//------------------------------//
// Part 2: Cascade 
// Story: Amazing Alicorns 
// by Cardinal Dan Productions 
//------------------------------//

When Twilight finally came to, the sound of rushing water was roaring in her ears. She reached out with her hooves, trying desperately to feel anything, but all she could find were small rocks, worn smooth by spending years in the flowing water. As her eyes fluttered open, she looked up to see daylight overhead. Far above her, a rocky ledge slippery with moss hanged over the pool she was floating in, and even higher still, the light from the sun pierced through the treetops of the Everfree Forest, casting warmth on her face.

Twilight turned her head and began coughing water out of her lungs. The fit was violent, but short-lived, leaving her feeling sore in the chest and worried that she might drown if she didn’t move onto the shore. Hoof by hoof, she crawled through the smooth rocks until she collapsed on dry land, falling flat on her stomach and exhausting a sigh of relief. As her breaths began to slow, Twilight caught something shimmering out of the corner of her gaze.

A small flower flowed as it washed ashore, it’s petals dripping with each ripple of water that crashed over it. Memories of Demise and the island cake flooding back, and tears began to build behind her eyes.

Twilight groaned as she reached out to take the flower, but it was drifting away, being pulled back into the pool where it would surly be lost. She panicked, not wanting to lose the only connection she had with the princess of time. She tried to move, pawing at it with her hoof, but her body was too stiff to react as quickly as her mind.

She could only watch in horror as another wave came, washing over the silver flower and taking it back into the water. “No...” The tears broke through, and she began to sob quietly as a wave of grief came over her. “Demise...”

Twilight cried until she couldn’t produce tears anymore, choosing instead to remain motionless and cook under the sun on the beach. She didn’t know where she was, when she was, or how to get out, and at this point, she didn’t care either. The passing seconds turned into minutes, and Twilight hadn’t moved a muscle.

She wanted to see Demise again, one last time, but part of her knew that was impossible. The pony tried to remember the last thing she said to her before sending her back to Equestria, but at that moment, a shadow came over her. No, it a shadow. It was something softer, like shade, cool and refreshing.

Then, as if from nowhere, something fell from above, landing inches from Twilight’s face. Her eyes darted towards the fallen object and, to her amazement, found the flower.

“Are you lost, little pony?”

Twilight bolted upright, grabbing onto the flower with her magic and holding it tight against her chest. Then, her eyes scanned the area in search of the voice that spoke to her. For a moment, she wondered if she had just imagined the whole thing, but this conspiracy was dissolved when she heard a soft chuckle echoing throughout the hidden pool.

“My... Demise told me you were a quiet one...”

The voice seemed to be all around her, breathing down her neck and tickleing her ears. Then, a pony began to rise from the water. Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked again. It wasn’t a pony at all, but the water itself that was rising.

In the form of a tall pony, complete with wings and a long horn, the water took shape and began to approach her. Each step it took left a wet mark on the beach.

Twilight stared in awe at the water-pony, and the water stared back, faceless and eyeless, cocking its head to the side as if it were observing her. “What ar- Who are you?”

The water seemed to ripple as she laughed. “Forgive me, Princess Twilight. I am Cascade, princess of pure water.” Her voice was gentle, like a trickling creek.

Everything about her astounded Twilight, from her flowing mane to her hooves, everything was crystal clear water. Twilight swallowed hard as she climbed to her hooves, standing before the princess. “You... You mentioned Demise... Do you know her?”

Cascade held a sloshy hoof to her flowing chest. “Well, of course! I see her from time to time when I return to the island.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You’ve been there?”

The water nodded her head. “The island is the home of all of the original Alicorns, Princess Twilight. Myself, Demise, and all of our brothers and sisters were born there. We govern our own realms, now, but we are allowed to return once every few hundred years.”

The purple pony’s jaw hit the floor. She was unable to believe everything she was hearing. Never before had she imagined the possibility of more Alicorns, and now there were... who knows how many more! “How... How is this possible? How has nopony ever written, or talked about you before?”

The water shifted slightly. “Ah, yes... We are the forgotten ones. As Alicorns, we are only able to interact with you, Twilight, and princesses like you, but there was a time when all ponies worshiped us in one way or another.”

Twilight frowned. “I... I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to suggest-“

Cascade raised a hoof and chuckled sweetly. “You are not at fault, my little princess, and there is nothing to be ashamed of. I still enjoy the company of ponies, any who swim in my rivers, ponds, and lakes. All who pass through the water pass through me, and it makes me happy indeed.”

She looked up. Twilight did the same, trying to see what Cascade was searching for. “Your friend is looking for you.” Then, the water pointed towards the end of the pool, where a stream began and trailed into the distance. “Follow the river, Princess Twilight, and you will find him.”

Clutching onto the flower, Twilight nodded her head before turning back around to face the water princess. “Thank you, prin-“

The water had receded into the pool. Cascade was gone, and she was alone once again.


***Up Next: Everfree***