//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: "I don't know how to deal with this!" 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4


Story of the Demon Sword Ragnarok! Crona's blood is black?


Twilight blinked at Crona's gesture towards Spike "What's wrong with Crona? There isn't a reason to be afraid of Spike, is there?"

Fluttershy looked back at Crona "That's right. Spike's a baby dragon. Not to mention he's one of our friends. Is there something wrong, Crona?"

Crona's terrified eyes were locked on a confused Spike as it mewled "Th-The little one...The little one..."

Twilight tilted her head "The little one?" She parroted curiously.

Pinkie held up her forelegs "Duh~! Of course Spike's little! He's a baby dragon, silly!"

Crona drew itself back with a wince while it stared at Spike "I-...I don't know how to deal with this!" It blurted out as it ducked its head behind Fluttershy.

Spike scratched his head "Okay, so now all of the sudden I'm terrifying? Or is Crona THAT scared?"

Discord laid in a comfortable position in the air "It's the latter. Definitely the latter." He replied nonchalantly.

Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around Crona as she tried to comfort it "But Spike can't be terrifying at all. Crona, can you please tell us what's wrong?"

Crona returned the embrace tighter than expected while staring fearfully at Spike, shaking its head "I don't want to! I don't want to do it! I already did so much in the forest! I don't want to do it now!" It began to tear up as it weeped.

Rarity approached the two ponies and gently embraced Crona herself "Please, Crona, calm down! You mustn't make such a big deal out of this!" She said in an attempt to comfort the frightened pony.

Applejack cautiously approached the group as well "Can ya try t' tell us what's botherin' ya, sugarcube?" She asked Crona.

Rainbow Dash looked down at Crona "Do what? What are you talking about?"

Growing uncomfortable with Crona's sudden change of behavior, Twilight tried to take matters into her own hooves and levitated Spike towards her as she hid him behind herself out of Crona's sight "Look, Crona. Spike's gone!" Crona slowly brought its head out to glance "See? Nowhere to be seen." She said in an encouraging tone.

Spike murmured from behind Twilight "This isn't gonna work, you know." He received a shush in response.

Twilight continued despite Spike's remark "Don't worry, there's nothing to worry about now. He's gone." She smiled when she noticed Crona expectedly calming down and loosening her grip on Fluttershy.

Crona looked around "Is he really gone?"

Twilight nodded "Yes, he won't bother you anymore."

Discord looked down at the ponies "Sheesh, and here I thought I was the only thing that made Crona want to turn tail." He said in an incredulous tone.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes "Well you still do, this was just unexpected." She inwardly relished the sneer she received from her quip.

Fluttershy wiped the tears from Crona's face "Are you alright now, Crona?"

Crona looked down "I think so..." It cringed with a wince "But I never thought I'd find another little one around here. I don't like it..."

Spike peered from behind Twilight "There's another baby dragon?" He asked curiously. The thought of another dragon that was Spike's age around Equestria was invigorating to him. However, it had also made him ignore the fact that he had to remain secluded for Crona to calm down.

Thinking quickly, Discord snapped his talons and caused Spike to wink out of existence, startling Twilight, who looked up at him with a glare "What? At least now you're telling the truth." Discord defended himself as he shrugged.

Luckily, Crona didn't pay much attention to Spike or his sudden disappearance "It was just like last time...and it was so hard, too. I was punished so many times..."

Fluttershy blinked "Punished for what? Please, Crona, won't you tell us?" She asked in a sweet tone.

Applejack frowned "Y'all don't seem like a bad boy t' me. What did ya do?"

"Okay, screw this!"

The new voice had taken the mares by surprise, and it doubled when they noticed a black residue spewing out of Crona's back that solidified to reveal an irritated Ragnarok looming over his host "Back off! All Crona had to do was get to meet you all and nothing more! We don't need a game of twenty questions!"

Twilight and the others, save for Discord, had eyes the size of dinner plates over the new addition to Crona's body. Except for Pinkie, who only awed at the ebony growth "Whoa...That's so awesome!" She beamed at Crona "How do you do that?"

Ragnarok leered at Pinkie "I don't have to tell you and neither does Crona, so butt out!"

Rarity twitched an eye as she stared at Ragnarok, then draped a hoof over her head and leaned back as she gave a tired moan, fainting on a couch that appeared out of nowhere. Discord smiled at the unconscious mare "You're welcome."

Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight were lost for words; the latter was enthralled at sight of the ebony growth protruding from Crona's back despite his rude behavior, whereas Rainbow Dash couldn't decide between being shocked or disgusted.

Fluttershy winced 'Oh no! Ragnarok wasn't supposed to come out yet!' She darted her head around her yard in hopes of not finding any trace of passing ponies 'I better get everyone inside before somepony sees us!' She tried to raise her voice "Um...Everypony? Can we please-"

The timid mare was cut off as Applejack examined Ragnarok "What in tarnation are you? How long were ya inside o' Crona?"

Ragnarok directed his glare towards Applejack "As long as I can remember. And I don't remember you thinking you can try to worm your way inside of Crona after a little introduction!"

Applejack narrowed her eyes "Ah never even thought o' doin' that t' begin with! Who do ya think ya are?" She said in a defensive tone.

Ragnarok scoffed and looked away "I don't care what you think! You're just a cow that doesn't know any better!"

Applejack was easily agitated as she bared her teeth "Mind repeatin' that, ya varmint?" She said in a low tone.

Ragnarok shifted his strange eyes towards Applejack; amusement was as clear as day in his gaze "What? Are you deaf as well? Guess that's another problem you have to deal with, cow."

Applejack pointed a hoof "Watch it! Another word an' yer gonna be sorry!"

Ragnarok rolled his eyes while he enjoyed pestering his new target "Like you're even threatening to me..." He said apathetically as his eyes quickly landed on Applejack "Cow..."

Applejack had enough with Ragnarok's badmouthing and got a good look at his position before quickly turning around and reeling her hindlegs back, then shooting them out in a mighty buck. However, instead of hitting Ragnarok, she had knocked Crona square in the face while Ragnarok held it as a shield. The very sight had shocked everypony around the three.

Crona was launched like a bullet towards a nearby tree, where its head collided with the bark as Ragnarok sunk back inside its body. When Applejack noticed this, she was instantly regretful of what she had done "Oh horseapples..." She uttered as she and the others quickly gathered around Crona.

The frightful pony was found covering its face with its forelegs while it laid on the ground and faced away from the group, positioned as if it were begging for mercy "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Don't hit me again, please!" Crona weeped in fear and remorse.

Applejack approached Crona, trying her best to comfort it despite her earlier action "Don't feel bad, Crona! It wasn't yer fault at all, Ah promise! Ah should be apologizin'!"

Fluttershy made her way towards the groveling pony and carefully lifted it up "Applejack didn't mean it, Crona. We'll help you out." She said soothingly while Crona sniffled and kept its face covered "Just show me your face and let me see what's wrong with you..." She said as she gently took Crona's hooves with one of her own and carefully brought it down to reveal Crona's face; Black blood appeared to be leaking from its nostrils. Fluttershy gave a low gasp "Crona? What's wrong with you?"

Crona sniffled "What? Is it that bad?" It asked anxiously.

Twilight examined Crona herself "Wait a minute...Crona, is that...black blood?" She asked in bewilderment.

Crona blinked at Twilight's question and nodded "Y-Yes...My blood is black..." It muttered as more blood leaked down its muzzle.

Fluttershy was astonished by Crona's second irregularity, never even familiar with the aspect of purely black blood, but shook it off when she guided Crona towards the cottage "Come on inside, Crona, so we can mend your nose..." The rest of the group had followed after the two as they made their way across the bridge.

Rainbow Dash looked down at Crona "Wow, Crona's so odd for a pony...First some rotten growth comes out of her back, then her blood's black? Talk about weird..."

Discord huffed "You really love to call it like you see it, don't you, Rainbow Dash?" He said as he hovered with the cyan pegasus. He stopped when he realized that Rarity was left behind, both fainted and on his convenient couch "Whoops! Almost forgot." He said as he glided back and stared at Rarity before he picked her up in his arms, using his tail to form a set of digits to snap, causing the couch to vanish. He then hovered back towards the cottage while carefully holding Rarity, making his way inside as he ducked his head under the doorway.
_____

Fluttershy wiped up the traces of black blood off of Crona's muzzle with a small tissue while it sat on one of the kitchen chairs. When she finished, she threw it away in her garbage can "There you are." She said with a smile.

Applejack approached Crona penitently "Ah'm really sorry fer what Ah did t' ya, Crona. Ah can't believe Ah let Ragnarok get t' me like that. Can ya forgive me?"

Crona, while still afraid of Applejack, was willing to forgive her "It's no problem." It said as it looked away and shuffled its forehooves "I can't control Ragnarok all the time."

Applejack arched an eyebrow "How'd ya come across him t' begin with? There hasn't been a single pony in th' history o' Equestria havin' some kind' o' crafty critter livin' in their body."

Rainbow Dash tilted her head as she stared at Crona "Especially inside somepony like you. No offense." She added quickly, not wanting to hurt Crona's feelings.

Twilight nodded "I'm equally curious about Ragnarok myself. I know he said some harsh things in the past but..." She eyed Crona intently "I want to learn the secrets behind his origin; How he came to live inside of Crona."

Pinkie grinned "I wanna know how he can pop out of Crona whenever he wants to. That's just super cool!"

Rainbow Dash winced "Pinkie Pie, I doubt popping out of somepony would come off as cool..." After her words, she felt a weird bulge on her chest "H-Huh?" She looked down in shock and worry "What is this!?"

On cue, what appeared to be Discord's head popped out of Rainbow Dash's chest, smiling at the wide-eyed pegasus "I beg to differ." He managed to teleport the moment the cyan pegasus yelped. She looked back and glared at the draconequus in the other room whistling innocently while standing next to Rarity, who was laying unconscious on Fluttershy's sofa.

Fluttershy cast a stern glance at Discord "That's enough for now." She turned to Crona "I'm actually curious myself, but I don't want to offend Ragnarok in asking that much from you."

Crona looked away with a sad glance "I'm not comfortable with bringing up my past so much. I don't like it at all."

Twilight frowned "Was it that bad? If so, we won't trouble you with all the details, but could you at least explain how Ragnarok is inside of you? This is unlike anything that has been witnessed by pony eyes!"

Crona gazed at Twilight with its sorrowful glance "B-But I don't feel like talking about the little one..."

Twilight blinked "You mean Spike? I never expected him to make you recall something so horrible. Speaking of..." She turned to glare at Discord "I wonder where he is right now..." She stated in a leveled tone.

Discord waved a dismissive paw "Oh, would you stop? He's back at the library safe and sound. Nothing to worry about at all!" He shifted his gaze to the door "Then again, I should probably make sure he isn't on his way back here..."

Twilight pointed a hoof at Discord "I'll only allow that notion for Crona's sake. Keep an eye out for Spike, and if you see him at the door, just let him know that he shouldn't be seen until Crona can properly adjust to him."

Discord gave a mock salute before he plucked his eyes out and set them at a nearby window as another pair grew back in his sockets. He noticed the disgusted look on Twilight's face "What? You said keep an eye out for him. Mind you, I'm doing twice the work." He quipped.

Fluttershy gently rubbed Crona's back "We'll let you talk about it once you feel confident enough." She said with a reassuring smile.

"Then you'll never know!"

Ragnarok appeared out of Corna's back once more "The only time you'll ever see Crona acting confident is when a fight's about to start! Other than that, you're all shit out of luck!"

Rainbow Dash winced "Great. You again..." She said in an unenthusiastic tone.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at Ragnarok "We ain't in th' mood t' hear yer dirty mouth. Why doncha crawl back inside where ya belong?"

Ragnarok gave Applejack the cold shoulder "I can do whatever I want! I can even tell how I'm inside of Crona."

Twilight's eyes lit up "You can?" She asked quickly.

"But..." Ragnarok added in a low tone, causing Twilight's spirit to waver.

"But?" She asked cautiously.

Ragnarok stared at Twilight until he looked away again "I want some candy before I feel like telling my story. I'm not running a charity or anything!"

Rainbow Dash craned her head back "You'll talk about yourself in exchange for candy? What are you, a child?"

Applejack snorted "An' what would a pile o' jelly like you want with some candy?"

Ragnarok turned to Applejack "To eat it, of course! I'm pretty hungry, you know." He clarified his remark by showing the ponies around him his large and grotesque mouth with some drool rolling down his teeth.

Everypony around Ragnarok tried not to feel nauseous, except for Pinkie and Discord, who stared at his mouth up close with intrigue "Wowee zowee! I wonder how many cupcakes you can eat!" Pinkie exclaimed as she gaped at the sight.

Discord stroked his goatee with an impressed smirk "You know, Ragnarok, I'm starting to take a liking to you with each trick you're showing us." He said in a friendly tone.

Ragnarok closed his mouth "If you're my friend, then feed me!" He drew himself back and crossed his arms "But that's with other food. If you want me to tell my story to you all, then I better expect some candy!"

Discord shrugged "Consider it done, friend." He snapped his talon and a platter containing a large pile of assorted candies appeared on the table "Would this suffice as tribute to your wondrous tale?"

Ragnarok widened his eyes at the display of candy "Gooopeee~!" He called out in glee as he lapped up the platter and chewed up his portion. As he gulped it down his eyes rolled for a quick moment before straightening again "This candy tastes funny..." He turned to Discord "It's like asparagus or something."

Discord shrugged with an innocent smile "My special blend. I have more if you want." He said nonchalantly.

Pinkie hopped up and down, staring at Ragnarok with eager eyes "So can you tell us your story? Please? Pretty please?"

Ragnarok waved a paw at Pinkie "Would you cram it already? I'm gonna start!" He ignored the intent gazes in everypony's eyes as he cleared his throat "I'll bet you thought I was born inside of my meister, but back then, I never was a part of Crona at first."

Twilight piped up "You weren't? Then you were your own being?"

Ragnarok leered at Twilight "AS I was saying..." He watched Twilight droop her ears with an apologetic gaze for her interruption "I was my own guy back then; my own weapon!"

Rainbow Dash "Your own weapon? Is that what you are?"

Ragnarok glared at Rainbow Dash "Would you all just let me tell the story?" He heaved a sigh as he continued "Anyways, yes, I am a weapon. I'm the Demon Sword Ragnarok!"

Fluttershy perked up and shivered profusely "D-D-D-Demon?" She squeaked in fright.

Ragnarok took in the first sign of fear from his audience with enjoyment as he extended his body and leaned in towards Fluttershy "That's right, a DEMON sword~!" He repeated in a mock grave tone.

Crona looked up at Ragnarok "Please stop scaring Fluttershy, Ragnarok. She gave us food."

Ragnarok scoffed as he retracted back towards Crona "Fine. But I am a demon sword; one of the best, that is!" He looked down at the frightful pony below him while his paws were perched on its head "Then there was the unfortunate time that I had a share a body with Crona here." He looked up with an unreadable look of nostalgia "I was basically a part of this twisted experiment where I was melted down and mixed with black blood before I was injected inside of Crona. It was so infuriating back then, being reduced to just sticking around in someone elses body!"

The rude growth looked at his audience, whom all of which appeared to be captivated in the regaling of his past "The one who did this to me was Lady Medusa, Crona's mom."

Twilight blinked "Medusa? Like the wicked gorgon of legend?"

Ragnarok turned to Twilight "Actually, that's her last name, but that's not important." He looked back down at Crona "The reason Crona here has black blood was because not only did she make it, she replaced all the old blood in Crona's body with it."

Applejack piped up "So that's why Crona seems so different! Who in the hay does this Medusa girl think she is puttin' th' poor boy through all o' that?" She asked in outrage, then noticed Crona cringing from her volume and chuckled in embarrassment "Sorry 'bout that."

Pinkie tilted her head with a quizzical glance "Wait...So you've been melted and put inside of Crona just like that?" She leaned in "It's that easy?"

Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie with a pleading glance "Please don't get any ideas from this story, Pinkie..."

Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash "Which one?" She asked absentmindedly, ignoring the dumbfounded look on the cyan pegasus' face.

Twilight held up a hoof "If you're done with your story, I have two questions." She looked up at Ragnarok's indifferent glance "How is it possible to melt somepony and still manage to make them sentient?"

Ragnarok stared down at Twilight "How the heck should I know? I may have been a part of all this, but I was just as confused on how it was possible myself! If anything, it's probably magic since Lady Medusa's a witch."

Fluttershy gasped, then turned to Crona "Is this true, Crona?"

Crona looked back at Fluttershy with a reluctant nod "Lady Medusa is a witch. She's very powerful and-...and-..." It looked away with mild fear in its eyes "She's scary..." It muttered quietly.

Discord poked his chin with a talon "Well, how about that? Looks like Twilight Sparkle's got some competition..."

Twilight glared up at Discord "You forget that I'm not a witch, Discord." She then held a thoughtful glance "But I'm honestly surprised she would use Crona as a test subject. What was Medusa trying to accomplish by putting her own child through so much tribulation?" She asked, nearly begging for an explanation.

Ragnarok looked away with an impish stare "I only told you the story of how I'm inside Crona and nothing else. I'm not obligated to tell you anything more than that." He said in a fickle tone.

Discord smirked "Would more candy change your mind?"

Ragnarok shifted his glance towards Discord "Maybe..." He looked away again "Maybe not..."

Twilight frowned at Ragnarok "I still have one more question. You said you're a weapon, and one of the best. Are there more weapons like you?"

Ragnarok turned to Twilight "Of course there are. I doubt there'd be any around here, though; In fact, I don't really care."

Fluttershy frowned to herself as she took in this information. She wanted to disbelieve that Crona could possibly be the same murderous pony she had laid eyes on in the forest, but Ragnarok's identity as a weapon was gradually crushing her hopes. She laid eyes on Crona, who remained silent with a sad, albeit blank gaze. Something told her that its mind was wondering throughout Ragnarok's story "Crona? Are you alright?"

Crona flinched as its eyes widened for a moment, then turned to Fluttershy "Y-Yes...Why?"

Fluttershy eyed Crona with concern "You didn't look so well earlier. Is there something bothering you?"

Crona wrapped its body with forehooves while looking away shyly "It's nothing, really. I don't wanna bother you all."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly "You haven't bothered any of us while you've been here. You can tell us anything and we'll do the best we can to help you out."

Crona blinked at Fluttershy "Really? You can?" It asked curiously.

Fluttershy nodded "Mhm. Can you tell us what's bothering you?"

Crona paused, then looked around at the several eyes that were surrounding it, quickly looking down afterwards to break eye contact. It fidgeted its hooves before it finally spoke "I...I want to go back to Death City." Crona said with a minimal amount of confidence, raising its head towards Fluttershy "That's all I really want." While it was happy to let out its true feelings, Crona was unsettled by the myriad looks of confusion plastered on everyone's faces.


End of Chapter 4