The Draconequus of Notre Mare.

By Inkquill.

Chapter Thirteen: Back to Maris.

Flash Sentry sat alone in the captain's quarters of the Marisian barracks. It was nearing nightfall so he lit a candle to illuminate his desk, which was strewn with papers, quills, and other such official paperwork. With a frowning sigh, he removed his helmet and placed it on the desk, proceeding to rub the bridge of his snout to try and quell the frustration brooding in his mind.

From down the halls leading to the prison cells, he could hear the sound of ponies crying out in anger and sadness. Flash silently cursed himself. The Queen had tasked him to round up and imprison all the gypsies he and his soldiers could find, but the more and more that were found, the less and less space there was to house them.

However, his thoughts were cut off when his door swung open, and in stepped one of the barrack Lieutenants. "Captain?" The young stallion said with a salute.

Composing himself, Flash nodded to him and said, "At ease, lieutenant, what is it?"

"The Queen has asked for your presence immediately. She's waiting for you in the foyer."

With a nod, Flash rose from his chair and made his way towards the door. As the lieutenant had informed, Queen Chrysalis was standing there in the foyer. She turned and faced the captain with a smile and slowly trotted over towards him. Flash respectfully bowed and spoke, “You wanted to speak to me, your majesty?”

“Yes, Captain, I’ve been meaning to speak with you for a while, I need to discuss with you something of the utmost importance. Can we take this in private?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Said Flash, gesturing over to the grand meeting hall. The Alicorn and Pegasus both entered and closed the door behind them. After Chrysalis had made sure that it was locked, as so nopony could barge in, she addressed the stallion.

“I have not told this to anypony else,” She began. “But I have faith that you will be able to keep what I’m about to tell you between us. Am I correct.”

Flash was somewhat nervous at what the Queen was implicating, but nodded in response, “Yes, of course, your majesty.”

“Good.” Chrysalis looked towards the door once again as if to see if somepony was there. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke, “As you know, there is one gypsy that is above all else the primary target of our investigation.”

Flash felt his lips run a little dry; his tongue slightly sticking to the roof of his mouth, “Yes… your majesty, I have.”

“Good… Listen to me carefully, if and when you do manage to capture her, I want no harm to be done to her. I want her brought before me undamaged. Is that understood?”

Flash cocked an eyebrow at this. Taking in everything prior that she had ordered on the treatment of the gypsies, the Queen’s selection was puzzling, “Yes, your majesty. All clear. But… might I ask, why?”

Chrysalis stood tall and began to slowly pace towards the far end of the large table that sat as the centerpiece of the whole room. “Because captain… I wish to try her myself.”

“Yes,” Chrysalis said with a grinning smile. “So far she is tried with witchcraft and several accounts of disturbing the peace, and I do believe the assault of a few of the city guards if my reports are correct. I think that would be enough to earn one a trial, wouldn't you agree?”

Flash bit his lower lip at this. He had heard of the Queen’s ‘trials’ before, and he knew that rarely were they ever fair. More or less, they were shown trials just to appease the public. He grimaced at the thought of what this would result for the cream-colored mare. Not to mention the other gypsies. “And… if she is trialed guilty, my Queen?”

Chrysalis’ smile dissipated into a stone façade of contempt, “Then she will be put to the fate of all couriers of villainy and the black arts… her body and soul will be cleansed.”

Flash breath seemed to become caught in his throat after hearing the Queen’s resolve. A twinge of fear rose in him as he could see the silhouette of a Pegasus atop a rising pyre forming in his mind. He winced at the thought.

“However,” the Queen continued. “If she were to recant … we may not have to take such drastic measures.”

This brought a slight glimmer of hope to the Pegasus captain. “That… would be preferable.” Flash managed, trying to withhold his uneasy disgust at the situation.

“Yes, yes it would…” Replied Chrysalis. “Now, remember, if you are capture the gypsy, she must be brought straight to me without delay. Is that understood?”

Begrudgingly but attentively, Flash respectfully saluted, “Yes, your highness, understood.”

“Very good, thank you for your time, captain, but now I must depart. I trust you will have no problem keeping an eye on the prisoners”

A long pause was held between the two; the air seemingly gone deathly quiet and still. Finally, Chrysalis spoke. “The same if they prove unrepentant.”

His breath heavy, Flash nodded in response. Chrysalis then unlocked the door and disappeared down the hall, leaving the captain alone once again. Flash looked out of the lofty windows that loomed over, and stared into the open sky.

“Your purse is light merchant. Business not as lively as you’d like, eh?”

The two guards-ponies stood over the small, lightly built stallion. A gypsy vanner merchant they had caught hiding in the back alleys of the tavern in the cities market district. The large of the two was holding the stallion upside down by his hoof, while the smaller proceeded to search him of his belongings, eventually finding and confiscating his coin purse.

“No matter, there’s still enough for my friend and I. Tavern keeper~! A fresh serving of your finest mead~!” He shouted, holding the coin purse aloft.

However, whilst this unruly scene was unfolding, in the far corner of the tavern, tucked away in the shadows, four hooded figures watched in silence.

“We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention. Best stay low for a while.”

Pinkie Pie said in a very quiet tone. The four of them had managed to slip back into the city through the drain they had last used to exit it, and with great luck had managed to slip past the guards once again inside the city walls.

“Besides, we need to find out exactly where their keeping the caravan. My first guess would be the dungeons in the palace of justice, but then again, it could be the cells bellow the city guard barracks. We don’t need to go on a wild goose chase and run the risk of getting caught.”

“She means even more so, Trixie.” Replied Pip. “Everypony we love is counting on us to bust them out, they are, and we don’t need to make the odds ever less in our favor.”

“I think we may be able to get some information from those too.” Said Pinkie.

Fluttershy and the others looked towards the two rowdy stallions who were downing cup after cup of hot mead, laughing in content. Fluttershy recognized the two and felt a twinge of unease shoot up her spine. “Oh dear… not them… but, even so, how would we get them to tell us?”

Standing up from her seat, Pinkie turned to face the ground. Crabbing the scruff of her cloak, she whipped it off of her body in a single stroke. The trio stared in surprise as Pinkie had seemingly undergone a split second wardrobe change, as she was now dressed in a fine, silky almost see-through blouse and flowing skirt that draped nicely over her rump, reminiscent of a tavern workers wear, but far more… revealing.

“Stand back, everypony,” she said turning away from them. “I’m on it.”

Wasting no time, Pinkie Pie trotted over to the two now clearly drunk stallions, swaying her hips with a seductive disposition. They soon noticed her and gave her a long scanning look, clearing taking in her shapely and seductive wear.

Batting her eyes and raising her shoulder, she spoke, “Oh, hello there.” She said is a drastically different tone of voice. In fact, from where the others were sitting, it sounded like her voice had dropped several pitches and was sewn with silk. “Would two strong and handsome stallions like yourselves care for some company?”

The three others watched as Pinkie seemingly hypnotized the two stallions. They watched as she downed at least two mugs of mead with them before whispering something into their ears. The two stallions looked at each other with devious grins and nodded in response.

Fluttershy, Trixie and Pip watched with uneasy glances as Pinkie and the two stallions headed up the flight of stairs that led to the tavern’s sleeping quarters. No… she couldn’t honestly do… that? Could she?

They waited there for about half an hour before pinkie returned, once again dressed in her normal wear, and wearing a bright smile on her face as she trotted over to them. “I’ve got some Good news and bad news, everypony. Good news is I’ve found out where everypony is. Bad news is the caravan is being held in the dungeons beneath the Palace of Justice…”

The news was both uplifting and down-trotting to the trio. Out of the two locals that they could have been held, it just had to have been where the head of the cities governmental snake resided. Fluttershy felt a little discouraged by this news. In her mind, she tried to weigh the possible options of their next course of action.

Pinkie giggled to herself and gave him a wink, "Oh, stallion's like those two will do, and say, anything for a pretty mare." Meanwhile, the two guards ponies laid on the floor unconscious, with large pulsating bumps on the foreheads and a confetti strewn about. "But before they could get too grabby, I whipped out my party canon and pow!"

Trixie and Fluttershy looked at each other with a mutual look of discomfort. "You think she might want to rephrase that?" Whispered Trixie.

"Now... I don't want to be a party pooper but... it's going to be a pretty sticky business trying to get in and out of that place." Said Pinkie with a sigh. Looking to Fluttershy she asked, "But it's your call Flutters. What do you want to do?"

Fluttershy looked up to find all eyes on her. She took a deep breath and paused for a moment. "I'm don't want to put any of you at risk but... oh! Why did this all have to happen! It's just... we have so little options and so many risks. I just know what to do..."

"It's okay, Fluttershy, we know," said Trixie placing a comforting hoof on the Pegasus' shoulder. "We're right there with you."

"Wait! I got an idea!" Pip said excitedly. "That draconequus fellow you stayed with; couldn't he help us?"

Fluttershy’s eyes widened for a moment at the mentioning of the chimera she had saved and had stayed with the last few days. She mulled over the suggestion. Maybe he could help them? He did have the magic capable of it. He could very well teleport them out like he had done with her! However... her excitement quickly dissipated after she remembered how much fear she saw in his eyes when she had asked him to come with them... and then to ask him to help them with this? What they were trying to do was legally a jail break! And if they were caught, Faust forbid... who knows what would happen to them. And she knew if they asked, and if he said no, that he would still worry about them... no... she couldn’t put him through that... it would be best to... just not ask.

"N-no... " Said Fluttershy finally. "I don't think... I don't think that would be a good idea..."

Pipsqueak sighed and slouched back into his seat, "Well, then what? We go ask politely for the constables to let them out?"

It was then that an idea sprang into the young Pegasus' mind. Her eyes and smile beamed with excitement and joy, "Pip! That's brilliant!"

Fluttershy rose from her seat and started towards the door. "I'll explain as we go," she called to them, "I think I know one that just might."

Following in hot pursuit, the other three ponies dashed after the excited Pegasus. As they were leaving through the door, Pipsqueak spotted something on Pinkie's cheek. "Aye, Pinkie, I think you got a bit a’ frosting on your cheek."

Pinkie paused for a moment and put a hoof to her right cheek, wiping away a white dot from it. She let out a slight chuckle before cleaning her hoof. "Oh! Thanks, Pip... hey, let’s get going! They're leaving us behind!" She said before tossing the little colt on her back as she dashed off after Trixie and Fluttershy into the night.

The Draconequus of Notre Mare

by Inkquill

Chapter Thirteen: Back to Maris.