Tis the Season
Snow fell gently onto the Canterlot streets. A light breeze blew through the city, letting everypony soak in the clean Hearth's Warming air. Lights were hung across the boulevards, and ponies buzzed around, making last minute preparations. From his window in Donut Joe's shop, Shadow Strike chuckled at the holiday antics.
The incognito changeling took a step back and looked at the blade next to him. The very same blade he used to defeat Zayneth during the Canterlot invasion. Zayneth had called it "Soraniah", meaning "Holy Claw", but Shadow preferred the name "Nethrezin", meaning "God Slayer". Shadow picked the blade up and activated it. The blue beam shot outwards and hummed with energy. Shadow Strike swung the blade and watched the blue light dance. Even now, six months after the invasion, Shadow felt himself captivated by the weapon.
Shadow put the weapon back on the rack he had installed after obtaining it. The beam disappeared, rendering the blade nothing more than a fancy paperweight at the moment. Shadow stepped back and admired the shape of the weapon. Elegant and curved, but not sacrificing any function for form.
"Hey! Shadow!" Joe called from downstairs. "Could you help us out?"
Shadow shouted back, "On my way". He ran down the stairs and turned into the shop on the ground floor. Bon Bon and Lyra were visiting for the holidays, so Shadow was not surprised to see them with Pupa, Joe, and Long Shot gathered around the Hearth's Warming tree Joe had bought a few days ago. "What's wrong?"
Joe turned to his friend and said, "We can't find the ladder. Could you put the star on top for us?"
"Sure", Shadow said. The bounty hunter made sure the donut shop was free of any customers looking for a cup of hot chocolate and got out of view of the shop's windows so passerby's wouldn't see.
Shadow used his changeling power's to swap his horn out for a set of wings and took the star in his hooves. he flew up and gently placed the ornament on top of the evergreen. The gold star seemed to snap right onto the tree as Shadow let go.
The bounty hunter hovered down and swapped the wings with his unicorn horn, causing his mane to part, forming the beetle-like shape it typically was reminiscent of.
"There we go", Shadow Strike said. "One Hearth's Warming tree ready for decorating!"
"Daddy, what's Hearth's Warming?", Pupa asked innocently in her pony disguise.
"That's right!" Long Shot began. "You didn't get to celebrate Hearth's Warming last year. Did you, Pupa?"
Shadow chuckled. "Well, when you're still getting used to being in a foreign land, national holidays are kinda low on the priority lists."
"Hey, Shadow?" Lyra began. "Didn't you tell Bon Bon and I that you three met on Hearth's Warming Eve last year? So does that make today your anniversary?"
Bon Bon stepped in front of her roommate. "Ignore her", she said. "She's an idiot".
"I know", Shadow laughed. "We dated for a couple months, remember?"
Lyra chuckled and playfully slapped Shadow. "Jerk", She said.
Long Shot coughed. With a very slight hint of jealousy in her voice, she said, "Okay that's enough you two". Turning back to Pupa, Long Shot said, "You see, Pupa, us ponies celebrate the founding of Equestria on Hearth's Warming."
The nymph cocked her head to the side. "How do we celebrate?" She asked.
"Well..." Long Shot began. "For starters, we all get a few weeks off of work and school."
Shadow Strike chuckled. "Yeah. Bounty hunters totally need two weeks off", he said.
Joe stared at his friend. "Hey!" he said. "There will be no Scrooges in this house tonight!"
A chorus of laughs erupted from the group. Long Shot coughed as she turned back to the nymph. "During the time we get off, we get to spend time with friends and family."
"Long Shot, you're forgetting the best part of Hearth's Warming", Shadow said.
"I'm getting to that!" The sniper said. "Then, Pupa, on the twenty fifth of december, Santa Hooves comes and gives presents to all the good little foals".
Pupa's face lit up. "The twenty fifth is tomorrow!" she yelled. Suddenly, her face grew dark. "Um... Does Santa Hooves give presents to nymphs as well?"
Shadow Strike dropped down to eye level with the disguised nymph. "Have you been good, Pupa?" He asked with a smile.
Pupa pondered the question for a few seconds before saying, "I think so..."
Shadow placed a hoof on Pupa's head. "Then you have nothing to worry about, little one", said the bounty hunter.
The nymph smiled and let out a yawn. "I think I'm going to go to bed..."
"Okay, honey. G'night", Shadow said.
Lyra spoke up. "Man, you two are the OTP in the fan-fiction I call my life".
"Huh?" Shadow and Long Shot asked in unison.
"You and Long Shot get along so well", Lyra explained. "It's no surprise that you two are dating".
"What does OTP mean?" Shadow, Joe, and Bon Bon asked.
Long Shot and Lyra were more than happy to provide an answer. "It means one true pairing. It's a shipping term". The three just shrugged.
"Sound like something Lyra would say", Shadow said.
For the next few hours, the five sat around, making small talk and discussing nothing in particular. Lyra had the brilliant of bringing some vodka from the liquor store down the street, and the conversation quickly became much more interesting. For one does not know inarticulate, until one sees a drunken changeling.
Shadow hiccuped as he spoke, "Lyra... *Hic*.. I-I remember thish one time you shaid... *Hic* th-that you wanted to grab me by the *Hic* mane, throw me down on... on the bed and *Hic* roll around in satin sheetsh".
"Go home Shadow. You're drunk". Lyra said.
Shadow stammered in a drunken stupor, "I AM HOME! *Hic*You unicorns think just cause you have MAAAaaaAAagic that your so *Hic* So much better than everypony else".
Long Shot snatched the bottle away from Shadow Strike and said with a smirk, "No more drinks for you".
Shadow Strike stuck his hooves out in an attempt to reach the bottle but Long Shot firmly held him back with one hoof. "Ugh. Lyra, do you know any sobriety spells?"
The minty unicorn smirked and said, "Normally I'm on the receiving end of 'em but yeah. I know a couple." Lyra's horn glowed an enveloped Shadow in a golden aura. The bounty hunter shook a bit as he regained his articulation and restraint as the alcohol's effects dissipated thanks to the spell.
"Wh- What?" Shadow Strike stammered. Eyeing the bottles of vodka strewn across the room he turned to his fillyfriend and said accusingly, "Aw. Did you let me drink?"
Long Shot giggled. "Yeah. What's the matter, can't hold your liquor?"
"No, I can't! I'm a changeling! Alcohol effects us even faster than it does ponies! I could have passed out just from one shot!"
"You wanna plaster that on the walls, Shadow?" Joe chided.
Shadow turned to the donut maker. "Piss off, plot hole. You know better than to let me around alcohol" he said jokingly.
The night passed on. Stories were shared, jokes were made, drinks were had and time passed. Eventually, the tired ponies and changeling set out their gifts for each other under the tree to be opened in the morning. Shadow turned to make sure nopony was looking and slid an small box under the tree in a place that would be unnoticeable unless one was looking for it. Smiling to himself, Shadow backed away from the tree and went upstairs to rest.
At long last, the dawn broke. Pupa bounced up and down when she saw the boxes underneath the tree, just begging to be opened. "Daddy! Santa Hooves came!" The nymph squealed happily.
"He sure did" Shadow mused as he pat his adopted daughter on the head.
The group went about opening their presents. For Joe, a new mixing bowl he had his eyes on. For Lyra, a lyre tuner. For Bon Bon, a cookbook. For Pupa, a toy train set. For Long Shot, a new MP3 with 8 gigs worth of data. For Shadow Strike, a custom picture frame incasing one of the first pictures Pupa, Long Shot and him had taken together.
Shadow looked around, making sure his surprise had remained undisturbed. When he saw the box in the hiding spot he had left it in he walked to it, saying "Hey! Looks like there's one gift left for... Long Shot!"
He picked the box and handed it to his fillyfriend. "What's this?" She asked as she undid the ribbon tied around the small black box. She lifted the lid off of the package and gasped at the content contained within.
"Well?" Shadow asked with a smirk.
Long Shot returned his grin. "Just shut up and kiss me".
The sniper dropped the box, leapt into Shadow Strike's arms and pulled him into a passionate embrace. The two pressed their lips together as a pink glow streaked across their muzzles.
"Um..." Bon Bon said dumbfounded. "...What?"
Lyra stooped down and picked the box up from the floor. "Oh, you lucky bastard!" The mint unicorn cried out.
Shadow pulled back from the embrace and glared at Lyra. "Not around Pupa!"
"Anypony wanna tell me what's going on?" Joe inquired.
Lyra turned to the donut maker. "Apparently, Shadow got Long Shot here a fiancé for Hearth's Warming".
"Yep!" Long Shot belted out enthusiastically. "We're getting married!" The sniper took the box and pulled out the ring contained within.It was a simple silver band with an amber stone in the center.
Shadow beamed as he spoke. "I had it custom designed so it wouldn't interfere when you're handling a rifle".
Pupa stepped forward. "Does that mean... Miss Long Shot's my mommy now?"
The sniper bent down and hugged the nymph. "I will be in a couple months. Soon you won't be able to call me MIss Long Shot anymore!" she giggled as she hugged her soon to be stepdaughter.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Long shot" Shadow said.
Long Shot turned to the sword slinger. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Shadow Strike".