//------------------------------// // Chapter Eighteen: He Who Tolls the Bells of War - Part Two // Story: The Draconequus of Notre Mare // by Inkquill //------------------------------// The Draconequus of Notre Mare. By Inkquill. Chapter Eighteen: He Who Tolls the Bells of War - Part Two. A procession line made its way down the main street of Maris. A convoy of soldiers and cages containing many frightened ponies, accompanied with the steady beat of drums. The sun had begun to dim; sinking over the horizon to the west as they rounded into the Grand Plaza in front of Notre Mare.  Flash Sentry sat quiet as they proceeded on, his head held low. Around him, roughly a dozen frightened gypsies huddled in fear while holding their loved ones close as they watched the buildings roll by as they approached their destination.  Far above them, the sky began to brew with swirling clouds, accompanied by an occasional crackle of thunder. Some of the soldiers stared up at it with curiosity as they studied their appearance. Were those clouds… pink?  Meanwhile, from the doors of the cathedral, Twilight and Spike watched in horror at the unfolding scene. The entire square had been packed with ponies, all centered around a massive raised wooden platform that had been constructed by the Queen’s guards. On it a tall pillar of wood stood proudly as hooded stallions piled on bales of kindling and wood.  Twilight wanted to do something, anything to try and stop whatever was about to happen, but was cut off from the rest of the assembly by a line of soldiers that had cut off the cathedral from the plaza.  Chrysalis stood atop the raised platform, accompanied by a large stallion with a black hood and torch in hoof, calmly awaiting the arrival of the centerpiece of her grand display.  Suddenly, the drums began sound. A slow steady beat as the crowd began to part and two soldiers silently proceeded on their way towards the platform, their prisoner behind them in tow with her wings bound and a collar of rope wrapped about her neck.  Flash could see Fluttershy as she was led through the crowd towards the Queen and the executioner; his face pressed firmly against the bars as he gritted his teeth, trying with all his will to bend the bars and escape to try and save her from the terrible fate that awaited her.  Though being escorted to her own death, Fluttershy refused to give her captors the satisfaction of seeing her distraught, and so she carried her head high and her expression stern, ascending the steps with regal composure before she was brutally thrusted and tied against the wooden pillar.  The crowd that had been assembled to bear witness let out angry cries at the Queen and her soldiers as she began to read out the sentence for the little Pegasus mare.  “The Gypsy, Fluttershy, has been found guilty of the crime of Witchcraft.” Chrysalis said in her booming voice. “The sentence: Death!” An angry roar rose up from the crowd upon hearing this. Some even trying to step forwards towards the platform, only to be pushed back by the attentive guards as Chrysalis took the flaming torch from the hooded stallion's hoof and turned to face her prisoner.  “The time has come, gypsy.” She said calmly. “You stand on the brink of the abyss.” Fluttershy bore down her brow scowling as she faced the Marisian Queen, seething with anger.  “But even now it is not too late.” Chrysalis continued with a smirk as the light of the flame danced across her face. “I can save you from the flames of this world, and the next… all you have to do is submit to my power. Choose me… or be consumed by the fire.” There was a brief silence between the two as Fluttershy glared at the Queen, just before she rolled her tongue back and spat directly into the Queen’s face, causing a gasp to rise from audience.  Chrysalis recoiled from the Pegasus as she felt the spit hit her across the cheek. Wiping it away, she glared back at Fluttershy and raised up the torch. “The Gypsy, Fluttershy, had refused to recant !” Chrysalis proclaimed. “This evil Witch has put into mortal jeopardy the lives and souls of all a Maris!” Meanwhile, as Chrysalis continued to address the crowd, high up in the lofty cathedral catwalk that spanned the two imposing bell towers, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were furiously pulling and rattling the chains that bound their friend Discord to the stone pillars around him, trying to break them but to no avail.  “Come on, Discord!” Rainbow cried. “Snap out of it! You gotta fight!” “Your friends are down there!” Rarity added.  Discord only shook his head, not even trying to resist his binds. “It’s all my fault.” He muttered to himself.  “Ah, don’t give us that, Dissy!” Applejack retorted. “Ya gotta break these chains!” “I can’t. I tried. What difference would it make?” “But you can’t let Chrysalis win!” Rarity exclaimed. “She already has.” Discord responded. Hearing this, the trio paused a moment from pulling at the chains and stared in shock at the Draconequus.  “So what? You’re just giving up?!” Rainbow asked in disbelief.  Applejack stomped her hoof as she addressed the chimera. “These here chain ain’t what’s holdin’ ya back, Discord!” With an angry huff, Discord gritted his teeth as his companions urged him to fight, though despite it all, he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. “Leave me alone!” He snapped.  The three gargoyles were taken back by their friends sudden angry retort. They stared at him with disbelief as he lowered his head in defeat.  “... Alright then… alright, Discord.” Rainbow said solemnly as the three of them went over the edge of the railing. “We’ll leave you alone.” “After all, we’re only figments of your imagination.” “We only thought maybe you were something better…” And with that, as was the case many times before, he found himself once again alone. He simply hung there; his body held up by the chains that bound him in silence. His friends words resonated in his ears as he took in several deep breaths before lifting his head and letting the light of the fire bellow bath over his face.  Looking down at the scene far below him, he curled his lips in anger as he watched Chrysalis berating about the platform.  “For Equestria! For Maris!” Chrysalis called out as she lifted the torch above her head, “And for her own salvation, it is my sacred duty to send this vile demon back where she belongs!”  She tossed the torch down upon the kindling, igniting it and setting it ablaze and sending up a billowing plume of smoke. Fluttershy watched in fear as the flames began to build over the pyre and the smoke filled her nostrils while high above, Discord began to thrash and snarl in anger.  “NOOOOO!!!” He bellowed, his thunderous voice echoing out from the bell towers like a thundering storm. A bright flash of lightning accompanied him as he rose up and vigorously strained against the iron chains, seething with fury as the sky lit up with color.  He could feel the chains tightly constrict about his slender form, but he did not let up. Baring down his weight, his powerful muscles, built up from all those rears ringing the heavy iron of the cathedral bells, rippled as the stone columns began to crack from the force of his body.  Taking another large breath, he lurched forward and growled deeply in his throat as the stones finally gave way, the columns crashing down around him as he shook off his binds.  Leaping into action, he grabbed hold of his shattered chains and quickly bounded them around the stone neck of an outcropping gargoyle, leaping off the edge and swinging down to land square against the side of the cathedral, eyeing the billowing cloud of smoke.  Building up speed, he leaped off the stone wall and swung over the crowd, much to the surprise of the onlookers below and landed upon platform with a loud thwump!  Chrysalis looked on in surprise as the chimera swiped at the rope that bound the little Pegasus and took her up in his arms.  Several soldiers began to climb up onto the platform to try and stop the Draconequus, but were swatted away as Discord lifted up the burning stake and flung it at them with vigor, sending them flying back onto the cobblestone.  Turning back to the swaying chain, he took it in his paw while cradling the unconscious figure of his beloved in his eagle's claw and leaped off the platform, swinging upward into the air. “Discord!!!” Chrysalis screamed as she watched the draconequus make his escape.  The crowd cheered as they watched in awe as the mysterious bell ringer launched himself onto the stone carvings of the cathedral walls and quickly began to ascend them, being chased by crossbow fire the entire way until he was too high for the arrows to possibly reach him.  Flash and Twilight felt a wonderful relief of joy wash over them as they watched him climb up into the high reaches of the cathedral, eventually coming to the railing just before the great stained glass window that shimmered in the fire-light.  Still cradling Fluttershy’s limp form, he looked out at the vast crowd below. Taking a deep breath, he tucked his mismatched hands under her back and haunches, lifting her up high above his head for all to see and cried out… “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!” He proclaimed; the audience erupted into raucous applause. “Sanctuary!!!” Chrysalis, the meanwhile, snarled her teeth as she heaved with anger, turning to her guards, she pointed to the vast iron doors of Notre Mare. “GUARDS!” She roared. “Seize the cathedral!”