Thursday, December 24, 2015 / Daytime
Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Today is a good day to be with the person you love the most.

It's Christmas Eve.

Canterbook is back online. Twilight, Pinkie, and I spend most of the morning checking in on our friends. Everyone seems to be enjoying being with their loved ones...

Velvet and Cadance are busy in the kitchen. The rest of us are in the lounge. Night Light and Shining Armor are playing chess, and Pinkie and Maud are talking quietly in a corner.

For most of day, Twilight stays by my side, snuggled up against me. A little while before dinner, Cadance takes a break from working in the kitchen. Twilight stands up suddenly. "Cadance? Can...can I talk to you, alone? For a little bit?"

Cadance nods. "Let's go over to the apartment," she says.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Shining Armor muses once they're gone.

"Girl talk," Night Light answers. He eyes me speculatively.

Twilight and Cadance don't return until dinnertime. Twilight takes Pinkie aside and speaks to her for a minute, then heads to the dining room. Pinkie has a silly little smile on her face...

What's going on?

Thursday, December 24, 2015 / Evening

After dinner, Twilight spends several minutes going up and down the stairs.

Velvet and Cadance go to bed early so they can get up early to cook. The rest of us watch a couple of Christmas specials until past nine. Pinkie wants to stay up to wait for Santa, but Maud tells her she should go to bed early so we can all get up early to open presents.

"Ooh, presents!" Pinkie zooms to the stairs. "Goodnight everybody! Come on, Maud!"

Maud smiles slightly. "Goodnight, everyone." She heads upstairs with Pinkie.

At around ten, Shining Armor and Night Light say goodnight and head over to the apartment.

Twilight fidgets. "Flash? I...I have something important to talk about...when we get upstairs." She stands and heads up to the third floor. I turn off everything in the lounge and follow her.

Twilight is sitting on my bed, fidgeting. I sit down next to her and put an arm around her. "What's up?"

"I...I have something I wanted to give you," she says. "It's...a little silly, but..." She hands me a small box. I open it; inside is an old, yellowed library card.

"That's my first library card," Twilight says. "It was issued when I was five years old. I've kept it all this time...it's always been one of my greatest treasures." She smiles at me. "I want you to have it."

"Twilight...why?"

Twilight looks out the window. "Before...before you came here, I hardly had any friends. I mean, I wasn't really close to anybody but my family. Pinkie Pie went out of her way to be my friend, and I'll always be grateful to her for that, but..." She looks at me, then looks down at her lap. "Until you...until you came...until you told me you wanted to be my boyfriend..." She blushes. "All I cared about was reading and studying...but having you in my life changed all that. You've...you've really changed me. I'm more comfortable around people now...I enjoy having friends and spending time with them." She leans into me. "And...for the first time in my life, I feel like I really have something to look forward to." She blushes. "When...when you go back to Seaddle...you're coming back to me, right?"

"Of course I am," I say. "As soon as I graduate, I'm leaving Seaddle forever. I want to be here with you..."

Twilight smiles and kisses me. "Thank you..." She ducks her head. "You know, I...when you first came here, I wasn't sure I even wanted to let you into my life..." She takes a deep breath. "Watching the way Cadance would...would just go off and..." She looks down. "Seeing how Shining Armor just...resigned himself to that...I didn't want to risk...you know...getting hurt like that. And..." She looks at me. "There have been times when I've doubted you. When...when I've thought that you might..."

I cut her off with a kiss. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I know that now," Twilight says with a smile. "And...you even helped fix Cadance and Shining Armor's problems...Mom and Dad really like you too. You're...the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know? The best thing that's ever happened to my whole family." She looks into my eyes. "I love you, Flash. I really love you..."

For a moment, the world freezes. Behind Twilight, I see her Persona, Athena, tall and proud...

With a prismatic flash of light and the sound of a mirror shattering, Athena changes!

The moment passes. Twilight smiles shyly at me, hand on my chest. "Flash..." She takes a deep breath. "Make love to me?"

Author's Notes:

Social Link Status:

0. FOOL (Zodiac Investigation Team): rank 4
I. MAGICIAN (Twilight Sparkle): MAX! (Rank UP!)
IV. EMPEROR (Coach Shining Armor): rank 6
V. HIEROPHANT (Vice-Principal Luna): rank 4
VI. LOVERS (Nurse Cadance): rank 6
VII. CHARIOT (Rainbow Dash): rank 7
VIII. JUSTICE (Principal Celestia): rank 6
IX. HERMIT (Coco Pommel): MAX!
XI. STRENGTH (Applejack): rank 3
XII. HANGED MAN (Octavia Melody): rank 2
XV. DEVIL (Juan the Janitor): rank 4
XVI. TOWER (Chrysalis): rank 2
XVII. STAR (Pinkie Pie): rank 8
XVIII. MOON (Trixie Lulamoon): rank 8
XIX. SUN (Vinyl Scratch): rank 6

---

The Twilight Sparkle Social Link has reached its maximum level!

Flash Sentry has mastered the Twilight Sparkle Social Link!

The power to create Personas of the Magician Arcana has reached its maximum!

Flash Sentry has forged a bond that cannot be broken!

Flash Sentry can now summon Merlin, the legendary sorcerer!

---

Twilight Sparkle's realization of love has awakened her true potential!

Athena has been reborn as Athena Logia!

ATHENA LOGIA
Arcana: Magician
Nullifies: Electricity
Strong against: Light, Darkness
Weak against: Ice
SKILLS: Zionga, Mazionga, Diarama, Mediarama, Me Patra, Elec Boost, Elec Break, Eerie Sound

---

An extended, unrated alternate version of this chapter is available on my website.