//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: "I don't know how to deal with this!" // by Dirty Bit //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Welcome to Ponyville! Fitting in with the crowd? Discord and the others had teleported back to the yard just otuside of Fluttershy's cottage, and the draconequus stretched his arms "Well, that was a pleasant ride, but now I'm bored." He said as he looked at the others "What say we get down to business and make Crona feel welcome here?" Fluttershy smiled "That would be a great idea." She turned to Crona "Would you like to go see Ponyville with us, Crona?" Crona looked away reluctantly "I don't know...I'm already wondering how Princess Celestia will sort things out." Discord felt inwardly troubled at the frightful pony's words and glided towards it, hovering over Crona while his body was curved up "Hey now, there's no need to be hasty. Besides, she said it would be a lengthy process, didn't she?" Crona hung its head down "Oh yeah..." It muttered despondently. Discord frowned 'Poor kid...Here's hoping Celestia knows what she's doing.' His frown was quickly replaced with a chipper smile "Now now now, there's no need for that mopey behavior when there's tons of fun to be had." Crona looked up at Discord "Fun? But what's there to do?" Discord poked a claw at Crona's forehead "Well, for starters, you can spend copious amounts of time with your new friends. You can explore their interest and compare them with your own, too." He lifted Crona up with his paw and claw as his smile widened "You'll end up repeating the process with the rest of Ponyville, and before you know it..." He tossed Crona in the air, who screamed and flailed before it landed down in Discord's grasp, being held to where its back was facing the draconequus while it gazed at a distant town "You'll end up loving Ponyville in no time!" Discord concluded brightly until he stared at Crona's back blankly "...Provided they get used to Ragnarok as well..." He added quickly. Rainbow Dash looked up at Crona "You know, I'm actually surprised that gooey jerk didn't show his face around Princess Celestia. Did he not feel like talking to her or something?" Twilight remembered the growth inside of Crona and heaved a sigh of relief "The way I see it, it was one less problem to deal with when we were talking with the princess." Applejack scoffed "Ah'd probably buck that thing back inside o' Crona's body th' moment he showed his face." She flinched before looking away awkwardly "Erm, that is, IF Ah can get t' him..." Pinkie smiled "Maybe he just needs to hang around Fluttershy more often. Then he'd be nice like Discord!" Discord shrugged while holding Crona "Here's to dreaming." "I can hear you all, you know!" Ragnarok emerged out of Crona's back, regarding the group with a cross expression on his strange face "What if I don't want to change to your liking? You ever think about that for once, or do you not think at all?" Applejack gritted her teeth "Ya dirty little..." She muttered venomously. Discord smirked playfully at Ragnarok "There's no need for hate, my friend. Join the herd; You won't regret the decision." He said in a mock persuasive tone. Ragnarok pointed at Discord "Shut it! I don't care if you make plenty of candy, I'm not gonna bend to your stupid rules!" He snapped harshly. Crona looked back at Ragnarok "But they didn't lay down any rules yet." It shifted his glance to Discord "Could you put me down, please?" Discord nodded "Of course, Crona. After all, you DID say the magic word." He said as he gently set Crona on the ground "As for my lecture, take it to heart and go out for a day in the town with us. Time flies when you're having fun, you know." He stated encouragingly. Crona and Ragnarok looked up at Discord in silence before facing the mares, namely Fluttershy, who gave a reassuring smile. After thinking over what Discord had said, it sounded like a good idea, although Crona was still nervous about meeting more people it wasn't familiar with. With a thin smile, the frightful pony gave a curt nod to Fluttershy. Ragnarok looked down at Crona "You're actually gonna go through with this? I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Crona looked up at Ragnarok "Everyone's already helping us out. We might get back to Death City sooner than expected." It looked over at the others and paused "...But they're still very nice to me." Ragnarok huffed "I don't care how they act, just try not to make any mistakes, alright?" He requested rudely as he sunk back inside of Crona. Applejack stomped a hoof "Land Sakes! How'd ya put up with somepony like him fer so long?" She asked Crona in a mixture of irritation towards Ragnarok and amazement over the frightful pony's patience. Crona frowned "Well, it wasn't easy. Ragnarok was my partner from the beginning." It trotted towards Fluttershy, standing next to her while looking over at the distant town "So this is going to be...fun?" Crona asked shyly. Rainbow Dash frowned "Not if you're gonna hide your face the whole time." She smiled "Stick with us and we'll make sure you have a good time here without having second thoughts." Twilight hummed "I should probably let Spike know about-" She gasped in realization "Oh no, I forgot about Spike!" She looked over at the cottage when she heard the front door opening. Spike was seen exiting with Rarity "Hey, everypony. Why'd you all leave for Canterlot without us? We were-" Spike instantly winked out of existence before he could begin his rant, startling Rarity in the process. Discord wiped the sweat from his brow "Dodged a bullet there..." He looked down at an angry Twilight and shrugged it off "He's back at the library again. Gimme a break, will ya?" Rarity trotted down the steps towards her friends "I can't believe you would just leave me and poor Spike behind like that." She said in a hurt tone "Have you at least met your goal when you visited the princess?" Pinkie trotted up next to Rarity "Yeppers! We're gonna be doing stuff together until Celestia finds a way to send Crona back to Death City." She faced Rarity with a chipper smile "You're not hearing things, by the way. Just to let you know." She chirped kindly. Fluttershy nodded "It's true." She smiled "We were just about to go into Ponyville to give Crona a tour. Would you like to come with us?" Rarity gasped before her eyes glimmered "Would I? I wouldn't dream of passing up an opportunity in making another lady feel welcome here." She trotted up to Crona and held out a hoof "Shall we, Crona? I cannot wait to show you around my shop and see what clothes would be suitable for you to wear." Crona gave a small and bashful smile as it met Rarity's outstretched hoof with one of its own "I'd like that. I don't think I like being naked all the time." Discord held up a paw "I'll catch up with you gals later. I think it's best that I fill Spike in on the details before anything bad happens." He said as he snapped his talons and winked out of existence in a flash. Twilight hummed "I guess that leaves us for now." She said as she faced her friends with an encouraging smile "Let's get started!" The others voiced themselves in agreement, save for Crona, who felt nervous about being around more ponies. _____ Ponyville, just like yesterday, was full of bustling activity, namely around the market square. Right now, the element bearers traveled with their newest friend around town to show Crona the sights and possibly introduce other ponies to it. This would seem easy if Crona hadn't been hiding between Applejack and Fluttershy while the group traveled together. Pinkie darted her head around with an invigorated grin, trying to think of a place to start "Why don't we head to Sugarcube Corner? Maybe we can give Crony a treat or two!" Crona peered its head from behind Fluttershy "Cro...ny?" It blinked "B-But my name's Crona." Applejack smiled and lightly nudged Crona, grabbing its attention "Pinkie's infamous fer givin' her friends nicknames, sugarcube. It'll take some gettin' used to." She then thought over Pinkie's idea until she had one of her own "We all could meet over by my place an' enjoy some lunch." She prodded Crona's chest "Poor feller needs some food in 'is system." Rainbow Dash examined Crona from above "Now that you mention it, Crona does seem a bit scrawny at first glance; Not that it's a bad thing, though." Rarity huffed at Rainbow Dash and Applejack "I'm certain she has her reasons. After all, I'm following a diet of my own." She smiled pridefully as she caressed her mane. Crona stopped and frowned "Actually, I haven't eaten much other than what Fluttershy made for me..." It noticed the other mares stopping as well to stare and Crona waved its forelegs frantically in a placating motion "Not that it's bad or anything. I don't want to be any trouble." It added quickly. Applejack shook her head in amusement "Ya won't be imposin' at all. 'Sides, Ah believe Ah should make it up t' ya fer accidentally hurtin' ya earilier." She held out her hoof to Crona "Whaddaya say, Crona? Feel like enjoyin' some Apple Family hospitality?" She asked, as if expecting a positive answer. Crona stared at Applejack, then her hoof, then smiled as it brought a hoof of its own to meet her's "Okay..." Fluttershy watched Crona with a warm smile 'Crona's adjusting nicely around my friends so far. Maybe we'll succeed in having Ponyville get to know Crona better in no time.' She voiced herself "Then we'll have lunch at Sweet Apple Acres before we show you around the rest of Ponyville." Pinkie giggled "This is a great idea. Maybe some of Applejack's fizzy cider will boost Crona's spirits!" Crona tilted its head at Pinkie "Fizzy cider?" Rainbow Dash groaned impatiently as she hovered above her friends "I know we can talk and stuff, but can we do it at Sweet Apple Acres? We're burning daylight over here!" Twilight, though a little miffed from Rainbow Dash's impatience, nodded in agreement "She is right, girls. Let's have a quick meal before our tour." The group resumed their pace, though Crona still took comfort in traveling in between Applejack and Fluttershy. Fluttershy glanced at Crona and observed how wistful the frightful pony appeared. She wondered if it was still homesick, but decided not to press on it in fear of possibly making Crona sad. She looked around to see that some of the passing ponies near her and her friends were glancing curiously at Crona's shape 'Oh my. I think we might be drawing attention at the wrong time...' Fluttershy thought fearfully. While there had been several glances with each passing, the group was lucky to reach what appeared to be a large farm with several acres of land without a hitch. Crona snapped out of its wistfulness to gaze upon the several trees and the fruits they beared "Wow...So many apples..." It stated in mild awe. Applejack smiled proudly "That's Sweet Apple Acres fer ya." She proclaimed without hesitation "We have th' finest apples in Equestria, an' we work hard t' make sure they're good fer everypony that wants 'em." She winked at Crona "Wait until ya try some o' our apple pie; it'll probably change th' way ya think." Crona blinked "Really? Well, I never actually had pie before..." Rainbow Dash frowned "I'd be willing to believe that after hearing Ragnarok's story." She smiled shortly after, pointing down at Crona "You're in for a treat, though, I'll tell you that much." Applejack took point and led the group towards a picnic table near her homestead, where she laid a hoof on the wood "Alright, y'all. Jus' make yerselves comfy while I go inside an' fix us up some food." She turned to Pinkie "Wanna tag along, Pinkie? Ah could really use an extra set o' hooves." Pinkie grinned "Okie Dokie Loki!" She replied as she pronked beside Applejack and followed her into her house while the others sat themselves down at the picnic table; Fluttershy sat next to Crona while Twilight and Rainbow Dash sat at the opposite end. Rarity sat herself down on the picnic table next to Crona - though she fussed with getting herself comfortable beforehand - and looked over at the pony beside her "Crona, from one lady to another, may I ask you something?" She earned Crona's attention as she continued "Forgive my curiousity, but I wish to know what this 'Death City' is like. If my friends are telling the truth, then you're really from such a place?" Crona nodded "Yeah..." It shuffled its forehooves "It's not a bad place once you get used to living there." Twilight leaned her head in slightly, curious about Crona's life herself "Did you manage to make any friends there?" She asked, wondering about the concept of Death City. To her, it sounded as if there were possibly nothing but ghosts that took residence in a large city; not that she would actually believe in spirits. Crona shifted its glance to Twilight "Actually, yes. They just welcomed me as one of their own. I was scared at first, confused as to why they would even want me, but they were all nice to me." It looked down with a small nostalgic smile "It felt good after a while; I never thought I could deal with talking to anybody other than Ragnarok or Lady Medusa." Fluttershy nodded "I agree. It's never good to be alone alll the time. I'm glad you were able to make some friends at least." Rainbow Dash tilted her head at Crona "They sound pretty awesome from your point of view. Were they like you at all?" Crona perked up and shook its head at Rainbow Dash "No, not at all. They were very different." It looked up with a calm glance towards the sky "My friends had their own goals and their own powers. Maka was the first one to make friends with me; She always loved to study and become a good meister." Rainbow Dash blinked "Study? That sounds an awful lot like a certain egghead, don't you think?" She asked as she smirked playfully at Twilight. Twilight flashed a bright smile "She seems like a very good friend if she chose to make you one of her's." She complimented, but her smile vanished with a look of curiousity "But what exactly is a meister?" Crona shuffled its forehooves awkwardly "Well...I'm not all that good at explaining it, but it's basically someone who uses a weapon in combat. The meister and the weapon are supposed to work together whenever they fight an opponent. They resonate their souls together if they want to draw out their true power." Fluttershy felt her heart stop as she heard Crona explain; A part of her wondered if she would have the misfortune of seeing Crona actually fight if it ever felt the need to. The thought of seeing somepony so gentle and timid being forced to take arms seemed saddening to her, but if Crona was the same pony she had seen last night... Twilight squinted an eye towards Crona "And you and Ragnarok...?" Crona stared at Twilight until it understood her question and sheepishly looked away "Y-Yeah...We work together...or try to, at least." Rainbow Dash stared blankly at Crona and pointed a hoof "You can fight?" She earned a reluctant nod "How good are you? Rainbow Dash asked curiously. Fluttershy, who gradually felt troubled at the thought of listening, raised a hoof "Umm...I don't think we should talk about fighting...I don't think Crona would like that." She turned to Crona with a curious glance "Would you?" Crona glanced back at Fluttershy "Not really." It said with gratitude tinted beneath its feeble response "I don't think I could deal with it..." Rainbow Dash was dumbstruck by Crona's reason "You can't deal with talking about a few fights? What's up with that?" Rarity cast a stern glare at Rainbow Dash "Well, for one thing, it's uncouth to even regale the tales of partaking in battles that Crona obviously did not enjoy in her time!" She defended Crona, placing a hoof on her chest with a frown of displeasure "I, for one, am not exactly proud of our little 'Changelings in Canterlot' debacle, even though Shining Armor and Cadence have tipped the scales in their favor." Rainbow Dash arched an unconvinced eyebrow at Rarity "Really now? Cuz even if we WERE outnumbered, you looked like you were enjoying yourself." "That's enough, girls." Twilight cut in authoritively "We don't need to fight amongst ourselves when we're only having a friendly conversation." She said to Rarity and Rainbow Dash before turning to Crona "Why not talk more about your friends, Crona?" She asked gently. Crona looked down pensively "Well, while Maka's a meister, Soul is her weapon. He sometimes gets hurt by Maka if he acts out." It looked up at the others "Then there's Black Star, who wants to surpass God...Whoever that is...He's very strong and confident." Twilight smirked playfully at Rainbow Dash "Looks like somepony's got some competition." Rainbow Dash flinched and pointed a hoof "H-Hey! He doesn't sound so tough! What kind of name like 'Black Star' is better than 'Rainbow Dash'?" She defended herself tersely. Crona looked down again "His weapon reminds me of Fluttershy a lot. Her name was Tsubaki, and she was very kind to me and Ragnarok, even making food for us." Fluttershy smiled warmly "She sounds like a great person." Her smile faded "But why is she a weapon? Did she choose to be one?" Crona shook its head "She was born that way, and she was okay with it." It frowned "I kind of envy her sometimes...Being able to deal with things easier than me..." Some distant screams reached the ears of Crona and the other mares "What was that?" Crona asked as it looked around the farm. Twilight jumped from her seat and looked towards Ponyville "It came from Ponyville. But what could it be?" Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes "Whatever it is it can't be good. What say we skip lunch and see what's going on?" "Awww, but we got everything ready~!" The group turned to see Applejack and Pinkie balancing trays of food and drinks with the latter bearing an expression of disappointment "Why does something bad have to happen while we're enjoying ourselves?" Pinkie complained as she neared her friends and set her tray on the table. Twilight held a determined glance "We shouldn't ignore this, everypony; Let's move into town and see what's going on!" Applejack set her own trays down and nodded in agreement "Couldn't 've said it better myself!" She said as she began to gallop with everypony else following after. Crona was tailing the group while trying to catch up with its friends, a look of distress on its face. Fluttershy fell back with the frightful pony to keep it company as they both managed to catch up. While galloping, however, she couldn't help but feel that she was bound to see if Crona was unlike the pony she had seen at the bush in her yard. End of Chapter 6