//------------------------------//
// Hearth's Warming Eve-Slice Of Life 
// Story: Thirty Chrysalises 
// by Diamond Sparkle 
//------------------------------//

It was Hearth's Warming Eve, and it was not only in Equestria that everypony had been preparing to celebrate the special day and the coming of Santa Hooves. In the Badlands, so inhospitable on the surface, everyling had been busy preparing for the celebration as well. Queen Chrysalis proudly pranced through the central hall of the hive. Normally this large space was open to everyling at any time of the day or night, but tonight every door to it had been locked and guarded, because it was here that a communal feast had been prepared for the next day. Normal changeling fare for those who were not undercover in the outside world was a grey fungus that tasted a lot better then it looked, and a small amount of decanted pony love from either the cocoons of captured ponies or the central love store in the middle of the hive. But tomorrow was Heath's Warming Eve, and far from the eyes of ponies or gryphons or zebras the changelings would be enjoying it in their own way.

There was roast Hydra, a beast that was not easy to overpower even when you could change your own shape. It had been brought to ground in the swamps of the Great Stench two days before, overpowered by a great many changelings armed with hunting crossbows, cut into large pieces and brought back to the hive. From early the next morning the royal cooks would cook it, gild it with pure gold leaf-the gold leaf had to be pure, otherwise it would be a poison, and serve it up not just to the Queen but to everyling. There were other kinds of fungus, rarer and harder to grow but much more tasty to the changeling palate. There were Hearth's Warming puddings and mince pies brought from the outside world in large numbers by the infiltrators. And of course, there was the love, it would not be a proper feast without the love.

There was warm, spicy Griffin love, a love much prized amongst changelings because of how hard it was to get hold of. Griffins, with their beaks and talons and combat skills were a lot harder to overpower then the other races of Equestria, and not many of them hung in cocoons in any of the changeling hives. There was one exception; a hive that preyed exclusively upon griffins, and lived a claw to mouth existence without enough to trade with other hives. A pity for them; if they had enough to trade, they could become the richest of the hives. Not only were griffins hard to overpower; the other way to infiltrate, taking the shape of a random griffin, didn't work very well. Ponies leaked love in many places and it could be gathered in small amounts without the ponies even being aware of it , griffin love had to be earned, and griffin courtship could take years.

There was plenty of sweet pony love of course, and zebra love too. There was the love of the Buffalo, a love that tasted like beef jerky and lasted as long as well. There was Crystal Pony love from the far north that tasted like boiled sweets. and Minotaur love that was almost as hard to get as the love of the griffins. There was the love of Hydras for their young; to gather it a changeling had to take the shape of a baby hydra and enter a hydra's nest, with fatal results for the changeling if it messed up. With all this love in one place, the guards were licking their lips, and had not been given the keys to the hall that they were guarding, in case they should sneak in and devour it. Even from outside they could sense it, and it was enough to make both their stomachs and their hive stomachs rumble. The keys were attached to the Queen's belt for safety.

The Queen left the hall, locking it after her, and went to her quarters where her royal sleigh waited along with eight trusted guards to pull it. It was the tradition for nymphs and a few adults to spin sacks and hang them outside, and the Queen would personally take on the role of Santa Hooves and fill them with little gifts and small amounts of love, something that could be done within only three hours or so. There would be time to get a few hours of sleep before the celebration tomorrow. As well as the feasting there would be carols and dances and a play about the First Changeling and a lot of fun would be had by all. Last of all there would be a public prayer for the souls of the dead and for better luck next year.

It would be a bittersweet celebration after the disaster of the Canterlot invasion, as there would be empty seats in many places due to the deaths of those unlucky changelings killed by being flung into something hard. There would be many orphaned grubs and nymphs who had lost one or even both of their parents. But tomorrow the Queen was determined that even they would be able to enjoy themselves as much as anyling.

Hours later, the Queen settled into her royal bed with it's multiple pillows and muttered to herself " To all a good night." 

The next day there was much chittering of pleasure as presents were opened and songs were sung, and the Queen threw open the great hall to her subjects. For once hunger was a bad memory and rationing forgotten as much food and even more love was consumed and many a belly swelled, and a happy time was had by all in the Chrysalis Hive. Not a single Changeling would have to go to bed or on guard duty hungry that night. Such was the case in every Changeling Hive in Equestria and the surrounding lands and all over the planet wherever there were changelings.