The Draconequus of Notre Mare.

By Inkquill.

Chapter Twenty: The Lamb of Faust.

Far below him, Discord could see the soldiers fleeing as the deluge of scalding hot chocolate milk rained down upon them from the cathedral gutters; some even tripping over themselves and falling face first into the cobblestone streets as they tried to avoid the super-heated flavored dairy. They were retreating! He had won!

Taking heavy breaths, he turned back towards the bell tower and let a joyful smile beam across his face. “We did it, we really did it.” He said almost in disbelief.

“Darn straight we did!” Applejack cheered; appearing alongside Rarity and Rainbow Dash as they perched on the railing.

“Normally I appall violence, but what you did, Discord, was amazingly chivalrous.” Said Rarity. “I do believe we won't have to worry about those ruffians knocking on our door any time soon.”

“Fluttershy!” Discord exclaimed, becoming very fidgety as he turned his attention back to the bell tower. “I got to tell her! I’ll be right back.”

His feet nearly flying off the stone, Discord dashed his way into the tower and to the secluded room he had left her to rest. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he paused at the door frame before proclaiming with great joy, “We’ve done it Fluttershy, we’ve beaten them back. Come on! Come and see.”

However, as he turned back away from the door, a strange sensation struck him. The feeling of the hair on his beck stiffening; like dozens of needles signaling that something wasn’t right. Turning back around, he entered the room and slowly approached her. “Fluttershy?”

There was no response. She simply laid there on her back; her eyes closed as the rosé locks of her hair cascaded over her pillow like rivers of liquid azalea. She did not move and as far as he could tell, her chest did not rise or fall with her breath.

He felt as if his breath had become caught in the back of his throat as he looked down at her; a sense of dread that came with a tugging possibility he begged wasn’t true.

Placing his paw on her shoulder, he shook her gently. “Fluttershy?” He said again. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy, wake up! Wake up, Fluttershy!”

He was beginning to panic now as she gave him no response as he shook her with more force. “Fluttershy?! Fluttershy, please, you're safe now. Wake up!”

Frantically, he looked about the room, searching for something desperately before his eyes finally fell on a bucket of clean water with a ladle in it.

Reaching over, he picked up the bucket by the handle and brought it over to his side; grasping the ladle in his claws, he dipped it into the water and brought it to Fluttershy’s lips and began to pour.

He dropped the ladle; the wooden spoon clattering on the floor as he looked at her with despair. “Oh… oh no. No. No… no, please…” He begged under his rasping breath.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to thrash about and beg for this not to be true, but he couldn’t even move; his body having seemingly gone rigid as he stared down at the lifeless body of his beloved. Where once joy and warmth had filled him, now only a hollow burning resided; the air around him having seemingly gone bitter cold.

Shivering, he reached down and cradled her in his arms, pulling her limp body against his as his eyes filled with hot tears that streamed down his cheeks; his eyes burning from them as his lungs convulsed; the draconequus sobbing violently as he held her there, not even able to notice the new presence near him as it entered the room…

He didn’t even flinch as he felt a hoof come to rest on his shoulder. There wasn’t even a need to look to see who it was. He already knew.

Chrysalis stood there over him with a solemn face; her touch tender and gentle on his shoulder. “It was my duty,” she replied. “Horrible as it was… she brought this on herself.”

Chrysalis nodded, placing her hoof on his cheek and turning him to meet her. “Now we can go back to the way things were~”

“No~!” Discord snapped, throwing his arms up and swatting her’s away. “Never go back!”

“...We will. You’ll see.” Chrysalis said calmly. “Don’t you see Discord? At last we’re free of Fluttershy. Now that she’s gone, her poison dies with her. Now that we’re free of Fluttershy, we can go on as close as once we were. Here our sanctuary… our sanctuary.”

“It was her choice, Discord. This was the fate she condemned herself to… I could have helped her. Could have even… loved her.”

“Love!? What do you know of love?!” He was close again to shedding tears as he stared his mistress down. “Who have you ever loved?!”

She looked at him in surprise. “I loved… I loved my mother! I loved her with all my heart, but she was weak! Wicked!”

“No… you are the weak one. You are the wicked one!” Once again tears streamed down his face. His heart filled with sadness, he turned again to Fluttershy and buried his head into her chest.

“Oh my dear, sweet Discord, there, there, I know it hurts,” she said soothingly; her words accompanied with the slight glint of steel. “But now the time has come to end your suffering… forever.”

Looking up, Discord could see the dark silhouette of Chrysalis towering over him; a long knife gripped in her hoof.

Gasping in fear, he whirled around to face her just as she was about to plunge the fiendish weapon into his back, catching her wrist in his own as her eyes burned with fury.

They wrestled across the floor for a while, neither wanting to lose ground, but in that instant, Discord gathered his strength and with a mighty shove, through Chrysalis off her hooves, toppling over onto the floor as he now held the dagger, his eyes glowing with vengeful rage.

Looking up in fear, she held out her hoof to calm him down, “Now, now, listen to me, Discord~”

“No~!” He roared. “You listen! All my life you have told me that the world is a dark, cruel place! But now I see that the only thing that is dark and cruel about it is wicked ponies like you! And the wicked shall not go unpunished!!!”

The voice was weak and frail, but it rang out like the bell tower’s iron bells, causing Chrysalis to direct her attention to the Pegasus that had been laying across the room. Seeing this, Discord turned; his eyes lighting up in disbelief. There where Fluttershy had laid still and cold, now she moving and sitting up, calling out his name as he read her lips.

Joy overwhelmed his heart as he dashed over to her side, picking her up in his arms and cradling her. “Fluttershy!” He exclaimed, holding her close.

“She lives.” Came Chrysalis in her toxic, venomous tone, drawing a sword from under her robes.

“No!” Discord snarled, dashing by the Queen, carrying Fluttershy in his arms.

Chrysalis swung her sword, but was knocked over by the draconequus’s tail as he forced his way past her and out the door, running out onto the bell tower balcony with Chrysalis in hot pursuit. However, as she stepped out into the night air, she found herself alone, with only the light from fires far below illuminating the stonework.

With her sword bared and at the ready, she scouted the walkway up and down, only to find gargoyles in their place.

However, a sneaking suspicion crept on her. Slowly, she approached the railing and peered over.

There, dangling from one of the stone gutters was Discord and Fluttershy, the fire light bellow making them quite visible.

She smiled deviously. “Leaving so soon?” She said as she swung her sword down, trying to cut them down, but only striking stone as Discord swung out of the way.

“Hang on!” He shouted as he leaped from gutter to gutter, Chrysalis all the while swinging at them with murderous intent.

Finally managing to gain some distance from her, Discord swung to one of the nearby gargoyles, helping Fluttershy clamor out the side and shoving her out of the way as Chrysalis brought her sword down, nearly decapitating the stone beast.

“I should have known you would have tried to save that gypsy witch.” Chrysalis spat as Discord managed to his feet, standing atop the statue. “Just as your own mother died trying to save you.”

Seeing her opportunity, Chrysalis grinned, “But now, I’m going to do what I should have done, twenty years ago!!!” She exclaimed as she tore off her cloak and used it to lasso the draconequus.

However, thinking fast, the chimera grabbed hold of the cloak, using it to swing back onto the cathedral wall, pulling Chrysalis over the edge along with him.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, reached down and grabbed Discord by the wrist, trying to help him up. “Hold on, Discord!” She called, putting every muscle in her body to work as she tried to save her friend. However, as the smoke from below rises, it made it extremely difficult for Discord to breathe; his head going numb from the lack of oxygen.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis scanned for any means to save herself, spying a nearby gutter and swinging over to it and grabbing hold just as Discord’s grip on her robe faltered.

Desperately, Fluttershy tried to hold on to Discord as he dangled freely, having passed out from inhaling to much smoke, while Chrysalis pulled herself up, towering over her grinning wickedly as the fire light bellow cast dreadful shadows across her face.

Raising her sword, she laughed triumphantly. “And She will smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!” She proclaimed, not noticing how the gutter she stood upon began to crumble.

Looking down, she could see the stone cracking at the neck, the stone gutter, carved in the likeness of a demon shaking beneath her hooves, knocking her off balance.

Panicking, she grabbed hold of the collapsing thing and froze in fear; her eyes meeting with it as the stone seemed to come to life, laughing fiendishly at her and grinning with vicious intent. She screamed at this, but as she did, the stone gave way, letting both it and her plummeting down into the fire below.

Fluttershy watched on in horror as the Marisian Queen vanished into the blazing light as smoke; her screams dying away soon after she disappeared from view. But as she looked on, to her great dread, she could feel him slipping from her grasp.

“Discord?!” She called down to him. She felt him slip again. “Discord!?”

Until finally, he fell from her, plummeting down towards the flames. She screamed out to him in despair, but then something happened; he suddenly stopped falling, his body now enveloped in a shimmering purple aura.

Peeking out from the lower section of the catwalk, Fluttershy could see Twilight and Flash waving at her as the unicorn levitated Discord back onto solid ground.

Seeing this, Fluttershy rushed to the stair well and made her way down, practically jumping onto the landing as she galloped to Discord’s side, taking him in her hooves and embracing him.

Raising his paw to his head, he rubbed his brow and opened his eyes; the crimson of his meeting the brilliant cyan of her’s.

They stared at each other in silence, both smiling warmly at each other; simply enjoying each other’s embrace before they separated and Discord returned to his feet. His eyes never leaving her’s. That was until Fluttershy closed the distance between them, wrapping her hooves about his neck and pressing her lips against his.

Discord felt his heart skip a beat as she kissed him, unsure how to react at first, but soon melting away into that kiss, wrapping his arms about her passionately.

Flash and Twilight looked on in surprise, but smiled soon after; the two of them nuzzling against each other.

Eventually, the morning came; the smoke from the fires having died down, the crowd having gathered outside the cathedral doors, waiting for their champions to appear. They waited anxiously, hoping and praying that they had managed to get through the night.

Finally, the doors began to open, with the figures of Flash, Twilight and Fluttershy appearing out of the darkness.

Fluttershy turned and smiled, reaching out her hoof to Discord. He was hesitant, still keeping back in the shadows, but slowly, he took her hoof and followed her out.

The crowd was silent as they stared at the odd creature before them, not looking at him in fear as they had done before, but confused curiosity. Among them was a little filly who stood by her mother’s side. She stared at the creature, her wide golden, cross-eyed spheres looking on in wonder.

Silently, she looked to her mother and then to Discord before slowly ascending the steps and over to him. He stared at her for a moment as she observed him, kneeling down a little as to not appear too threatening.

However, something unexpected happened. Instead of running away, the little filly reached out her hoof and gently placed it on his cheek. Discord tensed up momentarily, but feeling the gentleness of her touch, he let out a sigh of happiness, letting her hoof rest on him.

Discord could feel tears welling up in his eyes as she did, with Fluttershy coming to his side and taking his claw in her hoof.

Finally, the little cross eyed filly released him from her hug, taking him by his paw and leading both him and Fluttershy into the crowd.

“Three cheers for Discord and Fluttershy!” Pinkie exclaimed as she stood upon the partially burnt pillory, inciting the crowd to raise their voices in applause.

Pinkie and her hoof-puppets sang as the crowd hoisted both Discord and Fluttershy aloft, carrying them off on their shoulders. The two of them embracing one another in their arms, their hearts filled with joy as the sun rose above them. Flash, Twilight and Spike, meanwhile, watching them from the cathedral steps.

~The End~

The Draconequus of Notre Mare

by Inkquill

Chapter Twenty: The Lamb of Faust.