FANG For a FANG

Chapter 12 Boiling Over

Fluttershy watched in shock as a net flew down over Discord, who yelled out among the crowd, “What is the meaning of this!” to the lady across from him.
She chuckled an unfriendly grin as she snapped her fingers, and the boys around the room leaped up and held Discord down.
“Fact is, this is a little bit of payback—nothing much,” said Trixie, who stepped over to Discord and began rummaging through his pockets.
“Payback for what? I don’t even know who the hell you are!” he growled as he tried to wiggle his way out from the net, but the men holding him down made that an impossible feat. Soon, she took away his gun and pulled out his wallet. “Really, ’cause the last I saw you, you didn’t pay me what you owed. Now I’m going to take everything away from you. Say hello to the cops, boy. Trixie’s gonna win!” she smiled as she pulled out her phone.
Discord’s eyes shot wide as he looked at her, blinking a few times. “You—but, wait a minute,” he shook his head. “You’re that slut from the other day! You don’t look like—”
“I prefer the term ‘specialist,’” Trixie scoffed with a shake of her head. “I was wearing a wig, you idiot.”
“Yes, and you chose not to pay up my best friend for her services, but unfortunately for you, what you didn’t know was that it wasn’t her money you didn’t pay; it was mine! Starlight kicked Discord in the side. “You may have disappeared, but the moment your mug shot went up, Trixie recognized you, and I knew where to go to get information on you. The Fangs were more than willing to toss you to the curb, so after making some arrangements, I had one of my spies wait until they heard a certain cat lover mention you by name.” Starlight clapped her hands, and soon Capper found himself struggling in the arms of Flim and his brother Flam.
Fluttershy jumped at the sudden action, and as she turned to help, she was suddenly captured herself in a massive strong grip. She looked up to find the ice cream vendor from earlier that day holding her tight. “What is it that you want us to do with— you…?”
“Bulk!” Fluttershy raised her head.
“Do you know that woman, Bulk?” asked Starlight, whose grin only twisted into an evil smirk.
“Uh, not really, but she’s not gonna be any trouble. Let’s just not hurt her, okay? I’ll deal with—ow.”
Fluttershy bit down on Bulk’s arm, causing his grip to loosen just enough for her to climb out. She soon dashed away, only to trip over a figure in the crowd. As soon as he hit the ground, though, a booming sound that made Fluttershy’s ears ring in the air filled the room. The crowd soon fell to the floor at the sound of a gunshot. Screams of terror were heard as they all leapt for their lives.
The confusion and the chaos gave Discord what he needed. Soon, he bit the net rope clean in two. With that, he ripped it apart and wiggled out from under the others.
“He’s escaping!” Trixie pointed out as Discord got to his feet. Soon he was surrounded by the so-called guests who were clearly staged muscle to help capture him.
Baring his fangs, he watched as they encircled him, ready to pounce. “What did you think these things were just for show?” he chuckled, inviting them to tussle with a gesture of his head.
Soon a large man tried to take him from behind, but Discord was quick—despite his height, he was actually very agile and very fast. He spun around on the man, grabbing him by the arm, and using the momentum of his swing, he launched the guy into another before leaping back as the other four tried to tackle him. They were simple knuckleheads—nothing to speak of. If it weren’t for their nice suits, Discord would guess they were your run-of-the-mill bodyguard types, with more show than actual muscle. They looked tough, but when it came down to it, they didn’t know the first thing about how to fight. And it showed in their tactics. The way they lunged at him or swung their fists, it was easy to see how useless they were. He effortlessly dodged them. That aside, they did have one thing in their favor: their numbers. They just kept coming. And due to that, Discord couldn’t waste time getting a punch in. He could only dodge and make fools of them. As one came running toward him, he grabbed a tablecloth nearby and used it as a bull cloth, yelling, “Toro! Toro!” as he effortlessly evaded their idiotic attempts. Due to his cleverness, as he pulled the cloth in front of his view, they smashed into other tables, sending food and water everywhere.
“This is fun, but I can’t do this all night,” he said as he tossed one cloth over a guy, blinding him and then pushing him into a few other spectator women who were more than frightened due to the gunshot earlier. As he did this, what ran through his mind was simple: Who had the gun, and who set it off? Was anyone shot? Was Capper okay? Was Fluttershy okay? He couldn’t see her after she took off running from that big fellow.
…

Meanwhile, Capper was being pulled away and held down by Flim and his brother Flam, but as soon as the gunshot went off, they panicked and leaped for their lives, forgetting all about him. He rolled his eyes at their fright but soon leaped onto a table, not wanting to let the chance for escape pass him by. He knew he needed to get to that girl, Sky, or Discord would have his head.

“Hey, stop there!” yelled a woman who tried to catch him, but the second he pulled out his gun, their tune changed quickly. “Get back!” Capper yelled as he leaped from table to table as agile as a cat. He soon scanned the room for the woman but didn’t find her. Soon he heard the fighting behind him as they tried to go after Discord. With him being their main target, it left Capper with an easy job. He could easily escape, but not without Sky—not if he wanted to stay alive. With another leap, he launched himself into the air and landed, swinging on the chandelier, trying to get a higher vantage point.

…

Fluttershy shivered, endlessly frightened by the sound of the gunshot. She was frozen stiff, unsure of what to do. The sound of fighting began, and all she could do was hide. She was currently underneath a table not far from where the gunshot had first rang out. Turning to the way she came, she took a peek, finding the man responsible. A guy in a dark hoodie, who was hiding in the back of the crowd, had a gun in his hand and was currently rubbing his head due to falling on the floor, thanks to Fluttershy tripping him. Who was he, another hired jerk from Starlight? Sure, that made sense, but as he stood up, he seemed too short to be any hired muscle. It was clear from his baggy clothes that he was far from being strong. She didn’t hit him that hard, and yet he was acting like he had been hit by a bus. Clearly a weakling if she was able to do that much damage to him from that little bump.

She watched, terrified, as he stood up with his back to her. He cocked his gun again and looked over the crowd, just as the sound of Capper swinging from the chandelier filled the air.

…

Discord growled furiously before leaping into the air, tossing two more idiots into each other. It wasn’t long before the others tried to tackle him again. He leaped up over the crowd, jumping onto the chandelier and rocking it back and forth as he kicked a few of them in the head. “Having fun?” he asked Capper, who rolled his eyes. “Let me get this straight: you didn’t pay a slut, and that’s why we’re in this mess?!”

“Hey, half the time, half the pay! Anyway, where’s Fluttershy?”

“Fluttershy, huh?” he said, musing over the name. He still wondered who she was, but that question could be asked later. “Don’t know, but who else has a gun?!” Capper asked as he searched the scene. “I don’t know, but that one had her,” Discord growled and leaped off the chandelier, landing next to Bulk. He stood at his full height, towering over the muscular man, but Bulk shook off his fright from the gunshot earlier and raised up to him. Though he didn’t match his height, his strength was more than enough to go toe-to-toe with Discord and threw a punch at him.

Discord easily dodged it and the oncoming blows from the crowd. The fact is, while Bulk had his oversized muscles, he was actually pretty slow, and Discord was more than capable of wiggling out of the way and smashing Bulk in the face. But amidst the fight, the man with the gun caught sight of his target again and raised his gun to strike Discord down.

“He’s going to—NO!” Fluttershy gave a blood-curdling scream, alerting Capper, who finally turned his eyes just in time to see her direction. He caught sight of the gun in the man's hand and quickly tried to shoot him down.

The sound of a second gunshot brought Discord's and Bulk's fight to a halt. Capper unfortunately missed the shot, and the man fired back, hitting the chandelier, causing Capper to tumble to the floor among broken glass. At least he wasn’t shot.

The moment Discord caught sight of the hoodie man, he took off, forgetting all about Bulk, who quickly followed suit, wanting to catch the biggest threat in the room.

The man in the black hoodie leaped back as his target now hunted him down. Discord was no longer like a human. He was on all fours and moved like a wild beast. The man took off running. Why he didn’t just try to shoot him again, Discord didn’t care. He leaped over the threat, as did Bulk a moment later.

Discord tackled the hoodie man to the ground and stood on all fours over him, snarling and snapping his fangs like a wild dog. The man could only toss and turn, trying to get out of Discord’s grip. His face was still covered by the hoodie. Finally, Discord had enough and soon sank his teeth into the man’s weak arm, finding little flesh and mostly bone. A blood-curdling scream came from the assailant, who dropped the gun immediately. As it landed, one last gunshot went off, echoing off the walls. The bullet's trajectory was clear as day, as the sound of a cold thud hit the floor, echoing among the crowd.
…

The sound of the last shot and the ominous thump made Fluttershy jump as she thought of the worst possible outcome. “Someone’s… Oh no,” she thought as she soon felt her heart racing. “Someone’s, so—someone’s,” she stuttered again and again, as her heart pumped faster. Soon, she found it hard to breathe as she chanced a peek at the body of whoever it was. “Please don’t be Discord, please don’t be Discord,” she begged as she looked. Her eyes widened as she saw Discord standing.

It wasn’t him, but the sight of him didn’t help her one bit. His eyes were filled with rage, nothing like the Discord she knew. Instead, as he undid his jaw, pulling his teeth out of the thin, exposed arm of the enemy he was fighting, blood splattered across his teeth as the man he bit cried out in pain.

Fluttershy just watched in a daze as she took in the sight of a bloody flesh wound on the man's arm, who cowered beneath Discord and crawled up into a ball.

But if it wasn’t him, then who? Who was shot? Suddenly, a groan from a nearby object crossed her path, and she looked over to see Bulk on the floor.

A pool of blood dripped from his shoulder, but from his agonizing groans, he was clearly alive.

Discord used his knee to kick the gun on the ground away from him and over to Capper before grabbing the man by the shirt and tossing him to the wall, holding him in place with one arm.

Fluttershy sat wide-eyed at the sight as the moon hung low. She bit her lip as her eyes dilated. Discord could see the reflection of the wet blood in her eyes. “We’ve got to get out of here!” he growled to Capper and turned to face his would-be killer. “But not before I finish this!” he snapped as he pulled off the man’s hood, coming face to face.

But as Discord prepared to let a final strike go, he came to an abrupt halt at the sight of a young face with two small fangs quivering in his gloved hand. Wide-eyed, Discord sat staring at the young man in complete awe and utter confusion as he stumbled back. “You’re just a kid,” he said, haunted by his own words. “You, you have fangs? How old are you?” he snapped, shaking the kid by his hoodie. “How did you get those fangs!” he snarled, his bloody teeth inches from the boy's face, but in response, the boy only shivered, terrified of him.

“Discord, we’ve got to go now!” yelled Capper as he saw someone pull out a cell phone, clearly calling the police.

Discord sighed and snatched the gun out of the boy's hand, handing it and him over to Capper. “Make sure he doesn't leave your sight!” Discord ordered as he turned around and went back for Fluttershy. The very second she felt his gloved hand land on her, she snapped back into reality. “Fluttershy, we have to—”

“NO!” she shouted and pulled her arm out of his grasp. “We can’t leave him,” she said as if in a trance. She pulled back her hair into a ponytail using the same rubber band she had and began to crouch down to his side. “You there! I need your hairpin; I can use that as tweezers!” she ordered as she pointed directly at Starlight, who only blinked in confusion. “Now, or do you want him to die?!” she barked. With a life on the line, Starlight tore out her bangs and gave Fluttershy her hairpin.

Not missing a beat, Fluttershy began to go to work. “Discord, I need you to come on and open his shirt!”

Discord had the same expression as Starlight, but with Fluttershy’s second order, he ran in and tore a hole, exposing Bulk's chest.

The wound was just above his shoulder, very close to his neck. But luckily, it was completely through. Unluckily, the wound was a fleshy mess of red and pink.

Discord and those around all quickly began feeling queasy at the sight, but Fluttershy ignored their looks, focused on Bulk. She quickly dug the hairpin into the fleshy wound and began fishing for something. “Come on, come on,” she muttered as Bulk's cries of agony became louder. “Almost,” she narrowed her eyes, “got it!” she yelled and pulled out a black object covered in both a pink layer of flesh that was half-burned into it and blood.

“He’s alive!” shouted Trixie as Bulk groaned again.

Fluttershy wasted no time taking the rest of his shirt and tying it tightly onto his wound. “He’s alive for now, but we’ve got to close that wound; we’ve got to get him to a—”

“He’ll die! No!” Discord yelled out to her, catching her attention. “Below, if I go anywhere near a place like that, I’ll be arrested! Now come on before the cops come!” He tried to grab her arm, but she pulled it out of his reach.

“I know where we can take him, somewhere safe, but you’ve got to trust me,” she said, not to Discord but to Starlight, who quickly nodded.

“So long as I can come with you! I’m his boss; I’m responsible for him,” she replied, much to Fluttershy’s relief. With that, she turned to Discord, who rolled his eyes and pushed her and the others out of the way. He quickly picked up the bloody and beaten Bulk and placed him on his back. His legs trembled under the weight, but the adrenaline of the moment kept his strength in check as he ran out of the dining room, Fluttershy and Starlight following.

…

The second they ran to the car, they all began to squeeze in tight. The sports car was barely big enough for four passengers, let alone six, especially with two large men, but they had no choice, squeezing Bulk and Starlight into the back. Capper crawled into the trunk and held the mystery kid at gunpoint the entire time. Starlight sat in the passenger seat as Fluttershy tended to Bulk's wound in the back. Discord took the wheel, and with the sound of the wheels screeching, he made sure to blast out of there, flying down the road. Once they were a good ten blocks away, he slowed down and began following the speed limit in hopes of not being caught. “Where are we going?” he asked Fluttershy, who told him to take a right as she pressed on Bulk's wounds. In response, a painful wince followed by a growl came from the large man.

As they drove down the road, Fluttershy gave simple directions from time to time; otherwise, the car fell quiet, except for Bulk's grunts and groans.

…

The quietness of the car did little to help Discords mind. The taste of young blood still on his lips. As he drove, his mind became blank for anything but the road. He didn't shake or shiver, or any other movement except for the mundane turns of the drive. Otherwise he was completely still. As if in shock.

“Discord,” Fluttershy called out his name, but he didnt stop, his mind a dazed.

“Discord!? She called out louder, catching his attention. Finally he raised his gaze so he was looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“My friend's house is the third one on the right you pass it, I told you where to go!” flutershy sternly said. Her voice stern and calm… too calm for his liking.

He pulled the car over, and turned sound, thinking to himself, “how in the world is she so calm at a time like this… is this really that same girl, he thought of the day when she first recruited him to find her mother. The shy fearful girl on the floor in front of him, who just fell back after stumbling over the curb, just after she slapped him. “Who in the world was she,” he thought back then. And now that same thought crossed his mind as they pulled into the driveway of an old run down house.

Fluttershy was the first out of the car, and Discord watched as she scoured to the front door and knocked it sporadically. Even the way she knocked was nothing like the timid girl he was used to dealing with. Then again, did he even know her? Did he really know anything at all about her? The question plaguing his mind would have to wait. The door opened, and a wildly drunk or high girl stumbled out of the house and wrapped her arms around Fluttershy. The sight of her badly dyed red and green hair, along with her stumbling around in panties and a tank top, was anything but what Discord expected Fluttershy’s friends to be.

“Fluttershy, hey, how’s it going, girl?” the woman chuckled as she used Fluttershy for balance more than anything else.

“Hey, Tree Hugger, I need a favor, and—”

“No problem, I got you covered,” she laughed before pulling something out of her shirt and holding it up for Fluttershy to see. “That, dear, is your share. I figured you’d be here sooner or later to collect.” What sat in her hand was a plastic bag full of some smelly crushed-up plants.

“I hadn’t rolled it yet; I can do that for you before you—”

Fluttershy snatched the bag out of her friend's hands and pocketed it. “Thanks, but that’s not what I was talking about. I have a hurt friend and can’t take him to the hospital because…” She froze, not knowing what to tell Tree Hugger. How could she tell her she had just been in a shootout and was trying to keep a man alive, and had the guy who shot him tied up in the trunk, held there by gunpoint?

“Whoa, Fluttershy, your aura is so different. So much more mature and steady than normal. What happened to you? Been in a shooting or something?” Tree Hugger said before jabbing Fluttershy in the elbow.

“Ummm, or something. Look, I really need my friend to stay with you and—”

“No problem.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m too high right now for it to be a problem anyway, haha,” she laughed and turned around loopy as she stumbled back into the house. “Oh, but I must warn you, the smell can be strong for those who aren’t used to it.”

She wasn’t kidding; the smell nearly made Fluttershy gag, but she shook her head aside and thanked Tree Hugger before returning to the car. “Starlight, can you help me get Bulk inside? Tree Hugger said you can stay a few days while he recovers.”

As Starlight turned her head back to Fluttershy, her gaze showed a confused look. “Why are you helping us?”

“What?”

“Why are you helping us? I mean—” Starlight shook her head. “I just tried to capture Discord and throw him in jail. Why are you—”

“Yes, but that's all you did… you weren’t the one trying to shoot him. That boy was.”

“He's a gang member, though—one that I used to talk back and forth with his boss.”

“Do you know his boss?” asked Discord, who, until then, had sat silently observing the entire scene before him.

“No, I was told to capture you and bring you to them for payment. I wasn’t ever going to call the cops; I just said that to rile you up.”

“And those at the restaurant?” Discord asked with an eye roll at her remark.

“They won’t speak. Everyone there was either working for me or is a close associate of mine. I didn’t let anyone in except the most trusted to take you down.”

“Gee, aren’t I special?” he retorted as he lowered his head into his hands.

“I know all about you, your reputation. I know who you are,” Starlight narrowed her eyes on him. “So why are you working with a guy like that?” She snapped back to Fluttershy.

“I have my reasons. And for your information, we never meant to hurt Bulk or anyone else in your group. Now come on, I have to stitch Bulk up, or the wound will get infected. So help me get him inside,” Fluttershy stated, nearly ordering, as she turned her attention to the back seat.

“Fine, but this is to help Bulk, not you.”

“I’ll pay the damn fifty; that's what you want, isn’t it?” Discord snapped, enraged.

“Oh yeah, and with what money? Your wallet was empty,” Starlight retorted, throwing back his wallet. “Not even a fake ID in there. You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Capper called out, his voice echoing through the air. “Right now we have a common goal, don’t you think? Get Bulk to safety and get to the bottom of who wanted Discord dead. I’m thinking Tirek or Sombra,” he said before raising his gun to the kid in the trunk. Suddenly, the sound of sniffles was incredibly clear. The boy was trying everything he could not to burst into tears.

A sudden surge of empathy struck Fluttershy as she turned to him. She wanted to comfort him—a crying child—despite his dark deeds. But she had more important things to do at the moment, and with Starlight's help, she turned to the one who needed her most.

…

Starlight and Fluttershy carefully pulled Bulk out of the back seat, barely able to carry his weight. As Capper and Discord turned their attention back to the young boy in the trunk, neither man made an attempt to make a sound until the girls were safely inside with the injured. The moment the door was closed, Capper finally raised his attention to Discord, who sat partially still and dazed.

“Hey!” Capper called out toward him, trying to catch his attention.

“Hey yourself,” Discord retorted, before nearly collapsing on the ground. He caught himself on the side of the car and sat there with his arms crossed over his chest.

Capper stood for a second, letting his gun hand go limp as he blinked a few times in confusion. “Who the hell are you?” he asked with a shake of his head.

Discord only looked away, barely paying attention to him.

“Discord, you’re Discord, the man who ruled by fear. What the hell is—”

“Shut up, okay? Shut up!” Discord snapped back. Much to the surprise of Capper, who only sat waiting for more. Discord could feel his condescending gaze. With a head shake, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind. “That’s a kid I almost killed… that’s a kid I was going to kill, Capper…”

“So… you were once leader of the most dangerous gang in the city?”

“A gang full of men! Not children!” Discord barked, before his voice became hushed and shaky. “Is this what Tirek has turned the Fangs into?"

In response, Capper only looked away.

“Tell me,” Discord barked, making Capper jump back, startled by the veracity in Discord's voice. “Yeah, there’s a lot of young new members, alright. Troubled kids looking for a place to go, you know. I mean—” he shrugged. “Wasn’t that what your gang was supposed to be?”

“No, no it wasn’t! My gang…” Discord stomped his foot and grew closer to Capper, raising himself to his full height. Capper had to admit he was intimidating, but even so, he only stood there as he listened to Discord's rambling. “Is supposed to be warriors. A place for me, and me alone, to, to—”

“To what?”

“Have a damn family!” Discord barked. “But not one where kids, where innocent minds were—” Discord winced. “It was just somewhere to have fun, drink, do what we wanted, be badasses, get some hot girls, but this!” He pointed at the kid who sat crying in the trunk. “This was not my idea; it’s his, and I’ll kill him for it. I'll kill Von-Horn for this.”

“And there it is,” Capper chuckled, much to Discord's annoyance. “For a second there, I thought you cared about anybody but yourself.” He mischievously smiled before patting Discord on the shoulder and turning his attention back to the kid in question.

“Alright,” he sighed, putting away his gun. “We’re not gonna hurt you; we just want to know why you did this. Who are you working for? Got it?” Capper bobbed his head. The young man only shivered as he held onto his bloody arm.

“That— that psychopath bit me,” he winced.

“And will bite you again if you don’t talk, kid,” Discord replied. The way he stood, as a shadow against the moonlight, teeth bloodied, only added to the boy's fright. But to his surprise, there was no anger or rage in Discord's eyes, only a cold gaze as he asked, “Who did this to you?”

The kid whimpered, dashing his gaze and wallowing up in a ball as he seemed to hide his wounds from the monster that inflicted them.

“Got a family? Someone we can call?” Capper asked, trying to move the conversation along.
“Why? So you can go kill them?” the kid snorted back, trying to sound tough, but the way his voice cracked and shook gave away the exact opposite.

“No, kid, so we can get you home,” Capper rolled his eyes. “We’re not gonna hurt you—”
“Unless you don’t talk,” Discord added. Capper turned to him with a narrowing of his eyes, as if to say, "Really?" But a small part of him was happy to see Discord acting normal again.

“Is he gonna be okay?” the boy stumbled as he asked this, getting out of the trunk. “The man I—” Soon he sniffled, and tears welled up in his eyes as he clutched his stomach. Discord and Capper backed up just in time as the boy's face turned green and he barfed all along the driveway.Before another word could be spoken, the boy soon collapsed into his own vomit, passing out instantly.

As he fell, the two watched him, their eyes following him as he went down, only to shoot back up once he was out. “Well, that went well,” Discord added in a somber yet comedic tone, as Capper just rested his head in his hand.

Neither of the two men noticed Fluttershy, who was watching from a distance with a candle in her hand. She said nothing and did nothing; she only turned around and went back inside, a look of exhaustion on her face.