The mare awoke the next morning while Caelus was taking a tour of the town. She called out frantically for her husband, but her cries soon asked for a doctor, and one came. When his work was done he caught the attention of the first pony he saw and told her to find Caelus. It was not hard to find him, for everypony was talking about the newcomers. When told his wife was awake he politely excused himself and rushed to her side.
When he arrived in their temporary room, Astrum was smiling and she gestured him to come quietly. Tears streamed down her face, falling in both pain and joy.
In her hooves lay two tiny fillies. The first had a coat as white as her mothers and a curly pink mane. She appeared perfectly healthy, unaffected by the injuries her mother had sustained. Her sister was not so lucky. While she appeared in good health for the most part, she was small, even for a newborn. She was weak, but alive, with a coat and mane of blue and dark patches where her cutie mark would later appear.
Soon, Caelus joined Astrum in her tears of joy. Their daughters were born.
And not long after, they were named as well. They names the first Celestia, for she rivaled all the beauties in the sky, and the younger Luna, as her strength shone through all darkness.
The leaders were invited to see the children, as was Starswirl, but the older wizard refused. He caught his apprentice by the cloak as he passed by.
"Remember what I said, Clover." He said before trotting stubbornly away.
Starswirl could not have been more wrong, for while the parents stayed away from the populous, upon hearing the leaders concerns, their Children could not be kept away.
It was soon apparent that, rather than driving the ponies away, they actually brought the three tribes together, each finding an admirable trait in the young fillies.
The pegasi found pride in their ability to join them in the clouds, and especially in Lunas determination.
The unicorns cherished their magic. Celestia in particular loved to learn and was soon a member of the team who raised the sun each day, earning her cutie mark.
The earth ponies were the hardest to convince, but they were won over by their strength which, while not extraordinary, was respectable for their age.
Soon the new race was dubbed 'Alicorn' by the ponies, for their long horns, and became a symbol of unity and the values of each tribe.
Even Starswirl the bearded grew to like them, though their tendency to prank him when he was busiest kept him from admitting it.
Peace grew in the land, but it was not to last, for even as the ponies of Equestria grew closer, so did an enemy nopony saw coming.