//------------------------------// // If things were different // Story: Cassandra's Tangled Adventure // by Acceptable_trash //------------------------------// Corona - The Castle Courtyard Present Time Cassandra was stunned. There, a few feet away lay Rapunzel, motionless on the graying ground. Zhan Tiri was defeated, but at the horrible cost of Rapunzel's life. This couldn't happen, it should have been her, after everything she has done wrong Rapunzel shouldn't have taken the fall for her mistakes. Cassandra looked up, and past her growing tears, through the blinding light of the stone she could see the whole kingdom cast in the darkness of decay. At this rate, everyone was going to die. No... This isn't the end. With great effort Cassandra stood and walked to the floating stone, using her cloak of shapeshifting to shield her eyes from the blinding light as she reached out a shaking hand to grab it. She could feel the waves of power push her back, invisible walls burning into her faded armor. But she did not falter. Through the intense burn of pain thrumming through her hand, she wrapped her fingers firmly around the gem and called upon its power, repeating the incantation she had heard before. Rapunzel won't be the one dying today. "No! What are you doing?!" Cassandra glared at the source of the voice through the light. In the bright haze was the familiar blue figure of Zhan Tiri, somehow looking furious and fearful at the same time. Cassandra smirked at the monster's mixed expression and wrapped her other hand around the stone. "Following my TRUE destiny Zhan Tiri." "NO! NOOOOO-" Cassandra pulled on the power and ignored the screams of Zhan Tiri, with all her might she continued the song, restoring the kingdom with those words of healing, the stone burning into her hands all the while. "Stop it! Stop it! I demand that you let GO!" The demon cried, her blue form flickering and twisting in rage. Cassandra's owl picked himself off the ground, his strength returning as he looked at his friend. Seeing Cassandra in pain Owl leaped into the air and flew to her, his claws outstretched and ready to tear the source of her pain out of her hands. As the finale notes fell from her tongue the stone ripped itself from Cassandra's hands and latched onto her chest, burning with extraordinary power as it settled into the Moonstone's former place. Cassandra coughed violently, blood dripping from her nose as her breath quickly began turn into ragged gasps as blood began to fill her lungs. Owl raced through the air, his mind filled with worry as he saw golden cracks raced up her arms and expand from the gem's place on her chest like some sick form of kintsugi pottery. Cassandra groaned between coughs, turning weakly with the last of her strength, she saw Rapunzel, her friend, one last time. "You FOOL! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" She understood that the sheer power of the stone would destroy her body just like it did to that evil megalomaniac of a demon, only unlike Zhan Tiri, Cassandra wouldn't be able to save herself by binding her spirit to the magical gem. But if anyone was going to die to save Corona it would be her. She was the one who caused this to happened and she would be the one to end it. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US BOTH YOU MISERABLE-" Cassandra sighed, It was with the fading sight of her best friend's teary face that she collapsed and fell into the cold clutches of unconsciousness with the sound of hollow shrieking echoing in her head. Rapunzel saw Cassandra stumble and raced forwarded to catch her, but she was too slow, too weak. A portal of bright yellow light opened just underneath Cassandra as she fell, engulfing her. The portal began shrinking and Owl dived, just barely entering the portal before it closed. Rapunzel stood stunned at what happened, her heart pounding with worry for her friend as she cried. "Oh Cassandra..." A few moments later Somewhere FAR away The forest was quiet under the night sky. Birds, squirrels, and other small mammals slept soundly under the stars. All was peaceful, all was quiet under the soft light of the moon and stars. A soft breeze picked up, rustling the leaves of trees and rippling against a nearby lake. The breeze turned to a fierce wind, disturbing the peace and ripping through the area, swirling surrounding clouds into a dark ring above a grassy clearing. Branches rattled against each other, snapping and whipping through the whirlwind like spears. Birds screeched as their nests were thrown into the ground, squirrels gripped the branches of their home to avoid becoming past in the dirt and deer ran for cover from stones that flew like bullets. Blue light burst from the center of the mini-tornado, blinding the startled frightened creatures of the forest momentarily. The light faded, revealing the dark form of a woman with bright, blue hair laying in the grass, a cloak was clasped over her neck and blanketed the ground below. A brown owl lay next to her, unconscious. The wind dissipated quicker then it had appeared, leaving sticks and branches strewn across the now patchy green grass. After a few moments, a squirrel hesitantly drew close, soon followed by a few birds and a mouse. The women and owl lay in the long wavering grass unmoving, dead to their surroundings. Dry tracks of blood ran down from her eyes, nose, and ears. More critters approached the edge of the clearing of the forest, intrigued by the newcomer and her unnaturally blue hair. Something on her chest glimmered in the moonlight and a golden shimmer raced over tracks shaped like cracks in the armor. A small grey bird flew and hovered over her, its eyes captured by the beauty of the swirling blue and yellow stone. The two colors twisted and spun hypnotically, entrancing the little bird. The poor, poor, unfortunate thing. Ignoring the wary chittering of the other animals in the clearing the bird landed on her dark prickly chest and pecked at the stone. The gem flashed intensely in response and the bird became trapped in an aurora of blue and yellow. Surprised, the little bird squawked and flailed as the light trapping it grew and stretched to capture the other animals fleeing the area. The owl remained untouched. Blue energy crackled and wrapped around the small forest animals and their movements began to grow sluggish. With a finale burst of power, the light released the animals, leaving them dead on the ground, and after a moment they disappeared, crumbling into the ground as various piles of dust. The women's pale skin regained its color, a flush of pink rushing to her cheeks and her breathing turned from shallow to even breaths. The blood remained, clinging to her skin like a disturbing reminder. The owl stirred, slowly moving to stand and steady himself, feeling drained of energy. Looking over the area the owl's eyes landed on the women next to him and he began to panic. Blood was never a good sign, especially when it leaked from the eyes. Shrieking, the owl griped her arm and began yanking with his talons, trying his best to wake her up. The gem glowed once more, stretching its power into the earth it brought up blue spines with strange patterns to surround the women. The owl refused to let go of her, watching as the blue spines of stone began to darken and curl around them, forming a crude barrier and separating them from the outside world entirely. The grass around the stone began to wither and decay, the ring of death expanded from the stone and out to the edge of the clearing, its grey touch climbing up into the nearby trees and turning their leaves to ash. The decay slowed down and finally halted, leaving a few trees and bushes half dead. Tired, confused, and concerned for his friend, the owl laid down and draped his wings across his friends cold body, doing his best to warm her up. A dark green pony sat at the end of the lake staring at the clearing with wide eyes. With great fear and uncertainty for what the hell just happened, the old green unicorn took off, galloping into the darkness of the trees. Whatever that thing was he didn't care, he had seen what it could do and wanted to warn the town. The moon hung impassively in the sky, it's soft light glistening against the otherworldly rock as it pulsed blue and faded to black.