their ma had prepared for them.
Merry chewed thoughtfully. "I've never had a school like this." She nibbled a little more, glancing at each of the Eclipse Born. "My pa's always traveling. You're lucky you can go to one place."
Night shook his head, about to say something when the sammich held between his magic went flying away, batted aside by the swat of a larger, scowling, foal.
She loomed over him with a sneer. "What are you Moon Freaks doing? You're supposed to stay away from school!"
Dawn jumped up onto his hooves. "We don't have to listen to you! Go away!" She backed up towards the tree behind them as she spoke.
"I think," said one of the fillies at her side, "we got a little colt who thinks he's all that."
"Do we now?" The large filly stepped forward towards Dawn, glaring with a feral grin at Dawn's shivering. "We'll have to teach him a lesson about how things work around here."
Author's Note
Things are heating up, and that was a waste of a good sammich, dang it.
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7 - Wrestling for Dominance
Night Glimmer's horn glowed with a promise. "Leave my friend alone!"
Dawn trembled as he stood up on his hooves. He tried not to cower under their stare, but his wings were shaking as well.
Star flinched at the sounds, looking up at the group of bullies around them. "None of you want to get in trouble. The teacher looked a bit grumpy."
The large filly shoved Star back. "Ugh, you're not wrong. But you're not right either. We'll settle this when school's out." She turned away from them. "C'mon."
"Wait up for us, Sally!" Her two cohorts trotted after her, both of them giggling with glee at what they had done.
Star shuddered, watching them leave. "We can't let them chase us out."
Merry snorted in their leaving direction. "Don't let them bother you none. If they wanna wrestle so bad, ah'll show 'em what's fer!" She flexed, looking away after the mean trio.
Dawn sat down with a sigh of relief. "Thanks Merry. I can fight my own battles." He looked down, frowning. "But I don't like fighting." He worried his hooves together. "Sorry you all had to see that."
Star poked at the side of her head, horn glowing gently. "We are the eclipse born. We don't abandon each other."
Dawn smiled nervously. "Not since that first one."
That struck them all quiet, except Merry. "What first one?" But they weren't ready to answer that.
When the teacher called, they rose to their hooves
***
The day passed in relative calm, though Night, Star, and Dawn all kept casting wary looks around them. They made it through their lessons without much incident. The teacher was calling a dismissal, and the three were walking out towards their tree again.
"There you are." Sally, that large filly, came marching up to cut them off. "School's out, that means we get to take care of things properly this time."
"Sorry. We have to go home." Star stepped around the foal, her head low as she walked away from Sally.
Sally snorted in her direction. "It'll be quick, I promise." She shoved into Star's side, almost knocking her over. "And I didn't say we were asking."
Star stumbled, but righted herself. She turned back to face the foals, backing away slowly. "I really think we should just all get along. We don't need to fight."
Dawn landed beside her, his wings twitching anxiously. "S-stop it."
"Make me." Sally pointed past Dawn. "Right there, by the old well. We'll have our privacy."
They were pushed along towards a small shack. It had been abandoned for a while now, though it still stood solid. Behind it was an old wooden well that looked like it might fall over at any moment.
Star leaned in towards the other. "Where'd Merry go?"
Night sighed as he circled, glaring at the hostile fillies. "She said her dad told her to get home right after school. She didn't stop the moment the class was ended."
Dawn rolled his ears back. "We're on our own."
Sally rolled her eyes at the sight. "You need some other pony to stand up for you, huh? What a scaredy-colt you are."
"I'm not scared," Dawn muttered quietly. He shuddered and looked away from her.
Sally snorted, stomping a hoof down. "Well then prove it!"
Dawn didn't hesitate, launching himself forward. It was hardly a very coordinated attack, more of a flailing of wings and hooves. She pushed through them and caught Dawn by the chest, slamming them down into the ground. With a pained wheeze, his breath left him.
Star charged Sally, head tucked in. She shoved hard against Sally, sending her tumbling off to the side.
"You're gonna regret that!" Sally got onto her hooves again quickly. Her face contorted with rage as she leapt back at Star.
"Dawn! Star! Where are the lot ah ya?" Ma Sweep's calls were impossible to miss, even over their fighting, and it was getting closer.
Sally sneered with a low laugh. "Saved by your nanny. Whatever. We'll finish this some other time. Girls, let's go." She turned around and marched off with the other two following on her heels.
Star hurried over to Dawn. "Are you okay?" She helped pull him back onto his hooves, but he was still winded.
Night scowled at the departing bullies. "You did good, Da—"
"There you are." Ma charged at them as she caught eye of them. "What are you doin' over here? That well's no good for nopony no more."
"We got chased over here." Night kicked a rock aside with a grumble.
Dawn shook himself free from Star. "It's nothing to worry about." He puffed out his chest, trying to look tough.
Sweep frowned at the sight of him, spotting a patch of ruffled feathers. She spread her arms. "Y'all come this way. Don't know what trouble yer gettin' yerself into, but it stops now." Taking no arguments, she ushered them away and towards home.
Dawn kept a tight smile on as he flew alongside the others. "Thanks for that. We're not hurt though, honest." He tried to sound cheerful, but his wings were drooping. His head was down as well, looking ashamed of himself.
"I can see it clear enough," Sweep said in a soft voice, nudging Dawn along. "Thought it was good, too good. Y'all gettin' in school without a lick ah trouble or nothin'." She let out a soft sigh. "Didja finish yer class?"
"Yeah, it went great!" Dawn smiled at her, landing on the ground again. "We learned about planting and good manners." His wings fluffed up and down. "But I wasn't paying enough attention."
Night snickered at that. "I took notes. You can read them when we get home."
Dawn landed on Night's back, hugging. "You're the best!"
Sweep looked at each one with concern clear in her gaze. "Well, don't let me stop you." She got out a carrot from her apron and started munching away. "Let me know if ya need anything. When we get home, already got dinner mostly done. Jus' gotta get it into bowls for the lot of you. Eat up, then finish any assignments yer teacher gave."
Star nodded at that. "I'm not sure what we'd have done without you, Miss Sweep." She smiled brightly as they made their way into their home. "I hope you're right about everything going better soon."
Sweet ruffled Star's head. "It's a new thing yer all doin'. Give it time. Just be patient and try to learn a few thin's while you're at it." She held the door open for them all to scurry in, the scent of fresh vegetable stew powerful with her blend of spices.
The foals settled down around their dining table, each with a bowl of hot veggie stew. Ma swept ladles out of the steaming pot with practiced ease, only stopping after each had one, and one for herself. "Eat up."
Dawn nibbled at his food, looking nervous still.
Star nudged into him, rocking her chair to do so. "We'll do better tomorrow, promise." She took a big slurp and regretted it, panting to calm the heat in her snout. "Ahh!"
Sweep giggled at that, patting her gently on the back. "Don't hurt yer mouths, now. I got dessert for y'all too."
Night smiled around his spoon at her. "You're the best, Ma." He turned an ear back. "Um, can I ask a question?"
"You sure can." Sweep took an easy sip from her bowl, not even bothering with a spoon. "What's on yer mind?"
Night set his spoon down. "How did you decide you were ready for us?"
Sweep smiled warmly, leaning back in her seat. "Well, I knew I wasn't ready. But I saw that you needed someplace to stay." She folded her arms over her chest. "And when a bunch of lonely foals give ya that look, don't know how the others even thought about sayin' no. So, pulled up my belt and gathered you all in out of the cold." Not that she was wearing a belt, but she made the motion as if she had been.
Dawn looked up from his bowl. "I'm glad you decided to do it."
"Me too!" said Star.
"Me three!" Night did a little happy wriggle in his seat. "I like it here, with you."
***
Celestia nodded as a guard scurried away. "Sister, you've left quite the mess for me." She kept half an ear on an advisor going into great detail about what was working and what wasn't throughout her nation.
"Your Majesty." A guard dropped into a bow before her. "The prisoner relocation from Ivy Terrace is complete."
Celestia drew a silent breath. "Good. Any complications I should be aware of?"
The guard glanced away nervously. "There was one escape, but that was short-lived."
Celestia frowned at that news. "Good to hear you recaptured the criminal." She glanced around the throne room, spotting a young pegasus who had her attention fixed on them. "Is there something we can help you with?"
The pegasus squeaked and backed away. "Sorry!"
"Don't be scared." Celestia approached the colt curiously. "Did you lose your parents? Little foals shouldn't be wandering the castle alone."
The colt looked around and took a step away, only to have her guard clear his throat and give him a stern look. "No, your majesty. But my parents said to go find you so you could take us to see the bad pony."
Celestia blinked at that. "I see. But they really should come see me directly." She placed a hoof on the lightly quivering foal. "You don't even know who the 'bad pony' is. I bet they do, and I am willing to hear their request, from their lips."
"Please," said the foal, "my parents are good ponies. They just wanna know what she looks like."
Celestia sighed gently and turned to her advisor. "I'll resume this conversation in the morning." As the advisor backed away, she turned her attention to the foal. "She? Do you know who they are then?"
"The bad pony?" The colt nodded quickly, his head bobbing. "Yeah. My parents talk about her. Is it true she's the bad guy?"
Celestia brought a wing down over the foal, shielding them from the room's activity. "Does she have a name, little one? That would make it easier for me to answer that question."
The foal nodded. "Luna."
Celestia sighed. She didn't answer immediately. "She was, and still is, my sister. She made a mistake." She closed her eyes. "She's paying the price for that mistake. But I do not think she is a bad pony. We can all make a mistake." She sighed as another guard rushed towards her. "Some simply are harder to get past."
The guard bowed. "Princess, we've received word from one of our outposts."
Celestia nodded slowly, glancing at her new companion. "You have my full attention."
The guard took a deep breath. "Peace with the griffons holds steady, for now, Ma'am. Your overtures appear to have had an effect."
Celestia's wing squeezed tighter around the foal. "It's good to hear that the war is over. I'm glad you brought me this news." Her attention shifted back to the foal, who seemed quite confused. "You should find your parents, little one. Tell them you found me, and that I am not upset with you. I would rather speak with them directly, however."
He nodded, backing away from her as her embrace was released. "I will!" He darted off, wings buzzing to propel his tiny form faster.
Celestia watched him leave, a smile on her face until he vanished from sight, then she closed her eyes. "Trying times." Not for the first time, she wished her sister were still around. But such fancies did little in the face of what was going on. "Guard." She returned her attention to the first. "You mentioned they were recaptured. Who should I thank for that?"
Author's Note
Could have gone better. Could have gone worse.
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