The Cassandra Chronicles, Some Extras

by CassandraMyOCisBestpony

Cassandra Appreciation Day

Nestled between the holidays of Nightmare Night and Hearth's Warming Eve is one where ponies come together like families. They feast on the foods of autumn's bounty and discuss what they're most thankful for. Now, since all ponies, no matter who they are or where they come from, all are thankful for the same thing, this holiday came to be known as Cassandra Appreciation Day.

As usual, Cassandra hosted her town's Cassandra Appreciation day and did most of the organizing. However, that's not to say that everypony didn't have a vital role to play. Pinkie Pie was in charge of the desserts, Rarity was in charge of the decorations, Rainbow Dash set the mood by making autumn weather, Fluttershy taught the turkeys a musical number, and Twilight prepared a speech on the history of Cassandra Appreciation Day. Applejack offered to help with the cooking, but since they didn't need any dishes involving apples, she was completely outside her wheelhouse.

"It's ok Applejack" said Cassandra comfortingly, "if you can go the whole night without breaking or burning anything, that will be contribution enough."

"You got it pardner" said Applejack. She did a mock salute, accidentally bumping the hutch. An expensive crystal wineglass fell off and shattered on the floor.

"Your buffoonery never ceases to amaze me, you flat-footed agrarian simpleton." Applejack flinched at Cassandra's bluntness, but she had to admit it was a pretty accurate description. "It's a good thing I know magic despite being a pegasus." She cast a fixing spell, and with a pop, the glass was repaired and back in its proper place.

"Can ah invite Braeburn over?"

"No, you cannot."

"Aw shucks, why?"

"Because I don't need a literal interpretation of the phrase 'Kissing Cousins.' Now go away and don't touch anything else. In fact, don't even touch my floors." She made a magic bubble around Applejack and levitated her out the door. Cassandra couldn't help but wonder if the other members of the Mane 7 were doing all right with their jobs. "No." she told herself, "I am the seventh Element of Harmony, Trust, which means that while my friends may have inferior brainpower and skill, I must trust that they can still do an adequate job."

****

A little later, Cassandra was sharpening her katana, one of dozens of weapons she was a black belt in, when a letter appeared in front of her. It had the distinctive green flare of a messenger dragon's fire. She unrolled the scroll inquisitively.

Dear Cassandra,
This is Twilight Sparkle. I need a Princess's help with something, but I was too embarrassed to ask Luna or Celestia. I figured that as the long-lost sister to the princess you were the next best thing. Please come over at your earliest convenience. Though we may technically be classmates - Princess Celestia's second and first-best students to be exact - you're like a teacher to me.

-Your student kōhai,
Twilight Sparkle.

Cassandra galloped over to the treehouse at mach speeds, and knocked on the door. Spike answered,

"Oh hi Cassandra, you here to see Twilight?"

"You know it kiddo. Can you get her for me?" Spike just stood in place. "Spike?"

"Oh, huh? What?" Spike shook himself back to his sense, "uh.. yeah come in, I'll get her." As he walked away, he slapped himself in the face, muttering, "get it together Spike! You love Rarity!" Moments later, Twilight emerged from the study

"Konichiwa, Twilight-sama," said Cassandra, "what is the problem?"

"I'm trying to translate this ancient tablet, but it's written in a language I don't understand. Could you have a look?"

"Certainly. I know many languages, both present and ancient. It makes me very culturally refined." Twilight was too awestruck for words, so she continued, "This tablet dates back to before Equestria was founded, and tells of a great cataclysm that will happen in the future... oh my Celestia."

"What?"

"It's happening today."

"But what is it?"

"An army of mega-changelings. They're like the ones you fought at the Royal Wedding, only a billion times more deadly. Don't worry though, I've got this. You finish your thing."

*****

Right as Cassandra left the library, she was accosted by the bouncy, gleeful Pinkie Pie.

"Hiya Cassandra! I'm so so so happy to see you! Like, not the normal happy that I express to everypony, but super de duper happy that I bumped into you specifically!"

"That's great Pinkie Pie, how are the treats coming?"

"Does this answer your question?" asked Pinkie, shoving a cupcake into Cassandra's mouth, "how is it? How is it?"

"You want the whole truth?" asked Cassandra, daintily wiping off her face with a fancy handkerchief.

"Gimme your best shot!"

"Ok. These are just my first impressions from briefly tasting one, so take them for what they're worth... on your next batch, reduce the baking soda from one tsp to one-half, use pure vanilla instead of vanilla extract, substitute 35% dark cocoa, up the sugar salt ratio, add some lemon zest for kick, and open a fresh can of dairy creamer for maximum sweetness."

"Wow Cassandra! You're such a smart smartypants baker lady! I'm gonna write you a song!" She hopped off, singing "Cassandra is a ge-nius whoppe whoopee!"

"Well" said Cassandra, "that was a rather interesting distrac- OOF!" she exclaimed as an object flying like a bullet from the sky knocked her off her feet. She found herself on her back, looking up at Rainbow Dash, who was straddled on top of her.

"Heh, hey Cassandra" said Rainbow Dash sheepishly, "you know how it is with rough landings."

"Rainbow you scamp, it wasn't completely by accident that we ended up in this position, was it?" asked Cassandra with a knowing grin.

"If you really wanna know you'll have to force it out of me, and I'm a tough nut to crack!"

"Please Dashie, you're like putty in my hooves." said Cassandra, running her hooves through Rainbow's colorful mane, "you see..." she began caressing Rainbow Dash's full-masted wings "...brute force isn't the only way to get what you want. You'd be surprised at what you can do with the softly-softly approach." she inched her way up to the wingtips in a teasingly slow manner, "After all, it doesn't matter how tough you are if I know your weak point. Now I need you to get off..."

"Just did"

"...of me so that I can finish the holiday preparations."

"Room for one more down there?" The duo looked up to see Rarity standing next to them.

"Sorry Rares, we were just finishing up" said Cassandra, the only pony on the planet who was allowed to call Rarity by that nickname.

"You're such a tease. But on the plus side, it means we can get to my thing sooner. I'm having trouble with my dresses, and I need help from a close friend who is also a sewing expert."

"You came to the right pony."

"So did I" said Rainbow Dash from the ground.

Rarity and Cassandra hurried off to the Carousel Boutique.

"Cassandra!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle as she greeted them at the door, "did you bring me a game on pre-release?"

"Sure did, Sweetie, here's Thief 4. You go practice your singing now."

"You're so cool!" squeaked Sweetie Belle, "like the big sister I never had." She rushed off to go brag to her friends.

"Now then, let me have a look at your dresses." Cassandra attacked the dresses like a tornado of craftsmanship and couture, fixing the dresses blazingly fast. When the dust cleared, Rarity's piles of rags had been replaced by exquisite full-length dresses that even a princess would be intimidated to wear.

"Cassandra, they're beautiful! How can I ever thank you?"

"How about you give me two sessions of practice kissing?"

"Done deal!"

"Now I have another errand to run, have you got everything under control?"

"Everything except my thunderously-beating heart for you."

"Good to hear. See you around." Rarity was sad that Cassandra was leaving, but it was a nice view.

*****

After helping Rarity fix her dresses, Cassandra headed off to Fluttershy's cottage. She tapped on the door, and Angel answered. He smiled, Cassandra was one of the few ponies besides Fluttershy that had earned his respect.

"Oh, hello Cassandra." said Fluttershy, "what can I do for you?"

"No no Fluttershy, what can I do for you? I had a feeling that you were having a problem but were too shy to come and ask for help."

"Wow" said Fluttershy, blown away by her friend's perceptiveness, "I was! I can't get the turkeys to take directions."

"I'll have a word with them." She leaned down to the turkeys and looked them square in the eyes with her intimidating stare, "now listen, Fluttershy has been very kind to you, and all she wants in return is one little favor. If that's too much to ask then she'll gladly ship you off to the Equestria Girls world, and I'm sure the Equestria Girls world will be glad to have you. You know what they eat on their holiday equivalent of this?" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "roasted, well-seasoned, plump-breasted turkeys." The turkeys' eyes went wide with fear. In an instant they lined up in front of Fluttershy, standing at attention like well-trained soldiers.

"Cassandra, you did it!" exclaimed Fluttershy, "but how? What did you say to them?"

"Oh you know, just the boilerplate magic of friendship stuff."

"Thank you so much Cassandra you're so selfless!"

"Fluttershy please, doing a favor for somepony as cute as yourself is reward enough." Fluttershy blushed beet red. "Now I'm sorry to take off so suddenly, but I have to save Equestria from certain destruction."

"Oh my!"

"I know right? It's such an inconvenience."

*****

At the edge of town stood an army of mega changelings, horrible abominations of the bug and pony kind. They glared at Caandra with glowing blue eyes, and flared their tattered insectoid wings. They stood in formation that would rival the unsullied, and prepared to strike. Child's play was Queen Chrysalis' army compared to these elite warriors, for they fed not on love, but on fear. Today however they would starve, for they would draw no such emotion from Cassandra. With a poof, the first row turned into Cassandra. They grinned evilly, but their grins were silenced when they burst into flames and burned to ashes in seconds.

"Hubris, it is!" said Cassandra in a loud booming voice, "To imitate my form! You lowlifes are not worthy! Now, are any more of you foolish enough to smite yourselves trying, or will you die with honor at my hooves?" The mega changelings roared and charged at her. Cassandra assumed fighting stance and spin-kicked the few scouts that were unfortunate enough to get into her range first. She cast landmine spells, dotting their phalanx with deadly traps that exploded as the army advanced, fracturing their careful formations. They took to the air, hoping for an advantage, but Cassandra leapt onto one changeling's back and covered his eyes, causing him to fly wildly into his own platoon's formation. Cassandra hopped from changeling to changeling, beheading each with her katana while firing ninja stars at neighboring ones. With each move, the Changelings began to surround her, first on all sides, then on top. Two burly changelings grabbed her by the hooves and tied up her wings. The remaining thousands of changelings looked at her hungrily, but she refused to break a sweat.

"Nowhere to run, cutie" said the leader changeling mockingly, stroking her under her chin, "Equestria is ours, and challenging me will be your last mistake."

"And underestimating me will be yours." Cassandra slipped her hooves out of the changelings' grasp and fell towards the ground. The changelings laughed at the evident surrender and suicide of their foe, but Cassandra yelled out, "Jupiter! I command you to vanquish my foes!" A bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, slicing through the leader and Cassandra's two captors, then arcing between each changeling in the closely-knit formation. Each one twitched wildly as tens of thousands of volts coursed through them, ceasing all vital functions in an instant. They joined Cassandra in the earthward plummet. Cassandra whipped open her butterfly knife in her mouth, and slashed the ropes that bound her wings, allowing her to fly freely and pull back up to safety. She watched from the sky as the changeling army collided with the ground, each one becoming a gruesome red and green splatter mark upon impact. Cassandra summoned up a rainstorm, which washed away the mess, along with any chance for the mega changelings to threaten Equestria again.

From far away there was an oven DING noise.

"Oh, my spinach puffs are ready." said Cassandra.

*****

Night had fallen, and the guests had begun to arrive at Cassandra's house. In addition to the Mane 6, Zecora, the mayor, the princesses, and most of the background ponies in Ponyville were seated around her dinner table. Celestia tapped against her glass to get their attention,

"Attention everypony. Before we get to the feast, let us partake in the grand tradition of Cassandra Appreciation Day by going round the table and saying what we appreciate most about Cassandra. I shall start. Cassandra, when I need to consult somepony on the orientation of the sun, or any task too great for me to handle, I can always depend on you."

"We shall go next." said Luna, "Cassandra, we art thankful for thine help acclimating us to the new world, especially in regards to helping us modulate our voice. Celestia and I art honoured to be invited by Cassandra herself to her Cassandra Appreciation Day celebration."

"As you should be." said Cassandra. Rarity took the floor next,

"Cassandra, you taught us that it's not ok to discriminate against bisexuals. I think it was very brave of you to out yourself as bisexual, knowing that we used to be so closed-minded."

"Whenever I feel sad or lonely I just think of Cassandra, and I get all happy again!" said Pinkie Pie.

"I cannot convey with just with emotions, how grateful I am when she helps me with potions" said Zecora.

"Cassandra taught me how to do the stare." said Fluttershy, but nopony heard her

"She reminds me that there's always more knowledge to learn" said Twilight

"Cassandra is just so... awesome" said Rainbow Dash, who was never that good with words.

"Mmmphphlgrmpmhph" said Applejack, because she was trying to talk with her mouth full.

"That's it, Applejack, I've had it with you!" exclaimed Cassandra, "you can go eat outside with the rest of the pigs."

"But it's below-freezin' out there!"

"I said go!" she pointed at the door. Applejack hung her head and exited. The other guests agreed that it was for the best.

The festivities continued long into the night, as the ponies dined on Cassandra's exquisite cooking. They laughed, loved, and gave thanks to how lucky they were to be in Cassandra's presence.

Author's Note:

Happy Cassandra Appreciation Day, everypony!

Comments

[Queen Fangirl]

I have that kind of feeling that I should say "first", but I know I can't. I can't choose.

Oh well, let's see the first chapter.

Edit: You know what? Buck reputation. Get ready for the most disliked comment in FIMFiction...

FIRST!

There. I said it.

[Bandy]

Dat Christ Figure cover art, though.

[AwkwardTaco]

This is glorious.

EDIT: I'm quoted in the description! HUZZAH.

[Derpyx0]

Uh... Cassandra? You're kinda a b*tch to Applejack. Wait, EVERYONE'S a b*tch to Applejack!!! Really though, everyone is so out of character, and you just bask in your glory so much. I'm sorry, but I can't come to like your OC!

[Savery the Leopardess]

3543102 you said first mentioning it