Twilight hadn’t eaten much at Prince Blaze’s place, only enough to hold back the feelings of hunger that had begun to take hold of her during the journey through the Everfree Forest, but teleporting from the tip of the highest peak in Equestria to a courtyard outside the palace in Canterlot left her unwell. A fear came over her that she might lose some of her meal, but Dulcet was there to offer her some sense of reassurance. “Twilight, are you... alright?”
The purple princess nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine once I walk it off...” Then, she shot Dulcet a look. “Blaze was quite the host, wasn’t he?”
The white Alicorn nodded and cracked a smile. Twilight thought she could even detect a hint of pink on her cheeks, but she turned her head towards the palace. “Indeed, he is. We should focus on the mission.”
Twilight had more questions still, but it was clear from Dulcet’s behavior that this chapter of the conversation was over. Whatever past dealings Demise had with Blaze, Dulcet didn’t want them resurfacing in a dialogue.
Together, they entered the palace of Celestia and Luna. This late in the day, Twilight knew Luna would be sound asleep, but she was happy to see her friend and mentor sitting on her throne, waiting for her. Unfortunately, the look on Celestia’s face did not resonate the same level of happiness.
“Princess Celestia, hello! You have no idea how happy I am to see you...”
The sun princess raised an eyebrow, but her frown remained. “Twilight, your visits are always welcome and appreciated, but Star Swirl has informed me of some unsettleing events transpiring in the Everfree Forest.”
Then, her gaze shifted to Dulcet. “I do not think we’ve met, Princess-“
“Dulcet.” The white mare finished for Celestia. Twilight new better, that ‘Dulcet’ was just a cover for her true identity, but that seemed to be another secret she wanted concealed from the world, at least for now. “My name is Dulcet, and I’m a friend of Twilight Sparkle. This... Star Swirl is correct, and something terrible is coming. Demise, the princess of time, has broken free from her realm and will destroy this world and all others unless balance is restored to the bonds of space and time.”
Twilight looked back and forth between Dulcet and Celestia. The princess of Canterlot slumped back in her throne a little. “Once again, the fate of the world is at risk and you are involved, Twilight...”
Dulcet stepped forward, placing herself between them. “Twilight has nothing to do with this.”
The purple mare’s ears folded back. She knew that was a total lie. It had everything to do with her. Demise’s obsession over her caused the poor princess to go insane and turn the universe on its side.
“Demise wants a war, and we need the power of every Alicorn we can get in order to lock her away again.”
This time, it was Twilight who pushed past Dulcet to get Celestia’s attention. “You knew about them, didn’t you? There are other Alicorns out there, dozens of them, maybe more, and you never told me.”
Celestia’s eyes fell, and she rose from her throne. “Twilight, everything I do has a reason behind it, and my intention was not to keep you in the dark. I would never hide anything from you that you didn’t need to know, but there is a reason the Alicorns of the world are hidden from the public eye. Demise unbalancing time proves this.”
Dulcet winced slightly at her words but kept quiet.
Then, Celestia let out a long sigh and descended from her throne, meeting Twilight and Dulcet on the floor. “If what you say is true, then you have my full support. Luna will agree too, whenever she awakens, and I will immediately send for Princess Cadence. This isn’t the first foe we have faced together.”
Twilight and the elder princess shared a smile before she ran to embrace her. Dulcet couldn’t help smiling at the reunion between old friends, but her grin dissipated as the temperature of the throne room dropped drastically. The moment was short lived, and a darkness fell over the hall.
A sinister laugh echoed throughout the palace and thundered in Twilight’s ears, causing her to grimace. “Isn’t that sweet... but you really shouldn’t get too familiar with other mares, my darling Twilight...” She turned Just in time to see Demise materialize behind her. “You know just how jealous I can get...”
The magic from her horn sailed straight for Celestia’s head, but the sun princess quickly raised a shield that deflected the bolt of energy towards the ceiling. Celestia returned in kind and fired back, but Demise simply froze the princess and her magic in time, rendering both harmless. “Very quick reaction time, Princess Celestia, but also very predictable.”
Dulcet’s own horn ignited, and Celestia was free once again. The magic too resumed its normal speed and caught Demise in the chest, sending her flying towards the other end of the grand hall. “Ahhh! You whorse... You’ll pay for that...”
All three Alicorns surrounded Demise, horns lowered and trained on her. Twilight kept her eyes on the floor, not daring to look at the dark mare directly.
Dulcet took the lead, and approached the dark princess. “You’re out numbered, Demise! Surrender...”
From the floor, the black Alicorn looked up at them and began to laugh. Twilight, Celestia, and Dulcet each shared awkward glances. “You have a point, Dulcet, that is what you’re calling yourself now? Why don’t we even the playing field...”
Demise’s gaze turned towards a small fountain beside the throne.
It was a bowl of water no bigger than a kickball sitting on a pedestal, but the whole room began to shake as the water rose out of the bowl and began to take shape on the floor in front of the throne. Twilight gasped as a familiar Alicorn stepped forward, leaving a trail of wet carpet with each step she took. Standing before them, faceless and glistening in the sunlight shining through the windows, was Princess Cascade.
“I am here to serve you, Lord Demise...”
***Up Next: Luna***