//------------------------------// // Perspective // Story: Cassandra's Tangled Adventure // by Acceptable_trash //------------------------------// Las Pegasus - The Meeting Room 30 minutes earlier Harpy felt confused. Why didn't Cassandra want to help the Union? She had just learned how horrible Equestria has been to the other nations, even to its own ponies! And yet, even after Anemone spoke highly of her sense of justice, she didn't want to help them. Ivory discreetly laid foot on top of her own under the table, trying to stop his daughter from speaking out against their guest. "We understand, this is not your problem, you... You have done more than I could ever repay you for, and have agreed to help a race most turn their backs on. We are in your debt." Harpy relented. Her father was right, Cassandra owed them nothing and was obligated to do nothing, no matter how she felt. How could she argue with someone that saved her life? Saved her friends and her father? Obsidian however deflated visibly and looked away from Cassandra. "I... I know it is not my place to ask but... Why? Why not help us? You are probably the only being other than Discord that could face the Princesses and their Elements of Harmony. Anemone told us of your disgust towards injustice, do their crimes not make your blood boil like it does to mine?" Cassandra sighed and closed her eyes. She knew that despite their politeness that all three of them felt the same, disappointed and confused. But they also grew up in a biased environment, were probably taught to despise the ponies from youth. Cassandra knew that making them see reason and decide for themselves what was right would be a process, one that she would likely not stay around long enough to complete. She had more important things to do, like figuring out where to go and what to do in this strange new land. Specifically, find a way out of this country full of tiny horses that wanted to kill her for using 'dark magic' or whatever. Killing that guard in a blind rage probably didn't help her case. Man, what a mess. "So, did you still want to look at the books?" A soft, hesitant voice spoke. It was at this moment that Anemone was noticed by the group with Owl sitting on a cart of books. Her eyes were wide and her claws gripped the handles tightly. Cassandra eyed the cart before shaking her head. "That can come later, please sit down I know you four probably want an explanation." Anemone watched as Owl flew ahead of her and settled down on the table before following. Cassandra was right, she did want to know why the one being kind enough to help her out against a racist was unwilling to fight the leaders of a nation filled with racists, especially after she saw one murder her friend. Cassandra waited until Anemone had sat down before speaking. "I understand that the things Equestria has done in the past are unforgivable, that your nations have suffered because of their past leaders." Cassandra leveled her eyes at Harpy. "But that's exactly it, it's all in the past. You can't blame the Princesses just because they're related to Solaris, you can't blame someone solely on blood relation." Harpy stood up, opening her mouth to retort before promptly closing it again. Owl flared his wings at Harpy, a clear sign of a warning. Everyone watched as she stood over the table, her dark crown feathers raising subconsciously as she tried to find the right words. Cassandra didn't miss how Ivory glared at his daughter. Harpy's talons dug into the table as she turned to scowl at the wall, finally speaking. "You don't understand. These ponies are the source of the worlds pain, someone needs to pay, justice needs to be served for our dead." Cassandra scratched under Owl's neck feathers, making him calm down and lower his wings. "I am the daughter of the Captain of the Guard from my country, I grew up learning about the law and morality I think I have a good idea on what's right and what's wrong." Ivory titled head at this, a place filled with other beings like Cassandra? Were they all as powerful as her? Why had he never heard about her kind then? Cassandra released Owl and clasped her hands together. "I've listened to many cases of many crimes, even help in quite a few myself, and you know what? Most of these crimes are not always what they seem, you need to dig deep to find out if someone's actually a bad guy, or really just a desperate person just trying to survive." Harpy wanted to argue, wanted to make Cassandra see just how horrible the ponies were but her father made her pause by grabbing her hand. "That's enough." Ivory growled, feeling all the more anxious, he certainly didn't want to accidentally fall on her bad side, not when she was the friend of a powerful Crown. "Sit down." Harpy struggled internally for a moment before she ripped her claws out of his grasp. "NO! I literally just DIED today! All of you saw me DIE, and you're okay with it?! With letting this go?!" She turned on Cassandra. "And I'm NOT THE FIRST ONE! Stella was MURDERED just over a month ago! By PONIES!" "This isn't just about what happened millennia ago! It's about what's going on Right NOW! Murder, Discrimination, and RAPE!" The room fell quiet after that, save for the heavy, angry breathing from Harpy. Cassandra lowered her face and closed her eyes, her hands still clasped together on the table. "I know." The temperature noticeably dropped a few degrees and everyone felt their mouths go dry. "Well, really I just assumed after my experience with the ticket pony and the guard that this was true. I wouldn't believe it if someone told me there was a place where there was no crime or a government without some sort of corruption." Cassandra lifted her head and opened her eyes, they burned a bright electric blue, their glow cutting through the powerful magical candlelight drifting from chandeliers above. Slowly Cassandra twisted to face Anemone, giving her what was supposed to be a comforting smile. It only made the red griffin feel very nervous. "Tell me, do the Princesses benefit from these things? Do they encourage it? Or better yet, are they in charge of it?" Anemone broke into a cold sweat, feeling an invisible vice wrap around her tongue compelling her to tell only the truth. Not that she would ever think to lie about something as serious as this. "N-no, Celestia and the other Princesses are unaware of most of the crimes since they are usually disguised as accidents or suicides, and nobility work with the press to keep any messy murders out of the newspaper." She swallowed harshly. "Discrimination usually goes unnoticed because most businesses have a right to refuse service to anyone, and here everyone has freedom of speech..." "They... They don't support any of these things, but they can't exactly stop it either, not without major backlash and possible riots. Even with all their power, they are too busy managing their nation and playing nice in the courts to actually see what goes on in their walls." The intensity of the glow lowered a bit. "So then, the Princesses can be considered innocent of this. But like every nation, they have a few... shifty characters that the world could go without." Harpy resisted the urge to bury her talons into the table again. "The Princesses aren't entirely innocent. The whole damn place is a cesspool of crime that needs to be wiped away. And that's exactly what we're gonna do." "And who said you could be Judge, Jury, and Executioner? Are your nations so perfect that you get to decide who lives and who dies? Are your kind without any murderers, racists, or rapists? Are your countries free of any crime?" Harpy faltered and quickly looked away. "Well, no but-" "Then you have no right do decide the fate of thousands." Cassandra's voice interrupted, her voice dropping an octave or two. "I won't pretend to believe that the Princesses are blameless. My own King even risked the safety of the world by trying to save his wife, it would be easy to blame all my troubles on him." "Easy, but wrong." Cassandra finally unlaced her fingers and laid her hands flat against the table. "A thousand years of peace could also be seen as a thousand years of opportunity for the ponies to continue their expansion. In fact, the only reason your Union hasn't already attacked is because Equestria is more powerful than you." "Think about that, these Princesses have never raised a hand against you themselves, and yet you hate them with a passion for no other reason other then someone told you to. You would be willing to restart a WAR just for 'revenge' against a group that never did anything to you." "But someone has to pay, right?" Anemone finally asked, feeling incredibly unsure as she spoke. "There are families right now that will never have closure until we take over Equestria and put the guilty nobility on trial. The Union has tried to sort out these problems in the royal court but our evidence is usually destroyed or ignored, and most witnesses and judges are bribed under the table." The expression she received wasn't angry, but rather, disappointed. "Then that is a problem, one that with the power of seven nations you should be able to fix." Cassandra spoke, her voice returning mostly to normal. The room became quiet again, only this time they were silent in consideration, not unease. The glow slowly faded as well, leaving behind the strange light blue eyes. It was Ivory who disturbed the silence. "Well, what would you suggest that we do? Even if the Princesses may not be our enemy there are other ponies who are." Cassandra gave a small, sad smile. "It doesn't matter, does it? Your Union is made up of seven nations, even if I could change your minds I doubt I could change all of theirs. I've dealt with zealous people before, they're a stubborn group." Cassandra locked her gaze with Ivory. "But like you said, you're a member of their council. Whether you pass this discussion on with your friends is not my problem, but if you do I have somethings I want you to share as well." Cassandra straightened her back. "The Princesses are not like their ancestor King Solaris, they are not tyrants or slavers, they are not on the warpath and do not attack everything they see like Solaris or this 'Amore'. Whatever you decide to do, please, consider their reign of peace, have mercy on them, they are not the ones you want revenge on." A dull ache began to throb in her head, almost making Cassandra wince. "I know that I'm just an outsider looking in, but in court, outsiders are used to judge two sides without bias towards one group." "Of course, judgment can never be perfectly executed without plenty of evidence and both sides of the story." Cassandra stood up, ignoring how her brain began to pulse painfully. "Now If you'll excuse me I'm really tired, I assume you have a room where I can sleep?" Ivory nodded slowly. "Yeah, uh- Obsidian could you show our guest to a room? I got some paperwork to finish..." Obsidian stood from his seat and shuffled awkwardly to Cassandra, watching was Owl flew from the table and onto her shoulder. "Right, uhh- follow me please." Cassandra cast one last glance at the griffins sitting around the table, they all seemed to visibly struggle with her words. Good. Cassandra thought to herself, following after Obsidian. I know I don't want to get involved with the politics of this world while I'm still new here but... Cassandra looked back on her experience with the group. Back on the blimp ride, she had a wonderful conversation with Anemone, she was willing to look past her pony disguise and see a friend In her, someone she could enjoy company with. If Anemone could accept the fact that not all ponies are bad, then maybe Cassandra could help others in the Union see that the 'Princesses' aren't as bad as they are made out to be, that like her own king, they weren't perfect like everyone expects them to be. The idea made Cassandra smile. Maybe I'll at least stick around and try to help them learn, to try to look at both sides of the story and resolve their problem without anyone else getting hurt needlessly. It's what Rapunzel would do, after all, I could always work on what I'll do next later. Together the three walked down tall hallways, making their way to the guest rooms for the bigger creatures that would happen to stay there. They stopped in front of a tall wooden door and Obsidian opened the look with a spell from his horn. "There's a key on the desk and the bathroom is on your left." Cassandra stepped inside and looked around the room. It felt calming, familiar, It almost reminded her of her old bedroom back at the castle. Another burst of pain flared up in her head, this time succeeding making her wince. Obsidian stepped past her and shot off another spell, lighting the candles in the room. "Make yourself at home. I think we'll be having dinner soon." He quickly stepped back out and stood in the doorway. "Would you like for me to wake you up for dinner?" Cassandra rubbed her temples, making Owl abandon his perch on her shoulder and land on a nearby stand. "Thank you Obsidian, dinner sounds nice." The changeling hesitated in closing the door. "Um, could I ask you something?" Cassandra unclipped her cloak and set it down on the bed next to her. "Sure." His question danced on the tip of his tongue, practically begging to be let loose. "What can you eat? I don't exactly know what you are and I want to make sure we give something you can actually eat." He asked, chickening out of his original question. There was a paise before she answered. "I can eat a lot of different things. Vegetables, fruits, and meat as long as you cook it first." She gestured to Owl. "He can have some meat, cooked or raw." Obsidian blinked, forgetting instantly what she had just said. "Oh, okay I'll go tell the chefs." He gave a short bow and reached for the door, cursing himself internally for his cowardness. "Thank you, sleep well." Cassandra watched as he closed the door, waiting to hear it click shut before cradling her head in her hands. This migraine hurt like a bitch. With a groan she laid down and pressed her palms against her eyes. I really need to make that 'pain-killer' Varian made, that potion is a Godsend. Cassandra froze and pulled her hands away from her face, narrowing her eyes at her thoughts. Who was Varian again? She didn't remember reading a book about alchemy. Another wave of agony washed over her mind, making her forget what she was confused about. Owl didn't notice how his friend's eyes turned green, he was too busy preening his feathers. What was I thinking about? I can't remember... Cassandra grabbed a pillow and pushed her face into it. If she couldn't remember then it probably wasn't important, she had bigger things to worry about like suddenly waking up suddenly in a new world filled with cute tiny creatures trying to overthrow a monarchy filled with tiny, murderous ponies. Cassandra gave a short sigh and decided a power nap should fix things. She tossed the pillow back on the bed and face planted into it, not bothering to remove her spiny armor, not even the shoes. Owl stared at his friend for a moment, unamused. He returned to preening his wings. Oh well, if Cassandra tore up the bed with her armor it wasn't his fault. Anemone watched as Cassandra left with Obsidian, feeling as if her heart was torn in two directions. She had met several ponies in her time at the castle who were decent beings, even a few of the nobles. But the good was heavily outweighed by the bad, like an ink stain on a cloth, the disgusting lack of morality spread from generation to generation, leaving only spoiled brats who believe the world is theirs. And their Princesses did nothing to clean this stain, they only gave a slap on the wrist and sent the bastards on their way, spreading their darkness as they left. She would know, she had seen it herself at the royal courts. Anemone felt her thoughts being pulled to the earlier conversation with Cassandra. She had brought up a good argument, it wasn't right to blame someone for something that happened before they were born. For the longest time she had tried to ignore the kindness of the Princesses, tried to stomp down their conversations and words as nothing more than lies and false promises. That all the times one of them rebuked another pony for their crude comments was just a setup to look better, that the one time Luna joined her at a ball was to simply ask questions and not because 'she was fun to talk to'. A scrap against the floor pulled her out of her mind, making her look across the table. She hadn't seen Ivory leave. "Well, -" Harpy began while pushing her chair back in. "that was... Different. I..." She sighed. "I got things to do, I'll see you at dinner." Anemone blinked as Harpy turned away, hit with a sudden realization that something very important was missing. "Hey Harpy?" She asked nervously Harpy turned and raised a feathered brow. "Yeah?" "I forgot the briefcase." "...Oh Boreas-" A blue woman stood to the side, watching as the two griffins rushed out of the room, worried about some forgotten 'briefcase'. Nobody had seen her listen in on their conversation, they simply couldn't, it wasn't possible. Not for them anyway. The gem resting on her forehead glowed softly. Everything about this situation, about this 'Equestria' and 'Union' felt so familiar to her, hitting just a little too close to home for her liking. It reminded her of what had happened that dreadful night, the slaughter that happened over millennia ago. They had attacked without mercy, leaving behind nothing but burned down houses and bodies. Bones were broken and limbs were severed, most had only stumps left of their horns and empty eye sockets as they were harvested for their 'healing properties'. What horrible lie that was. Her people had put up a fight, the thick residue of spent magic and shattered spell bottles was evidence of that... But in the end they had failed, and the humans tore down the palace, murdering her family for no reason other than their fear of what was different. The gems strung around her head also began to glow, joining the blood-red centerpiece. She was one of only six survivors of the town and she hadn't seen the fight, rather she was out in the enchanted forest practicing her magic with her teacher. The only thing left behind of the attackers was a golden sun painted onto a purple cloth, the flag of her enemies for centuries to come. Two blue buns of hair began to twist into horns and her waist began to stretch and narrow, her dress splitting and parting into multiple tendrils. It had taken many years to master her gifts, to prepare for the day when she, along with the others, would exact vengeance for her people. But then he had appeared, a human, smart and kind, eager to learn about what was different, what was strange. Her form twisted into that of an intimidatingly tall beast, with several tentacles for legs and broad shoulders for thickly muscled arms, her fingers tipped with razor-sharp claws. She should have known better than to trust a human, one who even took part in massacring her family. She growled, her beastly form making her voice thunder deeply, her lips pulled back into a toothy snarl. Cassandra was simply another human, speaking nothing but lies, defending the actions of these murderous equestrians just like him. She had made a promise that day, she had no intention of abandoning her word, not as he did. The intensity of her necklace disappeared and she felt a shudder run through her body. The human was remembering. Her body burned brightly and began to shrink, leaving behind the original form of a short young woman she usually possessed. She closed her eyes for a moment and pressed her hands together before reopening them, her eyes casting a sickly shade of green. It was hardly a problem, she could make the human forget. Slowly the green light faded from her eyes and a grin split across her face. She wouldn't fail, not this time, already her plan was in motion, all she had to do was wait and let the pieces fall into place. Perhaps the humans could be destroyed later, these 'ponies' certainly sounded like they desperately needed a lesson or two...