Ray of Sunshineby The Princess RarityChaptersTwirling in your twirly dress, you're the loveliest - far above the rest...Can I trust in my own heart, or am I just one part of some big plan?One family - under the Sun...As you go through life, you'll see there is so much that we don't understand...Twirling in your twirly dress, you're the loveliest - far above the rest... Chapter Two - Cassara lightly hummed to herself, and paraded into her lavish bedroom, with the pretty lavender walls and simple satin pink drapes on the large stain glass windows that looked out to the beautiful lavish Castle Gardens, and as for the rest of her room, it was a simple elegant white... ...however, the young Princess still refused to pick anything up or clean the rest of her room. Stripping off her robe, and snatching a frilly and slightly crumpled black and lavender ballgown from the floor, Cassara levitated over her golden brush and began to wrestle with her uncontrollably frizzy rainbow mane. Everypony had said how pretty her curls were, and how envious they were, but if only they knew the struggle she had to go through each and every morning... However, as expected, Cassara didn't have to wrestle with the brush for long - due to the fact that it got stuck in her mane, causing it to hang off of one of her ridiculously long curls. With a quick snap of her talons, her curls had been straightened out to pure perfection, and the brush clattered to the floor. There. Appearance, down. As much as she didn't want to wear a fancy dress, today was definitely an exception. Her closet always overflowed with beautiful gowns for special occasions, and today was definitely one of them. After all, it wasn't just everyday she turned eight years old. Slipping into the gown, Cassara quickly looked over herself in the full-length mirror on the wall and stood still, wondering if it was too much. The dress was one of her simpler ones, rather than top-name designer, and her magic had turned her mane into an updo she normally would've been forced into wearing at the Grand Galloping Gala. This simply wouldn't do. Reaching back, the young Princess yanked the silky ribbons from the multi-colored locks in her mane, causing it to billow down and hang along the frames of her adorable face. She smiled and gave a twirl, only before bowing elegantly. Now she was ready. Grabbing the sweet little silver tiara she had carelessly hung on the doorknob of her bedroom's entrance, Cassara tossed it into her mane as she ran out, through the Palace walls, practically flying and soaring her way down. And to be honest, if she could've, she would've. Now, technically, the young Princess had the ability to fly - but she was prone to crashing, as she had just done, while she did a bit of a victory twirl. Her wings - one that was pegasi and the other that was a bat's - never seemed to get along for some reason. Oh well. Ignoring the tear she had caused in her gown, Cassara continued to bound down the hall happily, with a smile that was bright as the sunrise. The click-clack of her talons and claws echoed and bounced off of the Castle's walls, as did her sweet little giggles of glee as well. She skidded to a stop on the fine carpeting, accidentally destroying the hem of it. With a frown, she gently folded it and smiled. Not a problem. Each thing, every last little thing, was going well and according to plan. Checking herself over one last time, the little Princess was content with her appearance as she strolled into the Royal Ballroom, only to smile wide as she noticed the lush and intricately designed room. Like every place of the Palace, it was indeed beautiful, but for the special day that all of Equestria knew - the servants and maids had seemed to go a bit over-the-top for the occasion. Delighted with the designs, Cassara spun around as she gazed up and around at the scenery. Curled silken banners from any and every color of the rainbow hung from the ceilings, sparkling lavender tiles replaced the usual traditional black-and-white ones, and soft pink ribbons that had real white camilla flowers attached to them were spun around the supporting pillars of the room. A beautiful, irreplaceable scene for a Princess who was both of those qualities, and more. "Good morning, your Highness," a voice said, with a soft chuckle to follow. Turning around quickly, Cassara immediately brightened up as she noticed who was standing in the doorway behind her. "Aunt Luna!" the young Royal beamed happily. The Moon Princess smiled, and approached her niece, giving a light bow to make the little one laugh cutely once more. Cassara rolled her eyes playfully as she returned the bow to her aunt. "Are you practicing your dancing, little star?" Luna joked. "Uh-uh," the draconequus filly responded, shaking her head. "I got four left hooves. I can't dance." She did a little spin, and tried to end it in a curtsy, like the ballerinas she had seen at theater performances, but instead, she fell flat on her rump. "See?" With a small smile, Luna helped her niece up off of the floor, and shook her head in a joking manner. "Well, one day, perhaps you shall find a Prince and he shall teach you to waltz, so you can both dance off into the sunset," she teased, causing Cassara to mimic a gag. "Ick!" she whined. "Aunt Luna, I'm too young for love! That's for old ponies, like you!" "Oh, I'm old, am I?" the Princess of the Night chuckled. "Well, you are over a thousand years," Cassie giggled. "I'm only eight." Luna smirked, and let out a content sigh. "You make a valid point, little star," she admitted. A shimmer crossed her pretty blue eyes, and she smiled sweetly. "Now, I know it's a bit early, but-" She looked around, and bent down to her niece's eye level. "Would you like your present now?" Cassara's expression was shining, and she smiled wide, nodding quickly. "Yes, yes, yes!" she squealed. "What is it?" Softly chuckling to herself, Luna magically produced a scroll out of thin air and gave it to her niece, who instantly unraveled it. On the piece of parchment was a drawing, of several stars conjoined together to form a very familiar figure... "Is that supposed to be some kind of animal?" Cassara questioned, her eyebrows knit. "You're holding it upside down," Luna laughed, as she gently turned the scroll around in her niece's grasp. "Now, do you see it?" It took a minute, but the little Princess smiled wide when she was realized what it was. "It's my name!" she squealed. "In the stars?" "That's right," the elder Royal replied. "Tonight, and every other night, right before you go to bed, these stars will align into that position for a solid five minutes. I put an enchantment spell on them, so that way, you will forever be immortalized into the sky. Do you like it?" "I love it," Cassara said simply, wrapping her arms around her aunt and hugging her. "Thank you so much, Aunt Luna!" Giving a priceless smile, Luna gave a small shrug. "It was nothing," she murmured. "After all, anything for my favorite niece." She placed a quick little kiss on Cassie's forehead, and grinned. "Now, your birthday celebration is about to begin - I'd say we escape the scene." "Why?" the young Princess asked, her expression screwing up in confusion cutely. "Because, little star," the alicorn mare chuckled. "It's intended to be a surprise party." "Well, they can't keep anything from me!" Cassara giggled, just as the rest of her family entered the room, causing her to smile even wider - if that was possible, of course. There standing in the foyer was: her mother and father, obviously, along with Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining Armor, who made a trip all the way from the Crystal Empire - in addition to Miss Twilight, a nice mare who was also a Princess and seemed to be very close with her mother and especially Aunt Luna - and also, the Elements of Harmony, which included her Aunt Pinkie and Aunt Fluttershy - they were all there! "I told you she'd be here!" Discord and Pinkie said in unison. After declaring jinx more than ten times, the God of Chaos and Element of Laughter were finally shushed (or else, everypony knew they would keep going at it). To Cassie, it was perfect. Simple, and just what she had always wanted. The same celebration every year, with her family, and no Royal duties in their way. Many ponies or loyal subjects might've guessed that the little Princess would've desired the biggest, most over-the-top bash in all of Equestria, but she had been raised not to be spoiled, even if she was royal. And so far, over the years it had worked out wonderfully... ~ x o x o ~ After many antics, and laughter echoing the halls of the palace, with several irreplaceable moments fleeting by faster than anypony could register them, like any royal moment, it was certainly a wonderful occasion that couldn't be copied. Now, the festivities died down, and the party was over - but the happiness still rang throughout. As the servants began to clean up the ballroom, Cassara ran around gleefully, being chased by a puppy, which was one of her many presents. "I still can't believe you didn't consult me first," Celestia muttered, as her husband chuckled. "What?" Discord said innocently. "I didn't give it to her. Fluttershy did." The Sun Princess rolled her eyes. "You knew about it," she defended. "And I can't believe you allowed it." Celestia then let out a brief unprincess-like shriek as the small dog began jumping up on her, slobbering all over her coat. "Sorry about that, Mommy," Cassara said quickly, as she attempted to pry her new pet off of her mother. "Cosmo just likes playing." "I can see that," Celestia replied, only before the puppy jumped up and licked her on the muzzle. With a giggle, the young Princess smothered her pet in a hug, nuzzling the little animal affectionately. "This was the best birthday ever!" Cassie declared. "And it's still not over," Discord responded, with a playful wink. This statement caused Cassara's delighted expression to beam even brighter, if that was possible. "Really?!" she exclaimed, nearly soaring up in the air - however, her wings failed her at the last moment, which summoned her to fall on the floor, but she still stood back up, excited. Today was such a wonderful day already, and there was more? Discord looked next to Celestia, who gave a nod of assurance, and he smiled. "How would you like a chance to use your powers?" he questioned, glancing down to his daughter. "But I already use my magic all of the time," Cassara piped up, with a raised eyebrow. "Unless you don't mean-" She noticed her parents smiling and nodded, which summoned the little Princess to squeal in happiness as a spark of red ignited on her horn. She began clapping and fluttering her wings happily as she practically paraded around. "When?! Where?! How?!" she beamed. With a snap of his talons, Discord winked and chuckled. "The chaos begins right here," he responded. "And you will not believe the strings I had to pull to get your mother to agree." "I just don't want a repeat of the Giant Snapping Turtle incident," Celestia admitted, as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now, that was actually quite funny," the draconequus argued. "Even if your precious student ended up almost eaten. In fact, that was probably the most entertaining part of it all." He smirked, and was about to laugh, but his wife's glare melted that away. The Sun Princess let out a sigh, and playfully shook her head. "Well, I suppose I'll leave you two to it," she declared with a smile as she turned around to leave. "But aren't you going to join us?" Cassie questioned, as she immediately began bounding after her mother. "Or at least see what I've been working on? I made a new spell to make it rain fruit punch and grape juice!" Celestia nearly went pale at the very idea of her daughter doing such a chaotic act, but instead she just looked down to her child, and smiled at the little filly's adorable innocence. "Unlike you and your father, my dear, I am no fan of chaos," she murmured, with a chuckle. This statement summoned Discord to release a fake cough, with a brief muttering of the word "Joykill!" thrown somewhere in between. Looking over to her husband, Celestia raised an eyebrow and smirked, as a pale yellow aura on her horn lit up. Then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a small hurricane formed in the middle of the ballroom, and it briefly ran over Discord, turning the Spirit of Chaos upside down and causing him to fall on the floor. "Joykill, am I?" the Princess crooned, as a final flash of her magic caused the hurricane to disappear and instead, a pale cotton candy cloud replaced it. And as expected, chocolate milk began raining from it, soaking the draconequus to the bone. Even though despite this unexpected (and quite rude) action, it caused Discord to laugh out loud, shooting Celestia a wink. "I knew there was a reason I married you," he chuckled. Cassara giggled, and smiled wide, looking up to her mother yet again. "If you don't like chaos, how can you do those spells?" she inquired. The question caused Celestia to lightly blush, but she nonetheless replied, "Your father was quite the magic teacher back when I was a filly. I almost forgot how amusing it is to cast magic like that." She glanced down to her daughter, and lightly nuzzled the little one. "Maybe I will sit around for a moment or two..." "Yay!" the draconequus filly cheered, as she clapped her lion paw and talon happily. "Then what in the wide, wide world of Equestria are we waiting for?!" Discord declared, as he cleaned himself off and set his body right side up again with a simple snap of his talons. "Who's up for some good 'ole fashioned chaos?!" Raising her paw, Cassie continued to smile adorabely. "Me!" she beamed. Such a shame that the Royal family couldn't hear their servants praying for mercy... ~ x o x o ~ "You're going to drop her like that," Celestia scolded as she looked to her husband, who was carrying their now sleeping daughter in his mismatched grasp. Cassara was being held by her tail in her father's lion paw, and slung over his shoulder like a sack, but she still slept peacefully, very much lost in her dreamland and snoring cutely. Discord rolled his eyes and adjusted the way he held his child, now in a more civilized or delicate manner, like one might do with a newborn. "You were having so much fun a few moments ago," he observed. "Honestly, Tia, it almost baffles me on how you can change views so quickly." "I don't change views," she murmured, gently pushing open the door to their daughter's lavish bedroom. "I simply tell it like it is – and try to have fun whenever I can." "Oh, whatever," the draconequus scoffed. Celestia gave a small smile at the knowing her husband had somewhat given in, and waltzed into the room, with Discord in tow – the both of them quiet and careful not to wake their snoozing child. They nearly stumbled over the mess scattered on the floor, from toys to various priceless tiaras and books scattered all around, but they managed to still stay silent as they gently put Cassara to bed, tucking the little filly underneath her soft pink satin sheets, and kissing her goodnight. It was almost like a picture perfect scene, with mother, father and daughter together in a seemingly sweet manner. "She's a lot like you, y'know," Discord spoke up, as he looked to his wife and smiled. "Eight years, and just now you realize this?" Celestia teased. "I don't mean just in looks," the God of Chaos replied. "Her personality reminds me of yours from back when you were younger. I'm sure you can see it." The Sun Princess's expression melted, and she smiled an irreplaceable sort of smile as she nodded. "Of course I've noticed it," she whispered, softly stroking her daughter's frizzy multi-colored mane. "She's going to grow up to be so powerful, and beautiful." Discord huffed, shaking his head in disapproval. "Oh-no," he argued. "No way is my little girl going to grow up." "That's just the way life is, Discord," Celestia said, with a breathless laugh. "Cassie can grow old all she likes," the draconequus protested. "But growing up - now that's an entirely different thing all on its' own." "Of course it is," Celestia murmured, as she playfully rolled her eyes. She was then taken aback when her husband suddenly kissed her sweetly, and she lightly giggled, briefly returning it. With an eyebrow cocked in curiosity, the Sun Princess smiled. "Now what was that for?" she mused. "What - I can't kiss my wife whenever I feel like it?" Discord muttered, not even bothering to hold back a smirk. "I never said you couldn't," Celestia replied. However, the mood was quickly ruined, when she was now confused as the draconequus reached into her mane and produced a piece of cotton candy from it, twirling the piece around his talons and quickly devouring it. Although, Discord paid no mind to his wife's puzzled expression. "What?" he laughed. "After that round of chaos, you're quite a sight." Letting out a light chuckle, Celestia smirked, gently tracing her hoof under his chin. "Well then, would you like to join me for a shower?" she murmured. Discord's expression fell in shock for a moment, only before it twisted into a sort of disturbing delight only the Master of Chaos himself could pull off. "Tia, I want you to know if I ever say no to that question, I want you to go get the Elements of Harmony, and turn me to stone for another thousand years," he announced. Celestia playfully rolled her eyes, and was surprised yet again as her husband lifted her up, quickly transporting them out of the room. Yes, Canterlot Castle was at it's normal stage. The night now shined over Equestria beautifully, all of the ponies in the land (or most, anyway) were calm and content, and the world was peaceful. Author's Note (-and then they fucked.) PRECIOUS FAMILY IS PRECIOUS. But of course, now that the happy has arrived, you all know what that means... Can I trust in my own heart, or am I just one part of some big plan? Chapter Four - It had felt like endless hours since Cassie had retreated to her bedroom for solace, and still, she couldn't sleep a wink. Somehow, something was itching at her, and no matter what she thought of or imagined to get the subject she wanted to avoid out of her mind, it just wouldn't budge. In fact, it was almost leading the little Princess to feel ill. Her head was spinning, her stomach ached and she felt a bit like whenever she got a cold - the sort of feeling one just couldn't shake. Tossing and turning in her sheets, fluttering in and out of a nap-like stage, Cassara eventually gave up as she just curled up on her bed, trying not to think as she had her eyes closed and fell into a dizzy, drowsy dream-like stage. Despite being slightly trapped in sleep's spell, she couldn't help but hear the door to her bedroom creak open and the sound of hooves click-clacking against the tile floor. "Cassara?" a soft voice said, in a tone that seemed both sweet and concerned. The young Princess shook off her drowsiness, and let out a sigh as she shuffled out of her blankets, peeking out to see her mother standing right by the edge of the bed. "Hi, Mommy," she muttered. With a small half-hearted smile, Celestia looked down to her young daughter. "There you are," she murmured. "I've been looking all over for you." "I've been sleeping," Cassara replied. "I don't feel good." Maybe she had too many cookies for breakfast... Or perhaps it was too much of a magic overload in her studies... "Oh?" the Sun Princess inquired, with a raised eyebrow. "Is everything alright, dear? You're not sick, are you?" "Uh-uh," Cassie said as she shook her head. "I just don't feel good." She hesitated for a moment, and bit her lip. "I've been kinda lonely - are you gonna be busy soon?" Celestia's smile slightly grew, and she responded with a brief, "Not at all." The much younger Royal felt a ghost of a grin creeping up on her cute little expression, and she reached out for her mother. "Can you cuddle with me?" she asked softly. "Y'know, like some Mommy and daughter time?" Ever-so-slightly melting at her daughter's adorable request, Celestia nodded. "I think that can be arranged," she said simply as she gently sat down on the bed next to her child. With her mother's wing wrapped around her snugly, Cassie finally felt content for the first time that day, and she nuzzled up against Celestia affectionately, letting out a sigh of relief. Somehow, she just felt so much better when one - or both - of her parents were there for her. ...but somehow, in a sneaky sort of way, the thought came back. Cassara tried oh-so-hard to push it back, but it was impossible. She just couldn't help but look over her mother's appearance - what with Celestia's majestic (and matching) wings, strong build, elegant voluminous mane, soft caring eyes, normal hooves... Meanwhile, Cassie had none of that. Her wings were like mismatched, her form was all wibbly-wobbly, her mane was frizzier than a fuzzball, and according to everypony else, she had sparkles of trouble in her eyes, while she only had two hooves in the back. How could she be related to a pony so pretty and perfect as her mommy? The Ruler of Equestria... and then there was her daughter. For the most part, Cassie liked being a Princess - really, she did, but now, she wasn't so sure of it. Still, she wasn't going to dwell on it. Not with her mother right here. If it was one thing Celestia knew how to do well, it was lift her child's spirits to no end - or at least, try to, anyway. Cassie was determined to feel better, no matter what. "So, what did you do today? Did you have any fun?" the Princess of the Day questioned, attempting to make sweet small talk with her daughter. Giving a small shrug, the draconequus filly twirled one of her curls around her talons as she thought up a response. "I just went to studies," she admitted. "I kinda failed the teleportation test - and I ended up flipping the room upside down instead." Celestia let out a chuckle at the mental image, shaking her head playfully. "I'm sure you'll get it right," she assured. "But that's it then? No attempting to escape the Castle or making fun of the Guards, as you usually do?" "No," Cassie replied, now beginning to pick off the tiny little dust balls on the mattress of her bed. "I didn't feel like it. I think too much magic made me feel icky." "Now, don't think that's an excuse to get out of your studies," Celestia teased, with a smile as she nuzzled her daughter who happily returned it. "You'll be very important one day, Cassara, but you won't get anywhere if you don't believe in yourself. Remember that." The little Princess nodded, managing to return the grin as she released a sigh, enjoying the moment she was sharing with her mother. She really did like this, even if Celestia never did see eye-to-eye with her completely on some things, the two still shared a bond only a mother and her child could have, which was completely irreplaceable and utterly indescribable. But what Cassie didn't understand was why her mommy, being who she was, could love somepony (or rather some draconequus) so different, such as Discord and herself. Sure, being a Princess of Equestria forever might have helped, but if there were ponies out there who said such mean things about others who were different... Still, nonetheless, she was not going to dwell on it. Especially now that Celestia was starting to sing. If it was one thing that Cassara loved more than anything, it was when her mother sang to her. Her voice was so pretty, soft and angelic that it was such a shame she didn't sing more often. Either way, though, Cassie was going to cherish it. Keeping her wing wrapped around her daughter in a comforting sort of manner, Celestia smiled sweetly as her little girl giggled gleefully. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine~" the Sun Princess crooned, only before Cassie quickly joined in, with her own sweet little singing voice. "You make me happy when skies are grey~" Celestia chuckled, brushing frizzy locks of mane from her daughter's face. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you~" she murmured. "Please don't take my sunshine away~" Releasing a soft sigh, Cassara nuzzled up against her mother, with her pretty red eyes fluttering closed. Finally, her entire soul seemed to be content, and she was happy. She liked it this way, and she didn't want it to go away... Author's Note YOU THOUGHT TIA WAS GONNA COME IN AND FIX EVERYTHING, DIDN'T YOU? YOU THOUGHT WRONG, PEASANTS! MWAHAHAHA! *ahem* So sorry for that. Anyway, this chapter was more or less just a filler before the action rolls in. I apologize for it being late and the fact that it's kinda short compared to the others. I did have all of the chapters already written, but OCD was a bitch and forced me to rewrite a lot of shit, so this is the result. Nonetheless, I thank you all so so so much for all the love! One family - under the Sun...Ray of Sunshine by The Princess Rarity There was nothing more blissful than watching a sunrise in Equestria. Early in the morning, as everything and everypony began to awake - the flush, full yellow and pink rays began to peek out above the horizon beautifully, in a picturesque format. Almost sort of like the perfect object for a famous painting that could belong in a museum. But alas, no possible photograph could capture the true essence and brilliant beauty of the moment, not as much as if one were to watch it live. And Princess Celestia took pride in her job, even if it was simple - it was still important. "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?" a voice piped up. However, Celestia took note that it wasn't the usual voice who normally asked her that. As she looked back, she couldn't help but smile as she noticed her young daughter stumble into the bedroom chambers, and onto the balcony next to the much taller Princess. "Haven't you been doing it forever?" "I have indeed," Celestia replied, as she turned to look at her work. "And yet, somehow, it feels like a brand new experience everyday." She felt her little girl softly nuzzle her, and she lightly chuckled. "Good morning to you, Cassara." The young Royal let out a light laugh, blowing frizzy multi-colored locks of sleep-ruined mane from her vision. "Good morning, Mommy," she said simply. "Might I ask what you're doing up so early?" the Sun Princess questioned. Even if the question was rhetorical, and she already knew the answer, watching her daughter brighten up more than any sunrise was completely priceless. Cassara smiled wide, and her tiredness seemed to instantly melt away with those few simple words. "You should know!" she teased. Returning the grin, Celestia gave a small shrug and shook her head - deciding to play along with the joke. "I seem to have forgotten," she murmured. (And she was told on a daily basis that she didn't have a sense of humor.) The little Princess giggled, and took note of her mother's joke, as she twirled around in a circle happily. "It's my birthday!" she practically squealed. "Ah, yes, of course," Celestia laughed. "And... how old are you again?" "Mommy, I'm eight." Cassara said, in a matter-of-factly tone. As compared to over six thousand years being alive, the Ruler of Equestria had to admit, while many of those millenia were full of pain, regret and confusion, she was very delighted to know that finally, it seemed everything was going right. She had been married to the love of her life, and had a wonderful daughter as a result. Her nation was calm, peaceful, and the citizens were happy. Yes, nothing could ruin her seemingly perfect reign. "Just checking," Celestia teased, as she and her daughter began to watch the soft pink morning clouds cascade near the sun. Tilting her head to the side in confusion adorabely, Cassara looked to her mother. "Mommy, I thought you said Daddy wasn't allowed to make cotton candy clouds anymore," she observed. With a laugh, and a sudden realization at how much the weather did resemble the work of chaos, Celestia shook her head. "Those aren't cotton candy, Cassie," she explained. "But you're right, they do resemble the work of your father." "Was I summoned?" a voice called. The statement caused both mother and daughter to look back, sharing a smile as they saw who was standing on the castle balcony behind them. "Hi, Daddy!" Cassara giggled, as she bounded toward her father and hugged him. "Morning!" Discord chuckled, and picked up his little girl, returning the embrace as he ruffled her mane and smiled. "Why hello there, my dear," he proclaimed. "Isn't a bit early for you to be up?" The little Princess shook her head, still proudly smiling. "I couldn't wait to get up!" she exclaimed. With a mock gasp, the draconequus held out his young daughter, and scanned over her for a minute thoughtfully. "You aren't Cassara!" he accused. "Tia, our child's been replaced with a changeling! Somepony call the guards!" "Nooo!" Cassara whined, trying her hardest not to laugh at her father's usual chaotic silliness. "I'm your little girl!" "Prove it." Discord challenged. With the same smug, sly and sneaky smile as her father's, Cassara crossed her arms and cleared her throat. "Mommy's favorite flowers are sunflowers," she remarked. "And the reason you got to marry her is because you were reformed by the Element of Kindness, also known as a nice lady by the name of Aunt Fluttershy." "Hmm," the God of Chaos mused. "No changeling would know that," He looked over Cassie once more and lightly tsked. "I'm keeping my eye on you, missy." "And I'm keeping an eye on you, mister." the draconequus filly playfully shot back. "I don't settle lightly with backtalk either," Discord scolded, with an expected glimmer of mischievousness in his red eyes. Sticking her tongue out, Cassara immediately burst into giggles as her father began tickling her all over. "Daddy! S - stop!" she laughed. "That's no way to treat your Princess!" "Princess or not, I don't like being sassed by little fillies!" he argued, continuing to playfully torture his little girl. "Mommy!" Cassara howled between laughs. "Make him stop!" With a simple clearing of her throat, Celestia seemed to cease the adorable and hilarious behavior between her husband and daughter, much to the relief and chagrin of them, respectively. Discord playfully rolled his eyes, and placed his baby girl onto the balcony, shaking a talon at her disapprovingly. "I'm still watching you," he muttered. Despite the warning, Cassara still didn't seem to learn her lesson - and she stuck her tongue out once more, causing her father's jaw to drop as he glanced to his wife. "Tia!" he exclaimed. "Did you see that? She sassed me! Again!" Holding back the urge to laugh out loud, Celestia just shook her head and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Cassie," she said sternly, causing her daughter to cease the cute mocking and sassiness towards her father. Lightly scoffing, the draconequus crossed his arms. "Oh, sure, listen to her," he muttered. Amused at Discord's usual immature behavior, Celestia smiled as she stepped forth and lightly nuzzled him, only before their daughter hopped in on the embrace, hugging them both as best as she could with her tiny little forelegs of a lion paw and eagle's talon. "Alright now, enough dawdling," Celestia chuckled, after a solid irreplaceable moment of silence. "I'd hate to be the one to ruin this moment, but we do have a special occasion to recognize." With that said, Cassara wriggled out of the hug and began jumping up and down excitedly. "Really?" Discord said, with his usual sarcastic and playful tone. "Let's see," He snapped his talons and produced a calendar out of thin air, flipping through the pages. "Our anniversary - no, that's not until next month. Hearth's Warming, not for six months. Hearts and Hooves Day, far too away from today. The day you let me rule with chaos... that's not even marked on here, and probably never will be." He tossed the calender off of the balcony and shrugged. "What am I missing?" Rolling her crimson eyes, the little Princess tapped her paw against the balcony and raised her eyebrows at her father, who still played none the wiser. Of course. She should have expected this of him. "Daddy," she said. "What happened eight years ago?" "Well, a lot of things," Discord replied, with a sly smile. "For example, I beat your Aunt Luna at video games for the first and only time, and she nearly murdered me for it. I also tricked the Royal Guards with hypnotism and made all of them think that they were all supermodels." He chuckled and shook his head at the memory. "Good times. Aaaand a few months after that, your mother nearly sent me to the Sun because she was blaming me for something. What was it?" He stroked his goatee, like he always did when he was deep in thought, only before his expression brightened up. "Oh, right!" He looked to his wife and shook his head playfully. "I ate the last piece of cake, didn't I?" Holding back the urge to facehoof, Celestia let out a sigh. She could remember the entire speech from eight years ago today - and it involved several words she never dared to utter again, including many vulgarities no Princess should know. "You had a black eye for a few days?" she reminded him, and Discord's expression faltered. "Oh. Right. That." He took a moment to recollect the memory and shuddered. "I don't like you when you're mad. My looks are all I have, you know!" Cassara giggled, and playfully rolled her eyes. "Daddy!" she protested, in a fairly cute manner. "I already heard this joke!" Discord let out a huff, looking at Celestia with a deadpan expression. "Stealing my gigs, are you, Tia?" he said simply. "You're the one who told me I needed to have more fun," the Sun Princess argued. "Yes, but do try to be original, will you?" the draconequus countered, only before turning back to his daughter. "Of course I remember, Cassie," He gently flicked his nose with a talon, making her giggle. "How could I forget the day my wonderful daughter was born?" "Just like how you forgot our anniversary three years ago," Celestia muttered. "Now that really was an accident!" Discord defended. "Of course it was," Celestia played along, with a slight shimmer in her pretty mauve eyes. The draconequus crossed his arms and looked at his wife, with his usual mischevious and cunning expression. "You know, I think I now know why Luna sometimes calls you Tro-" "Don't you dare finish that sentence - or you're sleeping in the dungeon for a month." With a scoff, Discord simply shook his head. "Such a joykill you can be, Tia," he mused. "Don't you agree, Cassie?" "Maybe~" the little Princess sang, with another adorable and sweet melodious giggle to accompany her statement. Slightly amused, but still trying to stay strict, Celestia rolled her eyes as she bit back a chuckle. "Enough games," she said simply. "I'd say it's time we finally begin this day, shall we?" Cassara clapped her lion paw and eagle talon together, about to run out to the palace halls, only before her mother sternly cleared her throat. "Cassie," she said simply, with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps grooming yourself and looking presentable first would be appropriate?" Realizing that she was still in her pink silk bedroom gown, and her mane was still a frizzy, uncontrollable mane, the young Princess let out a nervous chuckle and nodded, as she bounded for her bedroom chambers. Today was going to be a wonderful day. Author's Note Do you know what the plan for this story was?! Do you?! "Oh, I'll make a cute Dislestia family oneshot! It'll be sweet, short and heartwarming!" *two days later* "HOW IN THE HELL DID THIS TURN INTO OVER FIVE THOUSAND WORDS?! Sooo yeah. It got turned into a multi-chapter story now. Fortunately, this is one I can go through with and actually finish, because everything is already written, so if I need to update, all I gotta do is press that fancy little button in the top right corner! No hassle, and no stress! ...and yet, I still get to torture you all with waiting. It's a win-win situation! Anyway, fun facts and what to know if you're gonna continue reading this... Cassie's full name is Cassara Eris Blaize. Why does she have such a mouthful of a name you ask? ...well, I figured if Cadence can have a royal status name, then why can't the precious child of one of my favorite ships? If anyone's wondering the meaning behind it: Cassara means great / strong / powerful leader, Eris is Discord's R63 name and Blaize is a reference to how hot the sun is. You might recognize this name from Chaos and Sunshine, the Prompt Collab I run for the Dislestia group. The Cassie in this story is the same character (whom I own). Every chapter title will be a song lyric. Because, knowing me, my story is always inspired by music. In this case, it was three songs: "Set Apart This Dream" by Flyleaf (which I encourage you all to look up), "For a Moment" by Tara Strong & Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and "We Are One" from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. This story should consist of about five to eight chapters. It all really depends on how much I wanna stretch this whole thing out. I have several events to take place, like Cassara's birthday, and then the whole conflict where she hears the disapproving comments, and then *spoilers* so on and so forth. But alas, my OCD is being a bitch and isn't letting me organize it easily. ^ me right now ^ Soooo yeah. Wish me luck, amigos - and if you like this story so far, please comment or upvote or fave or whatever it is you crazy kids do these days. As you go through life, you'll see there is so much that we don't understand... Chapter Three - A new day was beginning. Yes, it was indeed a wonderful morning in the land of Equestria once more. The sun was brightly shining through the beautiful stain glass windows of Canterlot Castle, creating a spectacular dawn for all to see. However, unlike the day before, a certain little Princess was not up and about, trumping through the halls of her lavish home. No, instead, Princess Cassara was lazing about in her four-poster bed, still exhausted from the previous day's activities. She was snuggled underneath her blankets, and had her eyes closed, staying nice and comfy in the soft spot that she was silently refusing to move from. Alas, the relaxation for the young Royal was over, as she suddenly felt a certain figure snake up beside her... ...but Cassie was quicker, and with her magic, she levitated a pillow up, smacking the figure with it. "I've been hit!" a voice yelled, and a light thump was heard, summoning Cassara to peep out from under her sheets and giggle at the sight before her. There, on the floor, was her father, acting as if he had just been ambushed by an army. "Man down!" Discord called, as he was continued to be hit with the overly plush pillow. Cassie laughed, only before she willingly tumbled off of the bed, swatting her father one last time. "Good morning to you too, Daddy," she teased. The draconequus let out a groan, and playfully rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Cassara, it's not even noon, and you're already attacking your old man?" he pouted. "Yup!" the little Princess beamed. "Of course you are," Discord sighed, as he ruffled his daughter's mane. She smiled, and bounced on her father, hugging him contentedly. "So, care to explain why you're here, mister?" she playfully argued. "I was enjoying some much-needed beauty sleep!" With a scoff, the Spirit of Disharmony lightly tsked. "You Princesses," he muttered. "Always so vain, all of you." Despite his statement, he smiled. "Although you have no need to be, my dear." He tapped her on the nose, causing her expression to scrunch up cutely. "Someday, your cuteness will be the death of somepony." Sticking her tongue out, Cassara released another bell-like giggle as she got to her feet, running over to look out the window. "So, what are we gonna do today?" she said excitedly. "Can we visit to Manehatten for the day? Or go play pranks on Aunt Luna? Or maybe visit the museum? Or-" "While all of those activities sound quite enjoyable - especially that second one - I'm afraid I have to refuse," Discord interrupted. "Aww!" Cassie whined, with a pout as she looked back to her father. "Why?" "Because, unfortunately, not everyday is a celebration," the draconequus sighed, showing the same amount of frustration as his young daughter. "Your mother is off meeting with delegates from Saddle Arabia, I have to personally apologize to the city of Baltimare for an incident involving rabbits on steroids and you have studies to attend." The young Princess frowned, and crossed her forelegs. "Studies?" she groaned. "But I don't wanna learn. I'm royalty - why do I have to learn?" "Don't you want to raise the Sun someday, or rule over Equestria?" Discord questioned. "Nope!" Cassara replied, with a smile. "I just wanna be a lazy Princess, and have all of my servants rule for me!" This smart-aleck statement from his young daughter caused the draconequus to laugh, shaking his head playfully. "You and me both," he agreed. "But that's not the way life is. So... well, as much as I'd hate to say this, get ready and get to work, alright?" Cassie let out a sigh, and nodded. "Ok, Daddy," she relented. "Hey now, don't act like that - if you behave, I'll make a candy-crafted playground in the Castle Gardens for you," Discord murmured, with a playful wink. "I'll use extra chocolate and licorice, so you can even eat the swings if you'd like." This was enough to persuade the young Royal, who giggled and nodded. She cocked her head to the side in wondering, and asked, "Can you at least take me to class?" "I wish I could, but if I'm not at the announcement as soon as possible, the city just might protest to have me dethroned - again," the God of Chaos muttered in defeat. He smiled a different - and special - sort of smile to his child, a kind of smile only they could bestow and share. She shot it back, as a silent I Love You the father and daughter shared, and with that, he poofed away with his teleportation skills. Releasing a sigh, the little Princess was now alone, and rubbed the sleep dust from her eyes as she began to shuffle her way through the hall. Cassara lazily levitated over one of her many crowns - a golden one with rubies that apparently brought out her eyes - to place on her head. After all, if she didn't wear one, one of the maids or Guards would most likely call her out for it, and she didn't quite like it one bit, so she settled with satisfying others. Not even bothering to comb her mane, Cassie made her way down the halls, to one of the back rooms in the Castle, where Miss Twilight was going to give her the daily magic lesson. Such a shame the young Princess never studied... Letting a brief yawn pass her lips, Cassie slid into the Royal kitchen to grab something random for breakfast before her schooling. Seeing how all of the servants seemed to be gone, the young Princess had realized she had to fend for herself, and instantly, she went for the cookie jar. Milk and dark chocolate chips embedded delicious sugary goodness wasn't the ideal morning meal, but for somepony as young as she, it was perfect. Magically levitating one out of the container and quickly scarfing it down, the draconequus filly smiled in content as she started to practically shovel almost all of the scrumptious sweet treats in her mouth at once. Although, a sudden shuffling from not that far away alerted her, summoning Cassara to pause in her actions and look back. If one of the maids caught her eating sweets this early, she'd be in trouble! (And despite her father's jokes, trouble was not her middle name.) Quickly restoring the jar back to it's original place to make it look untouched, Cassie brushed the crumbs away and scooted over to the door, lightly pushing it open as she noticed the butlers and maids all crowded together, cleaning up the ballroom and talking amongst one another. Apparently, the room was still ruined from last night's chaos. Cotton candy stuck to the ceiling, sticky fruit punch stained the walls and the tiles on the floor were scratched beyond belief. Cassie held back a giggle as she began to recollect fun memories of last night, when all of the sudden, the workers began talking a bit louder within earshot of the young Princess who was unbeknownst to them. "Would you believe this?" one of them scoffed. "Honestly, today isn't the only day I have to clean up disgusting, chaotic messes like this." Another one nodded in agreement. "I don't even understand what Princess Celestia saw in him, and to bring a little girl like that into the world," the maid scoffed. "She should be lucky I haven't quit yet. I'm only in it for the pension, but if this keeps up, I just might quit. To Tartarus with it all." Suddenly, Cassie's eyebrows went up in confusion. What in the wide, wide world of Equestria was that maid talking about?! Whatever she was saying didn't seem very nice... "I understand," a butler spoke up in his snooty accent. "Why, just the other day, Sir Discord put a set of mirrors on the stairs! Do you know what a fright that gave me?!" "That's nothing," another servant huffed. "If we thought he was bad, watching after the little brat everyday is only worse." A sudden silence racked among the workers, only before they all looked to each other, seemingly sharing the same annoyed expression. One of the maids shook her head, and sighed. "Now why couldn't Princess Celestia marry a nice fellow noble - instead of that thing?" she muttered. "And the child, don't get me started." "She's an abomination, that's what she is," a Guard agreed as he began to help with the sweeping. With yet another agreeing nod, the same maid from earlier piped up, "Such a shame she's so much like her horrid father." A shy, more timid and younger maid agreed, "She rightfully deserves the title of a Princess... but the little one could use a makeover." All of these comments - Cassie couldn't believe them. They were talking about her?! Why? She was so nice to everypony! And what was wrong with her daddy? Sure, sometimes, they played one too many pranks, and her mommy had to yell at them for it when it got a little out of control, but it was no reason to be a meanie about it! Why were these ponies even working at the Castle anyway? If they couldn't respect the royalty, then they shouldn't be allowed to set hoof near anypony at all! ...and even though, Cassara felt anger, and confusion wracking her emotions, she frowned as she sat down on the floor of the kitchen, biting her lip. The comments began to ring through her mind... and she didn't feel good. ~ x o x o ~ Finally, after sitting in the kitchen for a good half hour or so, just staying there, completely quiet and still, Cassie finally found the courage to get up and continue on her walk to her classes. She hesitated when she reached the back room, and noticed her reflection in one of the big, beautiful stain glass windows. For a moment, Cassara took a second to carefully inspect herself. She had one wing of a pegasus, another of a bat. It was why she couldn't fly, but her mommy said someday, she just might. Her eyes were a bright red. Instead of all four hooves, her front legs were a lion paw and a talon. Her mane was all sorts of crazy colors, wild and unable to be tamed (even when she brushed it). And her tail wasn't really like anypony else's either, what with it's curly and snakelike manner. Now, Cassara was a smart filly - for the most part. She knew why she was like this, and she understood it easily. Her daddy was different, and her mommy was a pony, so when they wanted a daughter, Cassie came to life and somehow ended up with a bunch of different parts. A mix of draconequus and pony, the only one in all of Equestria. Letting out a sigh, the young Royal tore her vision away from her reflection and pushed open the door to her classroom, trudging her way in, rather than the usual swing in her step. "There you are, Cassie!" Miss Twilight piped up, with a smile as she turned to her No. 1 student. "I was starting to worry that you wouldn't show up!" With a halfhearted smile, instead of her typical million-dollar mega-watt one, the smaller Princess looked up to her teacher. "Hi, Miss Twilight," she replied. The Princess of Magic pranced over to Cassie, which instantly summoned the two to break into their cute little Sunshine, Sunshine motion, something they often did as a symbol of their close relationship. However, this time around, it certainly wasn't as lively as it was most of the time. "So," Twilight said simply. "Are you ready for your training today?" "I guess so," Cassara murmured, out of thought from her school already. With an arched eyebrow, the ever studious Royal looked to her student in slight concern. "Is something on your mind?" she questioned. "I'm just tired," the draconequus filly quickly replied - and it wasn't a total lie. She was still a bit groggy, anyway, but something inside of her had ticked, and for some reason, she was more exhausted than usual. "I'm sure a few spells will wake you up," Twilight assured, with a sweet smile. "Now why don't you sit down at your desk, and start taking notes? Today we're going to learn teleportation." Cassie managed a small grin in return, and nodded. "Ok," she chimed, strutting over to her small desk and sliding into her seat, immediately focusing on the blackboard up ahead. Miss Twilight was right - some spells and other fancy magic would probably lift Cassara's spirits easily. After all, while lectures could be boring, experiments were a load of fun! They would get her mind off of earlier... ~ x o x o ~ The rest of the day went off as usual, and as soon as Cassie's class had ended, it was late afternoon - which normally would have been time for adventure, but instead, the learning of magic had worn the young Princess out even more so. She was still tired, and as she began waltzing through the Palace, she just-so-happened to pass by the ballroom once again, where the servants were still at work cleaning a few last things up. ...all because of a little chaos. A bit of chaos that she had created. Looking to the servants, who were now quiet, Cassie knit her eyebrows, taking a moment to think about the earlier scenario. Why would anypony say those things? What was wrong with a little chaos - or being as different as she was? Suddenly, the young Princess was alerted as she saw the maids begin to leave, and Cassie quickly turned around to avoid them. After hearing them say the comments, she sort of didn't want to run into them. She slid around the corner, and released a deep breath in relief, only before she heard soft murmurs yet again. "Finally," one of them sighed. "It's over." "Until the next time," the other grumbled. One let out a groan, "Must you remind me?" "Well, it's only in her freakish nature. You know well as I do she'll just start in sooner or later." "Let's hope it's not anytime soon. I need a break." "Well, if Celestia can learn to control that monster of a husband of hers, and the brat they call a child, then maybe we'll get to clean something over than a chaotic mess." It was back. The weird feeling, and Cassie didn't like it one bit. Why? What would make the maids want to say something like that? Monster? Brat? Freakish? Allowing her wings to carry her a few feet away, the little Princess stumbled onto the Castle floor soon, and picked herself up, starting to run through the halls, all the way to her bedroom. She then entered, and closed the door behind her. Slumping up against the wall, Cassara glanced up to the ceiling, which was painted with beautiful, bright yellow suns that glowed in the dark. They used to calm her at night when she was younger, but now that she was a big filly, she wasn't scared of the dark anymore (but she still liked to see them glow, because they looked pretty). Normally, looking at them would calm her down, but right now... ...she didn't know what to feel. So the young Royal got to her hooves, and shuffled to her bed, falling onto it and wrapping herself in the sheets. Maybe a nice, long nap would help her feel better. She could only hope. Author's Note Poor Cassie. Now what will she do? You'll all find out sooner than you think!
Twirling in your twirly dress, you're the loveliest - far above the rest... Chapter Two - Cassara lightly hummed to herself, and paraded into her lavish bedroom, with the pretty lavender walls and simple satin pink drapes on the large stain glass windows that looked out to the beautiful lavish Castle Gardens, and as for the rest of her room, it was a simple elegant white... ...however, the young Princess still refused to pick anything up or clean the rest of her room. Stripping off her robe, and snatching a frilly and slightly crumpled black and lavender ballgown from the floor, Cassara levitated over her golden brush and began to wrestle with her uncontrollably frizzy rainbow mane. Everypony had said how pretty her curls were, and how envious they were, but if only they knew the struggle she had to go through each and every morning... However, as expected, Cassara didn't have to wrestle with the brush for long - due to the fact that it got stuck in her mane, causing it to hang off of one of her ridiculously long curls. With a quick snap of her talons, her curls had been straightened out to pure perfection, and the brush clattered to the floor. There. Appearance, down. As much as she didn't want to wear a fancy dress, today was definitely an exception. Her closet always overflowed with beautiful gowns for special occasions, and today was definitely one of them. After all, it wasn't just everyday she turned eight years old. Slipping into the gown, Cassara quickly looked over herself in the full-length mirror on the wall and stood still, wondering if it was too much. The dress was one of her simpler ones, rather than top-name designer, and her magic had turned her mane into an updo she normally would've been forced into wearing at the Grand Galloping Gala. This simply wouldn't do. Reaching back, the young Princess yanked the silky ribbons from the multi-colored locks in her mane, causing it to billow down and hang along the frames of her adorable face. She smiled and gave a twirl, only before bowing elegantly. Now she was ready. Grabbing the sweet little silver tiara she had carelessly hung on the doorknob of her bedroom's entrance, Cassara tossed it into her mane as she ran out, through the Palace walls, practically flying and soaring her way down. And to be honest, if she could've, she would've. Now, technically, the young Princess had the ability to fly - but she was prone to crashing, as she had just done, while she did a bit of a victory twirl. Her wings - one that was pegasi and the other that was a bat's - never seemed to get along for some reason. Oh well. Ignoring the tear she had caused in her gown, Cassara continued to bound down the hall happily, with a smile that was bright as the sunrise. The click-clack of her talons and claws echoed and bounced off of the Castle's walls, as did her sweet little giggles of glee as well. She skidded to a stop on the fine carpeting, accidentally destroying the hem of it. With a frown, she gently folded it and smiled. Not a problem. Each thing, every last little thing, was going well and according to plan. Checking herself over one last time, the little Princess was content with her appearance as she strolled into the Royal Ballroom, only to smile wide as she noticed the lush and intricately designed room. Like every place of the Palace, it was indeed beautiful, but for the special day that all of Equestria knew - the servants and maids had seemed to go a bit over-the-top for the occasion. Delighted with the designs, Cassara spun around as she gazed up and around at the scenery. Curled silken banners from any and every color of the rainbow hung from the ceilings, sparkling lavender tiles replaced the usual traditional black-and-white ones, and soft pink ribbons that had real white camilla flowers attached to them were spun around the supporting pillars of the room. A beautiful, irreplaceable scene for a Princess who was both of those qualities, and more. "Good morning, your Highness," a voice said, with a soft chuckle to follow. Turning around quickly, Cassara immediately brightened up as she noticed who was standing in the doorway behind her. "Aunt Luna!" the young Royal beamed happily. The Moon Princess smiled, and approached her niece, giving a light bow to make the little one laugh cutely once more. Cassara rolled her eyes playfully as she returned the bow to her aunt. "Are you practicing your dancing, little star?" Luna joked. "Uh-uh," the draconequus filly responded, shaking her head. "I got four left hooves. I can't dance." She did a little spin, and tried to end it in a curtsy, like the ballerinas she had seen at theater performances, but instead, she fell flat on her rump. "See?" With a small smile, Luna helped her niece up off of the floor, and shook her head in a joking manner. "Well, one day, perhaps you shall find a Prince and he shall teach you to waltz, so you can both dance off into the sunset," she teased, causing Cassara to mimic a gag. "Ick!" she whined. "Aunt Luna, I'm too young for love! That's for old ponies, like you!" "Oh, I'm old, am I?" the Princess of the Night chuckled. "Well, you are over a thousand years," Cassie giggled. "I'm only eight." Luna smirked, and let out a content sigh. "You make a valid point, little star," she admitted. A shimmer crossed her pretty blue eyes, and she smiled sweetly. "Now, I know it's a bit early, but-" She looked around, and bent down to her niece's eye level. "Would you like your present now?" Cassara's expression was shining, and she smiled wide, nodding quickly. "Yes, yes, yes!" she squealed. "What is it?" Softly chuckling to herself, Luna magically produced a scroll out of thin air and gave it to her niece, who instantly unraveled it. On the piece of parchment was a drawing, of several stars conjoined together to form a very familiar figure... "Is that supposed to be some kind of animal?" Cassara questioned, her eyebrows knit. "You're holding it upside down," Luna laughed, as she gently turned the scroll around in her niece's grasp. "Now, do you see it?" It took a minute, but the little Princess smiled wide when she was realized what it was. "It's my name!" she squealed. "In the stars?" "That's right," the elder Royal replied. "Tonight, and every other night, right before you go to bed, these stars will align into that position for a solid five minutes. I put an enchantment spell on them, so that way, you will forever be immortalized into the sky. Do you like it?" "I love it," Cassara said simply, wrapping her arms around her aunt and hugging her. "Thank you so much, Aunt Luna!" Giving a priceless smile, Luna gave a small shrug. "It was nothing," she murmured. "After all, anything for my favorite niece." She placed a quick little kiss on Cassie's forehead, and grinned. "Now, your birthday celebration is about to begin - I'd say we escape the scene." "Why?" the young Princess asked, her expression screwing up in confusion cutely. "Because, little star," the alicorn mare chuckled. "It's intended to be a surprise party." "Well, they can't keep anything from me!" Cassara giggled, just as the rest of her family entered the room, causing her to smile even wider - if that was possible, of course. There standing in the foyer was: her mother and father, obviously, along with Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining Armor, who made a trip all the way from the Crystal Empire - in addition to Miss Twilight, a nice mare who was also a Princess and seemed to be very close with her mother and especially Aunt Luna - and also, the Elements of Harmony, which included her Aunt Pinkie and Aunt Fluttershy - they were all there! "I told you she'd be here!" Discord and Pinkie said in unison. After declaring jinx more than ten times, the God of Chaos and Element of Laughter were finally shushed (or else, everypony knew they would keep going at it). To Cassie, it was perfect. Simple, and just what she had always wanted. The same celebration every year, with her family, and no Royal duties in their way. Many ponies or loyal subjects might've guessed that the little Princess would've desired the biggest, most over-the-top bash in all of Equestria, but she had been raised not to be spoiled, even if she was royal. And so far, over the years it had worked out wonderfully... ~ x o x o ~ After many antics, and laughter echoing the halls of the palace, with several irreplaceable moments fleeting by faster than anypony could register them, like any royal moment, it was certainly a wonderful occasion that couldn't be copied. Now, the festivities died down, and the party was over - but the happiness still rang throughout. As the servants began to clean up the ballroom, Cassara ran around gleefully, being chased by a puppy, which was one of her many presents. "I still can't believe you didn't consult me first," Celestia muttered, as her husband chuckled. "What?" Discord said innocently. "I didn't give it to her. Fluttershy did." The Sun Princess rolled her eyes. "You knew about it," she defended. "And I can't believe you allowed it." Celestia then let out a brief unprincess-like shriek as the small dog began jumping up on her, slobbering all over her coat. "Sorry about that, Mommy," Cassara said quickly, as she attempted to pry her new pet off of her mother. "Cosmo just likes playing." "I can see that," Celestia replied, only before the puppy jumped up and licked her on the muzzle. With a giggle, the young Princess smothered her pet in a hug, nuzzling the little animal affectionately. "This was the best birthday ever!" Cassie declared. "And it's still not over," Discord responded, with a playful wink. This statement caused Cassara's delighted expression to beam even brighter, if that was possible. "Really?!" she exclaimed, nearly soaring up in the air - however, her wings failed her at the last moment, which summoned her to fall on the floor, but she still stood back up, excited. Today was such a wonderful day already, and there was more? Discord looked next to Celestia, who gave a nod of assurance, and he smiled. "How would you like a chance to use your powers?" he questioned, glancing down to his daughter. "But I already use my magic all of the time," Cassara piped up, with a raised eyebrow. "Unless you don't mean-" She noticed her parents smiling and nodded, which summoned the little Princess to squeal in happiness as a spark of red ignited on her horn. She began clapping and fluttering her wings happily as she practically paraded around. "When?! Where?! How?!" she beamed. With a snap of his talons, Discord winked and chuckled. "The chaos begins right here," he responded. "And you will not believe the strings I had to pull to get your mother to agree." "I just don't want a repeat of the Giant Snapping Turtle incident," Celestia admitted, as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now, that was actually quite funny," the draconequus argued. "Even if your precious student ended up almost eaten. In fact, that was probably the most entertaining part of it all." He smirked, and was about to laugh, but his wife's glare melted that away. The Sun Princess let out a sigh, and playfully shook her head. "Well, I suppose I'll leave you two to it," she declared with a smile as she turned around to leave. "But aren't you going to join us?" Cassie questioned, as she immediately began bounding after her mother. "Or at least see what I've been working on? I made a new spell to make it rain fruit punch and grape juice!" Celestia nearly went pale at the very idea of her daughter doing such a chaotic act, but instead she just looked down to her child, and smiled at the little filly's adorable innocence. "Unlike you and your father, my dear, I am no fan of chaos," she murmured, with a chuckle. This statement summoned Discord to release a fake cough, with a brief muttering of the word "Joykill!" thrown somewhere in between. Looking over to her husband, Celestia raised an eyebrow and smirked, as a pale yellow aura on her horn lit up. Then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a small hurricane formed in the middle of the ballroom, and it briefly ran over Discord, turning the Spirit of Chaos upside down and causing him to fall on the floor. "Joykill, am I?" the Princess crooned, as a final flash of her magic caused the hurricane to disappear and instead, a pale cotton candy cloud replaced it. And as expected, chocolate milk began raining from it, soaking the draconequus to the bone. Even though despite this unexpected (and quite rude) action, it caused Discord to laugh out loud, shooting Celestia a wink. "I knew there was a reason I married you," he chuckled. Cassara giggled, and smiled wide, looking up to her mother yet again. "If you don't like chaos, how can you do those spells?" she inquired. The question caused Celestia to lightly blush, but she nonetheless replied, "Your father was quite the magic teacher back when I was a filly. I almost forgot how amusing it is to cast magic like that." She glanced down to her daughter, and lightly nuzzled the little one. "Maybe I will sit around for a moment or two..." "Yay!" the draconequus filly cheered, as she clapped her lion paw and talon happily. "Then what in the wide, wide world of Equestria are we waiting for?!" Discord declared, as he cleaned himself off and set his body right side up again with a simple snap of his talons. "Who's up for some good 'ole fashioned chaos?!" Raising her paw, Cassie continued to smile adorabely. "Me!" she beamed. Such a shame that the Royal family couldn't hear their servants praying for mercy... ~ x o x o ~ "You're going to drop her like that," Celestia scolded as she looked to her husband, who was carrying their now sleeping daughter in his mismatched grasp. Cassara was being held by her tail in her father's lion paw, and slung over his shoulder like a sack, but she still slept peacefully, very much lost in her dreamland and snoring cutely. Discord rolled his eyes and adjusted the way he held his child, now in a more civilized or delicate manner, like one might do with a newborn. "You were having so much fun a few moments ago," he observed. "Honestly, Tia, it almost baffles me on how you can change views so quickly." "I don't change views," she murmured, gently pushing open the door to their daughter's lavish bedroom. "I simply tell it like it is – and try to have fun whenever I can." "Oh, whatever," the draconequus scoffed. Celestia gave a small smile at the knowing her husband had somewhat given in, and waltzed into the room, with Discord in tow – the both of them quiet and careful not to wake their snoozing child. They nearly stumbled over the mess scattered on the floor, from toys to various priceless tiaras and books scattered all around, but they managed to still stay silent as they gently put Cassara to bed, tucking the little filly underneath her soft pink satin sheets, and kissing her goodnight. It was almost like a picture perfect scene, with mother, father and daughter together in a seemingly sweet manner. "She's a lot like you, y'know," Discord spoke up, as he looked to his wife and smiled. "Eight years, and just now you realize this?" Celestia teased. "I don't mean just in looks," the God of Chaos replied. "Her personality reminds me of yours from back when you were younger. I'm sure you can see it." The Sun Princess's expression melted, and she smiled an irreplaceable sort of smile as she nodded. "Of course I've noticed it," she whispered, softly stroking her daughter's frizzy multi-colored mane. "She's going to grow up to be so powerful, and beautiful." Discord huffed, shaking his head in disapproval. "Oh-no," he argued. "No way is my little girl going to grow up." "That's just the way life is, Discord," Celestia said, with a breathless laugh. "Cassie can grow old all she likes," the draconequus protested. "But growing up - now that's an entirely different thing all on its' own." "Of course it is," Celestia murmured, as she playfully rolled her eyes. She was then taken aback when her husband suddenly kissed her sweetly, and she lightly giggled, briefly returning it. With an eyebrow cocked in curiosity, the Sun Princess smiled. "Now what was that for?" she mused. "What - I can't kiss my wife whenever I feel like it?" Discord muttered, not even bothering to hold back a smirk. "I never said you couldn't," Celestia replied. However, the mood was quickly ruined, when she was now confused as the draconequus reached into her mane and produced a piece of cotton candy from it, twirling the piece around his talons and quickly devouring it. Although, Discord paid no mind to his wife's puzzled expression. "What?" he laughed. "After that round of chaos, you're quite a sight." Letting out a light chuckle, Celestia smirked, gently tracing her hoof under his chin. "Well then, would you like to join me for a shower?" she murmured. Discord's expression fell in shock for a moment, only before it twisted into a sort of disturbing delight only the Master of Chaos himself could pull off. "Tia, I want you to know if I ever say no to that question, I want you to go get the Elements of Harmony, and turn me to stone for another thousand years," he announced. Celestia playfully rolled her eyes, and was surprised yet again as her husband lifted her up, quickly transporting them out of the room. Yes, Canterlot Castle was at it's normal stage. The night now shined over Equestria beautifully, all of the ponies in the land (or most, anyway) were calm and content, and the world was peaceful. Author's Note (-and then they fucked.) PRECIOUS FAMILY IS PRECIOUS. But of course, now that the happy has arrived, you all know what that means...
Can I trust in my own heart, or am I just one part of some big plan? Chapter Four - It had felt like endless hours since Cassie had retreated to her bedroom for solace, and still, she couldn't sleep a wink. Somehow, something was itching at her, and no matter what she thought of or imagined to get the subject she wanted to avoid out of her mind, it just wouldn't budge. In fact, it was almost leading the little Princess to feel ill. Her head was spinning, her stomach ached and she felt a bit like whenever she got a cold - the sort of feeling one just couldn't shake. Tossing and turning in her sheets, fluttering in and out of a nap-like stage, Cassara eventually gave up as she just curled up on her bed, trying not to think as she had her eyes closed and fell into a dizzy, drowsy dream-like stage. Despite being slightly trapped in sleep's spell, she couldn't help but hear the door to her bedroom creak open and the sound of hooves click-clacking against the tile floor. "Cassara?" a soft voice said, in a tone that seemed both sweet and concerned. The young Princess shook off her drowsiness, and let out a sigh as she shuffled out of her blankets, peeking out to see her mother standing right by the edge of the bed. "Hi, Mommy," she muttered. With a small half-hearted smile, Celestia looked down to her young daughter. "There you are," she murmured. "I've been looking all over for you." "I've been sleeping," Cassara replied. "I don't feel good." Maybe she had too many cookies for breakfast... Or perhaps it was too much of a magic overload in her studies... "Oh?" the Sun Princess inquired, with a raised eyebrow. "Is everything alright, dear? You're not sick, are you?" "Uh-uh," Cassie said as she shook her head. "I just don't feel good." She hesitated for a moment, and bit her lip. "I've been kinda lonely - are you gonna be busy soon?" Celestia's smile slightly grew, and she responded with a brief, "Not at all." The much younger Royal felt a ghost of a grin creeping up on her cute little expression, and she reached out for her mother. "Can you cuddle with me?" she asked softly. "Y'know, like some Mommy and daughter time?" Ever-so-slightly melting at her daughter's adorable request, Celestia nodded. "I think that can be arranged," she said simply as she gently sat down on the bed next to her child. With her mother's wing wrapped around her snugly, Cassie finally felt content for the first time that day, and she nuzzled up against Celestia affectionately, letting out a sigh of relief. Somehow, she just felt so much better when one - or both - of her parents were there for her. ...but somehow, in a sneaky sort of way, the thought came back. Cassara tried oh-so-hard to push it back, but it was impossible. She just couldn't help but look over her mother's appearance - what with Celestia's majestic (and matching) wings, strong build, elegant voluminous mane, soft caring eyes, normal hooves... Meanwhile, Cassie had none of that. Her wings were like mismatched, her form was all wibbly-wobbly, her mane was frizzier than a fuzzball, and according to everypony else, she had sparkles of trouble in her eyes, while she only had two hooves in the back. How could she be related to a pony so pretty and perfect as her mommy? The Ruler of Equestria... and then there was her daughter. For the most part, Cassie liked being a Princess - really, she did, but now, she wasn't so sure of it. Still, she wasn't going to dwell on it. Not with her mother right here. If it was one thing Celestia knew how to do well, it was lift her child's spirits to no end - or at least, try to, anyway. Cassie was determined to feel better, no matter what. "So, what did you do today? Did you have any fun?" the Princess of the Day questioned, attempting to make sweet small talk with her daughter. Giving a small shrug, the draconequus filly twirled one of her curls around her talons as she thought up a response. "I just went to studies," she admitted. "I kinda failed the teleportation test - and I ended up flipping the room upside down instead." Celestia let out a chuckle at the mental image, shaking her head playfully. "I'm sure you'll get it right," she assured. "But that's it then? No attempting to escape the Castle or making fun of the Guards, as you usually do?" "No," Cassie replied, now beginning to pick off the tiny little dust balls on the mattress of her bed. "I didn't feel like it. I think too much magic made me feel icky." "Now, don't think that's an excuse to get out of your studies," Celestia teased, with a smile as she nuzzled her daughter who happily returned it. "You'll be very important one day, Cassara, but you won't get anywhere if you don't believe in yourself. Remember that." The little Princess nodded, managing to return the grin as she released a sigh, enjoying the moment she was sharing with her mother. She really did like this, even if Celestia never did see eye-to-eye with her completely on some things, the two still shared a bond only a mother and her child could have, which was completely irreplaceable and utterly indescribable. But what Cassie didn't understand was why her mommy, being who she was, could love somepony (or rather some draconequus) so different, such as Discord and herself. Sure, being a Princess of Equestria forever might have helped, but if there were ponies out there who said such mean things about others who were different... Still, nonetheless, she was not going to dwell on it. Especially now that Celestia was starting to sing. If it was one thing that Cassara loved more than anything, it was when her mother sang to her. Her voice was so pretty, soft and angelic that it was such a shame she didn't sing more often. Either way, though, Cassie was going to cherish it. Keeping her wing wrapped around her daughter in a comforting sort of manner, Celestia smiled sweetly as her little girl giggled gleefully. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine~" the Sun Princess crooned, only before Cassie quickly joined in, with her own sweet little singing voice. "You make me happy when skies are grey~" Celestia chuckled, brushing frizzy locks of mane from her daughter's face. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you~" she murmured. "Please don't take my sunshine away~" Releasing a soft sigh, Cassara nuzzled up against her mother, with her pretty red eyes fluttering closed. Finally, her entire soul seemed to be content, and she was happy. She liked it this way, and she didn't want it to go away... Author's Note YOU THOUGHT TIA WAS GONNA COME IN AND FIX EVERYTHING, DIDN'T YOU? YOU THOUGHT WRONG, PEASANTS! MWAHAHAHA! *ahem* So sorry for that. Anyway, this chapter was more or less just a filler before the action rolls in. I apologize for it being late and the fact that it's kinda short compared to the others. I did have all of the chapters already written, but OCD was a bitch and forced me to rewrite a lot of shit, so this is the result. Nonetheless, I thank you all so so so much for all the love!
One family - under the Sun...Ray of Sunshine by The Princess Rarity There was nothing more blissful than watching a sunrise in Equestria. Early in the morning, as everything and everypony began to awake - the flush, full yellow and pink rays began to peek out above the horizon beautifully, in a picturesque format. Almost sort of like the perfect object for a famous painting that could belong in a museum. But alas, no possible photograph could capture the true essence and brilliant beauty of the moment, not as much as if one were to watch it live. And Princess Celestia took pride in her job, even if it was simple - it was still important. "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?" a voice piped up. However, Celestia took note that it wasn't the usual voice who normally asked her that. As she looked back, she couldn't help but smile as she noticed her young daughter stumble into the bedroom chambers, and onto the balcony next to the much taller Princess. "Haven't you been doing it forever?" "I have indeed," Celestia replied, as she turned to look at her work. "And yet, somehow, it feels like a brand new experience everyday." She felt her little girl softly nuzzle her, and she lightly chuckled. "Good morning to you, Cassara." The young Royal let out a light laugh, blowing frizzy multi-colored locks of sleep-ruined mane from her vision. "Good morning, Mommy," she said simply. "Might I ask what you're doing up so early?" the Sun Princess questioned. Even if the question was rhetorical, and she already knew the answer, watching her daughter brighten up more than any sunrise was completely priceless. Cassara smiled wide, and her tiredness seemed to instantly melt away with those few simple words. "You should know!" she teased. Returning the grin, Celestia gave a small shrug and shook her head - deciding to play along with the joke. "I seem to have forgotten," she murmured. (And she was told on a daily basis that she didn't have a sense of humor.) The little Princess giggled, and took note of her mother's joke, as she twirled around in a circle happily. "It's my birthday!" she practically squealed. "Ah, yes, of course," Celestia laughed. "And... how old are you again?" "Mommy, I'm eight." Cassara said, in a matter-of-factly tone. As compared to over six thousand years being alive, the Ruler of Equestria had to admit, while many of those millenia were full of pain, regret and confusion, she was very delighted to know that finally, it seemed everything was going right. She had been married to the love of her life, and had a wonderful daughter as a result. Her nation was calm, peaceful, and the citizens were happy. Yes, nothing could ruin her seemingly perfect reign. "Just checking," Celestia teased, as she and her daughter began to watch the soft pink morning clouds cascade near the sun. Tilting her head to the side in confusion adorabely, Cassara looked to her mother. "Mommy, I thought you said Daddy wasn't allowed to make cotton candy clouds anymore," she observed. With a laugh, and a sudden realization at how much the weather did resemble the work of chaos, Celestia shook her head. "Those aren't cotton candy, Cassie," she explained. "But you're right, they do resemble the work of your father." "Was I summoned?" a voice called. The statement caused both mother and daughter to look back, sharing a smile as they saw who was standing on the castle balcony behind them. "Hi, Daddy!" Cassara giggled, as she bounded toward her father and hugged him. "Morning!" Discord chuckled, and picked up his little girl, returning the embrace as he ruffled her mane and smiled. "Why hello there, my dear," he proclaimed. "Isn't a bit early for you to be up?" The little Princess shook her head, still proudly smiling. "I couldn't wait to get up!" she exclaimed. With a mock gasp, the draconequus held out his young daughter, and scanned over her for a minute thoughtfully. "You aren't Cassara!" he accused. "Tia, our child's been replaced with a changeling! Somepony call the guards!" "Nooo!" Cassara whined, trying her hardest not to laugh at her father's usual chaotic silliness. "I'm your little girl!" "Prove it." Discord challenged. With the same smug, sly and sneaky smile as her father's, Cassara crossed her arms and cleared her throat. "Mommy's favorite flowers are sunflowers," she remarked. "And the reason you got to marry her is because you were reformed by the Element of Kindness, also known as a nice lady by the name of Aunt Fluttershy." "Hmm," the God of Chaos mused. "No changeling would know that," He looked over Cassie once more and lightly tsked. "I'm keeping my eye on you, missy." "And I'm keeping an eye on you, mister." the draconequus filly playfully shot back. "I don't settle lightly with backtalk either," Discord scolded, with an expected glimmer of mischievousness in his red eyes. Sticking her tongue out, Cassara immediately burst into giggles as her father began tickling her all over. "Daddy! S - stop!" she laughed. "That's no way to treat your Princess!" "Princess or not, I don't like being sassed by little fillies!" he argued, continuing to playfully torture his little girl. "Mommy!" Cassara howled between laughs. "Make him stop!" With a simple clearing of her throat, Celestia seemed to cease the adorable and hilarious behavior between her husband and daughter, much to the relief and chagrin of them, respectively. Discord playfully rolled his eyes, and placed his baby girl onto the balcony, shaking a talon at her disapprovingly. "I'm still watching you," he muttered. Despite the warning, Cassara still didn't seem to learn her lesson - and she stuck her tongue out once more, causing her father's jaw to drop as he glanced to his wife. "Tia!" he exclaimed. "Did you see that? She sassed me! Again!" Holding back the urge to laugh out loud, Celestia just shook her head and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Cassie," she said sternly, causing her daughter to cease the cute mocking and sassiness towards her father. Lightly scoffing, the draconequus crossed his arms. "Oh, sure, listen to her," he muttered. Amused at Discord's usual immature behavior, Celestia smiled as she stepped forth and lightly nuzzled him, only before their daughter hopped in on the embrace, hugging them both as best as she could with her tiny little forelegs of a lion paw and eagle's talon. "Alright now, enough dawdling," Celestia chuckled, after a solid irreplaceable moment of silence. "I'd hate to be the one to ruin this moment, but we do have a special occasion to recognize." With that said, Cassara wriggled out of the hug and began jumping up and down excitedly. "Really?" Discord said, with his usual sarcastic and playful tone. "Let's see," He snapped his talons and produced a calendar out of thin air, flipping through the pages. "Our anniversary - no, that's not until next month. Hearth's Warming, not for six months. Hearts and Hooves Day, far too away from today. The day you let me rule with chaos... that's not even marked on here, and probably never will be." He tossed the calender off of the balcony and shrugged. "What am I missing?" Rolling her crimson eyes, the little Princess tapped her paw against the balcony and raised her eyebrows at her father, who still played none the wiser. Of course. She should have expected this of him. "Daddy," she said. "What happened eight years ago?" "Well, a lot of things," Discord replied, with a sly smile. "For example, I beat your Aunt Luna at video games for the first and only time, and she nearly murdered me for it. I also tricked the Royal Guards with hypnotism and made all of them think that they were all supermodels." He chuckled and shook his head at the memory. "Good times. Aaaand a few months after that, your mother nearly sent me to the Sun because she was blaming me for something. What was it?" He stroked his goatee, like he always did when he was deep in thought, only before his expression brightened up. "Oh, right!" He looked to his wife and shook his head playfully. "I ate the last piece of cake, didn't I?" Holding back the urge to facehoof, Celestia let out a sigh. She could remember the entire speech from eight years ago today - and it involved several words she never dared to utter again, including many vulgarities no Princess should know. "You had a black eye for a few days?" she reminded him, and Discord's expression faltered. "Oh. Right. That." He took a moment to recollect the memory and shuddered. "I don't like you when you're mad. My looks are all I have, you know!" Cassara giggled, and playfully rolled her eyes. "Daddy!" she protested, in a fairly cute manner. "I already heard this joke!" Discord let out a huff, looking at Celestia with a deadpan expression. "Stealing my gigs, are you, Tia?" he said simply. "You're the one who told me I needed to have more fun," the Sun Princess argued. "Yes, but do try to be original, will you?" the draconequus countered, only before turning back to his daughter. "Of course I remember, Cassie," He gently flicked his nose with a talon, making her giggle. "How could I forget the day my wonderful daughter was born?" "Just like how you forgot our anniversary three years ago," Celestia muttered. "Now that really was an accident!" Discord defended. "Of course it was," Celestia played along, with a slight shimmer in her pretty mauve eyes. The draconequus crossed his arms and looked at his wife, with his usual mischevious and cunning expression. "You know, I think I now know why Luna sometimes calls you Tro-" "Don't you dare finish that sentence - or you're sleeping in the dungeon for a month." With a scoff, Discord simply shook his head. "Such a joykill you can be, Tia," he mused. "Don't you agree, Cassie?" "Maybe~" the little Princess sang, with another adorable and sweet melodious giggle to accompany her statement. Slightly amused, but still trying to stay strict, Celestia rolled her eyes as she bit back a chuckle. "Enough games," she said simply. "I'd say it's time we finally begin this day, shall we?" Cassara clapped her lion paw and eagle talon together, about to run out to the palace halls, only before her mother sternly cleared her throat. "Cassie," she said simply, with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps grooming yourself and looking presentable first would be appropriate?" Realizing that she was still in her pink silk bedroom gown, and her mane was still a frizzy, uncontrollable mane, the young Princess let out a nervous chuckle and nodded, as she bounded for her bedroom chambers. Today was going to be a wonderful day. Author's Note Do you know what the plan for this story was?! Do you?! "Oh, I'll make a cute Dislestia family oneshot! It'll be sweet, short and heartwarming!" *two days later* "HOW IN THE HELL DID THIS TURN INTO OVER FIVE THOUSAND WORDS?! Sooo yeah. It got turned into a multi-chapter story now. Fortunately, this is one I can go through with and actually finish, because everything is already written, so if I need to update, all I gotta do is press that fancy little button in the top right corner! No hassle, and no stress! ...and yet, I still get to torture you all with waiting. It's a win-win situation! Anyway, fun facts and what to know if you're gonna continue reading this... Cassie's full name is Cassara Eris Blaize. Why does she have such a mouthful of a name you ask? ...well, I figured if Cadence can have a royal status name, then why can't the precious child of one of my favorite ships? If anyone's wondering the meaning behind it: Cassara means great / strong / powerful leader, Eris is Discord's R63 name and Blaize is a reference to how hot the sun is. You might recognize this name from Chaos and Sunshine, the Prompt Collab I run for the Dislestia group. The Cassie in this story is the same character (whom I own). Every chapter title will be a song lyric. Because, knowing me, my story is always inspired by music. In this case, it was three songs: "Set Apart This Dream" by Flyleaf (which I encourage you all to look up), "For a Moment" by Tara Strong & Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and "We Are One" from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. This story should consist of about five to eight chapters. It all really depends on how much I wanna stretch this whole thing out. I have several events to take place, like Cassara's birthday, and then the whole conflict where she hears the disapproving comments, and then *spoilers* so on and so forth. But alas, my OCD is being a bitch and isn't letting me organize it easily. ^ me right now ^ Soooo yeah. Wish me luck, amigos - and if you like this story so far, please comment or upvote or fave or whatever it is you crazy kids do these days.
As you go through life, you'll see there is so much that we don't understand... Chapter Three - A new day was beginning. Yes, it was indeed a wonderful morning in the land of Equestria once more. The sun was brightly shining through the beautiful stain glass windows of Canterlot Castle, creating a spectacular dawn for all to see. However, unlike the day before, a certain little Princess was not up and about, trumping through the halls of her lavish home. No, instead, Princess Cassara was lazing about in her four-poster bed, still exhausted from the previous day's activities. She was snuggled underneath her blankets, and had her eyes closed, staying nice and comfy in the soft spot that she was silently refusing to move from. Alas, the relaxation for the young Royal was over, as she suddenly felt a certain figure snake up beside her... ...but Cassie was quicker, and with her magic, she levitated a pillow up, smacking the figure with it. "I've been hit!" a voice yelled, and a light thump was heard, summoning Cassara to peep out from under her sheets and giggle at the sight before her. There, on the floor, was her father, acting as if he had just been ambushed by an army. "Man down!" Discord called, as he was continued to be hit with the overly plush pillow. Cassie laughed, only before she willingly tumbled off of the bed, swatting her father one last time. "Good morning to you too, Daddy," she teased. The draconequus let out a groan, and playfully rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Cassara, it's not even noon, and you're already attacking your old man?" he pouted. "Yup!" the little Princess beamed. "Of course you are," Discord sighed, as he ruffled his daughter's mane. She smiled, and bounced on her father, hugging him contentedly. "So, care to explain why you're here, mister?" she playfully argued. "I was enjoying some much-needed beauty sleep!" With a scoff, the Spirit of Disharmony lightly tsked. "You Princesses," he muttered. "Always so vain, all of you." Despite his statement, he smiled. "Although you have no need to be, my dear." He tapped her on the nose, causing her expression to scrunch up cutely. "Someday, your cuteness will be the death of somepony." Sticking her tongue out, Cassara released another bell-like giggle as she got to her feet, running over to look out the window. "So, what are we gonna do today?" she said excitedly. "Can we visit to Manehatten for the day? Or go play pranks on Aunt Luna? Or maybe visit the museum? Or-" "While all of those activities sound quite enjoyable - especially that second one - I'm afraid I have to refuse," Discord interrupted. "Aww!" Cassie whined, with a pout as she looked back to her father. "Why?" "Because, unfortunately, not everyday is a celebration," the draconequus sighed, showing the same amount of frustration as his young daughter. "Your mother is off meeting with delegates from Saddle Arabia, I have to personally apologize to the city of Baltimare for an incident involving rabbits on steroids and you have studies to attend." The young Princess frowned, and crossed her forelegs. "Studies?" she groaned. "But I don't wanna learn. I'm royalty - why do I have to learn?" "Don't you want to raise the Sun someday, or rule over Equestria?" Discord questioned. "Nope!" Cassara replied, with a smile. "I just wanna be a lazy Princess, and have all of my servants rule for me!" This smart-aleck statement from his young daughter caused the draconequus to laugh, shaking his head playfully. "You and me both," he agreed. "But that's not the way life is. So... well, as much as I'd hate to say this, get ready and get to work, alright?" Cassie let out a sigh, and nodded. "Ok, Daddy," she relented. "Hey now, don't act like that - if you behave, I'll make a candy-crafted playground in the Castle Gardens for you," Discord murmured, with a playful wink. "I'll use extra chocolate and licorice, so you can even eat the swings if you'd like." This was enough to persuade the young Royal, who giggled and nodded. She cocked her head to the side in wondering, and asked, "Can you at least take me to class?" "I wish I could, but if I'm not at the announcement as soon as possible, the city just might protest to have me dethroned - again," the God of Chaos muttered in defeat. He smiled a different - and special - sort of smile to his child, a kind of smile only they could bestow and share. She shot it back, as a silent I Love You the father and daughter shared, and with that, he poofed away with his teleportation skills. Releasing a sigh, the little Princess was now alone, and rubbed the sleep dust from her eyes as she began to shuffle her way through the hall. Cassara lazily levitated over one of her many crowns - a golden one with rubies that apparently brought out her eyes - to place on her head. After all, if she didn't wear one, one of the maids or Guards would most likely call her out for it, and she didn't quite like it one bit, so she settled with satisfying others. Not even bothering to comb her mane, Cassie made her way down the halls, to one of the back rooms in the Castle, where Miss Twilight was going to give her the daily magic lesson. Such a shame the young Princess never studied... Letting a brief yawn pass her lips, Cassie slid into the Royal kitchen to grab something random for breakfast before her schooling. Seeing how all of the servants seemed to be gone, the young Princess had realized she had to fend for herself, and instantly, she went for the cookie jar. Milk and dark chocolate chips embedded delicious sugary goodness wasn't the ideal morning meal, but for somepony as young as she, it was perfect. Magically levitating one out of the container and quickly scarfing it down, the draconequus filly smiled in content as she started to practically shovel almost all of the scrumptious sweet treats in her mouth at once. Although, a sudden shuffling from not that far away alerted her, summoning Cassara to pause in her actions and look back. If one of the maids caught her eating sweets this early, she'd be in trouble! (And despite her father's jokes, trouble was not her middle name.) Quickly restoring the jar back to it's original place to make it look untouched, Cassie brushed the crumbs away and scooted over to the door, lightly pushing it open as she noticed the butlers and maids all crowded together, cleaning up the ballroom and talking amongst one another. Apparently, the room was still ruined from last night's chaos. Cotton candy stuck to the ceiling, sticky fruit punch stained the walls and the tiles on the floor were scratched beyond belief. Cassie held back a giggle as she began to recollect fun memories of last night, when all of the sudden, the workers began talking a bit louder within earshot of the young Princess who was unbeknownst to them. "Would you believe this?" one of them scoffed. "Honestly, today isn't the only day I have to clean up disgusting, chaotic messes like this." Another one nodded in agreement. "I don't even understand what Princess Celestia saw in him, and to bring a little girl like that into the world," the maid scoffed. "She should be lucky I haven't quit yet. I'm only in it for the pension, but if this keeps up, I just might quit. To Tartarus with it all." Suddenly, Cassie's eyebrows went up in confusion. What in the wide, wide world of Equestria was that maid talking about?! Whatever she was saying didn't seem very nice... "I understand," a butler spoke up in his snooty accent. "Why, just the other day, Sir Discord put a set of mirrors on the stairs! Do you know what a fright that gave me?!" "That's nothing," another servant huffed. "If we thought he was bad, watching after the little brat everyday is only worse." A sudden silence racked among the workers, only before they all looked to each other, seemingly sharing the same annoyed expression. One of the maids shook her head, and sighed. "Now why couldn't Princess Celestia marry a nice fellow noble - instead of that thing?" she muttered. "And the child, don't get me started." "She's an abomination, that's what she is," a Guard agreed as he began to help with the sweeping. With yet another agreeing nod, the same maid from earlier piped up, "Such a shame she's so much like her horrid father." A shy, more timid and younger maid agreed, "She rightfully deserves the title of a Princess... but the little one could use a makeover." All of these comments - Cassie couldn't believe them. They were talking about her?! Why? She was so nice to everypony! And what was wrong with her daddy? Sure, sometimes, they played one too many pranks, and her mommy had to yell at them for it when it got a little out of control, but it was no reason to be a meanie about it! Why were these ponies even working at the Castle anyway? If they couldn't respect the royalty, then they shouldn't be allowed to set hoof near anypony at all! ...and even though, Cassara felt anger, and confusion wracking her emotions, she frowned as she sat down on the floor of the kitchen, biting her lip. The comments began to ring through her mind... and she didn't feel good. ~ x o x o ~ Finally, after sitting in the kitchen for a good half hour or so, just staying there, completely quiet and still, Cassie finally found the courage to get up and continue on her walk to her classes. She hesitated when she reached the back room, and noticed her reflection in one of the big, beautiful stain glass windows. For a moment, Cassara took a second to carefully inspect herself. She had one wing of a pegasus, another of a bat. It was why she couldn't fly, but her mommy said someday, she just might. Her eyes were a bright red. Instead of all four hooves, her front legs were a lion paw and a talon. Her mane was all sorts of crazy colors, wild and unable to be tamed (even when she brushed it). And her tail wasn't really like anypony else's either, what with it's curly and snakelike manner. Now, Cassara was a smart filly - for the most part. She knew why she was like this, and she understood it easily. Her daddy was different, and her mommy was a pony, so when they wanted a daughter, Cassie came to life and somehow ended up with a bunch of different parts. A mix of draconequus and pony, the only one in all of Equestria. Letting out a sigh, the young Royal tore her vision away from her reflection and pushed open the door to her classroom, trudging her way in, rather than the usual swing in her step. "There you are, Cassie!" Miss Twilight piped up, with a smile as she turned to her No. 1 student. "I was starting to worry that you wouldn't show up!" With a halfhearted smile, instead of her typical million-dollar mega-watt one, the smaller Princess looked up to her teacher. "Hi, Miss Twilight," she replied. The Princess of Magic pranced over to Cassie, which instantly summoned the two to break into their cute little Sunshine, Sunshine motion, something they often did as a symbol of their close relationship. However, this time around, it certainly wasn't as lively as it was most of the time. "So," Twilight said simply. "Are you ready for your training today?" "I guess so," Cassara murmured, out of thought from her school already. With an arched eyebrow, the ever studious Royal looked to her student in slight concern. "Is something on your mind?" she questioned. "I'm just tired," the draconequus filly quickly replied - and it wasn't a total lie. She was still a bit groggy, anyway, but something inside of her had ticked, and for some reason, she was more exhausted than usual. "I'm sure a few spells will wake you up," Twilight assured, with a sweet smile. "Now why don't you sit down at your desk, and start taking notes? Today we're going to learn teleportation." Cassie managed a small grin in return, and nodded. "Ok," she chimed, strutting over to her small desk and sliding into her seat, immediately focusing on the blackboard up ahead. Miss Twilight was right - some spells and other fancy magic would probably lift Cassara's spirits easily. After all, while lectures could be boring, experiments were a load of fun! They would get her mind off of earlier... ~ x o x o ~ The rest of the day went off as usual, and as soon as Cassie's class had ended, it was late afternoon - which normally would have been time for adventure, but instead, the learning of magic had worn the young Princess out even more so. She was still tired, and as she began waltzing through the Palace, she just-so-happened to pass by the ballroom once again, where the servants were still at work cleaning a few last things up. ...all because of a little chaos. A bit of chaos that she had created. Looking to the servants, who were now quiet, Cassie knit her eyebrows, taking a moment to think about the earlier scenario. Why would anypony say those things? What was wrong with a little chaos - or being as different as she was? Suddenly, the young Princess was alerted as she saw the maids begin to leave, and Cassie quickly turned around to avoid them. After hearing them say the comments, she sort of didn't want to run into them. She slid around the corner, and released a deep breath in relief, only before she heard soft murmurs yet again. "Finally," one of them sighed. "It's over." "Until the next time," the other grumbled. One let out a groan, "Must you remind me?" "Well, it's only in her freakish nature. You know well as I do she'll just start in sooner or later." "Let's hope it's not anytime soon. I need a break." "Well, if Celestia can learn to control that monster of a husband of hers, and the brat they call a child, then maybe we'll get to clean something over than a chaotic mess." It was back. The weird feeling, and Cassie didn't like it one bit. Why? What would make the maids want to say something like that? Monster? Brat? Freakish? Allowing her wings to carry her a few feet away, the little Princess stumbled onto the Castle floor soon, and picked herself up, starting to run through the halls, all the way to her bedroom. She then entered, and closed the door behind her. Slumping up against the wall, Cassara glanced up to the ceiling, which was painted with beautiful, bright yellow suns that glowed in the dark. They used to calm her at night when she was younger, but now that she was a big filly, she wasn't scared of the dark anymore (but she still liked to see them glow, because they looked pretty). Normally, looking at them would calm her down, but right now... ...she didn't know what to feel. So the young Royal got to her hooves, and shuffled to her bed, falling onto it and wrapping herself in the sheets. Maybe a nice, long nap would help her feel better. She could only hope. Author's Note Poor Cassie. Now what will she do? You'll all find out sooner than you think!
