It was the day before Hearthswarming Eve. Everyone in town was skittering excitedly about making last rounds for gifts and supplies. Fillies galloped about playing in the snow, catching snowflakes on their noses smiling and giggling madly. I looked at them. They were so lucky. She was curled into Adito's mane.They had real homes to go to with real parents and Hearthwarming trees. I sighed my breath making a cloud before me. I had my siblings and and a little old mare we called Mama Tulip. It was better than no one. We didn't have friends. We had nothing most ponies had. We were usually cold. We had no money for hats and coats. Mama Tulip, who was our guardian, couldn't find work as she grew older. She had been accused of a theft she didn't commit. So, she was shunned by the other ponies perfect community. I looked back at my brother. My twin. Adito. He was carrying our younger sister, Iris, on his back. into his mane trying to stay warm. We were hurrying down the cleared road quickly trying to avoid all the ponies. And trying to get home before we froze to death. Our home compared to most ponies in Ponyville was a shack. In fact it pretty much was. It was a large room lit and warmed by a medium-sized fireplace. There were two beds, well mattresses made from anything soft we could find. There were two large comforters we had made after buying some quilting fabrics. We had worked for a local farmer for a few days to earn the bits for it. After she found out we lived with Mama Tulip she also shunned us.
Though Mama Tulip cared for us though she was old and worn out. We had tried fitting in with the ponies in the town. But we couldn't get work for too long. Thing is... Neither Adito or I have our cutie marks. We didn't have talent some said. Others accused us of being changelings. It was bad enough our magic was unusable. Adito and I were unicorns. Iris was a pegasus. She had her cutie mark. An iris. Adito was a little taller than me. He was pale yellow. So pale the only in certain lights could you see it. His tail and mane were teal and light blue. They were shaggy and uncut. My coat of silvery paleness shimmered sometimes in certain lights. I had a dark blue and dark teal mane, also shaggy and uncut. My eyes gold, his silver. Iris's coat was a pale lavender. Her own mane thick, shaggy, dark purple, pale green. Her eyes were blue as the sky.
I hated the cold. I hated the snow falling softly. So gentle. I hated Hearthswarming. But i mostly hated my parents. We were abandoned by our parents on this day ten years ago. I was six when they left us stranded in the cold saying we were worthless. When we were found my Mama Tulip we were nearly frozen to death huddled around our, at the time, unnamed one-year old sister. She hurriedly took us back to her cabin on the edge of Ponyville. Gave us food and love and we loved her and helped her in return. She was too old to work so we helped her. She became like the mother we always wanted and the only mother Iris knew. We grew up there. And she grew older. The periwinkle mare became bed-ridden at the end of the summer season just before the Running of The Leaves.
We trotted into the more broken down section of the town. The houses the were once warm with bright light became hovels with no windows. No more ponies running around. No more carolers. There were very few hovels. Most empty. Mot being removed for selling of land.
Adito trotted up next to me. Iris looked at me a question burning in her eyes. She jumped to my back.
"Astoria?" She asked in a low hoarse voice. Damn. She needed to be warm soon. "Do you think Santa Hooves will come this year?"
I looked at Adito. He wanted to tell her the truth. There was no Santa Hooves. No Tooth Breezie. We had told her that Santa brought good fillies and colts things they really needed. I wanted her to have the childish innocence we lost. He went along with me. He knew I was right.
"We have everything we need, sweetie." I said gently.
"Mama is sick. I want her to be better. Maybe Santa Hooves can heal her." She said quietly.
"Well, this time of year is about hope and..." Adito and I noticed it at the same time. Our homes door was wide open. He took off. I galloped behind him to close the short distance to home. We looked in. The fire was out. Adito went to start it again. He was better at lighting a fire than me. I left Iris by the door and went over to the mare we loved so dearly. I went slowly. It was so cold. I looked over the sleeping mare. She looked so pale. Lifeless. I couldn't move.Light burst into the room and Adito was by my side quicker than lightening. He pushed me out of the way and checked her for a pulse. Suddenly, after frantically checking for a pulse, he sat back on his haunches. He now looked pale.
"Mama?" Iris said getting closer to us.
I looked at the sweet young filly. Then held her close to me. "Sweetie. Mama... Is gone." Adito curled around the both of us as we burst into sobs. I couldn't imagine our lives ahead of us. If she was truly gone... She was practically our mother. She couldn't be gone.
Once again we were alone. Once again afraid. Once again unloved.
Once again cold.
