Happy Hearths warming, Sunset

   There comes a time for everybody when they feel they won't survive what's going on around them. For Twilight Sparkle, it was now. She paced nervously around the clean infirmary. She kept glancing around and nervously ruffling her wings. A few ponies would walk up to her, but she would quickly ask them to leave her. Leave her... no, her Sunset wouldn't ever leave her. She couldn't. And that dart. It looked so familiar, but she just couldn't place it. She was sure that she had read about it in an old book, oh what was it!?

  "Princess Twilight?" Came a timid voice behind her, jolting her out of her thoughts. Twilight span quickly to see a mint green unicorn in a nurses outfit standing behind her. "You can go in now" she said, pointing to the door. Twilight lowered her head in acknowledgement and walked quickly through the doors. Spike boosted himself off of his chair and followed her. Twilight stopped and lowered one wing, allowing Spike to ride on her back. The familiar warmth calmed her. Twilight knocked lightly at the door designated and waited until it was opened by a doctor. The doctor bowed deeply upon seeing her and Twilight lowered her head. Ugh, she was getting a cramp in neck from bowing it so much.

"Is she okay?" Asked Twilight anxiously.

"Yes, she will be fine. Luckily, not very much poison seeped into her bloodstream. Thank Celestia you pulled the dart out. What we found out was that the poison came from the insect kingdom to the east" he explained. Twilight took a deep breath to compose herself. The insect kingdom. Of course.

'The insect kingdom; the ponies who live there will often transform their magic that would otherwise give them cutie marks into the magic allowing them to become a changeling. They trade mainly in different flower nectars and poison. This poison is found in the pinchers of the honey beetle, unique to the insect kingdom. This poison is fast acting and deadly, draining pony of their love and storing it in the body of the dart for future retrieval'. It all came flooding back to Twilight.

"Changelings" she growled under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Asked the doctor.

"Nothing. Can I see her?" asked Twilight, changing the subject.

"Yes, go ahead. Just do try and be gentle, she's still weak"

"Thank you". Twilight walked into the room. Sunset was lying down in the bed. She looked pale and weak. Seeing her like that was terrible. Twilight’s heart felt ready to burst. She should've been sitting up, smiling and laughing at her. Not pale and still, a grimace fixed in place. Twilight walked over to the bed and held Sunsets hoof. She leaned forward and gently kissed Sunsets forehead. Sunsets color started to return and her eyes half opened. She smiled when she saw Twilight and tried to sit up, but winced and fell back down onto the pillow.

"Ow, my head hurts" she said quietly. Twilight giggled and nuzzled her. She took note that whenever they touched, a little bit of Sunsets color would return. She gently wrapped her hooves around Sunset and hugged her tightly. Sunset gasped and her eyes flew open. "Oh sweet Celestia do I feel better!"

"It's because I love you" said Twilight quietly.

"Not as much as I love you" said Sunset, and she cut off Twilight as she began to object. "What happened?" She asked.

"Shh, don't worry about that" soothed Twilight, stroking Sunsets mane.

"Twilight, stop treating me like a foal. What happened?"

Twilight sighed. "A changeling dart. They extract love from a pony and store it in the body of the dart. But why did they target you?" Mused Twilight, stroking her chin.

"Maybe they sensed that I love you so much" gasped Sunset, flinging her hooves around Twilight. Twilight was shocked when she felt tears starting to fall on her shoulder.

"Sunset, what's wrong?" She asked, trying to sound like Fluttershy.

"I-I have to leave tomorrow" sobbed Sunset. Twilight blinked, having only just remembered that their time was limited. She bit her lip. What should she do!? She didn't want to pressure Sunset into staying, but she also didn't want to make her feel like she wasn't wanted there. What kind of a terrible mare friend couldn't help her mare friend when it was needed? Wasn't there some kind of alicorn wisdom that would guide her? Wait, wisdom... yes! There was a spell for that! The wisdom of the sages. Twilight quickly cast the spell before speaking again.

"I love you. Do what your heart tells you" she said proudly. Sunset started giggling through her tears.

"Really Twilight? You needed a spell to help you with that?" She asked, still giggling.

"H-how did you know I cast a spell?" Gasped Twilight, eyes wide.

"Duh. I sensed it. Well, now that I think about it, I couldn't do that before..." mumbled Sunset before being grabbed forcefully by Twilight at the shoulders.

"You sensed my magic?" She asked urgently.

"Y-yes!" Said Sunset quickly.

"Sunset, only alicorns can do that!" Explained Twilight.

"But I'm not an alicorn!"

"Yes, you are" came a deep voice from the door. Both whipped around and saw Princess Luna standing in the doorway.

"W-what?" Said Sunset, breaking the deafening silence.

"You are an alicorn" said Luna again.

"But I don't have wings" said Sunset quickly.

"Physical ascension into an alicorn can only be done by another alicorn. But mentally, you are an alicorn" explained Luna.

"Wow, lots of 'alicorns' in that sentence" said Sunset with a small laugh. "Why?" She asked, as though asking the most normal question she could.

"I do not know, but it does not bode well. It makes me worry that a new threat is on the horizon"

"The changelings" whispered Twilight to herself.

"What?" Gasped Luna, brows furrowed.

"Sunset was shot by a changeling dart to extract her love. What if they were doing this to gain strength!?" Said Twilight, getting concerned and frantic. Luna took a deep breath to compose herself.

"If that is so, we really do need another alicorn. Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine" said Sunset.

"Good, then both of you, follow me" she said before turning and walking quickly out of the room. Sunset looked at Twilight, who nodded. The two turned and followed Luna.

                                                                             ***

    Twilight, Luna, and Sunset all walked into an unfamiliar room. It was a pure white with black and blue ribbons decorating the walls. In the middle was a pink alter with a pale blue dot in the center, along with a golden ring around it. On the ceiling hung a large purple chandelier with pink stripes.

"Sunset, please step up here" said Luna, gesturing to the alter. Sunset took a short, ragged breath before stepping up. Luna turned and grinned softly at Twilight.

"Twilight, would you do the honors?" She asked, bowing her head in the direction of Sunset. Twilights eyes went wide, but she nodded eagerly. Twilight took her place in front of Sunset and spread her wings wide. Her horn glowed as the two were lifted into the air. A white magic swirled around Sunset, then there was a blinding flash of light. When Luna looked up, Twilight and Sunset were collapsed on the ground, each panting heavily. Sunset shakily got to her hooves and gasped when she looked back. These weren't normal wings. They were a blaze of colors, each fiery. Speaking of fiery, little wisps of flames were floating off from them. They were the wings of a phoenix. She was caught off guard by Twilight tackling her, hugging as hard as she could. All three alicorns looked up when the doors to the room swung open. Princess Celestia was standing there, eyes wide and mouth open.

"Sunset, I" she started, but her voice soon failed her. Instead, she just bowed deeply. "Sunset Shimmer, do you swear on your life to care for and protect the inhabitants of Equestria, along with its morals and purity?"

"I do."

"Do you swear on your life to never do harm to this nation or its inhabitants?"

"I do"

"Do you swear to come back, and let me try my hoof at this whole parenting thing once more?"

"I-I...I do" said Sunset, tears forming.

"I am proud to announce Sunset Shimmer. The latest alicorn and Princess of Equestria."

                                                                        ***

  "O-oh" stuttered Rarity. She was the first to speak since Sunset had unfolded her new wings. Other than that, the other bearers of the elements were all completely silent.

"Soooo, congrats" said Rainbow. The group was silent once more.

"ALICOOOOORN PARTAY!" Screamed high pitched voice from above. They all looked up to see Pinkie Pie, belly flopping onto the ground. Just before she hit the ground, her belly inflated, causing her to bounce once before landing on her hooves. She had cardboard wings and a horn, and was somehow floating a large cake on the fake horn. "Come on, party poopers! You're all being grumpies!"

"Pinkies right. This is a time to celebrate!" Said Twilight, throwing a hoof over Sunsets neck and kissing her cheek.

"Thanks Twilight" she whispered, leaning in slightly as everybody moved around at all of the sweets that Pinkie had laid out.

"So, are you still leaving tomorrow?" Asked Twilight, low and serious. "You don't have to stay"

"How can I leave? I'm a princess now. And if Luna was right, and there is a threat as bad as the changelings looming, I'm better off here" explained Sunset

"But do you want to stay?" Asked Twilight, stroking Sunsets cheek with a soft hoof. There was a moment of silence, then another.

"Yes" said Sunset resolutely.

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes. I want to stay here with them," she said, gesturing to the small party. "And I need to learn to be a good princess, and I need to help and do my part to protect them. A-and," stuttered Sunset.

"What?"

"I want to stay here with you. I love you so much it hurts, and I know I wouldn't be able to survive if I left. I want to marry you" said Sunset quickly, as if forcing the words out. Twilight looked down as her lip quivered.

"I-I love you too, but marriage? I don't know" she said uncertainly. Sunset looked away as a tight feeling in her chest began to form. It seemed like it was forcing out tears, but she held them back. How could she have been so stupid? Why did she bring it up? It just felt like the right moment.

"Okay, I-I'm sorry" said Sunset, looking away.

"Hey" said Twilight, gently pulling Sunsets head towards her. "It's okay. I love you"

"I love you too. Now let's go party, while everything is okay"

                                                                      ***

    "Everything is not okay, sister!" Boomed Luna, pacing in the throne room in the solar half of the palace.

"There could be a changeling invasion about to happen, and you don't want to do a thing!?" She yelled, rearing before pushing back down, her front hooves cracking the tiles. Celestia sat back and watched this all happen with a calm, expressionless eye.

"Yes" she replied in an even tone. "We are not going to do anything. As I said, everything is okay. Trust-"

"NO!" Screamed Luna, cutting off Celestia. "I don't trust you, because you don't trust me! I know you don't! And I know you're the one who spread the rumors. How everybody has to keep me happy or I'll turn into Nightmare Moon? Or how about how I forced you to use the elements as a publicity stunt? Ooh, or my personal favorite, how I still am Nightmare moon and I'm just tricking them all so I can take over Equestria!?" She shouted, wings flared and eyes glowing lightly. Celestia still sat still, but now her mouth hung open.

"Lulu, I-"

"Shut up!" Said Luna, once again cutting off her sister. "The guards told me"

"You know what? Why do I care? I swear, when we were little, I wanted to leave you in the mountains. And when you were Nightmare Moon, I wanted to just end you. Even now, I wish you hadn't come back. Why did you? We were all happier without you!" Yelled Celestia, lashing out with her magic. Luna was sent flying across the room, slamming into the far wall before sliding down. “Luna!" Cried Celestia, standing quickly. Luna stood and looked at her sister in a way she only had once before. In complete terror. She stood and limped to the doors, quickly helped by the lunar guards that had run in when they heard the crash. She stopped though, and turned her head lightly, so Celestia could only see the outline of her head.

"You know, Sunset was right. You are a monster" she said quietly before leaving the throne room.