//------------------------------// // Christmas Special-ArguingPizza // Story: Magic of Love: A Twidance Prompt Collab // by ArguingPizza //------------------------------// by ArguingPizza ~~~ Cadence’s mouth tasted like chocolate liqueur, Twilight noticed, though she guessed that there was a better than fair chance the flavor could be attributed to the near two boxes worth of the alcoholic treats that she had consumed with the ferocity of a wood chipper rather than an inherent quirk of biology. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the dessert bar, or what had once been a dessert bar at any rate. What had been a mountain of fermented sugary goodness neatly stacked on a silver tray had been reduced to a pitiful hoof full of half-eaten survivors that served only to act as a testament to the glory of what had been. As her own tongue fought a losing struggle for dominance against Cadence’s experienced and incredibly earnest efforts, Twilight thought that perhaps the mistletoe had been hung a bit too close to the hearth of Celestia’s study, as her right side was feeling uncomfortably warm from the crackling fire. It was a very large room, one of the largest in the suite wing of the palace, surely there was another beam somewhere more suitable where the ponies engaged in the time-honored tradition of the Hearth’s Warming Kiss wouldn’t feel any undue heat. Then again, Princess Celestia had been the one to arrange the decorations, and she was, understandably, somewhat predisposed towards warmer temperatures. As her mind wandered and her hooves traveled down the graceful, smooth curve of Cadence’s neck, Twilight caught sight of her family, as well as the two other Princesses, staring at them with expressions ranging from smug self-satisfaction in Luna’s case, to literal open-mouthed shock in Celestia and Spike’s. She silently tsked at them, her lungs being too otherwise occupied to spare the oxygen for such a noise. She had taught Spike better than to stare, and Princess Celestia had always impressed on her the impropriety of such gawking. She was likewise disappointed in Luna, who it seemed had still not shaken her nasty habit of, as Spike would say, 'rubbing it in.'. Given her…extended lifespan*, it was unlikely she would ever shake the habit, but Twilight could hope. As Cadence advanced on her and pressed her against the dark wood beside the hearth’s brickwork, their mouths never breaking contact except to take in short, hurried gasps of much-needed air, Twilight next wondered why her parents were staring at her so strangely. Her mother was lightly dabbing her eyes with a hoofkerchief she had summoned from the dining table, another seasonal addition to the study brought out only during private holiday parties, and her father was pumping his hoof in the air and mouthing ‘two-for-two’. Beside them, neatly tucked under one of Luna's wings, Shining Armor was making every effort to shield his eyes with his hooves. As she began to shape the first syllable of a question about her family’s odd behavior, and a scolding for Spike to close his mouth, lest he invite flies, she paused. Her mouth was not answering her commands, and a brief flash of panic lanced down her spine as she ran a mental checklist of possible causes. In rapid succession she ruled out stroke, neurological trauma, magical puppeteering, mind control spells, and an implanted forced suggestion which left only— ‘Wait.’ Was—sweet Celestia’s gloriously undyed beard—she was! Princess Cadence was kissing her! Princess Cadence, the Princess of Love, Twilight’s lifelong best friend, Rustler’s six-year-running Hottest Mare in Equestria and Beyond, and the literal mare of her dreams was kissing her like she was trying to suck the air out of a wooden carriage wheel! As Twilight’s wings, of their own accord as she lacked the coherency to blink much less control extremities, spread out to caress the literally award-winning pink flanks, Twilight realized that she and Cadence had far exceeded the normal quick, awkward peck that was typical for holiday mistletoe kisses. It wasn’t a peck, it certainly wasn’t a smooch: it was full-throttle, no-holds-barred snogging. Confused, inexperienced, and not entirely convinced she wasn’t in the middle of yet another Cadence-centric dream that would force her to sneak downstairs and wash her sheets before Spike woke up, Princess Twilight Sparkle made up her mind: Cadence was delicious, and Hearth’s Warming Eve was by far her favorite holiday. *When around mares with the power to control the heavens themselves, one learns very quickly to never comment on their advanced age.