FANG For a FANG

Chapter 10 Next Step

With the sound of the window opening in the morning, Fluttershy stuck her head out, breathing in the fresh air. A smile spread on her lips—a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. It surprised her as she saw her reflection in the glass catch her attention due to the soft wind blowing through her hair. How odd it was that she was still able to smile after all the things happening in her life at the moment.

She turned her attention to the city in front of her. Though her apartment was across from a nice park, with plenty of foliage, she wasn’t exactly near the woods by any stretch. The sounds of car horns and roads passing by were sounds she had become accustomed to since moving there. Despite this, she did miss the sounds of the forest she had in her backyard near the suburbs where she grew up. And as she heard the morning chirps of a mother bird landing in a tree to feed its hungry hatchlings, Fluttershy was almost transported back to those days.

She could practically hear her mother’s voice behind her. “Stop letting all the cold air out of the house! If you want to go get some fresh air, then go outside!” her mother would bark.

Fluttershy giggled at the memory, only for her chest to grow tighter, causing her to lower her gaze from the city above to the streets below. It was almost odd how the city kept moving forward, never stopping despite all her troubles. And as she lowered her gaze, she found a red sports car that only reminded her more of her reality. For a moment, she let herself feel sad, but she tightened her grip, finding the strength she needed to continue. Raising her head, she said out loud to herself, “I’m going to find you, Mother; I promise.”

As she said this, as if on cue, something came into her line of sight, making her raise her gaze a little to find him. Discord leaned over the top of the car, his eyes staring back at her. For a moment, the two gazes met, locking into one another.

“Oh great, now you want to talk to me,” Fluttershy thought as she gazed upon him. He had been all but avoiding her all week. Every time she brought him food, he would snatch it and leave without saying a word to her, avoiding eye contact. He had never looked at her once, as if she were the worst sight he had ever seen. Yet today, out of the blue, his gaze dimly met hers, and part of her wanted to say whatever and blow him off. But despite the fury in his eyes, she still had to work with him, and perhaps now he’d finally found a lead.

“Fluttershy!” she heard her aunt call out her name from inside the house, catching her attention.

“Be right there, Aunty! Hey, I’m actually going out today and don’t know when I’ll be back. Do you need anything while I’m gone?” she asked as she headed down the steps, finding her aunt watching the news.

Celestia sat in her pajamas, a cup of tea in hand, watching the reports. “I was going to ask you the same question. Now you’re not driving without—”

“Dissy’s coming with me. Remember, he carpools with me, and he has a license.” She told her aunt, only to come to a stop and think. “Huh, I actually don’t know if he does actually.”

“Fluttershy, that boy—”

“I know, Aunty, I know, but he’s actually really nice when you get to know him,” she lied and thought, “when he wants to be, that is.”

Her aunt blinked, clearly dispelling judgment, as indicated by the frown on her face. But she ultimately decided not to pester Fluttershy and instead changed the subject. “I’ll be heading to the market today. Do you—”

“I could use more lettuce for Angel Bunny,” she said, giving her rabbit a pat on the head. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. Dissy’s waiting for me by the car.” She said as she headed outside, shouting back, “Love you, bu—”

As soon as the door was closed, though, Fluttershy shook her head, knowing that was a horrible way to leave her aunt, who had only worried about her since her mother’s disappearance. Even so, she headed to the car, finding him in the driver’s seat.

She got in and could just feel her aunt's eyes watching them from the window as they drove away.

…

Inside the car was little better. Discord remained silent as he watched the road. She bit her lip and took a deep breath before extending her arm toward him with her offering.

Discord snatched them without batting an eye, loudly chomping on a muffin as he drove.

His actions startled her, but Fluttershy could only smile as she watched him grumpily eat his breakfast. “So, uh,” she tried to sound happy, but the crack in her voice gave away her nerves. “Where are we—”

“To meet up with Capper. Hopefully by now he has something that can help us find your mother,” he growled as he chomped on the muffin.

She sighed, leaning her head back in her seat. “Okay, but come on, are you really—”

“Just keep your mouth shut,” he ordered her. “Once we find her, I promise you we can go our separate ways and never see each other again, alright?”

“Dis—”

“Until then,” he threw the leftovers back at her face, “you can keep your pity and soon return to your fairytale life, princess,” Discord spat sarcastically.

“Prince—oh, that’s it!” Fluttershy slammed her fist on the console of the car.

“Hey, watch the car!” Discord told her, without so much as a glance.

She lowered her eyebrows to a sharp point but ultimately decided this conversation was going to lead nowhere and turned around, looking out the window as they entered the rougher south side part of town again.

…

As they rolled up, Fluttershy could see Capper along with a few cats sitting at benches and tables that sat just outside a gas station.

“Wait, isn’t this—”

“Public, yes. It doesn’t matter; now get out of the car,” Discord ordered her before getting out himself. Fluttershy expected him to be in a bad mood the entire day, but as soon as she got out of the car, it was as if she was standing next to a totally different person altogether. Discord wore a grin on his face as he walked over and greeted Capper with a friendly, “Hello there.”

Capper turned to him with a confused look, quickly putting two and two together. “Discord, is that—”

“Like the disguise?”

“A disguise, but I thought—”

“The cops are after me. They think I kidnapped Luna, so I had to make do with what I could.” He explained as if it were no big deal. “Anyway, let’s get down to business… Alright, so where are the others?” asked Discord nonchalantly.

“Uhhh, yeah, about that—” Capper smiled, but it was clear by the look in his eye that he was anything but confident. It didn’t help that Discord's own smile drooped and his eyes became cold. “N—now hold on,” Capper held up a finger and raised the other hand defensively. “I told you this was gonna take some—”

“I gave you two whole weeks to scrape up anything and everything you could. You should already have the location of Luna Star and my army by now!” Discord yelled in a hushed voice.

“Two weeks isn’t a lot of time—” Capper assured him as he quickly regained control of his nerve. “And I’m sorry, but there are a lot of newcomers to the gang. None of them know your name. So your name doesn’t hold much fear like it once did; most of that goes to Tirek. Sorry, but it’s true.”

“Oh, is that all? What about the older members like you?”

“Those who do remember your name, I am hesitant to ask since they have all aligned themselves with Tirek.” Capper then pointed his thumb at himself. “You do realize if I get caught with you, Tirek will have my head since I initially aligned with him, right?”

In response, Discord could only groan, hating the fact that the man was right. Fluttershy watched as the two went head-to-head, wondering why on earth she was even there if it wasn’t going to lead to finding her mother. With an eye roll, she rested her head on one hand, trying to find something to do as the boys continued their meeting.

“So why did we meet up if you don’t have anything useful for me at all?” Discord lowered his brow.

“First off, you’re the one who wanted to meet with me,” Capper deadpanned. “Second, I actually do have something. A fellow gang member who was quite young told me his higher-up was unwilling to reveal themselves but would like to have a word with you about…” Capper then pulled out an envelope from his jacket mid-sentence and raised it toward Discord. “A possible team-up against Vonhorn. This letter is addressed to you and only you, but it could be a scam.”

With two fingers, Discord took the letter from Capper’s hands and ripped it open, revealing a crumpled-up small paper. He unwrapped it, finding only an advertisement for a restaurant called Starlight’s.

“Starlight’s? I know that place,” Fluttershy said, noticing the flyer. “It’s kind of an expensive tourist trap. My friends and I once went there for lunch and found out it was quite the money pit. We had a good time, but all agreed never to go back.” She said before returning to her drink, only to stop when she felt Capper’s eyes studying her. The question was clear: Who are you, and what are you doing alongside Discord? Fluttershy turned to him to say something, but before she could, Discord spoke up, catching Capper's attention again.

“So it’s a fancy-smancy place. Big deal. Though why a gang member would want to go there to meet up, I have no idea. Still, it’s clear from this flyer and what that guy said that this is clearly the place to go,” he said, stroking his goatee in thought.

“And what if it’s a trap by Tirek or Sombra? Are you really thinking about—”

“Not alone, Capper. You’re coming with,” Discord chuckled. The man’s eyes flew wide, and he opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, Discord turned his attention to the lady next to him, ignoring Capper's reluctance. “It might be better if you sit on the sidelines for this. If it does go south—”

“No, I’m going,” Fluttershy replied, leaning back into the booth. “If it is Tirek, or even better, someone close to him, then we’ll know just how to trap them. That is what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”

Discord smirked at that before returning his attention to Capper. “I had hoped we could at least find a little muscle to back us up on this endeavor, but—” he widened his grin, showing off his fangs. “You can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. Capper, I want you to find a suit and a gun, ASAP, and we’ll meet you Friday night.”

“But—but,” he tried to get out of it, but Discord wasn’t taking any chances.

“Splendid, meeting adjourned,” Discord said as he stood up with a stretch. He then turned around and held out his gloved hand for the lady, who took it without question as she rose out of the booth. “See ya then, ta-ta for now,” he said, and along with Fluttershy, walked back to his car, finding the flyer in his pocket.

…

Once inside the car, the two didn’t drive very far before Fluttershy began to grow curious once more. “Discord?”

The driver only gave a low “hmm” in response, clearly happy that he at least now had something of a lead.

“That is the second time Capper has been curious about my involvement. Why haven’t you told him anything about me?” she asked, carfully hoping his good mood ment he wouldnt lash out at her again.

With a shrug, Discord kept his attention on the road, as if it were nothing at all. “If he or, for that matter, any of the men I have recruited get caught, Von Horn will torture them for information on me. I don’t mind that, but as far as they should know, you’re just a chick I’m trying to hook up with. That’s what I want this to look like, so next time, please, if you have any ideas, let me know more suddenly and don’t just spit them out!” he roared, growing more irritated with each word.

“Hook up with—” Fluttershy’s face went red.

“Yes," he said with a half sigh, half-groaned. “Sorry for the context, but most who do know my reputation with the ladies won’t think much of it. However,” Discord's smile drooped back into a serious expression once more, “if they know you are the daughter of Luna, they’ll most likely try to capture you and use Luna to do whatever Tirek wants with you as bait. Even worse, if they know I’m protecting you, then they won’t fire at me but you,” he emphasized the word "you." “You see, you have to keep in the background here, a nobody, understand? Because if you don’t, it makes my job so much harder! Once we find your mother, you’ll be out of my hair for good,” Discord finished with a narrowing of his eyes.

Hearing his tone shift to one that wanted nothing to do with her, Fluttershy crossed her arms and turned to look out the window, a scowl on her face.

The only reason Discord even noticed was because of how quiet she was on the way home, and he glanced at her. “What, your pity got the best of you, feisty?” he growled as they pulled up to her apartment.

She snapped back, her seatbelt flying off of her. “Are you going to be mad at me forever? ‘Cause Discord, we have work to do—”

“Oh, sure you, bitch—get out of my car!” he ordered.

“Not until you tell me what I did wrong!” she stomped her foot and flung her hands out. “Hey, what was it that I did so bad to you? I fed you, clothed you, and this—this is how you treat me?”

“You only did that to get your stupid mother back,” he grumbled, falling back against his chair and looking out the other window, away from her. “Like mother, like daughter, I guess. News flash, chick: she’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place. She was a fang after all—a gangster! Ha, some mother you got!”

“Don’t you say a damn thing about my mother!” Fluttershy could feel her rage boil to the surface. She had had enough of this, enough of him, and without saying another word, she spun around and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

Once outside the car, she steamed for a moment before taking a deep breath and letting it out. “Oh, if he wasn’t such a jerk,” she sighed, and began walking back to her home, only to catch a glimpse of him crawling into the backseat of the car.

With a head tilt and a few confused blinks, she thought, “That’s odd; shouldn’t he be heading to the motel?” Walking over and tapping on the window, she gained his attention. He rolled down the back window and yelled in her face, “NOW WHAT!”

“I thought you were staying at the motel,” she asked him.

“Oh no, no, I just—” he shrugged. “I needed a place with a little more room to—” his grin turned dark. “Well, never mind that.”

Fluttershy's face grew bright red at the memory of their first meeting. “Well—” wait, then how do you shower or—”

“I’ve used your garden hose once or twice; nearly got caught by your aunt,” he rolled his eyes.

“You what!”

“Hey, I’m clean, aren’t I? Mind your own business, feisty bitch, and get out of my face!”

“Stop calling me that!” she yelled, only to inhale and exhale her fury away. “Look, if you need to take a shower or something, then—”

“Don’t invite me in, sweetheart,” he hissed furiously.

“But I have an extra—”

“I’m not the type of person you want inside your house, believe me.” He bared his fangs. “And I don’t need you or your damn pity, got it?”

“I—but you're helping me find my—” Fluttershy stuttered, only for him to interrupt her again.

“'Cause we have a deal, nothing more.” He bobbed his head. “I am not your friend, and trust me, if your mother saw you anywhere near me, she would freak.”

Fluttershy fumed at that. “Oh, you have no idea how right you are about that,” she growled, resting her head in her hands, tired of the mess she was in.

Discord raised an eyebrow and waited for her to elaborate.

“She was always against me being near any boys. All through school, even in my high school days, I wasn’t really allowed to, you know,” she shrugged and shifted her stance. “Date or—”

“So you never dated, virgin,” he scoffed. “Believe me, I can just look at you and see your purity.” He gagged. “Trust me, doll, you come from a good place. No need to be anywhere near someone like me. You wouldn’t last a day in my world,” he shook his head with a conniving grin.

“I’ve been to your world and back. I—”

“Ha! You think putting on a little dress and a simple dance at a club means you know my world?” He scoffed. “You know nothing about what you’re getting into, but if you want to find out—” he whispered in the same unsettling way she remembered from that night.

She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered—not from the wind that blew through her hair, but from his evocative gaze.

He laughed at her and settled back into his seat. “Like I said,” he closed his eyes and turned his head away from her, a smirk on his face as he imagined her form in his mind. “You can keep your pity and grow the fuck up.” He chuckled a genuine laugh before rolling up the window. “See ya Friday, feisty bitch.”

She stared at her own reflection in the window, her teeth bared at being called that. Letting out a furious groan that sounded anything but herself, she lowered her head into her hands again, trying to regain what little strength she had. As she raised her head once more, a deadpan struck her face, grumbling mostly to herself, “Asshole.”

“Yes, yes I am,” he replied from inside, loud enough for her to hear.

With an eye roll, she stomped away from the car, wondering what she ever saw in him in the first place.

…

The moment she got through the door, she let out an exhausted, furious groan, tossing off her purse and collapsing onto the couch. As she sat there for a moment, she tried to calm her furious mind, letting in some air into her lungs. Once she was relaxed, she sighed away the extra air and looked around her little home. It wasn’t much, and it wasn’t like she had been there very long, but she did feel at home. Surrounding her were not only her pets but also the images on the wall of her times in high school with her friends, which caught her attention. As she drew her eyes down the wall to the rest of the room, she remembered how her friends had put her house together alongside her. The sight of Rarity trying to bring in that heavy mirror brought a giggle as she recalled unpacking the boxes alongside her and Sunset Shimmer.

“Sunset Shimmer, I wonder what she’s up to,” Fluttershy quietly said as she grabbed her phone and went through it, finding Sunset’s number. But before she could press it, a card sitting on her coffee table caught her eye instead. Fluttershy lowered her phone, placing it on the table before picking up the paper to see what on earth it was.

“Mr. Houses, Realtor: Sell your home fast, just call—” she gasped as she read the card on the table, just as her aunt walked in on the phone.

“Yes, yes, it has three bedrooms and a grill in the backyard. How much do you think it would sell if—” Celestia’s eyes shot up when she noticed Fluttershy holding the card in her hand. The surprise in her nice face brought a tinge of regret in her chest. “I’ll have to call you back; there’s something that I have to deal with,” she said and hung up the phone. Fluttershy sat staring at her aunt, not letting up for a single moment.

“Now, Fluttershy,” her aunt calmly began, only for Fluttershy’s rage to boil over—something Celestia was not used to from her shy little niece. She backed up in surprise when she heard her yell, “What is the meaning of this?”

“Fluttershy,” her aunt gasped before adding under her breath, “Wow, you really are like your mother.” “Look, the house is—”

“You’re selling my childhood home! Are you serious? Just what about my—”

“Fluttershy, finding your mother isn’t cheap! Not only that, but… but…”

“But what!”

“Well, it’s been weeks and—”

“It’s only been weeks!”

“Yes, and every twenty-four hours, the chances of finding her alive go down dramatically!”

Her aunt’s outburst sent a chill through her spine. “How can you just—just—”

“I’m not!” Celestia stomped. “But right now is not a good time. I tried to talk to you this morning about it, but you ran out on me before I could get a word in.”

As her words settled in the air, the two adults sat silently staring at each other as if they were complete strangers to one another. The older of the two lowered her head into her hands, rubbing her forehead for a moment before lifting it. “Look, the investigation and cleanup of the crime scene has already taken place last week, and when I went over there—” Celestia shook her head before crumbling into the couch next to her niece. “I can’t stay there. It’s too big of a place for one person, and—” her arm trembled as she tried to express what was on her mind. “You can go and get your things from the old house. Anything you want to keep, you can bring here, but I am moving out of it.”

“Where are you going to go?” Fluttershy asked, her words trembling.

“I’ll find a place. Don’t worry; I won’t move in here.”

“Yes, you can. You ca—”

“No, no, Fluttershy,” her aunt raised her head. “You have a life now; you’re an adult. And while I may not like the company you’re associating with,” Celestia placed her hand over Fluttershy’s, “you are strong, and I know you’ll be fine.”

Fluttershy didn’t know what to do as she sat there with the news about her family home—the place she grew up in and all the memories she had there. Her birthday parties, playing in the forest behind the trees—the memories flashed through her mind, and soon it all just sank in. Before she even knew it, she was already in her aunt’s embrace, who held her tightly. Fluttershy could do nothing but tighten her grip on her aunt as she let the tears fall from her face.

“Fluttershy, I know that things have changed quickly—from you graduating high school to you moving out on your own and your mother…” Celestia trailed off for a moment. “Look, I don’t want you thinking about this anymore, you hear me?” She pulled Fluttershy away from her only so she could see her niece’s face. “You worry about yourself. I still have my job, and—and I’ll be just fine on my own, you hear me? You have to move on. You can still have hope, but I want you to live your life. Got it?” She said, giving Fluttershy a small but firm shake.

Fluttershy sat speechless, frozen in place, listening to her aunt’s mighty words. With nothing else to do, Fluttershy only gave a weak nod.

“Good,” her aunt replied once she was sure Fluttershy’s strength had returned. “Now,” standing up from the couch, she walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a pink-decorated cake. “I got this today at the store, and it looked really, really good. Why don’t we have a slice and a cup of tea to go with it?” A single nod was all she got from Fluttershy. A single, slow, weak nod.