A few months ago, shortly after King Sombra's defeat
"Sir, you need to see this!" The voice of Beryllis cut through the silence like a knife.
"What is it? Another shard?" asked Corporal Aurora, slightly annoyed. They had been searching the perimeter of the Barrier for days, collecting dark crystal fragments. After his attempted return, Sombra's magic had dissipated but the property damage alone was worth looking into. They had made sure that the civilians were unharmed, then, a large portion of the city guard had been dispatched to clear the outer city from the ugly remains of Sombra's shadow crystals.
It was not the worst job, still better than fearing to find corpses in the debris, which, thank the stars, they had not. They could wander across the countryside which consisted mainly of grasslands and rocks, and just search for the shards. A carriage in tow, they collected the crystals to destroy them at a local quarry. It was wonderfully boring.
"No, it's... a colt, Sir," said Beryllis hesitantly.
"What? Outside the Barrier?" Aurora approached her subordinate. As she saw the shivering bundle, pity welled up in her heart. "Poor thing must have run outside during the panic," she mused. "Help him up."
"Yes, Sir." Beryllis carefully nuzzled the colt. The dark grey pegasus shivered and opened his eyes. To Aurora's relief, it appeared to be just a lost child, not a depowered Sombra. She had heard of Princess Luna's return. When the alicorn had been defeated by the Elements of Harmony, she had lost a significant amount of her powers. The magic had undone some of her aging, turning the adult mare into a teenaged pony. This colt, though, had blue eyes, so unlike the red ones of the self-proclaimed king. Additionally, he was a pegasus, not a unicorn.
She held out a hoof. With a soft voice, Aurora invited the colt, "Come here."
He immediately rushed toward her, burying his head in her forelegs, looking for warmth and comfort. She was surprised by his speed. The cold usually made you numb and slow.
"What is your name?"
"Eclipse," he answered immediately.
"Who are your parents?"
Eclipse shook his head, averting his eyes. Aurora sighed.
"Another one. Beryllis, go find the child a place to stay. And get him a blanket."
"That will be a problem, Sir. The orphanages are still packed from the time before the Return. The children of the crystal slaves..."
Aurora rubbed her temples. She should have known. Eclipse shrunk in her hooves, looking up at her with fear.
"All right, then go contact the office and tell them we need to find a foster family for this colt."
"Yes, Sir."
"Don't worry, Eclipse," said Aurora warmly to the colt. "We are going to find you a home."