“Happy what?”
The three changelings in front of Twilight’s castle continued smiling. “Happy Hearts and Hooves Warming Nightmare Night Day!” The middle one yelled. “That’s the name of the holiday, right?”
Twilight wasn’t sure how to respond to this. “Uh...changelings, that isn’t a holiday.”
Their smiles went away. “It’s not?” The one on the left asked, turning to his sister. “I told you it wasn’t right, Sarah.”
“Don’t look at me, Tim.” Sarah yelled back, pointing at the other bug. “Mike said that’s the proper name for this celebration.”
“But it is!” Mike said, looking at Twilight. “R-Right?”
Twilight sighed, knowing what was going on already. “Listen, Changelings, I can understand you guys wanting to have a show, I can...unfortunately, understand your need to set up a love donation shop, but trying to do this?” She shook her head. “I think it’s time you just...find somewhere else to get love...besides, you’re not even doing it right.”
Mike’s jaw dropped. “B-But the books said that ponies are supposed to go up to houses, say the name of the holiday, and then the house owner gives them love...that’s how this works, right?”
“How ‘what’ works?” Twilight asked.
Mike smiled. “How this holiday works! We’ve seen ponies all over this town setting up lights and decorations after this white stuff fell on the ground.” He looked down at his legs, seeing that some clumps of snow got in his holes. “From the looks of it, they’re all having fun, so, some of the brothers and sisters did some studying by looking through some of the books in your library, reading up on the history of your holiday, and coming together to help celebrate Hearts and Hooves Warming-”
“It’s just Hearts Warming.” Twilight clarified. “Not a combination of three holi- Wait, you went into my libra-”
“You guys have three holidays?” Tim asked, looking up at Mike. “So those books weren’t all on one celebration, then?”
Mike tapped his chin. “That does make a lot of sense, but how else are we supposed to celebrate it?”
“By letting us do it.” Twilight said, the changelings still having looks of confusion. She rolled her eyes at this and continued. “Look, I’m really happy that you guys want to learn about our history and be apart of this, but from the looks of it, this seems like another attempt at getting food, am I right?”
Their eyes widened. "W-What?" Mike said, laughing nervously. "What makes you think we're doing this just for love? We're doing this to understand your culture, be apart of tradition, and help bring peace between pony and changeling!" He ended with a smile, which went away the longer Twilight looked at him. In the end, he sighed and said, “Okay, yeah...You’re right. We’re trying to get food by doing this, but we’re really putting a lot of effort into it!” Mike pointed at his hat, which was colored green, had cotton balls on the sides, and a green ball of gunk hanging from the tip. “We even got the hat all down too!”
Sarah nodded, holding up a book. “Yeah, and we practiced for ten minutes on these songs, that’s five more than usual.”
Tim smiled and held up another one. “We got the stories down too, I can play the part of Tiny Tom easily!”
Knowing those books were her’s, she lit up her horn and took them out of their hooves. “You put effort into this by breaking into my home?”
Mike rubbed his arm in embarrassment while his siblings looked away. “Well, we were gonna ask, but you were too busy sleeping, and we were kinda on a time crunch when it came to this, so we went ahead and-”
“Who’s ‘we’?” Twilight said. “Just you three?”
“Nice rhyme.” Tim said, shaking his head. “But no, there were about ten of us doing this. The other seven are out and about doing other things those books talked about: Getting presents, making cards, giving candy. Holiday stuff!”
Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground. “That’s not how...getting presents?” She was surprised at this, and slightly concerned. “Um...what kind of presents?”
The bugs looked at each other. “Um...ya know.” Mike said. “Presents; the stuff that ponies want most for their holidays.”
“Like…” Twilight motioned her hoof to show he wanted him to continue.
Mike tried thinking of something, but his mind was going blank. “Uh...um...we-”
“Hey Mike!”
The three bugs turned around while Twilight craned her head past them, seeing a changeling walking toward them with something that made her jaw drop. “Oh, hey Larry!” Mike said, waving. “What’s up?”
The changeling stopped pulling on the cocoon and set it down, walking up to them. “Where do you want this? I’ve been trying to find a spot but there isn’t a tree anywhere.”
Mike rubbed his chin while Twilight’s expression stayed the same. “Hmmm...well, what’s the gift?”
“I-Is there a pony in there!?” Twilight yelled out.
Larry looked back at the cocoon, seeing that the pony he had put in there was still sound asleep. “Uh, yeah, it is. That’s what most ponies want: Another pony to celebrate the holidays with, right Mike?”
Mike chuckled while Twilight tried to process the fact that a bug had straight up, nonchalantly, ponynapped someone and stuffed them in a cocoon. “Now that’s a gift I’m sure they’ll love!” Mike said. “Nice work.”
“Nice work?” Twilight said. “NICE WORK!?” Twilight shoved the three bugs out of the way and went face to face with Larry. “How did you get this pony!?”
Despite her outburst, The changeling smiled. “Oh, how? It was pretty easy, I just waited until last night for this mare to sleep before I went in and wrapped her up. I think her kids’ll love it, a mother is a very nice-GACK!” The changeling stopped talking once Twilight lit up her horn, a purple aura surrounding his neck.
“Let. Her. Out.” Twilight said coldly, freeing him from her magical grip.
After stumbling back and panting, he but his hooves up. “Ah...alright, alright...I get it, a pony isn’t good enough for kids these days.” He stepped back and grabbed hold of the cocoon, ripping it open.
The mare stumbled out right in front of Twilight. The purple mare backing up and gasping. “W-What’s wrong with her?” She grabbed hold of his neck again, pulling him closer. “What did you do!?”
“Ack...Ak deh...nah...nack...ang…” He held his hooves to his throat, trying to get out of the death grip Twilight had him in.
Twilight looked back down at the mare, seeing that she was still breathing. She then looked up at the bug, seeing that he wasn’t. “Okay changeling, listen carefully. I’m going to let you go, and once I do, you’ll bring her right back to where you got her.” She went nose to nose with him. “Am I making myself clear?”
The bug could only nod in response. Twilight smiled. “Good.” She let go of him, the changeling gasping for air and panting loudly. Once he had enough air in his lungs, he grabbed hold of the mare’s tail with his mouth and ran as far away as possible from her.
While all of this was happening, the other three changelings stood on the spot, Sarah grimacing while Tim hid behind Mike. Mike tried his best to stay brave, but watching an alicorn strangle his friend was a tough thing to watch. “Uh...I-I take it that wrapping things in cocoons is a bad thing?”
Twilight eyes shot daggers into all of them, making them flinch. “Changelings, I want this to stop. All of you need to go back home and stay out of this holiday.”
They frowned. Tim walked up to her. “B-But princess-”
Twilight walked past him. “I don’t want to hear any ‘buts’ changelings. Either you celebrate it the right way, or not at all.”
“There’s a right way to do this?” Sarah asked, receiving a glare from Twilight.
Twilight would’ve shut the door and make this problem go away, but she knew they were just confused, even if they did ponynap someone. “Changelings, I understand you want to help, but it just won't work out. Maybe you can just do something else instead. Maybe you can help with another holi...day...” Twilight then realized something. “Wait. Do you guys have a holiday you can celebrate?”
“Our own holiday?” They thought about this for a few moments until a bulb appeared over Mike’s head. “Oh yeah! We celebrate Chrysmass around this time of year.”
Twilight blinked, a little surprised these creatures had an actual holiday they celebrate. “Chrys...mass?”
Mike shook his head. “No, Chrysmass! A time when we bring in dead trees and hang slime from the stems while this tall bug in a green cloak drops down from the sky and puts gifts underneath it!”
To Twilight, that sounded both strange and familiar. “A tall bug...brings gifts to you?”
The three of them nodded. “Yeah. I remember.” Sarah said. “Some of us give gifts while this big tall changeling named Queen Claws brings gifts for all the love hungry bugs! She’s one of the greatest changelings to ever exist!”
Tim couldn’t contain his excitement. “She even rides in this chariot that’s pulled by giant Timberwolves, with Woodolf the green nosed wood wolf up front!”
Twilight was still lost on the name of this holiday. “Chrysmass?” She said again.
Mike held his head proudly. “Yup, it’s pretty cool.” He then had an amazing idea. “Hey, maybe you can help us out this year! It’ll be a great way for us to understand each other better!”
Tim nodded. “Yeah, we can celebrate our holiday while you celebrate ours!”
Twilight cringed, not wanting this conversation to go this way. “Uh...changelings, if you have your own holiday, why don’t you just celebrate it? You know, keep your traditions to yourselves while we do the same.”
Sarah stepped up. “But it’s an amazing holiday! And we need some ponies anyway for the ceremony anyway.”
“I don’t want any pon…” Twilight rewound that sentence in her head. “Wait...a-a ceremony involving ponies?”
Mike nodded. “It’s the love food feast! When we find a creature full of love and have it drained out of their body for all the hungry lings to feed on.” He said rather cheerfully.
Sarah and Tim nodded. “It’s amazing!” Tim said. “We even got some ponies from the past still hung on the walls to show us just how long this holiday had gone through!”
Twilight’s expression of dread was getting worse with every second she heard this, the changelings didn’t seem to notice and continued. “Then we make a sacrifice to the wood wolves so they can have enough energy to go through the night!”
Mike smiled. “And the queen herself dons her cloak and goes out to give gifts to all the changelings: From armor to spears to toys to helmets to battle axes. She gives them all to the bugs!” Mike then extended his hoof to her. “So, what do ya say? Wanna learn and take part in our tradition?”
Twilight grabbed hold of the door, not wanting to hear any more of this. “I-I”m not being apart of anything! C-Celebrate your own holiday and leave the ponies out of it!”
Mike put his hooves together and held them up. “Come on, please? Our holiday is amazing! We hang slime in the caves and decorate the walls with captured creatures, and then we do our annual feast involving the draining of the pony, maybe you can be our main course if you want to-”
*SLAM*
The three changeling’s stepped back once she slammed the door, the three of them paused, thinking that she’d come back an answer, but after several minutes of silence, they came up with their own answer.
“We’ll take that as a maybe!”