//------------------------------//
// Chapter Nine: Memories in the Garden. 
// Story: The Draconequus of Notre Mare 
// by Inkquill 
//------------------------------//


The Draconequus of Notre Mare.



By Inkquill.



Chapter Nine: Memories in the Garden. 


"Your tea, your majesty," announced a unicorn mare dressed in royal servant garb. Chrysalis sat there at her balcony window quietly; a small circular table stood there covered with a white embroidered tablecloth and set with plates of fine ceramic. She looked at her servant maid with acknowledgement and indifference. 

"Thank you, Miss Ginger Snap," she said in a calm voice. 

"Will there be anything else, my Queen?" Asked Ginger.

"No, that will be all," Chrysalis replied, pouring some sugar into her hot tea. "Attend to your other duties."

With that, the young unicorn turned and departed from the Queen's presence, leaving her to enjoy her morning tea. Bringing it to her lips, the Marisian queen sipped the steaming hot morning beverage. It smelled heavily of jasmine and the flavor cascaded over Chrysalis' taste buds. 

After savoring the flavor for a while, Chrysalis set the tea cup on its platter and reached for a biscuit. She looked out on the grand garden bellow her; the leaves having lost their vibrant green where now a vibrant array or reds, yellows and oranges. Autumn was setting in. 

One single tree stood out to her however. A tall autumn cherry tree in the middle of the garden decorated with soft, rosy petals. She stared at it in silence. A slight breeze blew through the garden walkways and caused the already fallen leaves to rise up and dance in the air, but Chrysalis only looked on at the cherry tree in remembrance. 







"The Leaves are dancing for us, Chrysalis."

"They're beautiful, Mama," a young Chrysalis said as she and her mother watched the falling autumn leaves. "Winter must be close."

"Very close," the elder alicorn mare replied as her long brown hair was blown into her face. She moved it aside, "I feel a nip in the air." 

Chrysalis and her mother continued on through the garden, the sound of leaves crunching beneath their hooves filled the air. Everything was so peaceful. Chrysalis could hear the wind blowing through the garden alongside the distant sound of peasants going about their daily routine. She walked alongside her mother as they followed the main path, eventually coming upon a circular courtyard, and at its center stood a single cherry tree. 

"That's strange..." said Chrysalis.

"What's strange, my love?" asked her mother.

Chrysalis raised a hoof and pointed to the blossoming tree, "It's almost winter, but the tree looks like it’s in spring, Mama." 

"Oh, that's not strange at all, my darling," she chuckled in her throat, "It's only itself. It’s an Eastern Redbud, and its flowers bloom in the autumn instead of the spring."

Chrysalis stared at the tree in confusion then back to her mother, "But that's not right." She said eventually, "Plants bloom in the spring and go to sleep in the autumn. That's how it works."

At hearing this, Chrysalis' mother couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. She made her way closer to the tree and knelt herself down under its shaded branches; gesturing for Chrysalis to join her. The young alicorn accepted her mother's invitation and moved over to lay at her mother's side. She knew she had said something wrong.

"Chrysalis, I'm going to tell you something my mother told me. There are many things in this world that are strange to us, many things are different. What we may be accustomed too may not be the same to somepony else in the world, and the world is much too big for us to truly understand it all. But no matter how strange something or somepony is, they are still beautiful in their own way." She said softly in her maternal voice. "Do you understand what I'm saying, sweetheart?"

Chrysalis thought for a moment, then looked back at her mother, "I… I think so." she answered.

"Good, sweetie," Her mother replied, kissing her forehead.

However, unbeknownst to the two mares in the garden, from the upper windows of the palace, another figure, dressed in shadow, watched them with sullen eyes. 

Chrysalis began to feel an uneasy sensation deep in her stomach and she looked towards the great stone walls of the marisian palace. Her jade eyes fell upon the bay window and she could make out the outline of a pony standing there, looking at her. She couldn't see his eyes, but she felt as if she were meeting them directly, and they felt cold. 







Later that evening, when all the activities of the day had settled down, and the denizens of the city had returned to their homes, Chrysalis and her mother where doing the same. Chrysalis jumped into the bed with an excited giggle and covered herself with the sheets, popping her head out to look at her mother, "Look, Mama, I'm a turtle." She giggled. 

Playing along, her mother put on an expression of confusion and curiosity. "Oh, well, where did my little baby go?" She said, "There seems to be only a little turtle here?" She moved over to the bed and started to prod at the covers with her hooves. "Is she.. here?!" she pounced, tickling at the "turtle" under the covers and causing Chrysalis to burst out laughing as she rolled on her side.

"Tell me, Mr. turtle, where's my daughter," she said playfully, "Tell me. Tell me." When Chrysalis could catch her breath, she popped her head up and blurted out, "It's me Mommy! I'm the turtle!" she giggled.

"Well, oh my goodness!" He mother exclaimed with foe surprise, "Chrysalis, you had me fooled, you silly little magician."

They laughed together for some time as Chrysalis' mother settled her into her bed. "Mommy, could you sing me a bedtime song, please?"

Her mother smiled softly and sat down by her daughter's side, "Oh course, sweetie." She thought for a moment, then drawing in some breaths, she began her melody...

"Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green," she sang; her voice soft and tender. "When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen. Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so. Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work,

Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the fork, some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn, while you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm."

It was then that Chrysalis began to sing, "Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue, if you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.

Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play; We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.

I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing; When I am queen, dilly, dilly, you’ll be my king.

Who told me so, dilly, dilly, who told me so? I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so."

With that, Chrysalis' mother kissed her on the forehead and doused her bedside candles, "Goodnight, my love," she said.

"Goodnight, Mama." Replied Chrysalis, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweet heart." And with that, her mother disappeared down the hallway. 







"Your majesty?" A seemingly distant voice called. Chrysalis shook herself back to awareness and found Ginger Snap looking at her with concern, "Are you alright today, your majesty?" She asked, "You looked troubled?"

Chrysalis turned to her servant maid and set her tea on the table, "I'm alright. Miss Snap, and I do believe I said you should return to your duties?"

"Yes, my Queen, my apologies." Said Ginger Snap as she headed back inside the palace, leaving the marisian Queen alone. 

Chrysalis sighed and looked into her tea. She could see herself in its amber reflection, and she rolled her tongue in her mouth as if she were trying to remember a distant thought.

After a few minutes, she sipped her tea again and looked out onto the garden, "Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green," she sang; her voice soft and tender. "When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen."







With great speed and agility, Discord swung himself from rafter to rafter, disturbing a pigeon here and there but none the less his happiness was sure. On his back, he carried a sack of items that had been left for him by the cathedral ponies down below. Food, drinks, and the occasional toys, it was the regular thing for this time of month. 

Moving to an upper platform, he snaked his way onto it where a petite cream Pegasus waited on his makeshift bed, surrounded by books. 

She was kind of surprised to see him clamor up from over the ledge, but she smiled and watched him as he laid the sack down in front of her and undid the loose knot at the end.

"This stuff, the church ponies leave me it. Down by the staircase. Nopony ever comes up here though, except my Mistress. But she hasn't come up lately." Discord said rather quickly; excitement and nervousness clouding his head. Opening the bag, he revealed several loafs of fresh bread, a few wedges of cheese, three books and something that even surprise Discord, a piece of chocolate. That was rare he'd get something like that.

Fluttershy watched him in silence as he talk and showed her his little trove of treasures. She had the blanket he had given her wrapped tightly around her body. It still felt a little drafty in the bell tower, but then again, winter was fast approaching, so a cold breeze should be expected. 

She watched as Discord dashed over to the little wooden table and set down the cloth over it, before placing two plates down on it, followed by two glasses. He then tore a piece of bread in half and broke the chocolate. He looked over to her with a smile and gestured for her to come join him. She did and sat herself down at the little table.

"This is really good," he said, shoving his piece of chocolate into his bread. "Try it." He handed her the other piece.

Taking the chocolate in hoof, she followed Discord's example and pressed the sweet in between the warm bread. Discord smiled and took a bite of his. Fluttershy did the same and her eyes opened as the mix of buttery warm bread and sweet chocolate danced on her tongue. 

"This taste delicious," she said, "Thank you."

Discord cocked his head, having not caught what his petite guest's lips had formed.

"I, I-I'm deaf you know. You would think that, that there w-would be nothing more wrong with me. But, but I'm deaf too." He bent his head down. "It's horrible..."

Fluttershy was surprised by this sudden change in his mood and felt as if she should say something, but nothing escaped her tongue. 

Discord shifted his thumbs together, "I never realized just how... ugly I am. B-because y-your so... so beautiful." He sighed, "I'm not a pony. I'm not a beast... I'm, ha! I'm, I make as much sense as the mare in the moon." he laughed deep in his throat, though to Fluttershy, it almost sounded like crying. 

"Oh ah, I-um. I'm deaf you know... Bu-but you can speak to me, using the um, the signs..."

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. She knew a few signs. She had picked them up with her father on their travels. "What is your name?" She said, both speaking and signing.

"Oh, you asked me what my name is... Discord. My name is Discord."

"D-discord..." She replied.

The Draconequus once again looked down to his feet, "T-the day I was on the pillory... you, you gave me a drink of water... why?"

Using the best sign language in her capability, Fluttershy tried to explain to him her reasoning. "I couldn’t just stand there and watch another suffer..."

Discord read her signs and lips carefully, and her words struck him deep in his chest. He looked at her with a mix of concern and fear, "You, you must never leave the, the church. You mustn't leave Notre Mare. They... they'll kill you." An uneasy silence drifted between them. "But... they'll have to kill me, first!"

Fluttershy was speechless at this. What could one say? There wasn't much. At least, not that she could come up with. She sat there in silence, waiting to see what he'd say next. He then looked up at her with his old excited smile, "but, but we're safe here. The bell tower is high. Come, come see!"

Discord then dashed over to the open bell tower windows and leaned his head outward. "See? We're up high." He said, pointing down. Fluttershy joined him as she looked down. The height was making her feel dizzy as she drew back slightly. "Little ponies..." Discord continued watching the pedestrians far below. He then pulled himself back into the bell tower and hung himself by a wooden beam, "And, and look, up there, friends!" He exclaimed pointing the multitude of bells.

Climbing up to them, he singled several out, "This, this is Little Sofia." He said with a smile. "And these are Jean Mari, Ann Mari and Louise Mari. There, there triplets, you know?"

Fluttershy flew up to meet him. "And, who's this?" She asked, pointing to one of the larger bells.

"Big Mari." Said Discord as he hopped down to her, "She uh, she made me deaf, you know?"

Rubbing his claw over the bell for a moment, he held tight to the massive iron instruments rope. He then crashed his knuckle against its side, "I can hear my friends. Shall, shall I play them for you?"

Full of excitement, he didn't wait for her answer. Taking hold of the thick rope, he let his body fall, pulling it down, and forcing the iron bell to swing back and forth. The loud music quickly following suit. 

The sound was deep, thunderous, and Fluttershy covered her ears as it beat against her eardrums. She felt the bells power reverberate in her chest and slowly began to lower herself down to the floor. Discord all the while laughed and hollered as he pulled harder and harder on the thick rope. Each echoing thrum of the bells sent ripples through his frame, giving him an exhilaration of power, spurring him on. 

After a moment, he let go of the rope and leaped onto the bell itself, and began to ride it like a mad bull. He laughed and bellowed in delight as he swung with the bell back and forth, but then he noticed that Fluttershy had retreated to the lower floor. He looked down and saw she was covering her ears in pain; and he realized that she wasn't accustomed to the bells. He slapped himself mentally. He should have known better.

Leaping off the bell, he made his way down to her. The bell slowly began to grow softer and he stood there by her side waiting for her to remove her hooves from her ears. 

After a few minutes, the bell grew silent and Fluttershy unshielded her ears. Opening her eyes, she found the chimera sitting next to her with concern. She looked at him as if to say something, but Discord spoke first, "Sorry." He said.

She smiled at him warmly, "It's okay... Discord." This caused Discord to smile in relief. 

She then had an idea. Fluttershy took his paw in her hoof and pressed it to her muzzle. This caught Discord off guard for a moment, but he didn't pull away. 

"My name is Fluttershy." She said into his paw. Discord felt the different rhythms of her voice on his skin. 

"F-Flutter-shy..." He managed.