Cassarian August AUs and Short Stories

Day 5: Sweetness

AU: "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"

     On the outskirts of Ponyville lives an alchemist named Varian. He is a pegasus, but he prefers to keep his hooves on the ground (occasionally using his wings when needed for an experiment... or even to get away quickly from one that has gone awry).

     Varian used to work for Princess Starlight Glimmer, but now he has been directed to assist the new princess-in-training, Rapunzel. He is meeting her for the first time today. He knows this new assignment should be considered an honor, but he can't help feeling like he has been demoted.

     As he works on a new alchemical project that could better all of Ponyville, he hears a knock at his door. That must be the princess, he thinks with an unenthusiastic sigh. But when he opens the door, he is surprised to see a unicorn standing on his porch.

     A beautiful unicorn with hazel eyes and raven hair.

     "Uh... Princess Rapunzel?" He asks.

     The unicorn raises an eyebrow. "Do I look like an alicorn to you?" She says. "Of course I'm not the princess! I'm her hoofmaiden, Cassandra, and I'm here to check things out before she arrives."

     "Oh—Okay." Varian finds it difficult to speak, and he isn't sure why. Something about this unicorn —this Cassandra— causes his heart to beat faster. His wings even start to flutter... What's that about?!

     "Something wrong with your wings?" Cassandra asks.

     "Huh? Oh, no. They, uh, they do that all the time," Varian lies.

     After a moment of awkward silence, Cassandra asks, "So, are you going to invite me in? I really must make sure things are safe enough for the princess. I take my job very seriously, you know."

     "Right! Sorry! I'm sure you do," Varian says, stepping to the side so that Cassandra can enter. "Please, come on in."

     As she passes him, he takes note of the double swords on her cutie mark. She seems like a lot more than a hoofmaiden to me, he thinks. More like the princess's protector.

     Once he closes the door behind them, he is suddenly aware of the state of disarray that his lab is in. He chuckles embarrassedly and says, "I-I'm going to clean things up before Princess Rapunzel gets here. I promise it's not always like this."

     "It better not be," Cassandra says, running the tip of her hoof across his desk and grimacing at the dust that comes back. "This place must be spick and span for the princess!"

     "Is she really that kind of a princess?" Varian asks, growing more nervous about meeting this Rapunzel. His life is basically the opposite of 'spick and span'... "I mean, Princess Starlight Glimmer is never afraid to get her hooves a bit dirty."

     Cassandra glares at him for a moment, but then her face falls. "No, she's not," she admits, hanging her head. "I guess it's more to do with me than Rapunzel. Like I said, I take my job very seriously. But no one else seems to take me seriously. Especially being Rapunzel's hoofmaiden... She's a free spirit, and it's hard to make her focus on things that need to be done." Her eyes widen all of a sudden. "Sorry. I'm not sure why I admitted all of that to you. I'm normally a considerably private pony..."

     Varian smirks as he ponders her words. "Well, I'm glad you did. Maybe you just need to loosen up a little bit. Have some fun!"

     "Fun?" Cassandra repeats. "I don't have time for fun."

     "Sure you do!" Varian insists. "You're not attending to the princess right now, are you? There's plenty of fun things to do in Ponyville! And I can show them to you."

     Cassandra seems taken aback. "You mean... like a date?"

     Varian hadn't meant it to sound like that, but now that he considers it... "W-Well, sure. I mean, if you want it to be."

     Cassandra is silent for so long, Varian just knows she is going to say no. But to his surprise, she smirks and says. "Okay, then. Show me the town, Alchemist."

     First, Varian takes her to see a movie. The two of them share a large bucket of popcorn, and at one point their hooves touch as they both reach for it at the same time.

     Then he takes her to an art museum. Her eyes light up with wonder at the gorgeous paintings and mesmerizing statues. He found that he would rather look at her than the art.

     Afterward, they attend a concert in the park. When the band strikes up a lively tune, Varian asks Cassandra to dance... and she accepts! He realizes with glee that he has successfully helped her to loosen up and have some fun.

     Finally, they end up at a cute little cafe. "I'll admit, this has been a pretty fun day," Cassandra says once they order their ice cream floats. "Thank you, Varian."

     "Any time," he says. It has been more than a fun day for him. It has been the best day of his life, and all because of Cassandra. He never knew he could feel this way about anypony.

     Suddenly, the server reappears at their table. "I sincerely apologize, but as we were making your second float, our ice cream machine broke down. We only have the one, now."

     "That's fine," Varian says. "She can have it."

     "No, it's okay," Cassandra says to him. "You already gave me enough today. It's yours."

     The server smiles knowingly. "I think I know how to solve this." After disappearing for a moment, he returns with the float... and it has two straws in it. "Enjoy!"

     Varian stares at the float, unsure what to do. But when he looks at Cassandra, she is giving him a smile that causes his wings to flutter again.

     She leans closer to the float, and begins drinking through one of the straws. He does the same, attempting to keep as respectable of a distance as he possibly can while they're drinking the same drink. But with a quick glow of light from her horn, Cassandra uses her magic to pull him a bit closer. His eyes widen in surprise, as their noses are now touching. But it is a pleasant surprise, and the two of them remain that way until they drink the float down entirely.

     Varian never thought that a pony like him could find love. But here he is, on a date with the most amazing pony he could have ever imagined. And he can't wait to discover what the future holds for them.