FANG For a FANG

Chapter 9 A Troubled Heart

As she sat inside an old red booth of a diner, Celestia made sure to keep Discord at a distance on the other side of the table. She pulled Fluttershy to her side. She sat next to her, who could only rub her head annoyed, thinking, “How could today get any worse?”

“So, Disssy,”

“Oh, that’s how,” Fluttershy deadpanned in thought as her aunt began asking questions about him, right after they ordered their food.

“You want to become a vet, is that right?” Celestia asked him.

“Uh, yeah, yeah, I do. I’m, um, more of a volunteer, working in the Kendal’s, so,” he tugged at the back of his neck as he took a look at the menu, trying to look away and get out of talking to her.

“Alright, and what is it you do outside of school? Any hobbies or…?”

“Aunty, leave him alone. Dissy is just a friend,” Fluttershy assured her, just as the waiter stopped by their table to take their order. “I’ll have the chicken salad with a strawberry milkshake, please.”

“Same,” her aunt said.

“A burger with fries, a side of onion rings, and a chocolate shake,” Discord ordered, handing the waiter back the menu, wishing he was anywhere else but there. “So, what do you do then?” He set his head on his hand, kneeling on the table.

“I’m a school principal,” Celestia replied, turning her nose up at him. “And what about you? Got any family?”

“Na,” Discord smirked. “Family’s dead, but my dad was a contractor. Just didn’t seem like the life for me, ya know? I just love pest—I mean pets. Dogs, cats, fish,” he said, trying to keep up the charade.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at his comments about his family. “Hmm, I wonder if there’s any truth there,” she thought, lowering her gaze. “Come to think of it, I really don’t know a thing about him.

Oh, and where are you from?” she continued to ask, never blinking once as she stared him down.

“What is this, an interview?” he snickered. “I’m from the south side of town. Really, though, I don’t have much of a name for myself.” He smirked, hoping she’d buy the lie. It was a half-truth at least; he was from the south side of town.

“I see,” she narrowed her eyes at him. Fluttershy noticed how she clutched her purse and refused to let it down near him. She could only rest her head on her hand and wait silently as her aunt continued to ask personal questions.

“And what about the future? Got any goals, hopes, and dreams?”

“Oh sure, sure, I plan to rule the city,” he laughed at his own words. “Get to the top and then lay back and have some fun.”

“Really? That’s it? You just want to have some fun.” Celestia’s smile began to falter.

“Look, not everyone has a great future, alright? Sometimes you just got to go with the flow while you can before you kick the bucket. Ha, that’s my motto at least,” he told her before lunch arrived, much to his own relief, and Fluttershy’s for that matter. With their meals here, the three of them fell silent as they ate.

Despite the smell of fresh-cooked onion rings and a burger, the longer they sat there, the more awkward the silence became.

As he ate his lunch, his first meal of the day—and most likely his last—he could feel Celestia's eyes watching him the entire time. She only blinked here and there as she ate her lunch, but it was clear by her stiff posture that she did not like him. Finally, in hopes of breaking the silence, Discord decided it was best to address Fluttershy, who remained quiet the entire time. “So tell me, Fluttershy, what about you? Your work and dreams, I mean?”

Startled at being addressed, she dropped her spork, only for her aunt to catch it. “She’s a veterinarian, going to college for her degree. And what about you? What school do you go to again?”

“I never went to college, and school wasn’t really my thing. I just started volunteering and got my points up. Besides, I’m not exactly fresh out of high school,” he replied and took a bite of his burger. The ketchup of it splashed onto his mouth, and with the sight of his fangs, it looked like blood splatter.

The sight of it made a chill run down Celestia’s spine as reality seemed to hit her in the face. “Luna,” she muttered in a low tone, catching her niece's attention.

“Is something wrong, Auntie?” Fluttershy asked, placing a hand on her, startling her in the process. “Huh, usually I’m the one being startled,” she thought as she watched her aunt clutch her bag tighter.

“I’m fine, Fluttershy. If you’ll excuse me, I have to use the little girl’s room,” Celestia said, blinking rapidly, and it was clear by her voice that she was about to crack. She leaped out of the booth and headed her way, leaving Fluttershy in awe.

“Oh, finally! I thought she’d never leave,” he chuckled, once she was far enough away to hear him, only for Fluttershy to return her attention to him with a glare. “What?” asked Discord, raising a hand defensively.

“She’s worried about my mother, perhaps more than I am, and you’re not helping,” she groaned before taking a bite of her salad.

“Well, excuse me,” Discord scoffed, before grabbing a fry.

Fluttershy rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of chicken with her fork, but didn’t eat it. Instead, she spat crossly, “Is any of that true?”

“Is any of what true?”

“Your parents—your dad being a contractor,” Fluttershy nibbled on a small piece of her lunch.

“Sure, as true as my name is Dissy Crooks,” he grinned an unfriendly smile, before diving back into his burger.

In response, Fluttershy only turned her attention to her meal and didn’t look back up.

“What did I do?” he asked, only for her to reply, “Nothing. I’m just going through a lot, is all.”

Discord’s eyes softened for a moment as he heard her tone. “Way to go, idiot, of course she’s going through a lot,” he thought, allowing his gaze to soften. “Wow, do I actually feel sorry for her? That’s a new one,” he half-chuckled to himself before raising his head and looking back at her.

As an awkward silence filled the air again, he could feel his own frustration tensing his muscles. “I need to find something to talk about, but wha—” he thought as an idea came to his mind. “So what’s this about a crush I heard earlier?” he snickered towards her before popping another French fry into his mouth. “Big Mack or something?”

At the mention of the word crush, Fluttershy could feel her faceturn crimson. “You were listening to our conversation!”

“Yeah, look, a car trunk isn’t exactly soundproof,” he smiled happily, knowing he had finally gotten under her skin.

She groaned in response, placing her head into her hands. Keeping her face covered, she responded to him; it came off a little drawn out due to her face being covered, but he only sat and watched, intrigued by her story. “It was only a high school crush, and I didn’t even like him that, much, alright? It doesn’t matter since he’s married now anyway.”

“So,” he said coyly, “is that right? So that’s the reason why you were at that club the other night then, isn’t it? Boy troubles.” He rolled his eyes, but his smile never wavered.

“She half groaned, half sighed, lifting her head. “So you do recognize me then.”

“I never forget a face, especially one as pretty as you. Though I must admit,” he tapped his chin, “I wasn’t sure due to your haircut,” he told her as he continued to devour his meal. He didn’t even bother swallowing as he talked. “You look better with your hair up, by the way, and if you ask me, your makeup is a bit much; you are much prettier without all that shit on you.”

Fluttershy raised both eyebrows at the compliment, staring bluntly at him.

“Don’t get too excited, feisty. Just an observation. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it; just wait a year or two, and you’ll get your chance with him—I’m certain of it.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked lowly.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” the boy shrugged. “What do you honestly think, those two will stay together long? Hell, let me paint you a picture. High school sweethearts all in the hobby moon phase, la-de-da,” he waved his hands around before deadpanning, “how many of those relationships end in divorce? Face it, love and all things fuzzy like that doesn’t exist, not in my world or yours.” He pointed his finger at her before leaning his elbows on the table.

Fluttershy could only let her jaw drop at his words; she tried to say something, but before she could, he continued.

“All that stuff is a fairytale; best to keep it like that, too. You learn that quickly, believe me.” He rolled his eyes, sighing blissfully. “Best just to find someone you like, have a bit of fun, sleep with them, and move on to the next when they no longer serve their purpose. Keep your heart out of it, and it can never be crushed.”

Hearing his words, she could do nothing but take them one at a time like a slap to the face as she remembered his words from the night they first met.

“Well, if it’s fun you’re looking for, count me in. Want a dance, my dear?”

This was him; this was the real Discord Grogar. She fell for his charms and his looks, but now seeing the real him, she could only sit there in awe at how he was everything but the man she thought he was. “He doesn’t care about me at all,” she thought as she stood up from the table. Their first meeting played in her mind: from the way he caught her from falling, to the dance they shared, all the way up to the way he held his hand out for her when they made the deal to find her mother. Turning her back to him, she pulled out her wallet and paid for the bill, knowing he had no money.

“Hey—was it something I said?” he snorted.

She looked back at him, catching a glimpse into his red eyes that sparkled in the light of day, despite sitting in complete shadow. As she looked at them, though, despite his true nature, there was something there she could not put into words. Something she recognized in herself. Her old self. And that’s when it struck her mind: “I pity you,” she told him before walking away.

“I pity you.” The words brought him to a halt before he could take the last bite of his hamburger. He sat there frozen as the words echoed in his mind. He dropped his food and jumped after her, pulling her by the hair to face him. When she was back to eye level with him, her heart fell silent, but the initial fear she felt from being torn away subsided into a defiant stance against his rage, bubbling just beneath the surface. She waited for him to say something, to yell and scare her again, but instead, to his surprise, he let go of her, and soon the reason why was clear.

“Well, sorry for the wait. All done eating then?” asked Celestia, who stood not too far from her.

“Aunty,” Fluttershy half-said, relieved. “Yes, I think lunch is over. Come on, I’ll take you—“

“And here I thought you said you’d give me a ride home,” Dissy interjected, making her turn with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, since I live in the same apartment complex, we could start carpooling.” He narrowed his eyes on her, never blinking. He was clearly cross with her but couldn’t act on it, not with Celestia here.

“Yeah—that—that’s right,” Fluttershy stated half-heartedly. “Come on then, Aunty, I’ll drive.”

Celestia looked between the two, unsure of what to do or say next. Instead, she only gave a nod and wrapped her arm around her niece’s waist as Dissy followed not too far behind.

…

The three of them stayed coldly silent, listening only to the radio music as they headed home. Pulling up to her apartment, Celestia kept a close eye on Discord, who did nothing but look out the window grumpily the entire time until the car came to a stop.

“Better than being in the trunk again,” he told himself as he stretched his legs before stepping onto the ground. “Thank you for the ride home,” he replied with a grateful smile, despite it clearly being fake and not really bothering to hide it.

“Of course! See you tomorrow for work,” Fluttershy replied, knowing full well she was going to get it from him later. Would he hurt her, really? That she didn’t know yet. For some reason, she felt no fear as she stared him down, eye to eye. The moment was only broken when he pretended to walk down the street.

…

Once inside her home, Fluttershy could only let out a tired groan. A simple thought crossed her mind: “I could really use a smoke right now, but I can’t do it with her here.”

“Fluttershy,” her aunt caught her attention, “not that I want to control you or anything but—“

“Let me guess, you want me to stay away from him, don’t you?” she raised her head to her aunt as she pulled her rubber band out, letting her hair fall over her face again.

“Did you see his teeth ? I think he might be in that fang club, Fluttershy. That’s why I’m worried that—” Celestia came to a stop when her niece pulled her into a hug.

“I’m okay, don’t worry. Dissy is—” she lowered her gaze. “A friend,” she mumbled uncertainly. “Now I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll take a shower and relax, alright?” She told her aunt before heading upstairs.

Celestia only watched her as she went, thinking to herself, “Oh Luna, when did our little Fluttershy grow up so fast?” She softly smiled, only for the grin to quickly fade under her troubled mind.