//------------------------------//
// Princess Twilight Sparkle 
// Story: Mane 6 Mistletoe Simulator 
// by CategoricalGrant 
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Princess Twilight Sparkle’s broad grin meets you as you open the door. She’s wearing a purple and black-striped scarf and carrying a little package in her magic.
“Hello Twilight!” you greet happily, stepping aside and waving with a hoof to open the way for her. 
Twilight walks in, stomping the snow off of her boots and taking them off gently. “It’s great to see you,” she tells you, wrapping a hoof around your neck in a hug.
You return the hug, inhaling her scent. She smells softly metallic, a feature no doubt due to the fact she lives in a giant, crystal castle. After a long several seconds, you let her go.
“This is for you,” she says, placing the package in your hoof with her magic. 
“Oh, really?” you gently say, smiling softly. It was a gift exchange and it made perfect sense that she’d bring something for you. “Can I open it?”
“Of course!”
You make your way over to the couch and sit down, cradling the package gently. Twilight follows and takes a seat next to you. You rip open a corner of the packaging and notice a piece of binding. You look up at Twilight, who is looking at you with sparkly-eyed anticipation and a wide grin. “Oh…a book.”
“It is!” Twilight proudly declares as you remove the rest of the wrapping paper. “I know you mentioned that you were interested in historical trade patterns between Equestria and Griffonstone, and Quantitative Easing’s compendium on the subject is second to none!”
“G…Great,” you choke through a fake smile. You of course never said anything of the like to Twilight, who was probably confusing you with some dignitary she met at a conference. Not that you’d ever say anything to her, of course. “I’ll put it in my reading pile right now,” you say, placing it on a stack of books beside the couch. “Are you ready for your gift?”
“I am!” she says, sitting up straight and wiggling her body in anticipation.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Twilight,” you say, popping out a little gift for her from behind the couch. 
Twilight, a huge smile across her face, nabs the thin little package in her magic and opens it, revealing an intricately designed wooden bookmark, complete with little, carved snowflakes and an image of her old library.
“It’s not much,” you say as she rolls it over to examine it, “but it’s flexible so it won’t break, and made of pine so it smells good. Plus, I thought it looked pretty.”
“I love it,” she says, smiling sweetly at you. “I use plenty of bookmarks at the library, but…now I have a personal one to use on the books I read in bed.”
“You’re welcome,” you tell her, tilting your head and beaming back at her. “I’m glad you like it, I thought it may have been too little.”
She doesn’t reply, her eyes fixated above you. Confused, you furrow your brow and look up above you, revealing a dangling piece of mistletoe. Then you look back at her in abject horror.
Twilight, blushing, lets out a nervous giggle and looks at the floor.
“That is awkward,” you apologize. “A friend of mine put it up at the party I threw last week in a wacky scheme to…let me just take that down-“
You’re interrupted by Twilight’s hoof on your chest. Moving in quickly, she plants a warm kiss on your cheek and pulls away to look at you, sitting much closer than before.
You look at her with wide eyes, not able to formulate much of a response.  
She gasps suddenly, putting a hoof over her mouth. “Oh no, did I mess up the tradition? Did I make you feel uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I’ve been reading these holiday-themed romance novels at home recently- n-not that we’re romantic or anything, but- you know! And I saw the mistletoe, and you looked kinda cute, or, n-not cute, and-“
You lean forward and press your lips to Twilight’s cheek, silencing her. “You worry too much, Twilight.”
After a moment’s consideration, she giggles. “I guess I do. Can that kiss count as a second gift for you? I may be a Princess, but I work at a library and give out books as a job, so…I kinda feel bad.” 
You lean in boldly and place a very quick kiss on the top of Twilight’s horn. “Sure, but only if we can snuggle and read about the history of Griffin trade together.”
“Deal!” she cries with a little too much enthusiasm. “Still, I’m a princess and I have my own demands.”
“At your service, Your Highness,” you say, bowing your head slightly in mock reverence.
“First, we have do our reading under the mistletoe.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Second, you have to bring me some hot chocolate first.” She punctuates her order with a peck on your lips.
You really don’t want to get up, but she’s a Princess and if you play your cards right you might be able to squeeze yet another kiss out of tonight. Groaning, you stand up and mosey on into the attached kitchen.
“Extra marshmallows!” Twilight calls. “While you’re working, I’ll flip us to the most interesting chapter on early modern era total factor productivity!”