//------------------------------// // In which...he kills a chicken // Story: In Which Discord does stuff. // by Grey Faerie //------------------------------// Discord grumbles as he pokes at his salad. He's been having every combination of salad for the last few weeks. He didn't think it was even possible to have ever combination or that there were so many. His lips pulled back in disgust as he spied another carrot. His fork flicked it out and onto the floor. A rodent of some kind quickly snatched it up. Discord repressed a slight shiver. Eww, a rat. "Discord." Fluttershy scolded. "Don't do that." "I don't like carrots Fluttershy. I've told you that before, like a hundred times." He muttered. He put the bowl down on the table. "Is there anything else you have to eat?" He looked at her imploringly. She rubbed her chin, "Well, there is some tofu in the fridge. Or I have some oats. Do you want oatmeal? I have some hay fries in the deep freeze too." She looked at him with a happy face. He just looked at the ceiling with angst. What did I do to deserve this? I swear this is a worst punishment than being encased in stone. At least then I don't have to eat. "No thank you Fluttershy. I think I'm good for now." "Okay." she took his extended bowl and gave the rest to the rodents. Discord suppressed a gag. "I'm going to go out for a walk." "Alright. I'll see you later." Discord walked out of the cottage and into the surrounding pen area. There were lions sleeping about, rabbits hopping among the grass, bug of all kinds swarmed the feed pen for them. Discord looked over his shoulder to spot the chicken coop. He stared at the chickens. He followed a particularly fat one around the pen. Discord clutched the wire only to wonder when he had walked over. Discord stared off into the distance. Fried chicken. Teriyaki chicken. Spicy chicken wings. He shook his head. He can't do that! Stop thinking that way. He was already on thin ice just getting back to being friends with Fluttershy. She'll never forgive him if he killed one of her chickens. Then again...if I didn't do the killing. He grinned scarily at the unknowing hen. His mouth watered. Yes, it's perfect. No more salads and tofu for me. "Noooo!" Fluttershy cried. Discord, Pinkie and Applejack could only watch as she mourned in front of the large hole in the chicken coop's fence. "It's okay dear Fluttershy. What ever got it only got one chicken." Discord put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with tearful eyes. "Thank you Discord." she wiped at her tears. Discord felt a stab of guilt in his chest. He also savored the taste of fired chicken on his tongue. Just one more. He thought. One more wouldn't hurt. It's just one. No one will miss it too much. They could always get more anyway. Yes, more. His grin shined in the dark night. "Not another one." Fluttershy felt worn out from stress and lack of sleep. It seemed nothing she did kept what ever was eating her friends out of their pens. "It'll be alright sugar cube. We'll get it." AJ put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. She shook it off and yelled at her. "No! It's not alright. This thing has already gotten all my chickens, a couple of ducks and now it's eating my rabbits! My poor little bunny rabbits!" Applejack backed up from Fluttershy's frightening gaze. "It's even gotten some of your chickens as well. And not only that, but a lamb went missing a few days ago. Her parents are sick with worry. We have to catch this thing no matter what." A dark look crossed her face. "Ye..yeah. I'm right behind you." Just one will do. One and I'll have steaks from a month. Maybe even more! Medium rare with just a little blood. Seasoned with salt, pepper and a bit of sauce. Discord rubbed his hands together in the dim moonlit. The cow fields stood before him. His foot steps were silent and he glided on the air around the sleeping cows. Now it's just a choice of which one. He rubbed his goatee. Fluttershy was so kind in telling him the dates and plans of her's to 'catch the wolf eating her friends'. It did hurt when she said that. Her friends. He would never eat her friends! Those were just a couple of animals. Nothing more. She could get more. It was just one or two here and there. Discord's red eyes rivaled in their shining with his ear to ear grin. This one. "There! Go Winona." Applejack ran as fast as she could after her faithful companion. The dog raised up the alarm across the fields. She followed the scent of blood to a far patch by the tree line. The rest of the girls followed close behind. "Get it!" Applejack called out as a shape made itself known in the dark. Winona snarled and jumped at the figure. It was loud until it was strangely quiet. "Winona!" Applejack filled with worry. Then small barks were heard as they came closer. Pinkie and Rarity held up the lamps. "Hey there." Discord stood with Winona in his arms. He pet her. They looked to the spot of blood on the grass. "Did you see what did this?" Applejack panted. "See it? No. I got here too late." Discord said. "Oh really now?" Twilight took a look at the ground. "This blood is very fresh." "Yes it is, be alas, we are too late." Discord put the dog down. "There are no drag marks." she noted. "What?" "Applejack, how heavy is a cow?" "Quite. It'll take at least three of us to carry one." "Exactly! So why are there no drag marks. There should be a trail of blood leading away. But there isn't, is there Discord?" A cold sweat fell over him. He chuckled. "You do live right by a place know for its large beasts, my dear Twilight." "Then was sneaked its way into the chicken coop? Or the duck pond? Nothing big enough to get a cow would be so quiet or sneaky. It would just go in and get what it wants." "Unrelated incidents?" He held up his hands and shrugged. "I had been wondering since this began about who the culprit could be." She stared at him pointedly. "No! It couldn't be him." Fluttershy defended, "He would never kill one of my friends. He's not like that." A stab of guilt hit him again. "He's probably killed many friends. This proves it. He even killed a cow! A sentient being and he's going to chop it up." "No." Fluttershy said with horror. "He'll probably cook its flesh and eat it." "Ugh, are you trying to make us all sick?" Rarity demanded. They all agreed. "Then what happened to my friends? Where are they?" Fluttershy teared up. Discord meanwhile was in agony. He held his head. "Okay! I get it! I'm sorry! Just stop calling them your friends and acting like they're some person. I ate the chicken okay! I did it. I was so tired of all that disgusting fake stuff and the salads, oh the dreadful salads with their carrots and lettuce. It's all the same! I can't deal with the hay and the oats all pretending so happily like they're so close to the real thing. They're not. I couldn't even deal with tough, flavorless old meat that you give the lions from after the thing dies of natural death. I didn't want you to know but you had to put on such a production of how 'It was your favorite chicken.' and 'Your good friend.' 'My friend!' Gah!" Discord waved around his arms. They all stared at him with mixed horror. "Seriously? Just look at these teeth, these claws. What part of that looks like a plant eater?" He put his face in his hands. His shoulders shuttered and sagged. "I just wanted one. Only one but it was so good. I had to have more. Then it was a different kind of meat. I can't deal with the salads." He looked at her pleadingly. Fluttershy's mouth was a straight line. "That was a horrible thing to do and you know it." "I do know. But it was only going to be one." He still pleaded, "Please don't get mad at me. It's just in my nature." Fluttershy sighed heavily yet she relaxed. "I understand. I should have been the one to know better. Didn't we just go through this?" She laughed a little, "I'm probably the expert in a being's nature. You can't force a carnivore to eat grass just as much as you can't force an herbivore to eat meat. You need to follow your nature. I forgive you." "You do?" He looked at her warily. "Yes. It is my fault any way. I should have looked more into your diet and supplied appropriately." "Well, it wasn't all your fault." Discord rubbed the back of his head. "You really like meat?" Rainbow asked without hiding her surprise and slight distaste. "It's better than you think." Discord grinned. "You still committed murder." Rarity said. "Murder!? Ugh, is everyone here sentient?" "Pretty much." Pinkie said. "It's not murder." Fluttershy stated, "It's not if the creature was doing so if it's nature dictated it must do so to survive." "Well, I don't really need it to 'survive' to be exact. It's just hard to not eat when around beings who do it all the time." Discord said. "Let's just go home. We can sort this out back at the cottage." "Hey, isn't there a griffin living here?" Rarity asked. "Yeah! Aya's the sheriff's wife. I'll see if she can help out Discord." Pinkie said as she bounced along with them. "That's much appreciated, Pinkie." Discord said. Ppllhh. That was close. I wonder if I have to share my steaks with Aya?