Chapter 3
A new circle of friends! Open up to Equestria?
Discord hovered around Ponyville, tittering to himself over the thought of introducing Crona to the rest of the town once the time was right 'That Crona is really something. I wonder how the others will react once they get a better look at that lovable coward.' He looked up while he thought to himself 'Come to think of it...How could one so timid come off as a killer unless they're pushed in a corner?' He looked back at the cottage in the far distance 'Well, it's best to stay cautious about these things, but maybe I could just invite Fluttershy's friends over so they can get a better look at Crona for themselves.'
When he came to his decision, Discord decided to scour Ponyville for Fluttershy's friends. He flew around in the sky in a serpentine pattern while he tried to spot them "Who to find first? Decisions, decisions..." He asked himself
"Hey, Discord!"
The draconequus looked down below to see a pink pony grinning up at him while waving a hoof frantically. Clearly, he knew what she wanted, and he snapped his talons with a smile "Hello to you, Pinkie Pie." A cloud of cotton candy appeared next to him and rained down droplets of chocolate milk, to which Pinkie Pie eagerly opened her mouth and let the downpour trail into her mouth. Discord swooped down next to Pinkie while she indulged herself with his gracious gift "Tell me, Pinkie, would you like to come with me and find the rest of your friends? There's something that they need to see at Fluttershy's cottage." He said in a persuading tone.
Pinkie gulped down another mouthful of chocolate milk before turning to Discord while she soaked in the rain "Did you do something chaotic again?" She asked in a suspicious tone.
Discord laughed "Of course not! If I did, I'd make sure everypony would know it was me." He looked away "Everypony but Celestia, of course..." He murmured under his breath.
Pinkie smiled while she trotted in place "So what's going on at Fluttershy's? Is it something neat?" She asked in a bubbly manner.
Discord rolled his eyes "Well that depends on your personal preference, but I want this to be a surprise. Now why don't we round up your friends from their activities and gather back at Fluttershy's?"
Pinkie grinned "Well, if your surprise is as neat as I think it is, then let's go!" She said as she pronked away "Let's find Dashie first. I think she's napping around this time."
Discord smirked to himself "Lead the way." He inwardly laughed when he imagined Pinkie meeting Crona; No doubt she would frighten the ambiguous pony more than himself.
_____
Fluttershy was busy fixing a meal for Crona and Ragnarok while they sat at the table waiting patiently; Ragnarok perched himself onto Crona's head while he stared at the timid pegasus at work. He looked down at the pony below him "Are you sure we can even trust this girl, Crona? She's like you, but with wings!"
Crona looked up at Ragnarok "I think Fluttershy's nice. She reminds me of Miss Marie."
Fluttershy heard the two converse and stopped for a moment to look back at them, curious about the person that was mentioned "Pardon me for asking this, but who is Miss Marie? Is she somepony dear to you?"
Ragnarok darted his head towards Fluttershy and narrowed his eyes "None of your business!" He snapped harshly, causing Fluttershy to recoil.
Crona frowned in embarrassment and penitence as Fluttershy felt deterred "I-I'm sorry. You just remind me of her is all. Please don't be mad at me."
Fluttershy smiled at Crona after its apology "Oh, it's alright. If it's too personal, I won't get into it." She looked up at Ragnarok "I suppose Ragnarok's being protective of you, even if he was mean about it..."
Ragnarok squinted his eyes "I'm only letting this slide because your feeding us." He pointed a paw at Fluttershy "Don't try and mess with me or Crona, you hear me?" Ragnarok warned strictly.
Crona looked up at Ragnarok "But Ragnarok, Fluttershy didn't even mess with us at all."
Ragnarok looked down at Crona "Shut up, I'm protecting you."
Fluttershy frowned "Oh my..." She stifled a wince at the sight of Ragnarok 'How does Crona put up with somepony so mean for so long?' She quietly returned to preparing her meal for the two guests. When it was ready, she carried two plates on her back, then set them on the table for both Crona and Ragnarok "Here you go. I hope you like it." She said in a cheerful tone.
Crona and Ragnarok blinked at the food on their plates; Both of them contained what appeared to be strips of hay shaped like bacon with a side of eggs. Ragnarok turned to Fluttershy while pointing a paw at the food "What's this?"
Fluttershy tilted her head "You don't like hay bacon and eggs?"
Ragnarok fumed "Hay!? Do I look like a horse to you!?"
Fluttershy flinched at Ragnarok's anger "I-I'm sorry. I can make you something else if you want..." Chewing was heard, and Fluttershy noticed Crona digging into its plate hesitantly "Do you like it, Crona?"
After swallowing a bite, Crona stared at the food in awe "It's...It's delicious." Crona took another bite of the bacon after its compliment.
Ragnarok was stupified by Crona's response, then stretched down towards his own plate "Move aside, I wanna eat, too!"
Fluttershy smiled at Crona, then looked at Ragnarok after realizing something "Ummm, Ragnarok? How can you eat without a mouth?"
Ragnarok turned to Fluttershy "I do have a mouth. Wanna see?" He asked as a large mouth formed under his face; There was large teeth, a long tongue, and some drool to symbolize the growth's hunger. The sight alone had nearly traumatized Fluttershy, especially when he lapped up the food on his plate with his tongue and chewed loudly.
When Crona was finished, it heaved a content sigh and turned to Fluttershy "Thank you for the food. I'm sorry for bothering you."
Fluttershy trotted over to Crona and gave a light nuzzle "Don't worry, you haven't bothered me at all. I'm just glad you're well fed..." She paused "Fed..." Fluttershy gasped "Oh my goodness! I have to finish feeding the animals!" She hissed before turning to Crona "Can you please stay inside for a moment? I need to go take care of the animals outside."
Crona stared before nodding "Um...O-Okay..." Fluttershy quicky darted out of the front door after leaving the two behind. Crona stared the door before looking down 'She's really nice. Definitely like Miss Marie...' While it sat down, anxiety began to rise within Crona 'I don't get it...Why am I here? Why am I not back at Death City? What's going on!?' Crona's pupils shrank and it bared its teeth while more questions were added to its mind. A bump on its head snapped Crona out of its thoughts and looked up to see an impatient Ragnarok looming over its head "Ragnarok? What's wrong?"
Ragnarok pointed out the front door "Well don't just stand there, you idiot! Go get her!"
Crona blinked "You mean Fluttershy? But why?"
Ragnarok stared at his dish "Because I never thought I'd meet somebody who could cook better than that Tsubaki girl..." He pointed at the door again "Now get going! I want more food!"
Crona quickly nodded and hopped out of its seat, then trotted towards the door while Ragnarok chose to sink back into his host's body.
_____
Discord marched as if he were in a parade while a group of ponies and one dragon followed behind him with looks of curiousity, one of which being a pronking Pinkie Pie.
A lavender unicorn with a cutie mark containing several stars held a skeptical glance at Discord "You seem pretty happy about this." She asked as she raised an eyebrow "Something tells me you're up to something, Discord..."
Discord looked back at the unicorn with a smug smile "Am I, Twilight Sparkle? Trust me when I say that you all will be in for a treat once we reach Fluttershy's place."
A small dragon sat on Twilight's back "Did she make something she wanted to surprise us with? Or is it something else?" He asked as he tilted his head.
Discord laughed "Like Fluttershy would make a surprise!" He then caught himself with a blank stare '...Well that didn't defend my case at all...' He turned to the group and held out his claw and paw in a placating motion "What I meant to say was, this IS going to be something else, but nothing like you've ever imagined. That's why I brought you with me."
Pinkie grinned "Discord says that it's gonna be neat!"
An orange pony with a stetson frowned "Jus' as long as ya ain't yankin' our chains, we'll come with ya." She said in a southern drawl "Fluttershy seems t' trust ya, an' y'all 've been close since ya became friends."
A rainbow-maned pegasus hovered over the group with a scowl "I'll bet it's just another prank." She muttered angrily.
Discord snickered before facing the pegasus "Oh, come now, Rainbow Dash, there's no need for suspicions." His smile widened "Besides, all me and Pinkie did was wake you up with some news."
Rainbow Dash bared her teeth "With the old-fashioned 'Shaving cream on my hoof' prank!" She growled irritably.
Pinkie giggled "It was a good idea at the time! Besides, we love pranks, don't we, Dashie?"
Rainbow Dash scoffed "Whatever. Discord better be telling the truth if he knows what's good for him."
A white unicorn with a stylish purple mane trotted along with her friends "I'm certain Fluttershy sent for Discord to find us if this 'surprise' is of utmost importance. But what could it possibly be?" She asked with a curious glance.
Discord chuckled "Don't worry, everypony. Fluttershy's cottage is only a stone's throw away." He looked over to see the mentioned pegasus tending to her animals 'Wait a minute...If she's out there, then is Crona still inside?' He noticed the front door slowly open to see a set of cautious eyes peering out of it, then opening further to have Crona showing its head to look around. When its eyes fell on Discord and his group of ponies, Crona held an expression of fear before zipping back inside and slamming the door.
Twilight noticed and blinked at the gesture as they neared Fluttershy's cottage "Who was that just now?"
Discord smirked "That, Twilight, would be the surprise I've mentioned."
Pinkie's eyes glimmered with joy "No way..." She whispered in excitement. When it comes to surprises, Pinkie always enjoyed seeing a new face in Ponyville. She zipped towards Fluttershy and stopped next to her, startling her friend easily "Fluttershy, you never told us you met a new pony before! You totally have to introduce us!"
Fluttershy stared "New pony-Oh!" She turned to the door "But how did you..." She then noticed Discord grinning while waving a lion paw and sighed "Oh..." Fluttershy waited for her friends to gather and managed a smiled "Hello, everyone. I'm guessing Discord told you about our new guest?"
Twilight held up a hoof "He said it was a surprise, and we were close to thinking he was about to pull a fast one on us all."
Discord turned away and crossed his arms as he shook his head "No respect, no respect..." He muttered in mock bitterness.
Rainbow Dash landed next to Fluttershy "So who's the new pony in town, Fluttershy? You gonna show us or what?"
The orange mare looked over at the front door "Judgin' by what happened back there, Ah reckon that pony don't seem too fond o' company."
Fluttershy grinned awkwardly "Well, you see, Crona's very shy." She looked away "More shy than me actually...It actually makes me feel comfortable that there's somepony I can relate to." She said with a sincere smile.
Discord held up a claw "Or so you may think." He added in a matter-of-fact tone "Why don't you bring little Crona outside while we wait here?"
Fluttershy nodded "I suppose I could." She looked back at the animals that expected more food "Don't worry, my pretties. I'll make sure you'll all eat well. I just need to introduce somepony to my friends." Fluttershy reassured as she trotted towards the front door, opening it and going inside "Crona? Are you there?" She looked around, and then noticed Crona hiding behind the couch again. Fluttershy approached the frightful pony and gently nudged it out of its hiding place "I hope you don't mind, but my friends would like to meet you. If that's okay, I mean."
Crona fidgeted its hooves as it looked away "I-I don't wanna go out there...I'm not ready to talk."
Fluttershy smiled gently "Don't worry. My friends are just as nice as I am to you. I'm sure they'll enjoy getting to know you."
Crona looked at Fluttershy "But there are so many...I don't know how to-" It was interrupted by a hoof on its shoulder.
Fluttershy looked into Crona's eyes "Don't worry, Crona. I'll be at your side. I know you'll be able to make some friends if you just try."
Crona stared back "F-Friends?" After a moment of pause, it nodded "O-Okay...I'll try."
Fluttershy smiled "Good. Now let's go outside."
Ragnarok emerged out of Crona's back, startling both ponies "Not before you feed me first!"
Crona flinched and looked down "Oh yeah...That's what I meant to bring up to you earlier. Ragnarok really liked your food and wanted some more."
Fluttershy looked up at Ragnarok and giggled "That's very sweet of you, Ragnarok." She turned to the front door "I'll tell you what. You let Crona come outside for a bit, and later you can have plenty of food."
Ragnarok widened its strange eyes "Really?"
Fluttershy nodded "But I need you to stay in Crona's body around that time." She smiled at the rude growth "Can you do that for me?"
Ragnarok stared at Fluttershy's kind glance, then lightly groaned as he responded "Okay fine." He pointed a paw "But you better stick to your promise! I wanna see loads of food waiting for me when the time comes!"
Fluttershy smiled "I promise." She replied kindly.
Ragnarok chuckled "Looks like we got ourselves a sweet deal." He looked down at Crona "Okay, Crona, you know what to do. You better not louse this up!" Ragnarok warned as he sunk back into Crona's body.
Fluttershy winced "Oh my...Doesn't that hurt?"
Crona looked down "...It used to, but I've learned to deal with it."
Fluttershy stared at Crona for a moment and thought to herself 'Where could Crona have come from?? Could it be from a far away place?' She said as she mulled over how Ragnarok was inside its body. Deciding to go over it at a later time, Fluttershy guided Crona out the front door as she took point. When they stepped into the sunlight, however, she noticed how Crona had expertly hid itself behind her "Oh, Crona, you don't have to do that..." She received a whimper in response, then sighed as Fluttershy trotted along, dealing with the fact that Crona had made her seem as sociable and open as Pinkie Pie.
When she reached her friends, they all looked confused when they saw Fluttershy standing with Crona hiding behind her "Everypony..." She stopped and looked behind her, moving aside a few paces "I'd like for you to meet..." Crona amazingly mimicked her movement at the same time as it tried making itself invisible to the others "Oh dear..." She moved towards the opposite direction and received the same results. Fluttershy frowned and looked behind her "Please come out. I know it isn't easy, but they wish to meet you."
Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof "Is that pony some kind of ninja?" She asked with mild sarcasm.
Pinkie grinned widely "A ninja? That's even better!"
Twilight frowned "Come on, girls, Fluttershy said that her guest is more shy than she was." She rubbed her chin with a thougthful glance "Come to think of it, is that even possible?" Twilight asked.
Fluttershy ignored Twilight's question and turned around to where she faced Crona "Remember, I'm at your side. You can do this." She received a reluctant nod before succeeding in revealing Crona to her friends. It was expected that the frightful pony did not make eye contact as it stood next to Fluttershy "Everypony, I'd like for you all to meet Crona."
Before Crona could speak, Pinkie was found in front of it "Hi there, Crona!" Crona yelped and backed away from the eager pony as she continued "My name's Pinkie Pie. It's so nice to meet a new face here in Ponyville! Where are you from? What's your special talent?"
Fluttershy interrupted Pinkie's rambling with a pleading frown "Pinkie, I know you like to meet new ponies, but could you show some restraint with Crona?"
Pinkie smiled "Okie Dokie Loki!" Her smile vanished as she gazed at Crona "There's something that bothers me, though..." Fluttershy and Crona were both unsettled by Pinkie's response. She took a step forward and squinted her eyes at Crona, adding more unease to the frightful pony. Her eyes nearly bore into Crona's soul as she spoke up...
"Are you a stallion or a mare?"
There was a lavish and awkward silence around the group that was broken by a snickering Discord. Pinkie drew herself back and scratched at her head "I know I shouldn't ask this, but it's so hard to tell with you. Could you tell us, please? Because I'm having so much trouble right now!"
Before Crona could speak, the white unicorn huffed "For the love of Celestia, Pinkie Pie, couldn't you be more mindful of poor Crona?" She trotted up to the frightful pony and smiled at it "Clearly, this one is a mare. Can't you tell by her delicate frame and her demure background?" The unicorn placed a hoof on her chest "Good afternoon, Crona. Allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Rarity, and let me tell you that it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintence."
When Rarity finished, the orange mare frowned "Now wait just a cotton pickin' minute. How can we be sure that stallion's a mare jus' because he looks feminine?" She pointed a hoof at Crona "That boy's 'bout as skinny as a rail!" The orange mare approached the frightful pony and examined its features up close "Not t' mention he don't really seem all that much of a mare once ya get a good look at his eyes." She said as she tipped her stetson in greeting "Howdy there, partner. Th' name's Applejack. Nice t' meet ya!"
Crona inched away from Applejack and looked away "H-Hello..." It mumbled feebly.
Rainbow Dash hovered over Crona and examined it from above "You know, AJ, I kinda see where Rarity's coming from. When was the last time you've ever seen a stallion act like that?" She asked as she pointed a hoof at Crona, who crouched towards the ground when it noticed Rainbow Dash above it.
Fluttershy frowned in concern "Oh dear. Please, girls, give Crona some room." She pleaded her friends. Fluttershy was happy when they complied to her request.
Twilight hummed to herself after thinking over her friends' assumptions on Crona's gender "You know, girls, maybe there's a reason Crona's gender is hard to tell." The others turned to her as she continued "I know you all have your opinions, but don't you think that maybe Crona's androgynous?"
Rainbow Dash stared "Can you repeat that, please? We don't exactly speak 'egghead' over here." She quipped as she tried to process Twilight's information.
Twilight shot Rainbow Dash a look before she took a deep breath and continued "What I'm saying is, Crona's gender could very well be unspecified. We all might have our assumptions of gender, but we may end up being wrong about it in the future."
Discord smiled "I happen to know Crona's gender..." He said, drawing the attention of the others.
Rainbow Dash glided towards Discord with a skeptical glance "Oh really? Then what is Crona?" She asked inquisitively.
Discord shifted his eyes "Well, the thing is..." He paused for dramatic effect before hovering into the air with his arms spread out "I'm not telling~!" He said in a singsong tone, agitating the pegasus in front of him.
Twilight shook her head at Discord's antics "Dismissing the unneeded prank, it's best not to go so far as to assuming Crona's gender from the get-go."
Rarity frowned "Now, Twilight, who's to claim that Crona has an unknown gender? I'm most certain that she's a mare."
Applejack piped up "An' Ah'm most certain Crona's just a small stallion."
Pinkie grinned "Why not both?" She asked obliviously. Rarity and Applejack both shared dumbfounded glances towards the party pony that demanded an explanation for her question "Maybe Crona's both a stallion AND a mare."
The small dragon hopped off of Twilight's back and waddled up to Crona "Why don't we ask Crona?" He smiled up at the mentioned pony "Hi there. I'm Spike." The dragon introduced as he held out a claw.
Crona stared down at Spike in silence. The more it stared, the more it felt an unneeded familiarity from the purple dragon. As Crona stared, the memories pooled in its mind, and its eyes widened as it whimpered before backing away.
Spike looked confused "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" He noticed Crona quickly hide behind Fluttershy as it shivered profusely "Oh, come on. I'm not that scary!" He paused before examining himself "Am I?"
Fluttershy looked back at Crona, whose eyes were widened with fear as it took solace hiding behind the timid pegasus. She was confused about Crona's actions herself 'I don't get it...Why would Crona be afraid of Spike?'
End of Chapter 3
Poor Crona. Spike is bringing back bad memories. Crona is one of the characters from the show that is easy to feel sorry for because of his life under Medusa's care(or lack of care).
Does Crona's fear of Spike have anything at all to do with Crona and the "Black Dragon"? Or is it because Medusa forced him to succumb to madness and kill the baby dragon while he was locked in his cell?
images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090709225558/souleater/images/7/72/Black_Dragon.jpg
OR
fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/116/a/0/soul_eater_baby_dragon_poster_by_dragonstalker0713-d3eyvqg.jpg
(This is the only picture I could find of the baby dragon)
2710134 Well ya got me
th00.deviantart.net/fs71/200H/i/2012/265/a/d/discord_shrug_by_xxkawaiibananaxx-d5flebl.png
Amazing story, I don't usually read cross-overs, but once I saw this one I had to read it.
By the way, we need Excaliber to meet Pinkie Pie at some point and time.
This story has been read by 3 FOOLS who disliked it, keep up the good work.
........ I like this alot!
2710354 If you want Excalibur, please turn to this story
Aww
I actually remember that episode- poor Spike brings bad memories to Crona..
Can't wait to get past Crona's introductions to everypony... Wonder how they'll react to Ragnarok
2710134 I don't know if he is following the manga, or the anime, or both because of the gender issue.
But in the manga it was 3 little bunnies instead of the dragon, which is in the anime.
I'm going to assume it was your first guess because he didn't really react to all the bunnies around the cottage.
2710385
well lets see...
rarity will faint of course
twilight will freak out about what she will think of as a talking growth.
applejack or dash will attack ragnarok at first
and pinkie will stay calm (in pinkies case) and say hi to him!
I knew when Crona would meet Spike he/she would be reminded of "The little one".
excellent story.
2710107
Which is only made worse by the fact that Medusa was his/her mother.
2710134
I think it would depend on Anime or Manga, because I think in the latter, The Little One was a bunny that Crona was forced to kill. It was made a dragon in the anime
2710533 She gave birth to him. By Maka's definition(If I remember it right), I don't think she counts as his mother by the way she treats him.
2710371
......
That exists?
I start reading one story and adds 2 to the list, yay!
Edit:
Scratch that, from reading one story to reading all your stories written and to come.
I don't understand the dragon bit, but still a great chapter. They really can't tell Crona's gender? Hahaha!
Question manga or anime crona? Cause they kinda diverge.. To you know.. One becoming fairly good.. The other well... You know..
2711947 Read the comments
2712277 Thank you very much
ermagerd
dont stop!
2712575
When ragnarok sees spike....
2712496
Blasphemy!
*sing song voice*
Fluttterrrrrshyyyyyy
On another note, so many references to the actual show, i'm actually rewatching it right now ^_^
You know how much you impressed me?
I hate crossovers
<- ->
this much (arrow to arrow in respective directions)
But i like yours ^_^
2711734 In the anime (And possibly manga, haven't read it yet) Medusa wanted Crona to kill a small dragon that was dark purple or something in color.
aw so much better! crona is in character! Ragnorok is in character! Discord is in character! Pinkie is slightly out of character because by now she'd know how to meet more timid ponies without freaking them out. But for most part in character. Then Rarity's in character! Twilight's still a nerd! Rainbow's in character! Applejack's in character! Spike's in character!
Actually why is Crona afraid of spike?
I don't remember that part. is it because he's small like ragnorok? Meh I guess I'll find out next chapter.
Detail still needs a bit of work, but it's becoming bearable and way less noticeable.
Actually liking this a lot, especially keeping Crona's gender unspecified, because the anime says girl, and manga says guy.
As for those wondering why Crona is afraid of Spike, Spike reminds Crona of the "Little One", a small dragon.
2721934 I believe it's vice versa for the anime and manga
2722072 Really? Could have sworn in the anime, Medusa said that Crona was her daughter. Oh well, it would be a nice incentive to go and watch it again.
2722246 Medusa always referred to Crona as 'My child', never really specifying Crona's gender
I love how you so expertly manage for everyone to be in character. Your take on the reformed Discord, for example, is probably the best take on the character I've seen so far in a Fimfic. That is the Discord I want to see in season 4.
Expertly done, old bean. Have a mustache, and my humble favorite.
2722650 I have searched for approximately half an hour on KYM's Reaction Face gallery, and there is no way to describe how much I agree with you. Consider that a testament to how AWESOME this is!
The anime calls Crona both genders. Girl if the language is Japanese and boy if it's in English. The Crona in this fic speaks English. He is a boy! Your arguements are invalid!
3273032 I reject your reality and substitute my own
spike is a baby dragon like the one crona killed
I believe Crona is a guy.
My theory, is that Crona's gender is 'Murica.
5056618 Fuck yeah
5056618 no it goes like this MURICALLLLL!
I think pinkie is the only right one about the gender. Both, I mean it's very possible with the black blood being able to change it's shape, it could probably let chrona be either one heshe wants. I don't feel right calling chrona an it because heshe is a person.
6317826 then use shi and hir
Mother fucking Discord with his mother fucking knowledge and shit...
To be honest, I thought Crona was a chick. No guy but Natsu has pink hair. Plus, Crona sounds like a chick. High pitched, soft voice... Eh.
Because of Spike's reptilian eyes, he reminds them of Medusa.