Time for the big reveal. I hope I did it justice.
BIG SPOILER TIME!
Chapter 110 – Conflict in the Holy Tomb, Part 2 (Pegasus Moon)
Rhea could only stare in mute astonishment as Byleth rushed up to Dorothea. The diva had just retrieved her blade and was now nursing her wounded left arm, having removed Metodey's dart. The assassin's headless corpse lay on the ground nearby.
The Archbishop had many thoughts running through her head at that moment. The first and foremost was what to say to Dorothea and Byleth, knowing they likely had not forgiven her earlier conduct. The second had to do with the poison dart that now lay near Dorothea's feet. They were sure to ask questions if they realized the poison had no effect on Dorothea.
To Rhea's relief, the second issue was resolved when Flayn came rushing up and immediately cast an Esuna spell on Dorothea. Rhea knew she would have to thank Flayn for her quick thinking. Dorothea likely would not notice that the spell had done nothing to help her since the Dragonbane poison had no effect on humans.
"Rhea!" Flayn said before rushing to the Archbishop's side.
The green-haired healer then readied her magic and said "Esuna!", and Rhea felt the poison in her veins washed away by magic. Though she was still in pain from the blows Metodey had dealt her, she could now move and call upon her Mana once more, but she was still in no condition to fight.
Rhea slowly rose to her feet and looked up at Byleth and Dorothea.
"Rhea…" Byleth said in a tone of disappointment and relief.
"Byleth, Dorothea, I thank you," said Rhea. Looking at Dorothea, she said, "You came to my aid, Dorothea, despite my actions. Words cannot express my gratitude."
Dorothea said nothing, her glare showing she still hadn't forgiven Rhea.
"I understand if you feel words alone are not apology enough, but–"
"Oh, you bet they're not enough," Dorothea interrupted. "I am still so… so mad at you, Rhea! I can barely even think straight right now!"
"Dorothea, please, calm yourself," said Flayn.
"Thank you, Flayn," said Rhea. "I–"
"Do not think me pleased by your actions either, Rhea!" Flayn interrupted. "Your conduct with Dorothea was inexcusable! You should be ashamed of yourself."
Rhea was silent at this, though the look on her face alone was enough for Byleth to see she was sorry. Even so, guilt alone wasn't going to set things right.
The exchange was interrupted as the four of them heard a loud howl of pain come from Caspar. Surprised, they turned to see the Flame Emperor had just smashed him into a pillar, leaving the brawler motionless on the floor of the Holy Tomb.
"Caspar!" Dorothea said in shock.
"We'll finish this talk later," said Byleth. "We still have to protect the Holy Tomb."
"Indeed," said Flayn.
She then immediately began preparing a Rescue spell to use on Caspar. Rhea immediately channeled her Mana to Flayn to speed up the process, as her own Mana was still in flux. Flayn's magic surrounded Caspar's unconscious form in light, warping him to the green-haired healer. Caspar groaned on the floor as Flayn went to work healing him.
"Follow me," Byleth said to Dorothea.
"Right behind you, Professor."
Byleth and Dorothea then rushed down the steps, intent on stopping the Flame Emperor.
…
The Flame Emperor's axe, Aymr, crashed down in front of Sylvain and unleashed a shockwave of energy. The redhead howled as he was blasted away and tumbled across the stone floor before lying battered and defeated, the Lance of Ruin just out of his reach.
"Always so overconfident," the Flame Emperor murmured, too quietly for anyone to hear.
A female shout caught his attention, prompting the Flame Emperor to raise his black shield to block an incoming Miasma Δ spell from Hapi. Hapi fired a second blast, but this too failed to break through the Flame Emperor's bulwark.
He knew he had to defeat her quickly. He couldn't risk having her summon anything.
Aymr glowed crimson as the Flame Emperor channeled Mana into the weapon. He then swung it in Hapi's direction, releasing a wave of fiery force at her. Surprised, Hapi raised a ward and let out a scream as the flames roared around her, threatening to burn her alive. In seconds, the flames passed. Hapi's ward faded away as the girl, overwhelmed by the assault she had just withstood, fell to her knees and collapsed.
"Hapi!" Linhardt called out as he ran over to help the dark-skinned girl, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her to safety.
A loud shout from Leonie caught the Flame Emperor's attention next, and he whirled around to parry the Sauin girl's strike. Leonie was wielding an axe now, presumably taken from one of her slain opponents.
"You're going down, Flame Emperor!" Leonie said scathingly. "I'm going to make you pay for Captain Jeralt!"
"You cast blame aimlessly," said the Flame Emperor. "Jeralt's killer already lies dead."
"You're the one who told Monica to do it!"
Leonie roared as she raised her axe and swung it repeatedly at the Flame Emperor, either striking his shield or missing. Then, when she was readying a particularly heavy swing, the Flame Emperor rushed forward and slammed his shield into Leonie's chest. The orange-haired girl let out a loud "GAH!" as she spun while standing, allowing the Flame Emperor to swing Aymr at her.
Leonie then let out an earsplitting scream as the glowing axe slashed across her back, followed by her toppling to the floor.
"LEONIE!"
The Flame Emperor looked to the one who had shouted the Sauin girl's name. Byleth rushed furiously at him and swung her blade, forcing him to block the Sword of the Creator. Byleth made several more strikes, forcing the Flame Emperor on the defensive. Then, as she shouted and made a heavy swing, he met her strike with Aymr, causing the two blades to lock in a clash.
As Byleth growled at him, the Flame Emperor said, "You are the one person I did not wish to make an enemy of…"
"You made yourself my enemy," said Byleth, "the moment Kronya took my father from me!"
Byleth drew back her sword and swung her hand to send a fireball at the Flame Emperor. With surprising speed, he dodged the magical attack and spun around in a wide swing. Surprised, Byleth raised her blade to block the attack, which sent her skidding several meters across the stone floor, still on her feet. Upon stopping, Byleth roared as the Crest of Flames shone over her head, and the Sword of the Creator separated into its whip form. With the blades whirling around her, she began to slash at the Flame Emperor, aiming to eviscerate him. The Flame Emperor raised his shield, blocking each blow as bits and pieces of the shield were broken off with each strike.
As this was happening, Dorothea knelt over Leonie as she tried to heal the girl's wound. The cut from Aymr had nearly hit Leonie's spine, leaving the girl shaking in agony on the ground.
"Hang on, Leonie, you're going to be alright!" Dorothea said frantically as she channeled her magic.
A second later, Dorothea heard another one of the Imperial solders let out a loud howl of pain, having been shot in the abdomen by Bernadetta. Dorothea did not turn to this as she focused on saving Leonie.
The soldier looked to see the Flame Emperor struggling to hold off Byleth's assault. Knowing his wound was fatal, he stumbled over to one of the caskets. To the alarm of the students, he reached into the casket and pulled out a Crest Stone. The stone began to glow crimson as it reacted to the man's lack of a Crest. Black ooze began to pour out of the Crest Stone and began engulfing his arm. He then slammed the Crest Stone to his chest, as if trying to embed it into his skin.
As the stone began to consume his body, he shouted, "FOR THE EMPIRE!"
He then let out an agonizing cry as his body was engulfed by the dark ooze, tearing apart his flesh and bone as his form changed. Byleth, hearing this, stopped her assault on the Flame Emperor and turned to see the rapidly growing form of a Demonic Beast.
Throwing away his broken shield, the Flame Emperor scowled and said, "Fool…"
Within moments, the Demonic Beast's transformation was complete, and the monster roared as it eyed Byleth. Flames flickered from its maw as it readied a breath attack, forcing Byleth to dodge away from it as it fired. The flames slammed into a pillar, which exploded in a shower of rock. The Demonic Beast then rushed on all fours after Byleth and swung its claws at her, forcing her to dodge repeatedly.
Dorothea, having done all she could for Leonie, called out "Byleth!" as she moved to help her teacher. But as she did, she saw the Flame Emperor begin to make his way toward the stairs that led to Rhea.
For a second, Dorothea hesitated on what to do. If she ran to help Byleth, Rhea and Flayn would be exposed. But if she tried to stop him, he would likely swat her aside like he did in Remire. Dorothea looked between Byleth and the Flame Emperor. Byleth narrowly avoided being bitten by the Demonic Beast and slashed at its snout, making it recoil in pain. She then looked back to see the Flame Emperor effortlessly swatting away an arrow fired by Bernadetta, who squeaked as she ducked back into cover. She then looked up to see Flayn was still tending to Rhea, who still had not recovered from her fight with Metodey.
The Flame Emperor reached the halfway point on the stairs when Dorothea rushed up to the staircase and shouted, "Hold it!"
The Flame Emperor did not turn as he said, "Why do you defend her? Rhea sees you as little more than a tool for her ambitions."
"I'm not fond of her right now either, but I'm not about to let you get away with everything you've done here!" said Dorothea.
The Flame Emperor then turned and made his way down the steps as he said, "What I do here today is for the future of Fódlan, Dorothea Arnault. This land has been poisoned by the Church's oppression and lies for too long. I will see it reborn in fire, free of the tyranny and deceit the Archbishop has forced upon its people."
"And just how many innocent lives are you willing to trample to do that?! Remire, the other semesters, their blood is on your hands!"
"Necessary sacrifices for the greater good. No change may come without a price."
"People's lives aren't yours to sacrifice, you monster!"
Dorothea rushed at the Flame Emperor and thrust Joyeuse at him. The Flame Emperor dodged back and swung the blunt side of Aymr at her, sending Dorothea stumbling back. As she staggered, Dorothea felt her limbs grow slightly numb, just they had at Remire.
"You cannot defeat me, Dorothea," said the Flame Emperor. "And I have no desire to harm you. Stand down and stay out of my way."
"I'm not running from you."
"Your fear betrays you. You know you cannot win, so why fight me?"
Dorothea made another charge at the Flame Emperor, sending out a Thunder spell as she ran. The Flame Emperor dodged to the side, causing the spell to miss. Dorothea made another thrust at him, but the Flame Emperor swung Aymr again and sent her stumbling back.
Breathing heavily, Dorothea said, "Because being brave means doing what you're afraid to do."
"You mistake bravery for foolishness. Why fight for the Church? Their system is what led to you becoming an orphan. They are responsible for creating this brutal, irrational world of ours. They must be stopped."
"The one who needs to be stopped here is you! I'm not fighting for the Church. I'm fighting for my friend and her ideals!"
The Flame Emperor paused for a second, and then said, "If that were so, you would be fighting by my side."
"W-What?"
"Edelgard von Hresvelg thinks as I do, Dorothea Arnault. We share a common goal: to tear down the tyranny of Crests."
"Don't you dare lump yourself with her! Edie would never condone something like this!"
Dorothea shouted as she made another rush at the Flame Emperor, readying another spell as she did. The Flame Emperor readied himself to dodge and counter her attack.
Instead of a bolt of lightning, Dorothea sent out a white ball of energy.
Just as the Flame Emperor was about to dodge to the side, the white ball exploded in a loud, blinding bang.
"NNGH!"
The Flame Emperor flinched back, surprised by the spell. Then, to his alarm, he heard Dorothea yell as she thrust Joyeuse at his mask.
The tip of the blade pierced into the porcelain white mask, cracking it like pottery. A second later, it fell away from the Flame Emperor's helmet.
The sound of the mask shattering as it hit the floor drew the eyes of everyone in the room.
Byleth, who had just finished killing the Demonic Beast with Ingrid's help, turned just in time to see Dorothea's face stricken with absolute horror. The diva stumbled back in shock as Joyeuse fell from her grip.
The teacher's green eyes widened as she saw the familiar pale face and purple eyes of Edelgard von Hresvelg looking Dorothea in the eye as a small trail of blood began to slide down from her forehead. The princess had only been pricked by the diva's sword.
"E… Edie…?" Dorothea whimpered.
Edelgard said nothing as everyone but Dorothea stopped dead in their tracks. The brunette continued to step back in disbelief.
"No… Nonononono…"
Dorothea's eyes began to well with tears as she weakly shook her head.
The silence in the Holy Tomb was ended by a demented chuckle, followed by loud, crazed laughter. A few of the others turned as Dimitri shouted, "Is this some kind of twisted joke?!"
"You're kidding me, right?" Claude said in disbelief. "The Flame Emperor is… Edelgard?!"
"What the hell…?" said Anna.
The others began to whisper their surprise and shock at the truth.
Dorothea could not believe what she was seeing. Standing before her, wearing the armor of the one behind Flayn's abduction, the Remire Calamity, and the death of Jeralt, was her best friend. The same friend who had given her the Mythril blade that now rested on the floor before her. The same friend who had fought alongside her through trial after trial. The same friend who she had met in the Mittelfrank Opera years ago and had shared so many stories with. The same friend who, not even a week earlier, she had watched ascend the throne.
It had to be a lie. It just had to be. Edelgard wasn't capable of this… right?
Flashbacks of Edelgard's words rushed into Dorothea's confused mind. She remembered Edelgard's words following the battle with Lonato's militia. She had said then that she was willing to sacrifice lives for a higher cause. She remembered how she spoke on the cruelty of the Crest Nobility system after the battle at Conand Tower. She had praised Miklan for his abilities, regardless of his morality. She remembered how Edelgard had confided in her and Byleth the cruelty of her past, and how she had been imbued with the power of the Crest of Flames, all at the cost of her siblings.
She'd said then that she had vowed to change the world. It had been nearly the same words the Flame Emperor had used in the catacombs.
Dorothea brought her hands to her face as she said sorrowfully, "This… this isn't right… This can't be right…! You can't be… YOU CAN'T BE HER!"
Edelgard shut her eyes and said, "Your eyes do not deceive you."
She reached for her helmet, removing a clasp behind it that held it in place on her armor.
"This has always been part of my ambition."
She grabbed the helmet by its long plume and lifted it from her head.
"No longer will I hide behind this disguise."
The helmet clattered to the ground, letting Edelgard's long white locks of hair come free.
As she stood proudly before them with Aymr in hand, Edelgard said, "I now stand before you all… as Edelgard von Hresvelg, Flame Emperor of the Adrestian Empire!"
Poor Dorothea…
Tell me, for those of you who played Blue Lions first, how much of a "WTF" scene was this in the game?
I'm sure I must've messed something up in the exchange between Dorothea and the Flame Emperor. This was probably one of the toughest exchanges for me to write, as Entei didn't want to give away their identity to Dorothea if possible, but still wanted to try and convince her to either step aside or join them. Also, in case you were wondering, Edelgard was holding back against Dorothea. WAY back.
I also haven't fully touched upon Dorothea's reasoning for saving Rhea, but I hope the scene was enough for giving her a chastisement. Either way, more of the scene was supposed to be devoted to the big reveal.
Oh yeah, and when the big reveal happens, I find Suspicion from Final Fantasy 4 to be a great fit. That game's always held a special place in my heart, as has this particular piece by Nobou Uematsu.