//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: "I don't know how to deal with this!" 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2


Enter Crona! A pony more fearful than Fluttershy?


After the two ponies ended their screaming session, they quickly bolted away from each other; Fluttershy distanced herself and quickly hid behind a nearby tree while the mystery pony dove deeper into the bush.

Fluttershy shivered to herself, then gradually calmed down when she thought about the face she had just seen 'Whoever that was, they seem to be lost and scared.' The timid pegasus peered her head over towards the bush and frowned 'Oh my...I probably made it worse on the poor thing. I should go over and help them out.' She cautiously stepped towards the bush and peered inside the area she pushed out of the way "Hello? Are you still there?" Fluttershy got a whimper in response "Whoever you are, I'm very sorry about screaming earlier; You startled me, and I somehow ended up startling you. Can you please come out from where you're hiding?"

There was no response, and Fluttershy decided to dig deeper until she heard frantic galloping from behind her, pulling her head out and looking back to see a shivering silhouette behind the tree she used to hide herself with earlier. She stared at it before she trotted over "Um...You don't have to hide from me." Fluttershy said as she trotted towards the right side. The pony whimpered before quickly shimmying to the left, keeping its face covered. Fluttershy blinked at this, then trotted towards the left "I won't hurt you; I promise. Can you please let me talk to you?" The pony quickly shimmied back to the right. Fluttershy was perplexed by this chain of actions; It was as if somepony had replaced her with their display of cowardice.

This pony behind the tree had made Fluttershy seem more sociable around others, new faces included. She took a deep breath and tried to convince the pony to cease hiding "Won't you please show me who you are? Pretty please? I can see where you're coming from, hiding behind the tree like that. I'm not so good at meeting new faces myself." She looked away "In fact, I'd be lucky to talk to anypony I meet..." The timid pegasus shifted her gaze back towards the tree with a hopeful smile "Can you come out now? If not, I understand you don't feel like talking..."

There was a moment of silence, and much to Fluttershy's hidden joy, the mystery pony slowly shifted into view from its hiding place. She got a full glimpse of a frightened earth pony with a black coat. It was in a stance similar to that of a newborn deer trying to stand. Fluttershy examined the pony's cutie mark and noticed what appeared to be a strange head with a silver cross on its face; two spheres of the same color with black crosses inside of them resembled its eyes.

Both ponies were silent until Fluttershy donned a warm smile "Um...Hello there..."

The pony stared at Fluttershy before quickly looking away "H-Hi..." It muttered in a feeble and childish tone.

Fluttershy took a step forward in an attempt to approach the pony, to which it cringed and tried to hide its face. She instantly stood still at this, not wanting to make the new visitor uncomfortable "Are you lost? Do you need any help?" She asked in a comforting tone.

The pony didn't answer; all it did was cringe even more to try and hide its face. Fluttershy frowned "I'm very sorry if I scared you like that, I never expected to see a new face near my home. Can you tell me your name?"

Fluttershy's kind voice somehow enticed the mystery pony to comply as it tried to look back at her. It took a step back while it tried to lock eyes with the timid pegasus "Crona...I-It's Crona."

It was a start that Crona was beginning to open up. Fluttershy was willing to start out slowly with another pony, especially since this one was as introverted, if not more than herself. She smiled "Nice to meet you, Crona. I'm Fluttershy. Do you want to come inside? I can make you some food if you're hungry."

Crona looked at Fluttershy "Really? I've never been offered food here before..." It looked down and had a light blush "Um...You really don't mind making me something, do you?" Crona asked with a look of reluctance on its face.

Fluttershy approached Crona and laid a hoof on its shoulder, causing the frightful pony to flinch "Don't feel bad. You just need some help is all. Allow me to do that for you."

Crona stared at Fluttershy, then nodded slowly "O-Okay..." It then looked down with a frown, causing the timid pegasus to tilt her head in confusion "I really am lost...I don't know how to deal with it..."

Fluttershy led her new guest towards the cottage, passing Angel while he was finishing his carrot. After gulping down his last bite, he caught a glimpse of Crona and quickly followed after the two ponies. When they reached the front door, Fluttershy opened it up and guided Crona inside "Here we are. Now let's get you into the kitchen so we can give you some food. Then I can help you out with directions."

Crona looked around "Wow...So many animals in one place." It said in slight awe while it took in the sight of the living room.

Fluttershy smiled "Do you like it? It's my job to care for the animals around here; these ones are just my indoor pets."

The frightful stranger hummed "Pets...I never had a pet before." Something hit Crona's leg followed by a squeak, and it looked down to see Angel, who was busy hopping up and down while holding one of his feet with a look of pain on his face "Huh? A rabbit?"

Fluttershy looked down and noticed Angel in pain with a concerned frown "Angel! Oh dear, what happened? Did you hurt yourself?" She said as she lifted the rabbit up and gently caressed his sore foot. Angel tried to ignore his pain and glared while pointing at Crona, who flinched at both actions. Fluttershy followed his paw and stared at Crona "Crona, did you hurt Angel?" She asked inquisitively.

Crona shivered and frantically shook its head "No, I didn't! I looked down at the rabbit and he was holding is foot." He then brought up one of its hooves, examining it "Something hit me though. I don't know what it was..."

Fluttershy stared until she looked down at Angel "Did you try to hurt Crona, Angel?" Angel looked away with an indifferent glance "You know it's rude to hurt visitors. Apologize to Crona right now." She said with a stern tone.

The rabbit heaved a sigh and begrudgingly held out a paw. Crona examined it briefly before gingerly extending a hoof to meet with it.

"What's all this then?"

The trio turned to see a certain draconequus stroll into the living room and smirk "Am I hearing the sound of company? Who's inside the cottage, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy turned to Discord with a smile "Oh, right. I haven't introduced you yet!" She directed a hoof "Discord, I would like for you to meet Crona." Fluttershy proclaimed cheerfully.

Discord blinked "You made an imaginary friend?"

Fluttershy was confused by Discord's question, then turned to see where Crona once stood, not finding a trace of the frightful guest anywhere. She darted her head around "Crona? Where did you go?"

Discord looked around, then pointed a talon at the couch with an unamused expression "Does that answer your question, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy followed Discord's talon and noticed Crona's bottom half sticking out from behind the couch, shivering profusely "There's a giant monster in the house. I don't know how to deal with that." Crona mewled.

Discord gave a mock pout "Hey now~! Just because I'm an amalgamation of different animals doesn't mean I don't have feelings." He said as he crossed his arms and turned his head away.

Fluttershy winced and then set down Angel as she trotted over to the couch, gently nudging Crona out of its hiding place as it sat on the floor "Don't worry, Crona. Discord is a sweetheart once you get to know him better. He won't hurt you." She said with a reassuring smile as she gradually drew Crona out into plain sight.

Catching Fluttershy off-guard, Crona latched onto her tightly as it shivered and regarded Discord with dilated pupils and fearfully bared teeth, to which the draconequus was instantly intrigued "My my...It's like I'm seeing double!" Discord said incredulously.

Fluttershy nearly struggled with Crona wrapped around her, but frowned at Discord's remark "I can't be that afraid, can I?"

Discord stroked his goatee as he examined Crona "When you put it like that, no you can't. I'll bet this little pony could be a more fearful version of yourself." He hummed "Something's missing..." Discord said as he snapped his talons. In a flash, a pair of wings appeared on Crona's back "There we are; A second Fluttershy!" Discord said with a satisfied smile.

Crona blinked, then examined its back. Its eyes widened at the sight of its new growth "Wh-...When did I have wings?"

Fluttershy turned to Discord "Um...You shouldn't pick on Crona like that, Discord. He..." She trailed off for a moment, then turned to face Crona while it continued to stare at its new wings "She..." Fluttershy added awkardly. She looked away with a wince, having trouble deciding Crona's gender "Oh my..."

Discord tilted his head "Don't like wings, do you? How about a horn?" He snapped his talons, and Crona's wings disappeared. In their place, a horn had appeared on the frightful pony's forehead. Discord smiled as he observed the new look "Personally, I'd prefer you as a unicorn; It makes you more distinguishable between you and Fluttershy."

Crona noticed the horn and was startled "There's a horn on my head now. I don't know how to deal with this!"

Fluttershy was disheartened over Crona's worry and turned to Discord "Please don't mess with Crona anymore, Discord."

Discord held up a paw "Okay, I'll stop now..." A snap of his talons made Crona's horn disappear "Tell me, dear Crona, where did you come from? You must be new here." He said with intrigue.

Crona quickly hid its face behind Fluttershy and shivered. The timid pegasus gently brought it out and smiled, trying to give Crona the courage to speak. It faced Discord and frowned "I-I came from a forest..." There was a silence in the room after Crona's answer "Is that a bad thing?" It asked nervously when he caught on to the silence.

Discord stared blankly before turning to Fluttershy "Fluttershy? A word in the kitchen please? In private?" He emphasized his last question as he gazed intently at her.

Fluttershy was nearly caught in a daze over Crona's answer before she replied to Discord "Sure. I'll be right with you." She turned to Crona with a smile "We won't be long, Crona. Why don't you bond with Angel Bunny while me and Discord have our talk?"

Crona stared at Fluttershy, then looked down at the glaring bunny next to him, feeling discouraged "I don't know...I don't think Angel likes me." It said reluctantly.

Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on Crona's shoulder "Angel knows when to behave. If he ever gives you any trouble, feel free to let me know."

Crona looked at Fluttershy, then slowly nodded "O-Okay..." After its response, Fluttershy and Discord made their way into the kitchen, leaving Crona behind with Angel and the other animals, who eyed the house guest with a mixture of caution and intrigue.

Angel, for his part, continued to leer at Crona despite the apology he made earlier; There was something about this seemingly introverted pony that set him off. He watched Crona shimmy away with a fearful glance and narrowed his eyes as he took a step forward, eliciting a whimper from it. Angel simply hopped forward, wanting to get a better look at Crona while contemplating on how to handle the unwanted stranger.

Meanwhile, Discord and Fluttershy stood in the kitchen, the former bearing a smile on his face "Fluttershy, I believe that your wish had somehow come true."

Fluttershy felt her heart stop "But that can't be it. I mean, we've only just met Crona and-...and-..." She clenched her teeth with towering anxiety.

Discord crossed his arms "You're trying not to peg Crona as the 'killer pony' you've seen last night, right?"

Fluttershy looked up at Discord with a saddened glance "Crona couldn't possibly be the same pony I've seen..." She looked down "The pony I've seen was a whole lot different..." Fluttershy muttered, disturbed by what she had seen.

Discord shrugged "Well, as you've said, we've only just met Crona. There could be more to that pony than meets the eye." He smiled "Besides, whether or not Crona IS the particular pony you've mentioned, I'd say you've gotten your wish..."

Fluttershy donned a confused glance "What are you talking about?"

Discord waved his eagle claw in a circle "Try to keep up with me, Fluttershy. Did you or did you not make a wish to care for a pony who needed it most?" He pointed a claw towards the doorway leading to the living room "The pony you wished for is waiting for your undying attention; This is your chance to shine as the Element of Kindness!"

Fluttershy stared into the doorway, though didn't get a good look at Crona, and thought over Discord's explanation before she had a look of realization on her face "You're right..." She smiled "Maybe Crona needs our help." Fluttershy turned to Discord "Thank you for opening my eyes, Discord. I think if we pull through, we might give Crona the drive to be a better pony!"

Discord stared before pointing up a claw "Erm, while I'm okay with lending a helping hand, do you not remember that Crona would duck and cover the moment I'm in the pony's sights?"

Fluttershy held up a hoof "Crona just needs some time to adjust is all. Who knows? Maybe Angel will get along with Crona just fine." A squirting sound and a scream was heard from the other room, followed by a frightened squeak. Before Fluttershy and Discord could see what it was, they noticed Angel quickly scampering up to the former with a look of fear on his face, pointing back into the living room.

"Yeah, you better run, you little runt! No one picks on Crona but me!"

Upon hearing the harsh and raspy voice, Fluttershy and Discord traded glances before rushing into the living room to see Crona with an unsightly growth upon its back, surprising them both. It was a second body sporting ebony skin and a head resembling Crona's cutie mark; It had two large white paws rested atop Crona's mane; There were a pair of spikes seen on its back while its face appeared to have an angry expression with no mouth seen "I can't even enjoy a good nap without something to piss me off." The growth looked around "Where are we anyways?"

Crona looked up at its growth, unaware of Fluttershy or Discord's presence "We're in Fluttershy's cottage. She's really nice and she's a pony just like me." It then looked down "But I still don't know how to deal with being this way..."

The growth scoffed "Well, I'm already stuck with you and you don't see me whining about it! Now get up and let's get out of here!"

Fluttershy cautiously approached the two "Umm...Excuse me?" She asked hesitantly, still freaked out over the sight of Crona's growth.

Crona looked over at Fluttershy "Oh...hello. Are you done talking?" It looked over and Discord and yelped before it shivered.

The growth examined the two with a tilted head "Who the hell are you two?"

Discord laid a paw on his chest "A pleasure to meet you, my little black friend. My name is Discord." He approached the growth with a cheerful smile "And I must say that you're quite the little imp bursting out of Crona like that! May we have your name, please?"

The growth grunted at Discord "The name's Ragnarok! And who are you calling an imp, ugly!?"

Discord chuckled "My my, quite the mouth on you. I'd say the girls would have a field day with you..." He paused before turning to Fluttershy "Actually, would we even want to send an ambiguous pony with a mutant freckle out in the open?"

Fluttershy stared at Ragnarok until she looked down with a frown "Oh dear...We wouldn't want everypony to be afraid of Crona." She looked back at Crona and Ragnarok "It also wouldn't help to have so much attention drawn towards the two of them."

Ragnarok pointed one of his paws "Says you! I don't care what anyone thinks if they get look at me OR Crona! Besides, what does it matter to you two anyways?" He asked with his face acting like it had an arched eyebrow.

Discord crossed his arms "Well, for starters, everypony in Ponyville doesn't have a second growth with a potty mouth on their backs. Secondly, knowing Crona's tremendously timid nature, we'd be lucky if the poor little thing could even socialize with another pony!"

Crona frowned "I don't feel like going out there just yet. I don't think I can handle it..." It murmured as it looked away.

Fluttershy smiled "I understand. It's not easy to talk to everypony you meet." She helped up Crona to stand on its hooves "Maybe we can fix you the meal I promised and talk before going out and meeting my friends?"

Crona stared at Fluttershy before a ghost of a smile was seen on its face, giving a nod to the timid pegasus' offer. Ragnarok leaned towards Fluttershy "So you're going to give us food? Are you any good at cooking?"

Fluttershy nodded "Of course. I'll make sure it's to your liking so you won't feel unsatisfied." She said with a kind smile.

Discord held a smile of his own 'That's Fluttershy for you...' He held up a paw "Well, while you all are going to share a moment with each other, I'll be going out for a bit."

Fluttershy looked up "You're not going to stay with us, Discord?"

Discord waved a dismissive paw "Please, I'll end up traumatizing poor Crona even further. Besides, I'll come back sooner than you think. Toodles!" He said as he snapped his talons and winked out of existence, startling Crona.

Crona looked around "How did he do that? Where did he go?"

Fluttershy smiled awkwardly "Don't worry, Crona. Discord only teleported out of my home; it's nothing to be scared of..." She paused before she added "It's only scary if they appear in front of or behind you..."

Crona frowned "That's the worst; I don't know how to deal with surprises."

Fluttershy frowned "Oh, me, too." She said before smiling "I guess we might have some things in common, don't you think, Crona?" Fluttershy asked in a friendly manner.

"U-Um...Maybe..." Crona said as it shifted its eyes away.

Ragnarok shook a fist "Hey! Are you gonna make us food or not?"

Fluttershy perked up "Oh, right! Just come with me and I'll give you a meal before I go back to feeding the animals." She said as she led the two back into the kitchen.


End of Chapter 2