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// Conflict at birth 
// Story: Hope for Harmony 
// by fancivalunicorn 
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The sun rose over the blood soaked battle field, Unicorn and Earth ponies alike. The struggle of House Moon and Star and House Earthborn wages on. Harmony is lost, the magic of Friendship is all but gone  and many lives have been vainly lost. The Elements of Harmony have vanished and the ponies that use them are now bitter enemies.  A dying Earthborn solider lay helpless and hopeless on the desolate barren battlefield, looking up at the flawless crystal sky as his life slowly dwindled away from the sword of a Moon and Star Lunar Knight. He faintly sees two figures approaching him, a stallion clearly dressed in the armor of a Moon and Star Knight, and the other is an Inquisitor, a mare. The two stop in front of them and look at him sympathetically, almost apologetic, the Inquisitor’s horn starts to glow and he feels a numbing sensation that he was dying. But a miracle happened, his wounds healed and he felt life in side of him grow like the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. He looked at the mare and the stallion with puzzlement as to ask why, but ran off in fear of worse happening. 
 "You know, if Twilight caught us doing this we'd be burned alive, right?" 
 "Yes, but would you rather the poor colt bleed to death just because the Grand Inquisitor has but her ideal on friendship? That does not mean we have to." The stallion looked in to the mare’s blue eyes and smiled. "Solstice, we must keep the little one," he eased his hoof gingerly and rubbed her stomach. "We must teach them the ways of friendship and slowly, maybe the houses will unite again."
"Eclipse, you must not speak of such a thing! You don't know who may be watching." He observes the trembling body held together, her shining grey coat. He  smiled to reassure her he was going to be around. 
"Aside from that colt anyone important here" Eclipse looked around inferring to someone of great importance on the opposing side.
"No.The inquisitor will be disappointed to find that Applejack was not on the battle field this day." A look of relief fell over her and the two grew silent. 
Eclipse finally said, "We need to be heading back to Canterlot before were missed, plus the council meeting will be starting soon." They ran off toward Canterlot, Eclipse used the magic to open the protective bubble Shining Armor had over the entire city. The city, from what the couple remember thinking back on it, was a lot more hostile. Back when Celestia ruled, ponies use to run and frolicked  through the streets of the great city… Now the militaristic and constantly warring states has caught up to it. Most of the time ponies that aren't tried for heresy mutter to themselves, "Call nopony happy who is not dead." Walking towards the castle is always a sobering feeling but it bothered nopony more than Eclipse and Solstice, they both have been called "the saint of the slums" buy both there superiors and the nobility. As they were walking through a mere trot from the castle that over arch the crumbling city like a golden beacon of tyranny. A solider stands over a unicorn bool raged in his voice
"If i ever see you near the castle again you'll look a lot worse if you can still breath you worth piece of trash!" Solstice was filled with a fury that could only be measured by he compassion for the people of Equestria.
"Solider!" she glared at him as somepony would only look as somepony for commiting blasphemy "What are you doing? What has this Mere done to deserve this?" There was a long pause and the guard spoke.
"I caught her sneaking around the garbage she was up to no good."
"That's funny because that fact that she might be trying to feed her family with the scraps of food you soldiers  waste would be a better option! Get out of here you can be sure Inquisitor Twilght will hear of this!" She smiled at the bloodied and beaten and healed her wounds after word handed her a pouch of gold coins and polity said "Go about your way and remember the kindness your were shown" the mare couldn't believe it but accept the gift and did as she said.
The castle of Canterlot was worlds apart from the slums below. As the city of Canterlot crumbled into poverty the castle grew more lavished, rich golden statues of the Celestial Sisters every ten feet, and marble archways. Eclipse, now with the armor retired for the moment, his black coat and red mane shone in a mirror in the tower suite that use to welcome guests of the royal family which now served as Solstice and Eclipse's living quarters. The bureaucracy of new royal family knew no bounds, after all, some of the most adequate Unicorns have been turned down from the council because they had no ties to Princess Cadence or Shining Armor . Eclipse was a distant relative of Shining Armor and Solstice was a dear friend of Twilight. After the falling out of her Ponyville friends that, both were fortunate enough to escape the transformation experiments and land in a seat of influence. After freshening up after the battle, Eclipse went to meet his wife Solstice and Twilight for the meeting. 
At the doors of the old throne room which was turned into the council hall after the fallout of the kingdom, Eclipse stood in front of two familiar mares. Smiling, waiting for him both dawning the traditional Canterlot Inquisitor robes, Twilight looked at him with a joking angered look. "Your late, Mister."
He smiled as he could tell she was joking. "Oh no Mistress Twily, please don't throw me in the Canterlot dungeon!" Solstice laughed.
"Ok hold your horses you two. As for you, bucko, what exactly where you doing for the hour you were up there?" Twilight  inquired, tilting her head to one side slowly.
Eclipse's stoic black face turned bright red, almost to match his mane. "I was um…"
Twilight and Solstice simultaneously said "Out with it, Mister!"
"I was doing my mane."
The two of him looked in disbelief, and the laughter of the mares could be heard throughout the castle. They then walked toward the great doors leading into the Council Chamber. The room was darker than usual, and there was nopony to be seen. Then, there arose a thunderous "Surprise!"
Solstice's face beamed up. "What’s all this."
"It’s you baby shower, silly!" Twilight said laughing with a friendly smile.
Solstice looked at Eclipse and glared. "You knew about this, you jerk." He just stood there in smiled. 
A few hours into the party, everypony was enjoying themselves, jubilantly congratulating the mother and father.  The room was a glow with streamers and candle and the finest music in all of Equestria. To those who can remember this was the greatest event since the Grand Galloping Galla was abolished then Solstice smiled "Well I goes I should tell them."
“Attention everypony! I have an announcement to make. I will not be bringing one baby to the world. I’ll be bringing three!" Everypony was a gasp, and Eclipse nearly fainted, but just then Solstice fell down in pain she uttered the phase, "My water just broke! Celestia's mane, I'm having these fillies!” 
They rushed to the castle infirmary, and after six hours, she gave birth to three babies. The first a unicorn who's mane was yellow as the sun, and her coat was a white as snow. Her name was Marecus Aurelius
But a tragedy occurred. On what should be a happy occasion, Solstice also gave birth to and Earth pony, they named Goliath, due to his monstrous size, even as a baby, and a Pegasus named Bolt because of his lightning resembling tail. His blue coat reminded Eclipse of the Wonderbolts. After they celebration of the lives of there triplets the realized that the law of house Moon and Star was set in stone and must end the two of the lives that have been brought into this world.