It was the second to last day of the year. The usual landscape of the uneven plain with aspen forests around four family houses, various sheds beside them, certain workers' huts and a chapel, that made up a village named Irons Vale, was decorated by big amounts of snow lying and falling everywhere, a crescent above and stars somewhere, or maybe they were just snow. From one of the sheds, the bleating of the village's single goat resident was quietly sounding.
The gate door creaked, and a young dark blue colt wearing felt boots and a long scarf that enveloped his entire back, went outside, to look at the sky. "Luna, please let them come this year", - he quietly said.
Then he went back, and nothing seemed to change, because the chimneys were still chimneys, and snow was still there...
The house he was living inside had six ponies living inside, all earth ponies; two bedrooms were located to opposite sides from the central, circular room with the oven which was also a kitchen, and it had a third door leading to the room with a table. Each room had one window, so ponies could see things in every direction from this house. Mother of three foals, Berry Jelly, who was red with blue mane and tail with white color on their ends, who used to work near the oven; her husband, Sunway, who was recovering from hard work of previous day at that time; two colts and one filly - Carrot Soup, Owl Sights and Fern Leaf; and Let Go, their uncle, who was mainly in charge of sleighs, water from the well and food cellar. They were exchanging some of their goods with neighbors, because there weren't enough ponies to build four mills when somepony had to cut the grass, wooden logs, and work for the land owner, Blue Barrel, who usually just sat in his house with Wooden Pin, his wife, not bothering anyone; but that was all while the work was done and food was given. For other case, he had a unicorn abbot named Lime in the hut nearby, who was, for some reason, black, did interrogations and ran a dungeon in master's basement; Black Cat, a local witch; and Baskets, her husband, master's loyal salespony and artisan. The church, on the other hoof, didn't require any taxes, it was a regular chapel of Sun and Moon, like in most other villages, which was run by the village itself, and didn't change since it was founded. They believed in Celestia and Luna.
The next morning, Berry Jelly went to gather lots of firewood for all baking that was needed to be done for the holiday.
"Mom, do you think Clouds won't come today?" - the filly, Fern Leaf, asked. - "Carrot had said that her cart might be broken, can that be?"
"Not likely", - she said, believing that it was Master's fault."Maybe it's a bad time for them to come" - Jelly noted, "That unicorn witch, Black Cat, was lurking at Master's for entire evening yesterday. What does he want with black magic on a holiday, though? I'll blame him if it spoils next year's harvest".
"That explains why I kept hearing bell sounds from the church tonight," - Leaf said with slight sadness, and went back to the bedroom.
When they woke up again, everything was ready. Carrots and pancakes had been accurately placed on the table in wooden dishes, and there were other vegetables in a sack on the floor, water in two small buckets, and opened barrels with different things prepared to be placed on the table, and a candle lamp on it, waiting to be lit. After breakfast, they went to celebrate outside, playing snowballs and running about as usually at Sun's Renewal. And for some time, everything became quiet again, when they returned to prepare themselves for the dinner. Right when they did, Sights looked from the table room's window to see the bright harness with winged ponies.
"It's the... It happened! Everyone! She's come!" - he shouted, running to the shelf with winter clothes.
"Clouds? Let me see... Yes, totally," - Fern Leaf said, meeting Sights at the exit door.
Every foal ran towards the carriage. It was a rather simple wooden one, only it had two light blue pegasus stallions carrying it, and Clouds, who was a light gray earth pony mare with a red cape, red and white scarf and red balls attached to her legs, holding a big book, which obviously had maps, and maybe some other important information like poetry or cooking recipes...
"I was waiting for you," - Sights said timidly, - "thank you."
"Let me guess what's there!" - Carrot was shouting. - "Candy? Was I right?"
"Hello everyone", - she said quietly, not interrupting anypony. "I am here to deliver... deliver these gifts to you, for honor of the, err, Sun's Renewal."
"Did you come from the moon?" - Carrot said, not remebering the tale.
"I came from the land where, uh, everything's like this, but, ...cold" - she responded.
"Clouds, you have arrived! I thought you weren't real" - a colt from another family, White Wind, shouted, still running towards them.
"How can you say this." - she said quietly, aware that the government brought resources for gift making based on amount of gathered taxes, and this village was isolated in past years with sleighs getting stuck in the forest... "I'm sorry if I didn't come last year, I forgot, it happens..." Now she needed to negotiate a quick delivery of presents to the houses, and ponies likely didn't prepare for it this year, while pegasi really needed their rest. She slowly stood up and went to the nearest door, accompanied by the crowd.
At this time, a door on the other side of the road has opened, and a black pony wearing big earrings and black fur coat, had appeared. Black Cat. She ran through the snow and quickly charged the unsuspecting fliers with sleep spells, then untied them from the harness and took the only item she wanted: the book. By then, Lime appeared with some old shackles. For Master thought, pegasi servitors could be some help for his family.
When she exited the yard again, Uncle coming behind her to bring the gifts, she noticed how things were wrong, spots of blood noticeable on the snow. How? She opened her mouth in horror, feeling the need to cover it with the scarf.
"Don't leave, we have pancakes and raspberry jam" - Carrot Soup cluelessly said, touching her foreleg. Leaving already, why, it just started, he was thinking.
She thought again, sitting on the snow. She couldn't disappoint the foals. Anything but that.
"Um... I guess."
She looked to the sky and sighed. We're supposed to bring happiness, but this world.
Later, Clouds became a part of the family, her loyal pegasi were sent to Master's basement for inobedience, and the sky carriage was made into a usual cart. Why? Because dreams should never leave.
Author's Note
Why a tragedy now? I don't even. I wanted to describe some old times AU, looked at Christmas-related happy imagery, but the mix went dark, automatically.
