"I don't know how to deal with this!"

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lord Death's Confession! Conquering One's Fear?

Medusa wore her cloak as she stared the train that rested at the station far outside of town. As crazy as most people consider her, the snake witch found this mode of transportation to be absolutely sacchirine and gaudy in design. To her, it looked like something out of a child's dream.

"And you're saying this is our way to Ponyville?" Medusa asked in deadpan before sighing "Well, if it means getting to our next destination fast enough, I suppose I have no qualms."

"Yeah, I know it's not the best." Gilda said with mild disinterest "In fact, I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole and fly to Ponyville, but seeing as how you're an earth pony, we don't have much of a choice."

"Definitely beats carrying you, that's for sure." Lightning Dust muttered.

"Now, don't go giving me ideas, Lightning Dust." Medusa teased with a knowing smile, reveling in her forced cohort's discontent "Let's be off, shall we? We have a long way to go..." She said as the three entered in a cart on the train. The conductor looked at his watch before shouting.

"All aboard! Next stop, Baltimare!"
_____

Lord Death continued to shiver at Celestia's expression, surprising the inhabitants of both worlds as they stared at him. He finally stopped and took a deep breath.

"Of course. I owe both you all an explanation for all of this." Death looked over at Crona's curious face "Listen, Crona, about you appearing in Equestria..."

"Hang on, please."

Lord Death looked over at Maka, who stood alongside him at the mirror and looking at Celestia and Crona with her sad eyes.

"If it's alright with you, I want to explain, too. I'm just as responsible for this as Lord Death." Maka said penitently. Celestia blinked at Maka's interjection.

"Maka, was it? What makes you responsible for Crona residing in Equestria?" She asked inquisitively, to which Maka hung her head.

"You see, I don't know if you were aware of this or not, but in our world...Crona died two days ago." The ponies and Discord were shocked at the reveal.

"What!?" Twilight blurted out "But-...But that doesn't make any sense!"

"Too easy." Discord piped up smugly.

"Indeed it doesn't, but this is where I will shed some light on this whole thing." Lord Death said as he laid an oversized hand on what appeared to be his chest "Maka came to me, crestfallen after hearing about Crona and Ragnarok's passing and wished for me to find a way to revive them. Such a way was impossible without them ending up like Sid, one of my instructors."

"He's a zombie, by the way." Soul spoke up.

"A zombie?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Yeah, Sid can be very scary when you first see him." Crona said before smiling "But he's good. At least, Maka says so."

"Moving on." Lord Death said "Maka refused to accept Crona's death, so I decided to do the impossible and send their souls into a different world to live on and adapt to their rules. Thankfully, I remembered my fond connection to this world and let Crona and Ragnarok have a nice new life." He bowed to Celestia "You have every right to be cross with me for not letting you know about this sooner, Celestia, but my hands were quite tied, and we just averted a crisis back in our own world."

"Wait! You sent us here?" Ragnarok shouted indignantly before flailing a fist "I don't remember saying it was okay to drop us into a different world!"

"You don't say." Celestia spoke up, gradually taking in the explanation "It may be inappropriate of me to ask, but who was responsible for Crona and Ragnarok's death?" Maka's eyes narrowed as she looked away.

"Medusa..." She uttered venomously.

"Medusa?" Rainbow Dash voiced in confusion "You mean Crona's mom killed her? That's messed up!"

"Huh? Crona actually told you about Medusa?" Lord Death asked in surprise "Well, that's something I never anticipated. Yes, Medusa was responsible for Crona's death, but she's been dealt with, thanks to Maka."

"That is indeed good news." Luna spoke up "Now that this whole ordeal has been cleared up, I suppose that means that Crona and Ragnarok shall make Equestria their new home. But seeing as how they're still attached to their previous home, perhaps we can make arrangements for them to stay in touch with their old friends?"

"I would like that very much." Crona said with a smile "I got so much to talk about, too. Fluttershy's been taking care of me ever since she found me outside of her home the other day."

"That's great, Crona!" Maka beamed at her friend "I should tell you about how my friends and I defeated the kishin."

"Yeah, it was amazing!" Black Star said as he poked his head in between Lord Death and Maka. A comical bandage was seen on the back of his head "We had that goofy kishin on the ropes and Maka managed to finish the job!" He pointed at himself with a thumb "Of course, Yours Truly could've taken him down no problem." Crona chuckled softly and amiably at Black Star's comment, used to his proud personality.

"Wow. I never saw Crona this happy before." Rainbow Dash said, looking over at the swordpony.

"I know, right?" Pinkie chimed in with a wide grin "Now this is something I wanted to see since we met!"

"While I'd love for us all to bond, I'm afraid we'll have to cut things short on account of Luna and I taking care of our royal duties." Celestia said before smiling "Although Luna's proposition can be done easily, rest assured."

"Awwwwwwww~!" Pinkie and Patty moaned in unison.

"Thank you so much, Princess Celestia." Twilight bowed curtly "Crona might not be able to go home, but this is the next best thing."

"Well, in that case, I'll leave you all to it, then." Lord Death said as his body bounced a little from where he stood "Considering how well the introductions went, I'm sure we'll meet you all again someday."

"Goodbye for now, Crona." Maka said with a wave "It's really nice to see you alive and well again."

"I'll definitely see you soon, Maka." Crona said while waving back, though Ragnarok had his arms crossed while looking away coldly. The mirror flashed briefly before the image of Lord Death and the others were gone instantly, leaving only a regular reflection of the ponies.

"They were really good company." Applejack said while looking at the mirror "Nice t' see what another world looks like, even if th' reaper himself lives there." She shuddered after remembering Lord Death's occupation.

"Yes, and some of them had good attire." Rarity said cheerfully.

"Some?" Applejack asked.

"Soul's ensemble left much to be desired, in my opinion."

"I'm so glad things have turned out much better for you, Crona." Fluttershy said with a brief nuzzle to Crona's cheek "Maybe we can find the time to talk to them tomorrow if possible."

"That would be nice." Crona replied contently.

"In that case, we'd better get you all back to your usual lives." Discord said as he hovered over Crona and the element bearers.

"Before you leave, I have something to say." Celestia said before approaching the pony in question and gently placing a hoof on its left shoulder. She looked into Crona's eyes with a maternal gaze "I heard about what had happened yesterday, and all I can tell you is this: Be careful, Crona. Knowing the roots of your blood, please be careful. And don't be afraid to defend your friends if things go bad."

Crona stared back in silence, noticing how Celestia's gaze seemed so comforting, and yet pleading at the same time. After a moment of silence, Crona nodded with a soft, affirmative grunt. With a satisfied smile, Celestia distanced herself from the other ponies as Discord snapped his talons, making the group disappear in a flash of light.

"To think that such a disturbance was caused by a sample of black blood." Luna said as she shook her head "I can't imagine what would happen if a wicked life source were to be found in yet another pony."

"Thankfully, we won't have to worry too much, considering Crona and Ragnarok have their blood under control, and their respective minds intact." Celestia responded "While they're going back to a life of peace, I'm sure they'll be more cautious of their surroundings from now on."
_____

Discord and the ponies found themselves near Town Hall when they arrived back to Ponyville. The ponies sought to go their separate ways once they said their goodbyes until they noticed the doors to Town Hall open to reveal a certain dragon carrying a pile of assorted parchments. Twilight perked up after noticing.

"Spike? What are you doing out of the library?" Twilight asked, growing nervous over Crona's possible reaction from seeing Spike.

"Well, I noticed we were low on paper, so I grabbed some spares from Town Hall after asking Mayor Mare." Spike replied. He peered his head to the side to get a better look at the ponies and noticed Crona in the group, flinching before hiding his head "Um, I'm just gonna head home now. See you later, girls!" Spike said before quickly scampering off, dropping a couple of parchments along the way.

"In my defense, I had no knowledge about this." Discord said while placing a claw on his chest.

"It's okay, Discord. None of us knew about it." Twilight replied before looking at Crona "Are you okay, Crona?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Crona replied, only slightly shaken from noticing Spike "So that actually is a little one, huh?"

"Just what in th' hay's a little one?" Applejack asked "Is that what they call dragons where yer from?"

"Well, not exactly..." Crona said while looking down "No...I just called the last one I saw before I-..." A lump was found in Crona's throat as they chose to pause. There was anticipation from the other ponies as they awaited an answer.

"Before you killed it, correct?" Discord piped up, earning the attention of the ponies below him "Not to sound nonchalant about this, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were forced into such a position, given your tragic backstory and your combat experience. I'd venture a guess that your 'precious mother'..." He said while making air quotes "...was responsible for this?"

"Y-Yeah..." Crona sunk into a sitting position, feeling downcast about dredging up a painful memory.

"Discord, you could at least be more sensitive about Crona's feelings." Twilight chided sharply.

"All I was doing was piecing the puzzle, and it turns out I was correct." Discord replied with a shrug "It beats waiting for an answer in the form of tears."

"Be that as it may, Discord, that wasn't very nice." Fluttershy spoke up before approaching Crona and sitting in front of her "I don't want to ask too much of you Crona, but maybe tell us more about your experience? We'll be willing to help as your new friends."

"Yeah! You can always count on us to turn that frown upside-down!" Pinkie Pie cheered with some random confetti spewing out of nowhere.

"Well, Lady Medusa forced me to do it because...well..." Crona softly pawed at the ground with a foreleg "I don't really know...I think she wanted me to become a kishin, since she wanted Ragnarok and I to eat a lot of souls." The mares shuddered at the image.

"I didn't want to at first, because I didn't want to deal with it, but then Lady Medusa punished me by locking me in a dark room with no food and Ragnarok beating me up." Crona quivered after recalling it "It happened a few more times until I went through with it." All the mares stood slackjawed at the brief story.

"...Just tossing this out there: Your mom has serious issues." Rainbow Dash commented with an even tone that belied her shock.

"I agree, and I'm rarely one to ever sympathize with anypony." Discord said with an incredulous look.

"So wait..." Twilight said "You're only afraid of the Little One because you had to kill it?"

"It was kind of scary at first, but I didn't want to kill it, no." Crona rubbed its eyes as if tears were about to form "I don't want to go through with it again."

"Maybe that's the problem." Crona looked over at a smiling Twilight "Yes, he triggers a bad experience, but maybe you fear Spike not because of his appearance, but because you think you'll repeat something bad?"

"I-I don't want to! I don't know how to deal with-" Crona's mouth was gently closed by a hoof as Twilight shushed.

"Don't worry, you won't have to. In fact, maybe this can be a chance to try and overcome your traumatic experience by making friends with Spike." Twilight said encouragingly.

"Y-You think it's best?" Crona asked Twilight. Fluttershy hovered into the air with a warm smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Crona. I'm here for you if it means getting through this together. Spike really is a very nice dragon once you get to know him." Crona stared up at Fluttershy and slowly got on all fours, although was visibly nervous about the trial to come.

"Okay. I-I'll trust you, Fluttershy. But how aren't you afraid of him?"

"Oh, I'm not afraid of baby dragons. Full grown dragons, on the other hoof..." Fluttershy shivered before she regained her composure "Spike's very different from the one's we're familiar with. And to prove it, we'll spend the day with Twilight." She paused before grinning awkwardly at Twilight "If that's alright with you."

"Of course." Twilight replied "If it's possible, we can make it to where Crona can actually be tolerant of Spike's company."

"Well, iffin y'all can manage that, we got our own stuff t' deal with." Applejack pointed out "Ah gotta get back home an' do my chores."

"And I have to get back to work at my boutique, so I'm afraid I'll be occupied as well. Sorry we won't be joining you all." Rarity apologized.

"It's alright, girls." Fluttershy said kindly "We wouldn't want to interfere with your business. Besides, I'm sure we can handle Crona without any big problems."

"I'm game." Rainbow Dash said "Got nothing better to do right now."

"Me, too!" Pinkie chirped.

"Are you forgetting about me as well?" Discord asked with a smirk.

"Then it's settled." Twilight said proudly "We'll all band together and help Crona make friends with Spike." She said as the group made a path to the library, with Rarity and Applejack going their separate ways.

"Here's hoping it'll be easy..." Rainbow Dash muttered, thinking that her and her friends will be caught in an ordeal.

End of Chapter 13

Author's Note:

I cannot apologize enough for my updating pace, everyone. My lack of muse has been absolute hell every time I remember that I have stories on this site that need to be paid attention to once in a while.

Anyways, to explain about the form of transportation in the first part of the story: I was kind of flabbergasted to think that there was a way to the land of griffons via train, when the map showed that the griffon lands were an entirely different continent not too far from Equestria. Unless there was some kind of indistinguishable bridge between lands, I'm still shocked.

Was gonna have them take an airship, but then I thought, why not? Their trip's gonna be long either way.

So yeah, the next episode is gonna be the misadventures of overcoming fear. Will they be successful? Will there be some unforeseen twist? Will this end in the ever-so-predictable positive outcome and/or baby steps?

...Yeah, possibly that last part.

But despite all of that, thank you all for putting up for my lack of activity again.

Enjoy the chapter. Peace!

Comments

[LadyFacepalm]

Pfft who cares about your lack of activity?! YOU UPDATED THIS. That's all that matters Wonderful chapter as always by the way

[Krazyfan1]

the prophecy came true.....
THE UPDATE HAPPENED!!!!!

aaaanyway....do you remember Crona's Required secondary powers?
and that if a soul is "eaten" that doesnt necessarily mean its destroyed..more like....added to a furnace to give power, but not very efficient unless its a powerful soul, but not being used up...
i mean, remember when Death freed the Souls Soul had eaten? this means that it is possible to store a soul inside the eater, and regurgitate it at a later date.....
...have i mentioned this in an earlier chapter? i can;t remember...
anyway, keep up the INCREDIBLE work as always

[Thought Prism]

The grammar in this chapter is weird. Did you write it in the middle of the night or something?

[Dirty Bit]

6314996 Yeah, I usually write my stuff at night

[UseFistNotMouth]

Yay magic mirror skype.
Yay using poor baby Spike to desensitize Crona from Trauma. If only I could dominate symbiotic superwarriors by waving adorable baby creatures at them.

To me Medusa's theme song is I Use My Powers for Evil by Lesbian Bed Death.

[Gyro Steambass]

Well... It's an update at least. It's the thought that matters.

Btw, I really need to rewatch Soul Eater, seeing as it's third on my favourite anime list. And it's been... What, five or six years since I watched it. I'm way overdue for a rewatch.

[Dirty Bit]

6320555 Sorry if I disappointed you

I really hate my slump as of late

[ponyqqqq]

6323968 true but or the worst case twlight becomes has insane in leason zero or worst and join medusa

[TechSavii]

Have you read the manga yet? That might be a good way to inspire your inner muse! Honestly, I loved this fic when I first came across it, I was so disappointed that my first (and favourite) crossover fic had went into eternal unmarked hiatus. Then two more updates and we're back on track! I hope to see more soon!

[FiredragonX]

Helping Crona and Spike becoming friends? This is going to be fun.

[Gyro Steambass]

6322657 Eh... I've gotten used to slow updating things. Take Steven Universe for example. There's like a few months between each set of episodes, but what can you do? Besides, at least you updated. There are multiple stories up here that don't update at all. Mine for example! So I ain't gonna be the pot calling the kettle black.