A Crafter's Dream (Discontinued)

Chapters

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 3: Waking Nightmares [Revised]
A Crafter's Dream: Recollections
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 4: Quite a Shock
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 5: Of Hard-Fought Melons and Underdogs
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 6: Beyond Reality
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 7: Lightning Does Strike Twice
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 8: Only a Minor Setback
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 9: One in a Million
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 10: The Talk
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 11: Just Checking In
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 12: Bad Impressions
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 13: Lost and Found (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 14: Lost and Found (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 15: Lost and Found (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 16: Winter Amends
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 17: First Meetings, Once Again
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 18: Sin Runs Deeper
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 19: In the Dark of the Night
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 21: Plans and Connections
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 22: Running
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 23: Just Roll With It
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 24: Revelations
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 25: Pale and White
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 26: Thanks for the Nightmares
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 27: One Un-simple Jump
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 28: A Queen's Terror (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 29: A Queen's Terror (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 30: A Queen's Terror (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 31: A Queen's Fall (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 32: A Queen's Fall (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 33: Trial by Fire (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 35: The Monster Inside
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 36: Going Under
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 37: Divide and Conquer
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 38: Getting Back Up
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 39: A Journey's End (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 40: A Journey's End (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 41: A Journey's End (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 42: Aftermath
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 43: Cause and Effect
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 44: Escape from Canterlot (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream: 100k words/1000th Comment Special
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 45: Escape from Canterlot (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 46: When Two Suns Meet
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 47: Going Home
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 48: Making Amends (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 49: Making Amends (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 50: Making Amends (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 51: Introductions
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 52: Catching Up
A Crafter's Dream: Special Chapter (Endings)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 54: Retribution (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 55: Retrieved
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 56: Bugging Out
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 57: Meeting the People (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 58: Meeting the People (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 59: Meeting the People (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 60: Subdued (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 61: Subdued (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 62: New Arrival (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 63: New Arrival (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 64: The King Without a Crown (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 65: The King Without a Crown (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 66: Playing Catch-Up (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 67: Playing Catch-Up (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 68: Heading Out
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 69: Heading In
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 70: Extreme Makeover Minecraft Edition (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 71: Extreme Makeover Minecraft Edition (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 72: A Family Reunion (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 73: A Family Reunion (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 74: A Whole New World (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 76: A Whole New World (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 77: Red Tape
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 78: Reparations
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 79: Square 1
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 80: The Truth Comes Out
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 81: Finishing up
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 83: Cloudsdale (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 84: Cloudsdale (Part 3)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 85: The Competition
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 86: Freefalling
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 87: She won...
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 88: A Dog's Day
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 89: Talking it Out (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 90: Talking it Out (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 91: History
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 92: Who he was...
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 93: Premonition
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 94: A Three-sided Coin (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 95: A Three-sided Coin (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 96: Transit
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 97: Dark Interlude
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 98: Working Together (Part 1)
A Crafter's Christmas
Bye
A Crafter's Dream Synopsis: Part 2
Old Times Sake
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 1: In and Out Again (Part 1) [Revised]
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 2: In and Out Again (Part 2) [Revised]
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 20: A New Face
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 34: Trial by Fire (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 53: Retribution (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 75: A Whole New World (Part 2)
A Crafter's Dream Ch. 82: Cloudsdale (Part 1)
A Crafter's Dream: Synopsis Part 1

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 3: Waking Nightmares [Revised]

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

A Crafter's Dream: Recollections

Steve slowly walked, stifling the groans of pain formed from the wounds that littered his body. Normally, a healing potion would be enough to still his agony, but unfortunately, he had no healing or regeneration potions on his person and while his natural mending was healing his injuries, it did nothing to dull the pain.

Soon, the sand beneath his feet changed to grass and dirt. Looking up, Steve’s heart gave a leap of joy as his home came into to view. It was a the equivalent of a small mansion of three floors, not including the basement Steve had added a while back for storage. It was all comprised of oak planks and logs, with big glass windows, while the bottom floor was comprised of cobblestone to combat wildfires. A large stone chimney was still billowing smoke.

Coming to his front door, he gently pushed it open, walking inside, then closing it behind him. Letting a groan escape his lips, he sank to his knees, then collapsed to the floor. A squeak of fear came from his right, followed by a frantic, sloshing shuffling that quickly approached his spot. Something grabbed Steve’s shoulder.

Opening his eyes, he saw Hank, his resident snow golem, vigorously shaking his shoulder with his wooden limbs. Hank let out a long series of squeaks. Steve’s ears picked up the sound of heavy thudding, and a metallic moan. He found himself being picked up by none other than Bert, the iron golem. Steve’s gaze landed on Berts, and he internally winced at the usually expression-less face, filled with worry. Giving him a pained smile, Steve gently patted Berts iron arm as his consciousness slowly began slipping away and darkness greeted him.

* * * * *

Steve slashed his sword down, cutting the zombie down. Turning, he barely had time to dodge an arrow from a skeleton before an arrow found itself burrowed in it’s skull, causing it to collapse.

“That’s what I call getting the point!” a voice from behind Steve called out. Giving a sigh of exasperation, Steve turned to his companion, giving him a deadpan expression.

“Point? Really? I swear, Shef, your puns are getting worse and worse the longer we’re out here.” Steve admonished, while sideswiping an attacking spider.

“So, as long as I’m kicking, the puns will continue.” Shef responded, firing an arrow that caught a zombie right between the eyes.

“Yeah, yeah.”, Steve conceded. Taking a quick look into his inventory, Steve grinned. “Hey, Shef, got my quota, how about you?” Firing off another arrow, Shef opened up his inventory. After a few moments, he grinned as well.

“Got more than enough! What do you say, we head back to town?”

“You know it! Last one there’s a spider eye!” Steve yelled, already running off in the direction of home. However, his blood turned to ice as he heard a loud hiss and a cry of surprise and pain.

Whirling around, Steve’s gaze locked on the black spider that was chomping down on Shef’s arm. Pulling out his sword, Steve ran and swung his sword, the blade cutting into the spider's face, knocking it onto it’s back. Before it could react, Steve raised his blade, then slammed it down into it’s soft underbelly. It gave one final hiss, then stopped moving, dead.

Steve had barely gotten to his feet when two things happened at almost the same time. One, he heard something, a soft sizzle, almost like a steak cooking in a furnace. Second, Shef let out a loud, “OH SHIT!!”, before a loud explosion knocked Steve off his feet. He flew forward, whirling head over heels before slamming into something hard and he lost consciousness.

When he awoke, it was still dark. Groaning, he shakily stood, rubbing his head, Looking around, he saw a large crater in the middle of the clearing they were in.

“Creeper.”, Steve muttered to himself. “So that’s what that sizzle was. Wait, Shef!!”

Frantically searching around, he eventually found Shef’s prone form, laying on his stomach. Rolling him over, Steve his hand under Shef’s nose, trying to feel any form of breathing.

For one slow, agonizing, heart-bursting moment, there was nothing.

Then Steve felt a small puff of air, causing him to give a sigh of relief. He was still alive, just knocked out.

Getting up, he picked Shef up, then laid him over his shoulder. Pulling out his sword, he slowly began to make his trek back, being careful of his fragile cargo.

* * * * *

Steve’s lungs were pumping, but refused to stop due to his seemingly infinite stamina, which was good, because he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. His friends lives depended on it.

Leaping over a fallen log, he yelled to his companions.

“Just a little bit further everyone!! We’ll be there soon!” They all gave tired sighs of acknowledgement, but continued on. Not much longer, their destination came into view.

It was a large facility. Comprised of stone, cobblestone and obsidian, Bunker Sam was designed to keep intruders out. Unfortunately for Steve and his group, they didn’t have much choice in the matter, since Lily had been captured and taken there by The Militia. Not only her, but as they had found out, dozens of other crafters had been kidnapped for work and manual labor.

As they neared, one of the group members, John was his name, announced his concern.

“Wouldn’t stealth be a much safer option?”

“Under normal circumstances, no! That place is gonna blow soon, So we need to get in fast! Remember, stick to the plan, and everything should be…!?”

Steve was cut off as an earth-shattering explosion shook the very ground they stood on. Eyes wide, he looked in shock as explosions ripped through the various buildings, fire and smoke already billowing into the sky.

The group stopped, staring in horror at the catastrophe happening before their eyes.

“LIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!”, Steve screamed, his cry echoing out into the night, as he ran towards the fires and the screams, his group following close behind.

* * * * *

Steve fell to his knees, his warm blood dripping onto the warm floor, mixing with the tears that fell. All he could do was look around, staring at the death, destruction, the bodies. He couldn’t comprehend it. It couldn’t be true.

He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't respond, simply, kneeling on the nether brick floor, a disgusting, blood/tear mixture forming at his knees.

“I’m sorry.”, came a voice from behind him. “I didn’t realize that you… “, the voice trailed off.

A hand fell on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Steve didn't respond, choosing instead to sob, falling onto his hands. Silence reigned for a while, save for the burning of distant fires and Steve’s choked sobs.

Eventually, the voice spoke again.

“My time is fading. As much as it pains me to do this, I must leave.” The footsteps start receding.

“Tell me,” Steve spoke, “is there something after this life? Will I ever see them again?”

Silence for a moment. And then.

“Yes. When your time comes, you’ll see your friends and family again.”

Then silence.

* * * * *

Steve sat up, panting heavily. Looking around, he saw he was back in his house in the Everfree forest. Sighing, he laid back in his bed, rubbing his face. Steadying his breathing, he shifted the blanket, and fell back asleep, his soft snores soon filling the small home.

Author's Note

This should give a small bit of background into Steve's previous life, while not revealing too much. Not yet.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 4: Quite a Shock

Author's Note

Hi, how y'all doing today. Fun Fact: A group of crows is called a murder, but a group of humans is called a throng. The more ya know. And I know I haven’t been presenting the characters as I should, but I only barely started watching the show, so it’s a work in progress. Don’t sue me.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 4: Quite a Shock

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Rumble, rumble, rumble. Steve’s ears picked up the distant, but ever-growing sound. Quirking an eyebrow, he snapped his journal shut and shoved in his inventory, turning his gaze in the direction he heard the noise from. His eyes were immediately met with a rising cloud of dust.

Donning a look of confusion, he scooched closer to the edge of the town hall’s roof, eyes squinting to see what was causing the cloud as it approached. As it drew nearer, he began to make out details.

“Is that… cows? Oh, it's a…!”

“STAMPEDE!!!”

Steve flinched backwards at the unbearably loud scream, putting one hand over his ear as he scowled in the direction where the scream had come from. Shaking his head, he got to his feet, ready to jump in and impede the stampede (heh). However, it became apparent that any action on his part was unnecessary, as a pony Steve recognized, AJ or something, if his memory was correct, was suddenly running alongside the herd, shouting loudly at the herd. On the opposite side, a small brown and white dog was running along side, barking excessively. Much to Steve’s surprise, the unlikely duo managed to stop the stampede. It was moments later that Steve, as he watched, learned a horrible, terrible truth.

Cows were sentient beings. AJ was currently talking to the cows about something, probably about why they were running amok, and they were responding. And the realization Steve had moments later made him stare blankly into space as his thoughts took over.

“They are sentient beings. I can’t and won’t kill sentient creatures unless they wish to kill me, and those cows are definitely thinking beings. Well, looks like beef’s off the list. I can live with that. Hopefully pigs and chicken aren’t in the same boat”

(As he finds out later, they are, in fact, “in the same boat”)

He looked down on the slowly dispersing crowd, watching as they celebrated, and heard their talk of holding a town-wide presentation for some award, honestly, he stopped listening. Returning to his thoughts, he contemplated his actions when the stampede was about to reach the town. This was the town that had quite literally ran him out. He didn’t owe them a thing. But despite that, he was about to jump right in, no cares about anything else.

“Heh, guess old habits die hard.” he chuckled, laying his head against the roof. His small smile slowly turned into a frown. He stared into the sky, glaring at nothing. Gritting his teeth, he let out an irritated sigh.

“Why did they never even give me a chance?” he muttered angrily to himself. “They took one look at me and decided that I was a monster. Why!? What did I do to them!?”

Taking a deep breath to calm his gathering rage, he eventually found the anger dispersing.

“Nevermind. Screw it. I’m heading in early.” Getting up, he equipped his fishing rod and began to make his way out of town. That was his plan, at least. By the time he was out of town and almost to the forest his invisibility had worn out. He didn’t bother replacing it. At this point, the only pony he had to worry about was that striped pony that lived in the Everfree, the potion master. She talked to herself in rhymes, which annoyed Steve to no end whenever he saw her. Luckily for him, she didn’t know he existed, as far as he knew, so no issues there.

Suddenly, Steve had the feeling he was being watched. Turning his head to the side, his heart immediately started racing at what his gaze came across.

To his utter shock, a yellow pony with probably the pinkest mane in existence, second only to the Pink Demon, stood only a few feet to his left, her cyan blue eyes widened in terror as the sight of, presumably, him. She didn’t move, apparently frozen in fear.

Thinking fast, Steve did the first thing that came to mind. He lifted one hand and waved, while grinning a nervous grin. The effect was immediate. Upon seeing that he was friendly, the pony greeted him and invites him inside for tea. And thus that was how Steve made his first friend in this world.

…

Yeah, that wasn't very believable, was it? In actuality, the mare instead fainted and collapsed muzzle first into the dirt. Steve flinched slightly at the thud and sighed. Looking at the prone pony, Steve sighed, then proceeded to continue walking, not willing to bother with the mare.

“She’ll be fine. No doubt, someone will be along soon enough and …?” Steve stopped, as the light over his head was very suddenly snuffed out, shadowing him.

“Wait a minute.” Steve muttered quietly to himself. The next moment, he heard a crackle that sounded dreadenly familiar. Then, his nerves erupted in pain, as electricity shot through him, snaking its way to every inch of his body, making him let out a scream of agonizing pain.
Heavy Damage Received - 10 damage. 10 Health remaining.

Steve fell to his knees, mouth open in a wordless scream, his voice cutting out. He then collapsed to the floor, the electrocution having overwhelmed him and nearly knocked him unconscious.

“Hah, I got the ape! Knocked him clean out!”, a familiar, raspy voice sounded out from above him. Even with his still-recovering senses, Steve could hear the sound of hoof-steps to his right, slowly coming around. He groaned, still awake, struggling past the slowly fading pain. His efforts were rewarded by a buck to his side, sending him rolling.
Damage Received - 3 Damage. 7 Health remaining.
Crying out in pain, Steve rolled onto his back, huffing out tremulous breaths.
“Hah, not so tough now, are you?”, Rainbow Dash boasted, a smirk present on her muzzle.
“Fuck you.” Pant, pant. “Bitch.”, Steve managed to get out. Her smirk fell, as did the hoof she raised, smacking Steve across the face. Hard.
Damage Received - 1 Damage. 6 Health remaining.
“Watch your mouth, you stupid ape!”, she snarled.
“Make me.” Steve muttered out, the pain nearly gone. Just a little more. Her frown deepened, and her hoof raised, ready for another hit. Just as it came down, Steve, quick as he could, reached out his arm, and gripped her leg.
“My turn.” He stated darkly. Her eyes widened.
Square: Smash
Whirling, he slammed the pegasus into the floor, then let go as he shot to his feet.
Square (Hold): Uppercut
X: Jump
Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick
Just as Rainbow Dash had gotten back to her feet, Steve caught her right in the chin with a vicious uppercut. In mid-air, he leapt up, then hit her with a roundhouse kick, sending her right back into the dirt. Landing in a crouch, Steve put his hand to his mouth and coughed hoarsely, making him double over a bit. Spitting out a bit of blood that had collecting, he wiped his mouth.
As he did so, Rainbow Dash groaned, getting back on her hooves. Upon seeing her adversary still up, she growled, readied herself, then launched herself at Steve.
Square: Punch
Before she could dodge, Steve clocked her in the muzzle, sending her flying away and landing on her back. Steve readied himself for another fight. And waited. And waited.
After a few moments of waiting and the mare not moving, Steve started hesitantly moving over to her. When he reached her, he expected a surprise attack, or something, but nothing. He knelt down and pressed a finger to her neck.
“Hmm, still has a pulse.”, Steve muttered to himself. She was just knocked out, much like she’d tried to do to him earlier. Sighing, he stood.
L1 (Hold): Potion Select: Healing Potion (Level 1)
Health Restored - 6 points. 12 Health remaining.
Gulping down the red liquid, he felt the oh-so familiar warmth fill his chest, healing the injuries he’d sustained. Pocketing the bottle, he looked at the unconscious mare. Sighing and grumbling to himself, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Walking over to the cottage, he stopped to pick up the other unconscious pegasus, tucking her under his shoulder, before stepping into the cottage. (Hey, the door was unlocked!)
Upon entering the cottage, he was greeted by the sight of dozens upon dozens of animals. Like, there was so many, it was straight up ridiculous. There were birds and dogs and cats and deer. There was a freaking bear in the back. Steve felt lucky it didn’t straight up attack him. Without a word, Steve gently laid the yellow mare on the couch, then unceremoniously dropped Rainbow Dash onto the floor. With that, Steve left, muttering a half-hearted “Your welcome.” before leaving the cottage and closing the door behind him.

* * * * *

Closing the door to his home behind him, Steve let out a sigh as he collapsed against the door, slowly sliding to the floor. Getting to his feet, went over to one of his chest, grabbing some supplies to brew up some healing potions. Upon looking inside, he was shocked at how low his supplies were getting. Only three glistering melons remained, and the blaze powder, used to brew strength potions and power brewing stands, was almost non-existent, at a whopping total of 1. He face-palmed, silently reprimanding himself for never packing for long trips.
Sighing, walked over to his bed, eager to rest his aching body.
“I need supplies.”

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 5: Of Hard-Fought Melons and Underdogs

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Steady. Steady.” Steve muttered to himself, trying his best to not let the hook of his fishing rod waiver. It gently lowered, it’s target, a bag of melons, directly below it. He slowly reeled it down, trying to hook one of the handles, but even the mildest breeze or slightest movement would throw him off course.

“C’mon, c’mon. Nearly there.” Just as the hook had nearly latched the handle, a slight puff of wind knocked it away again, making him groan in frustration.

“Seriously, it’d be easier to just to grow my own freaking melons. Rather that than this bullshit.” he growled. Steadying himself, he tried again, lowering the hook level with the bag. Then, ever-so-gently, he hooked the side of the brown paper bag.

“Yes!”, he exclaimed in victory. Then he proceeded to pull up the bag.

Riiiippp!!

Only for the paper bag to rip under the weight, spilling the melons onto the floor.

“Son of a..!”

“Hey, who’s there!? You best not be messing with my melons!” His yell was cut short as the pony running the fruit stand Steve was perched upon came running back. Steve quickly put away his fishing rod, and shuffled back, hopeful that the mare hadn’t seen him, even though he was already under the effects of a Invisibility Potion. Fortunately, it seemed she’d just missed him.

She looked down the street, both ways. She then grunted and started picking up her fallen fruits, throwing out the now-worthless bag, and piled the melons on the table. Muttering to herself, she swiftly plopped herself behind the table.

On top of the stand, Steve laid back and gave a quiet sigh. He’d had one chance at getting those melons and the freaking bag ripped. Face-palming, he contemplated what to do next, when he heard voices below him.

“Umm, excuse me, Green Hoof.”, Steve didn’t recognize that voice.

“What can I do for you?”, the melon mare, Green Hoof, as Steve had just found out, responded.

“I don’t want to bother you, but what’s that large indent on the roof of your stand?” At those words, Steve’s eyes widened. He’d been so focused on getting the melons, he’d forgotten he was leaving a rather large impression in the canvas ceiling of the stand. It really shouldn’t been a shock that he was noticed, but at the time, it caught him off guard.

D-pad Left: Fishing Rod

Quickly pulling out his fishing rod, he immediately cast in the random direction, waiting for for the hook to latch.

“Wait, what the…?” Green Hoof started.

“NOPE!!!”, Steve interrupted her once the string went taut, quickly yanking on the rod, pulling himself away from the scene.

“NOT TODAY, BITCHES!!!”, his invisible form called out as he sailed through the air, leaving two very confused and slightly insulted mares behind.

* * * * *

Gripping another tile, Steve hoisted himself up, eventually poking his face above the crest of the roof. Looking around, he found his target, Green Hoof’s stand, directly across the street. Hooking his elbows over the ridge, he noticed that Green Hoof herself was busy doing something in the back of her stand, meaning she wasn’t looking at her melons.

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod.

Equipping his fishing rod, he pulled back, then cast the hook, hoping his aim was true. The hook flew across the road, and landed on the table of her stand with a dull thunk. Sighing, Steve reeled in the rod, then tried again, this time the hook bouncing off the paper bag full of melons. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Steve reeled in again and aimed, before casting the hook once more, hoping of a latch.

For some miraculous twist of fate, the hook caught on the handle of the bag, somehow without gaining the attention of Green Hoof. Stifling a cry of victory, Steve immediately began reeling in his prize, dragging the bag off the table, across the road, and slowly up towards the roof where he lay.

It was for the millionth time now that Steve thanked whatever deity existed that the ponies were very oblivious, as not a single one of them ever saw what was occuring, nor if they did, say anything.

Suddenly, the string stopped reeling. Quirking an eyebrow, Steve looked up and saw, much to his chagrin, the string had gotten stuck under one of the roof tiles. Sighing, he quickly jammed the rod into the roof to keep it still, then started to climb the roof towards the rouge tile.

“Huh, wonder who left these here?” The voice came out of nowhere, followed by, to Steve’s horror, the string of his fishing rod that hung over the roof bouncing slightly. Forgoing safety, Steve slid the rest of the way to the roof’s edge. The melons were gone. Looking down the street, he quickly found the culprit behind the disappearance.

A orange unicorn with a pure white mane was holding the bag of melons by her teeth, trotting along, looking all around, as if searching for something. Steve realized that she was looking for their owner.

Facepalming hard, Steve let out a frustrated sigh, falling onto his back, glaring up at the sky.

“Alright, screw this, new plan.”

* * * * *

Steve knelt in a nearby alley. Poking his head out, he looked both ways, then facepalmed, as he realized he was still invisible, then stepped out into the road.
L1 (Hold): Potion of Swiftness (Level 2)

Gulping down the teal potion, he immediately felt newfound energy fill his body, making him extremely hyperactive, bouncing on his feet. He immediately put his plan into action, taking off at incredible speeds, air rushing past his ears. In no time at all, his target came into view. There was no ponies at Green Hoof’s stand, with the exception being Green Hoof herself. And there, sitting innocently on the table, lay the melons he needed so badly.

He reached out an invisible hand, reaching out. Speeding past the stand, Steve’s hand grabbed one ripe, delicious melon. Not even thinking about stopping, he sped off, gripping his prize in both hands.

“Alright, with this over with, let’s head back.”, Steve muttered to himself as he altered his course, heading back towards home.

* * * * *

Clink. Pause. Clink. Pause. Clink. Pause. Clink. Pause. Clink, crack. Gathering the gold ore, Steve stuffed them into his inventory. Wiping the sweat that was slowly collecting on his brow, he sat back against the stone wall. Sighing, he opened his inventory to see what he’d collected.

“Alright, let’s see. 16 iron ore, 32 gold ore, 19 diamonds, 31 coal, and 2 emeralds.” That was something Steve had discovered during his first mining expedition. Ores and metals that were rare in his world, were very common in this world, and vice versa. Already Steve had a large collection of gold and diamonds. He’d discovered that other crystals also existed here, like topaz and ruby gems, but he’d failed to find any use of them, so he ignored them for now.

Closing his inventory, he stood, then started heading out. He’d been down here for a day as it was. The fact that he’d already collected a good amount of loot only cemented the decision to head back home. Climbing up the man-made stairway, he eventually found himself at a large, open area, with multiple tunnels leading in different directions, each one well lit with torches. Pulling out his journal, he quickly turned to the page he’d specifically written the directions down in, as to not get lost. As John used to say, “A lost Crafter is a dead Crafter.”

Suddenly, Steve heard the sound of slowly-nearing thudding. Shoving his book in his inventory, he whirled around, eyes quickly making contact with the source of the noise.

It was bipedal, roughly Steve’s height. It’s skin was covered in a thick gray fur, except for it’s stomach area, which had a much lighter gray colored fur. It wore a dirty brown vest on it’s torso. It’s eyes were lime green, with dark pupils, which were narrowed at him.

There was silence for a few moments, before it was broken by Steve.

“Who are you?”, he asked simply. The creature took a few moments before responding.

“Me Zeke the diamond dog. What you?”

“I’m Steve, I’m a Minecraftian, or Crafter for short. What do you want?”

“You find gems easy. Boss wants you.” Steve’s eyebrow quirked at that.

“Uh, no thanks. I’m doing fine myself, and I don’t want to work for your boss or whatever.” At Steve’s response, Zeke’s eyes narrowed more, and he stomped his left foot twice. The effect was instantaneous. As soon as his foot hit a second time, dozens of dogs, similar to Zeke, popped out of random holes and tunnels in the cave walls. Steve backed up, but to no avail, as they had completely surrounded him. His narrowed gaze went around, looking at the mass

“You no come, we make you come.” If it was a different situation, Steve would’ve chuckled at the phrasing of Zeke’s words, but right now, he had bigger priorities.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve reached over his shoulder, and gripped the handle of his sword, slowly unsheathing it. Holding it level with his side, he took comfort in the uneasy feeling emitting from the dogs now, upon seeing his weapon.

“I’m gonna give you all one chance, right now, to leave. If you do, no harm shall come to you.” This only garnered a wave of laughter from the horde, none of them taking him seriously. Sighing, he pulled back his blade, and dropped his stance.

“Remember, I gave you an out.” And with that, the fight began.

Square (Hold): Whirlwind

A small number of them immediately leapt at Steve, eager to end the fight quickly. Steve gripped his sword, then quickly spun, the flat end of the blade clobbering every single one that got close. After three rotations, Steve stopped, looked around at the dazed and unconscious dogs, then grinned at the ones that remained.

“Having second thoughts?”, he asked.

Circle: Dodge

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Steve quickly sidestepped a tackle from a rather large fellow. Whirling around, Steve landed a heavy roundhouse kick on the back of their head, knocking it out.

Circle + Square: Counter

A large spear, the tip, surprisingly, made of diamond, stabbed at Steve. He swiftly deflected the attack upward, then slammed his elbow into his aggressors stomach, causing it to curl up and fall to the ground. Steve felt something heavy slam into his back, sending him flying forward, coincidentally knocking over a few diamond dogs as he flew.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 17 health remaining.

Letting out a groan, Steve jumped to his feet, readying his sword. The horde swarmed forward, intent on beating Steve into the ground. When they were nearly upon him, when Steve hear their heavy breathing, when he could feel them only inches away, he moved.

X (Hold): Power Jump

Leaping high, he easily towered over the heads of the diamond dogs. Bringing his blade over his head, he let out a roar of determination. Then, he brought the blade down, slamming into the ground with enough force to crack the stone beneath it and sent out a shockwave that knocked every dog to the floor.

New Move Learned: X (Hold) + Square (Hold): Sword Slam.

Shakily getting to his feet, Steve grinned at the horrified faces of the dogs.

“You still want some?!!” Steve yelled. Turns out, they didn’t. All at once, they got up and ran in random directions, soon disappearing from Steve’s sight, one by one. In no time at all, they were all gone, and Steve was left alone once again.

Chucking quietly, Steve sheathed his sword, then pulled out his journal. After a quick look at the directions, Steve put the book away and was on his way home again.

* * * * *

“So, want to tell me what happened again, just slower?”, Twilight Sparkle asked Rainbow Dash as she placed an ice-pack against her friends black eye.

“I told you Twilight! It was this weird, hairless ape! It wore these raggedy clothes, and was really tough! It had a mean punch too.” Rainbow stated, gesturing to her eye.

“You said this, ape, has visited before?”

“Yeah! A week or so, before the whole Nightmare Moon incident! AJ and Rarity were there, too!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. This seemed like a very dangerous creature, one that had come back to Ponyville on multiple occasions. What should she do? Looking at the ice-pack that covered Dash’s black eye and the gauze wrapped around her barrel, she quickly made her decision.

“Spike!?” Twilight called.

“What is it, Twilight?” Spike’s asked as he walked over to the pair from the kitchen.

“I need you to take a letter.” At this, Spike nodded, then pulled a quill and paper from, somewhere, then waited for Twilight to start.

“Ahem. Dear Princess Celestia…”

Author's Note

Hey, I'm still looking for a usable replacement for blaze powder. If any of you have any ideas, please comment them.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 6: Beyond Reality

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Well, this is new.” Steve muttered to himself, looking around the dark expanse, eyes struggling to see in the darkness. Looking all around, he couldn’t make anything out, the darkness was too thick.

“Wish I had a freaking light on me.” he sighed. To his surprise, a torch appeared in his hand, cutting through the darkness. Looking in shock at the item, Steve had an idea.

“Man, I’m hungry. Wish I had a cake.” Just like before, a large, very delicious-looking cake appeared on the ground in front of him. That confirmed his theory.

“I’m in a dream”, he said aloud, looking into the emptiness the torch had revealed. “Makes sense. The last thing I remember is going to sleep. But I’ve never had dreams where I was so, lucid.” Steve waved a hand in front of his face, a look of confusing present on his face.

Footsteps. Steve whirled around, instinctively reaching over his shoulder for a sword that wasn’t there. Giving a sigh of frustration, Steve called out.

“I wish I had a sword.” Nothing. “Oh come on!! You were working earlier!” Steve yelled angrily. Sighing, Steve swapped the torch to his left hand, freeing up his dominant hand. Then he waited, listening to the footsteps as they drew closer, eyes searching for the owner.

Soon, something started making its way out of the darkness. What it was made Steve’s heart stop and his blood go cold.

It was bipedal, and exactly Steve’s height. It wore a ragged and torn blue shirt and dark jeans. Scars ran up every inch of skin this thing exposed. It eyes, though. Those were what scared Steve. They were pure, glowing white. They lit up the darkness. It was this single factor that sent a chill down his spine. There was only one creature in the world that looked like that.

“Herobrine.”

The figure stopped moving when Steve spoke, now standing only a short distance away. The figure stood still, staring eerily looking at Steve, not uttering a word. The two looked at each other, silence reigning.

“What do you want Herobrine!!?”, Steve yelled angrily, pulling back his fist and getting into a defensive stance. In response, he disappears. Steve immediately whirled around, expecting the white, soulless eyes to be there. But they weren’t.

“You wish for a chance.”, spoke a deep, gravelly voice. Steve’s head snapped to the left, where the voice had come from. Nothing.

“You will never get one.” The voice came from his right. Steve whirled around, only to see that there was still nothing there. Growling, Steve tightened the grip on the torch.

“You are a monster in their eyes. A beast. They are correct.”, the voice taunted.

“Shut up!!” Steve yelled, his voice was quickly smothered by the darkness. Eyes looking all around, he started slowly backing up, hands shaking slightly.

“You know you don’t deserve redemption. Not after everything you’ve done.” Steve felt his back hit something solid. His stomach dropped. Slowly turning, hie gaze was met by the burning white light from Herobrine’s eyes. Suddenly, Steve felt all the air sucked out of his lungs, like he was drowning. He couldn’t move.

The light grew, soon overcoming the darkness, cutting out all of Steve’s senses. There was a single thought that ran through his head, which quickly formed into a single word that left his lips.

“No.”

Steve felt his body loosen and the drowning feeling leave. He could move again. Backing away, he shook his head, clearing it. Looking up, he saw Herobrine. His eyes had dimmed slightly. He stood in a slightly hunched position, as if in pain.

Square: Punch

Taking advantage, Steve growled, stepped forward and punched his opponent hard in the face. Herobrine stumbled back, seemingly unable to fight back.

Square: Punch

“I may be a monster!” Steve yelled, laying a haymaker to Herobrine’s cheek. “I may not deserve redemption!”

Square: Punch

Another punch. “But I sure as hell won’t stop trying. Those ponies can hate me for all their worth!”

Square (Hold): Uppercut

Steve uppercutted his enemy, knocking Herobrine to the floor. He knelt next to him, bringing up his fists.

“But I’ve got a promise to keep. And I always keep my promises.” As soon as Steve brought his fists down, Herobrine exploded in a blast of light. Steve’s vision went white as he knew no more.

* * * * *

Steve’s eyes fluttered, then opened, only for them to squint at the bright light. Slapping a hand to his face, he wiped his eyes, then sat up. Looking all around, Steve found himself in the middle of a large, grassy field. Sparse trees jutted from the ground. Getting to his feet, he started walking, eyes looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“I’m probably still in a dream. There’s no way I’d fall asleep outside in the middle of nowhere.”, he muttered. Suddenly, Steve felt his stomach clench and his heart began to race. Whirling around, he saw something very strange.

The sky had darkened slightly. Then, before his very eyes, the sky rippled like it had turned to water. It was slow at first, then it progressively got more and more intense. Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and a flash of light, causing Steve to cover his eyes. When he looked, to his horror, a familiar being had appeared, one he’d fought a while back. Ducking behind a nearby tree, his narrowed gaze followed the horse as she slowly descended. It was when she finally touched the ground when he realized she looked different from he last fought her.

Her fur wasn’t black anymore. Instead, it was a dark, midnight blue. (Yes, there’s a difference!) She didn’t have her armor, with the exception of her weird, metal boots. Her astral mane seemed different, but Steve couldn't figure out why. Her eyes, however, those caught his attention. The cruelty and malice was gone, replaced with a calm and collectiveness he’d never seen before. In all honesty, that scared him a bit. He’d rather much rather face an emotionally unstable opponent, as they were more likely to make mistakes in a fight, than one that could think clearly.

Utterly confused, Steve ducked behind the tree. He wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t have any weapons or supplies and Nightmare Moon was a tough cookie to beat.

“Where hast thou gone?” He heard her mutter. Taking a deep breath, Steve did the one thing he really didn’t want to do. Face her.

Coming out from behind the tree, Steve saw she had her back to him. Slowly walking, his footsteps made the grass crinkle slightly beneath his feet. She must’ve heard this because she turned towards him, her expression changing to one of confusion upon her seeing him.

Not a word was spoken as Steve slowly approached her, stopping a few feet away, fists clenched in apprehension. After a few minutes, which felt like hours, Steve spoke.

“What are you doing here?”, he inquired, not bothering to hide the anger in his tone. This seemed to catch her off guard, as she took a step back in shock.

“We, sensed a terrible nightmare. We, I, came to relieve the recipient.”, she spoke softly, eyes searching every inch of Steve’s figure.

“You’ve done so. Now, leave, Nightmare Moon. I’m in no mood to fight you again.” At this, Nightmare’s eyes widened.

“Thou hast fought Nightmare Moon?!” she asked incredulously. This caused Steve’s angry expression to drop a little in confusion. Did she not remember their little spat?

“What, did I hit you a little too hard? Yeah, we fought. Also, how the Nether are you in my freaking dream? You seem a little too real for my imagination.” Steve questioned.

“Tis my birthright. We have the ability to enter anypony’s dream that we wish.”, Nightmare Moon explained.

“Well that’s just fan-fucking-tastic. You ponies bother me in the day, now your royal ass will bother me in my dreams. Just what I always wanted!” Steve exclaimed sarcastically. Nightmare narrowed her eyes at his tone.

“Fix your tone creature. I will not stand for any disrespect from thee.”, she snarled.

“Watch yourself, bitch. I beat your ass once, I can do it again.” Steve warned, getting into a fighting stance. In response, she lowered herself into a semi-crouch, tilting her head in Steve’s direction. Immediately, Steve took off running, heading straight for his opponent.

Circle: Dodge

Steve weaved through two magic blasts she fired at him. Jumping over a third, he brought back his fist, going on the offensive.

Square x 4: Punch Combo

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Hammering down a blow, Steve knocked her head downward. Leaning to his right, he threw two quick jabs, both catching her in the muzzle. Then he knocked her right in the chin with a heavy punch. To finish it, he twisted his body, catching her in the cheek with a roundhouse kick, sending her to her knees. Jumping back, Steve smirked at the injured horse.

“C’mon. You were much harder to beat last time.” Unfortunately, this was most definitely the wrong thing to say. Nightmare’s horn flickered briefly and Steve felt something slam into his side, sending him careening through the air before slamming into the ground. He rolled for a short distance, finally coming to a stop on his back.

Damage Received: - 5 damage. 15 health remaining.

Getting to his feet, Steve glanced at the already-recovered horse. She was on her feet, horn glowing, eyes narrowed in Steve’s direction.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the side, just a large blast of magic scorched the ground where he’d been.

Circle: Dodge

He ducked under two more blasts as he took cover behind a tree. Peeking out from behind the tree, he shot his head back just in time to avoid another blast, one that nearly knocked the poor tree to the ground. Groaning in frustration, Steve’s mind raced to think of a plan. Suddenly, he heard something. It sounded like a Vooop! Kinda like an Enderman.

Suddenly, darkness shrouded him. Looking up, his face was met with a very angry Nightmare Moon, her horn glowing a dark blue.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled out from under the tree, just as a blast of fire burned away at the tree. Backpedaling, he tried to get some distance from his opponent, only for a blast of magic to hit him in the back, knocking him to the floor.

Damage Received: - 3. 12 health remaining

Rolling onto his back, his gaze met Nightmare Moon’s. Her eyes were blazing with anger and annoyance. Steve tried to get on his feet, but he couldn’t feel his legs. She must’ve used a spell or something to keep him from running. Glaring up at her, his lips were pulled into an angry snarl. Suddenly, Steve’s gaze flickered up for a split second when something caught his eye. What that something was almost put a smile on his face.

“Dost thou have any final words?” Nightmare Moon inquired. Steve smirked.

“Yeah. Heads up.” Before she could even ponder those words, 500 pounds of solid wood slammed into her skull. She poofed in a cloud of dust and was promptly ejected from Steve’s dream. (She would soon awake with a killer headache.)

She was too focused on Steve to realize at the time, but her magic blasts and burning of the tree trunk had removed any and all stability it had. It was simply a stroke of luck that it fell in his direction, something Steve was very thankful for. That new rendition of Nightmare Moon was much stronger than he’d anticipated. He had no problem admitting he was woefully unprepared for the fight.

As Steve laid on the grass, the sky started to fade. Steve sat up in surprise, looking around the field. Everything was slowly fading to white.

“Oh, I must be waking up. Wonder if I’ll remember any of this.” Steve muttered to himself as everything faded out.

* * * * *

The next thing Steve knew, he woke up in his bed. Sitting up, he looked around the room. There were his furnaces, chugging away, smelting the ores he’d collected from a mining expedition. In the far corner of the room stood his brewing stand. Nearby, there were his chests, filled with supplies. Sighing, he laid back in his bed, pulling the covers to his chin.

“Guess I do remember.”, he chuckled, before sleep took him.

Author's Note

Hey, thanks for reading. If you have any ideas for where the story should go, or if you have any thoughts for events to take place, please comment them. Yes, I actually read the comments you guys put down. :twilightblush:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 7: Lightning Does Strike Twice

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Entry 14.

It’s been a good while since I first arrived in this world. Things have been, well, in the words of a old friend of mine, “Pretty fucking insane.” I’ve been gathering intel on many of the ponies and learned a few things.

For one, their names are freaking weird. That psychotic pegasus is called Rainbow Dash. At first I thought her parents were just weirdos, but apparently, naming your kids strange-ass names is the norm. There’s Applejack, an orange pony with some decent strength on her side. Then there’s Miss Pinkamena Pie, who, as the name implies, is very, very pink.

Speaking of Miss Pie, she’s, well, there’s not really any way to explain her. I’ve written more on her and explained some theories I’ve come up with earlier. (See entry 9) But she is infinitely more perceptive to my presence than her kin. On multiple occasions the pink demon has found me, for reasons, and by which methods, I don’t know. All I know is that she thinks of me as some type of wandering spirit, due to my invisibility. This was made very clear from the fact she calls me, “Mr. Ghost.” Not the best name, but I’ve been called worse.

As it is, she hasn’t told any of her friends, which coincidentally, is the whole town. If she has, I haven’t been beaten up yet, so good for me. She has asked me on the few different times we’ve talked (which is her just talking a mile a minute while I make various grunts to answer her questions) if I wanted a party. Yeah, a bunch of ponies that had been nothing but violent with me, in an enclosed space? That screamed “BAD IDEA!” Luckily, I’ve convinced her I’ll attend her party at a “later” date.

The last thing I’ve discovered is that, the ponies. They just, aren't inherently violent. I’ve been watching them for a while now, and they are very friendly with each other. If I was a retard, I would say they are a very peaceful species. However, I know from previous encounters they are not. Rainbow Dash and her comrades made it very clear to me I am not welcome.

Anyway, that’s all for right now. I’ll write later.

Steve

Steve finished off the entry, threw the quill in the book, then shoved his book in his inventory. Sitting back up, he stretched his back, letting out a small groan as a small pop emanated from it. Shaking his shoulders, he looked around, giving a small sigh. Today was a relatively quiet day, something Steve didn’t really have a whole lot of in his life.

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”

Steve’s head shot up as a rainbow blur zoomed through the main part of town, heading in the direction of Applejack’s Home, something Steve heard was called “Sweet Apple Land” or something.

“Rainbow Dash! Wait!!” Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Looking over the side of the roof, Steve saw the Pink Demon herself, literally bouncing her way after her friend. He just chalked it up to another one of her weird antics. Settling himself back on the roof, he pulled out a piece of bread and chomped it down, figuring that was the end of it.

Until, that is, the pair came back, Rainbow Dash pushing a large white cloud in her hooves. Steve’s brows furrowed as the memory of what happened last time she’d had a cloud resurfaced. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his chest, phantom pain making itself known.

The two came over to the front of the town hall, the same building where Steve himself was situated. As first, Steve’s heart started to race. For a moment, he thought Miss Pinkie was trying to get Rainbow Dash to electrocute him (again!) But that theory is disproved when she parks the cloud a short distance from the building. Pinkamena then starts yelling instructions for where Rainbow needs to put the cloud. After shouting her inane directions, she miraculously goes silent for a few moments. Then Rainbow bucks the cloud.

ZAAAAAAP!!!

The noise shocks Steve, making him jump back and nearly draw his sword, heart pumping. Immediately after, he hears laughter.

“Oh Rainbow Dash, we startled Spike into getting the hiccups!” Pinkamena laughed. Then, he hears a young, male voice speak.

“Ha Ha, good one Pinkie -hic- Pie! You’re always pulling a fast one -hic- on me!” the voice, dubbed Spike, by what the Pink Demon had said. Leaning over the edge, Steve immediately recognized the bipedal lizard from the golden carriage. The same one that had arrived the same day he’d fought Nightmare Moon for the first time. Suddenly, Spike hiccuped again and, to Steve surprise, a breath of green fire shot out of his mouth, burning away the scroll he’d had in his hands.

“Okay, so not a lizard, a dragon. Some kind of wingless dragon.” Steve mused to himself as the watched the two ponies and dragon converse some more as he went into his thoughts.

“Apparently dragons exist here, and since those two don’t seem at all fazed by him, I’m gonna guess they’re not uncommon, though I haven’t seen any dragons, so I don’t know.” Groaning, he slapped a palm to his face as memories of the nightmare of a fight he’d had when he’d faced the Ender Dragon all those years ago came up. That fight had mentally and physically scarred him for life.

ZAAAAAAP!!!

Another bolt of lightning made him jump, forcing him to stifle a yell. Glaring at the pegasus, Steve let out a frustrated sigh at being caught off guard. He faced creatures 10x more terrifying than that egocentric mare, but time and time again, he found her presence made him nervous.

He watched as the duo trotted off, giggling to themselves about something. Something about them seemed suspicious. Narrowing his gaze, he leapt over the side, landing in a roll, before swiftly following them.

* * * * *

That was, by far, the stupidest thing he’d ever had the unpleasantness of experiencing, in his entire life. Funny, but still, beyond stupid.

Turns out the thing the pair had been laughing about was the pranks they were going to do on their friends. From giving Rarity flowers that made her sneeze, to coloring Applejack’s apple’s all different colors, Steve was hating himself more and more for being anything close to afraid of these ponies. Unfortunately, he was reminded of the times they’d hurt him, badly, and his self-hate decreased.

Anyways, he stopped his stalking, er, investigations and headed back to his home. With little to do that came to the forefront of his mind, he cooked up some dinner. Putting the morsels in a large wooden bowl, he walked to his main room, where he kept his primary chest, brewing stand, bed and crafting table.

Sitting on his bed, which acted as both a bed and a chair, he leaned against the wall behind it and sighed. Looking into the plain brown bowl, a loaf of bread, an apple he’d knicked from AJ’s place a few days before, and a carrot met his eyes. Settling into the bed, he sighed and took a bite out of the loaf of bread. Bit bland.

Looking around the quiet, dimly-lit room, his chewing slowly stopped and he swallowed. He tilted his head back, letting it thunk quietly against the wall. He took a shuddering breath. Squinting his eyes shut, he tried to force back the tears that threatened to pour forth. Gritting his teeth, he spoke in a low, shuddering voice.

“I’m trying. I really am, Lily, you know that. I try every day to live up to the promise I made you. But why is it so Notch-damn hard?”, He croaked, the tears spilling down his cheeks. “I tried to do what you asked me. I really did. But I’m so damn tired of fighting. You asked me to live on, for everyone, to keep their memory alive. But how can I do that if you all were my reason for living? How can I live with that if I’m reminded every day you guys are gone?” Steve spoke, the tears spent, but the sobs continuing.

He was like that for a while, crying into his hands in his home in a new world. The only sounds present were the small crackling of torches and the quiet sobs of a scarred Crafter, a broken man.

* * * * *

“Can’t believe this is what I’ve been forced to do.” Steve muttered to himself, holding himself close to the roof of the tree home. Hoofsteps discouraged further mutterings as the owner of the home stepped back into the room, trotting over to the lit cauldron that lay directly beneath Steve. The striped pony began throwing some herbs and stuff into the pot, causing the liquid inside to change color from red to purple.

The only reason Steve was here was because he’d ran out of Blaze Powder that morning when he’d wanted to brew up a stock of Awkward Potions for uh, personal reasons, and had used the the last of his supply. If he was back home, he’d just head to the Nether, find a Blaze or two and come home, no problem. However, here it wasn’t that simple, as he’d found out when he tried to make a Nether Portal and it didn’t work. Long story.

Now he was hiding, clutched to the roof of her tree house, as he tried his best to tune out the rhyming she did when she talked. Apparently, she was a fan of talking to herself. Anyways, he’d found when brewing something, the striped pony used something called “Dust of a Fire Ruby”, which sounded a lot like a variation of Blaze Powder.

Unfortunately, when he’d infiltrated her home, by climbing through the window, she walked in from some back room Steve hadn’t known about, forcing him into the situation he was in now. If he hadn't had the foresight of drinking an Invisibility Potion, she’d have definitely seen him.

Eyes following the striped pony, he waited and waited for her to leave, letting out a silent sigh every time she threw in a new ingredient. Even worse, his invisibility was flickering, meaning it’s time limit was approaching. He’d have to be fast when he got his chance.

Eventually, after a good 20 minutes, she left to the back room, disappearing from his sight. Sighing, he dropped silently, immediately going over her supplies, all of which she’d very nicely labeled.

“Eye of newt? No. Heart’s Desire? Sounds cool, but no. Where is it?” Looking all around, he eventually found a small chest sitting on the ground with a label, “Fire Ruby Dust” Smirking in victory, he opened the chest, finding five piles of Fire Ruby Dust. Taking four of them, he quickly shoved them in his inventory. Just then, his invisible hand flickered, then appeared, signifying it’s time had expired.

“Just in time. Got to go before…” Shutting the box, Steve turned to leave, only to stop in shock. Standing there in the hallway, was the striped pony, staring at him with wide eyes. Steve swiftly reciprocated the action, eyes staring back at her in nervousness and apprehension. Taking a step back, Steve contemplated his options, eyes flickering between her and window. He quickly made a decision.

The mare opened her mouth to speak, only to be interupted as Steve yeeted his body through her window, landing with an “Oof” on the other side.

“Wait, creature!” She called out, but it was useless. Steve was already on his feet, running like the devil was on his heels. With his enhanced speed, he quickly lost sight of the hut and the pony giving chase.

* * * * *

“We are telling you Tia, this creature is not something to be taken lightly.” Luna told her sister, who sat across from her, reading some scroll.

“You told us yourself, his power and magic capabilities aren’t as strong as yours or mine.” Celestia responded, looking over the scroll at her sister with a quirked eyebrow.

“Indeed, yet we were still defeated. And that was only in the dream world. We know nothing of how powerful this creature is in reality.” Luna argued.

Celestia seemed to ponder this for a moment before giving her response.

“Very well. I shall have guards sent on patrol in Ponyville, should something else occur and the town will be warned. Is there anything else I should know about the creature?” Luna thought for a moment before responding.

“He thought we were Nightmare Moon.” At this Celestia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Nightmare Moon? Why?”

“He said he hath fought and defeated us.” As this the Sun Princesses eyes widened slightly.

“How could he have defeated her, but you could easily defeat him?”, she wondered aloud.

“That is why we recommend you not underestimate the creature.” Luna responded grimly.

Author's Note

Hey, what's good, thanks for reading. If you have any ideas for stuff you want to see in the story, just comment them. While I only post roughly once a week, I'm on the site daily.
:twilightblush:
Also, while I chose crushed fire ruby as the replacement for Blaze Powder, many of your comments had some good ideas that I will most definitely impliment later in the story. :pinkiehappy: Thank you, all of you.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 8: Only a Minor Setback

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve ran, lungs pumping as his heart raced, either one of the colts currently tucked under his arms each giving yelps as they were jostled from the rough ride. Sparing a glance back, Steve gave a shriek as the Ursa Major roared, shaking the very ground they stood on. He pushed himself harder, not willing to let himself get caught in it’s pearly white teeth.

“How much farther is it Mr. Monster?!”, the small green colt asked worriedly. If his memory was correct, the little guy’s name was Snips. His compatriot on Steve’s other side was Snails. A rather unfortunate name, but regardless. Steve was snapped out of his thoughts as the Ursa roared again.

“Not much farther. So, tell me” Steve began, dodging past trees and shrubbery, jumping over large roots. “What possessed you two illiterates to try and wake that thing up!!” Steve yelled, quickly jerking his head in the direction of the beast.

“We wanted to prove the Great and Powerful Trixie could vanquish it, just like in her stories!” Snips explained, like Steve was supposed to know who that was.

“And who the fu-, uh, frick is she supposed to be?!” Steve questioned, front-flipping over a large, fallen trunk.

“She’s only the most powerful and magical unicorn in, like, ever!! How could you not have heard of her?” Snips exclaimed. Steve rolled his eyes and gave a frustrated sigh.

“Been a little busy with my own life. You know, fighting ponies and having to skulk around like I’m some common criminal. Forgive me if I don’t keep up with the latest celebrities.” Snips response was cut short by his friend.

“Mr! It’s getting closer! How much farther?!” At the question, Steve glanced back at their pursuer. Shit, it was getting closer. Turning back, he continued running, trying his best to not drop his cargo. He knew he could run faster, but that meant the possibility of accidentally dropping one or both of the colts. Sure, he could’ve left them and gotten away, but he wouldn’t. They were children and definitely innocent, if Steve’s observations of them told him anything. He didn’t harbor any resentment toward them.

He’d come across the two, both running for their lives, when he’d been in the middle of monster hunt. Such hunts usually just consisted of him looking and defeating monsters for resources, like Wood Wolves or Giant Spiders. There were a few creatures that were left out of such hunts, like deer and the peaceful kind of bears. He only hunted monsters that intended to harm him. That being said, he’d kitted out in an diamond chestplate and leggings, along with his best gear, as the monsters in this land were nothing to scoff at. Not to say his land was a joy-ride, but while this worlds monsters were large, tough and less prominent, his world’s monsters were, in a quote, “belligerent and numerous.”

Suddenly, Steve broke through the tree line, immediately setting off down the path, the Ursa nipping on his heels. With the town now in sight, Steve pushed for the final stretch, hoping he could make it before it caught up to them.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t.

Circle: Dodge

Steve instinctively rolled to the side as a massive paw slammed into the ground where they’d been just moments before. Steve enacted the Serpentine Maneuver he mostly used on Skeletons back home, only now, he used it to avoid a giant, blue super-bear. Managing to evade it’s attacks, he quickly put the colts on the ground.

“Hurry up! Run to town and warn them. I’ll try and stall it here!” Steve yelled to the pair. Just like that, they ran off.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Square: Slash

Pulling out his sword, he swung his blade, cutting into its forearm, making it roar in pain. In retaliation, it swung it’s huge arm into the ground, causing a shockwave effect that knocked Steve into the air, causing him to land hard on his back.

Damage Received: - 2 damage. 32 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve shot back to his feet. Looking up at the Ursa, that looked down at the Crafter in anger, Steve’s brain raced to come up with a plan.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Steve dodged an attacking arm, swiping at the offending limb. Back-pedalling, his eyes searched for any sort of flaw, a weakness he could exploit. But the towering creature seemed to be invincible. His attacks were barely making a dent, serving more to annoy the beast rather than injure it.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the side in an attempt to escape another attack. Unfortunately, it seemed it learned his moves. Giant claws wrapped around Steve’s form, pinning his arms, and sword, to his side, leaving only his head and neck poking out of the Ursa’s diamond-clad grip. Grunting and squirming, he tried and failed to get out of it’s grasp as it moved him closer to its mouth as its jaws opened wide, revealing many shiny white teeth, all waiting to chew Steve down to nothing but some bones and gristle.

Square: Slash

Eager to escape such a grisly death, Steve pulled with every ounce of strength in his body, wrenching his sword free. Slashing down, he cut a deep gash in two of the Ursa’s claws, making it roar in surprise and pain. Opening its paw, Steve gripped the Ursa’s arm just before falling. Pulling himself up, he ran along it’s arm, evading it’s attempts to knock him off.

Circle: Dodge

Upon reaching its head, it tried to squish him with its massive paw. Sliding under the swipe, he latched his free hand onto the fur just behind it’s head, getting him out of range of being bitten. The Ursa rose to its hind legs, an ability Steve was unaware it had, and roared, throwing it’s paws onto it’s back, trying to get Steve off. One it’s paws got lucky and hit Steve, knocking him onto the ground below.

Damage Received: - 14 damage. 18 health remaining.

Hitting the ground, Steve rolled for a short distance before coming to a stop on his stomach, groaning. Looking up, he saw that, much to his horror, the Ursa was already nearly upon him. At least, until a bolt of bright blue magic blasted it across the face, knocking it’s muzzle to the side. Slowly, its head turned back in the direction the blast had come from, as did Steve’s. What he saw shocked him.

A small group of ponies had arrived. There was Twilight Sparkle, the new town librarian. She was accompanied by a light blue mare, wearing a ridiculous looking purple wizard hat and cloak. Behind the pair was three ponies, two white unicorns and one gray pegasus, all equipped with golden armor and helmets. All three wielded spears. Steve reasoned they were guards or warriors or some sort.

The wizard mare suddenly shot another blast of magic, this one doing the same damage as Steve’s attacks had been. Little. Angered, the Ursa charged at the group letting out an ear-tingling roar. The two unicorns horn’s lit up as their expressions displayed their fear, teeth grit and eyes wide. The pegasus reaffirmed his grip on the spear.

D-Pad Right: Bow and Arrow

Square (Hold): Critical Shot

Equipping his bow, Steve knocked an arrow, pulling it back, before letting it fly. The arrow slammed right into the Ursa’s butt. The Ursa slid to a stop as it roared in pain and, rather funnily, clutched it’s posterior with a massive paw, it’s head swirling around to glare at Steve.

Square: Shoot

Knocking another arrow, he fired it straight into its shoulder. It seemed to barely react to this, choosing instead to switch targets, charging at Steve, the ground rumbling with each step.

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

Putting away his bow, he equipped his fishing rod, and began, going against every instinct in his body, running towards the Ursa.

X (Hold): Rod Zip

Pulling back his arm, he threw it forward, casting the hook. Sailing through the air, the hook managed to catch on the fur of the bear’s shoulder. Pulling hard, Steve flew through the air, zooming towards the Ursa. Reaching out an arm, he caught onto the fur, securing himself on it.

Square: Hook

Catching the hook on the thick fur of its shoulder, Steve ran, letting the rope on his rod continue running. Running behind it’s head, Steve dodged multiple swipes, running around, then swinging around. After doing this three times, he stood back where he started, with three lines of string running around the Ursa’s neck. With every ounce of strength in his body, Steve tugged.

The effect was instantaneous. The cords tightened, effectively cutting off it’s air supply. It’s claws instinctively went to it’s throat, trying and failing to get it’s claws under the rope, but alas, it’s thick claws were useless such a task. It stood on its hind legs, trying to breath, but Steve pulled harder still. This thing had nearly killed him multiple times, and probably would’ve razed the town to the ground, killing dozens of innocents. In short, Steve wasn’t gonna let go till this thing was dead and gone.

It’s eyes were weakly blinking, showing it was getting close to the end. At this point, Steve realized the thing could’ve easily knocked him off, and get it’s breath back, but for whatever reason, it hadn’t. Probably working on instinct alone.

Suddenly, Steve felt a bolt of magic slam into him like a brick wall, knocking him and his fishing rod, which magically reeled itself it, off it’s back onto the ground below. He slammed into the ground with impressive force, knocking the wind out of him.

Damage Received: - 9 damage. 9 health remaining.

Rolling onto his back, Steve coughed as he got his breath back. As he did so, he heard a peaceful tune playing through the air. Looking up, he saw a very strange sight. Twilight’s horn was glowing, somehow making the, admittedly beautiful noise. However, it seemed to have a rather strange effect on the Ursa. The Ursa was shaking, and it’s knees were buckling. Suddenly, a large container floated over in the Ursa’s direction. Suddenly, before the giant bear falls to the floor, it’s lifted up and given the large container, then the Ursa proceeds to suckle the damn thing like it was a baby. Then, it just starts floating out of sight. Just, Twilight just starts levitating that son of a bitch away, just like that. Steve’s mouth is open wide in shock as he watches the Ursa slowly disappear from sight.

L1 (Hold): Potion Select: Healing Potion (Lvl. 2)

Health Restored - 12 health. 21 health remaining.

Getting to his feet, Steve pulled out a Healing Potion, tipping back the glass and downing the bottle. Feeling his wounds heal, he put the bottle away and looked at the group of ponies. To his horror, they were making their way, Twilight Sparkle and those three guards.

“Oh, shit.” Steve muttered to himself, as he watched them come closer. He didn’t bother running. If Twilight could do that to the Ursa, he didn’t stand a chance running.

D-Pad Up: Sword

When they got to a small distance away, Steve unsheathed his sword. This caused the four ponies to stop and gain looks of apprehension and nervousness.

“Who the fuck knocked me off the damn Ursa?” Steve asked simply. This request, or maybe how he phrased seemed to shake them up a bit. After a few tense moments, Twilight responded.

“That was me. You were killing the poor thing, so I had to stop you from doing so.” Steve barked out a laugh.

“Miss Twilight, if you had any sense in that head of yours, you’d see that thing is not poor in any shape or form.”

“You will not speak with that tone, creature! Show respect!” the pegasus guard yelled. Steve’s gaze narrowed on said guard.

“Pony Kind as a whole lost my respect a long ass time ago.” he responded honestly. “I’ve done nothing to warrant it, but you ponies seem to hate me anyways. Tell me, did Snips and Snails tell you how they got back?”

Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head.

“When you get back, ask them. I’m leaving. Fuck you guys.” With that, Steve turned around and started to walk off. Twilight’s power may make him nervous, but right now, he had no fucks to give.

“We can’t let you do that. We have orders to take you in to the Princesses.” Turning back to the guards, Steve gave them a deadpan expression.

“Tell your Princesses to shove it.”

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the side just as the pegasus charged at him, dodging the attack. Pulling out an Ender Pearl, Steve threw it towards the forest as he sidestepped another attack, this time from a unicorn. Before he knew it, he teleported to the landing spot of the Pearl.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 18 health remaining.

Grunting from the landing, Steve immediately took off into the forest, disappearing inside.

Author's Note

Hey, so I had a ton of free time today, so I started writing another chapter. I actually managed to finish it, somehow. :pinkiehappy:
Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments, I always enjoy reading the stuff you guys say.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 9: One in a Million

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

To say Steve was irritated would be an understatement. To say he currently wanted the punch this land’s ruler in the face, multiple times, would be more of a correct statement.

Steve ducked his head behind a trash can as a nearby pegasus guard flew overhead. Groaning in frustration, he swiftly climbed up the side of a nearby house. Getting to the roof, he leapt across the gap onto the adjacent roof. Landing in a roll, he swiftly moved trying to stay unnoticed.

“There it is. B Squad, pursue!” A shout came from behind him, making him whirl around. To his chagrin, a group of three, gold armored pegasi were speeding at him. Yelping in surprise, Steve leapt off the building, hitting the ground in a roll. Taking off, he could hear their shouting at him to “Halt!” which he had now intention of doing. Seriously, what did they expect him to do, just lay down and take it? No! If he’d ever done that, he’d have been killed a long time ago.

“Squad E, be ready, he’s heading towards you!” Steve heard one of his pursuers yell. Eyes widening, he immediately veered to the right. He didn’t know what guards were in Squad E, but he was in no hurry to face two squads of guards as once. Especially if they were unicorns.

They were the reason he was in this predicament. He’d been making his way to his usual spot, the town hall, when one of the guards, a unicorn, had sent out a large wave of energy. It hadn’t harmed Steve, but it had all but destroyed the Invisibility effect he’d had. For a moment he hadn’t even noticed, before he saw the group of guards staring at him while he was standing on the roof of someone’s house. There was a few moments where the group just stared at Steve, and him at them, before he took off, the squad following close behind.

He’d lost them for a moment, but it was hard to stay undercover, since they apparently had a counter to his invisibility now, and the fricking flyers weren’t helping. While they patrolled the air, the regular ones and the unicorns could follow him on the ground. As seen by his current situation.

A bolt of magic flew over his head, making him yelp in shock. Glancing back, he saw a squad of three earth ponies and two unicorns following just under the pegasi, slowly gaining. The unicorns horn’s glowed, preparing for a spell.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the right just as a beam of white magic flew by. Back on his feet in an instant, Steve sped down the road, the eager guards following close behind.

“Bright! Use your telekinesis and hold it still!” One of the guards yelled from behind him.

“I can’t Sarge! It’s moving around too much for me to get a hold on it. If someone can get it to stop moving, then I can!”

“Roger that. Swift, you and Dream try and get ahead it! Slow it down!” The Sergeant ordered.

Pulling out an Ender Pearl, Steve immediately threw it to his left, sending flying through the air, out of sight. Continuing to run, Steve only made it a few more feet before he felt something slam into his back and grab on. Whoever it was immediately took Steve up, leaving him dangling in the air.

Square: Punch

Bringing his arm around, Steve smacked the muzzle of his captor, freeing himself. As Steve fell, he felt the familiar pulling sensation as the Ender Pearl did it’s work, landing him on the roof of some residents house. Before he could move, the thatched roof collapsed beneath him, sending him plummeting into the darkness below.

* * * * *

Falling, Steve crashed into the floor, making a heavy thud sound.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining

Groaning, Steve got to his feet, looking around the room he fell into. It was dark, with the exception of the new light he’d made. Old boxes and crates littered the room, along with random stuff. It looked like a very poorly organized storage room. Gazing around the room in confusion, Steve’s stomach dropped when he heard the sound of a door opening somewhere behind him. Acting fast, Steve dove for cover behind a particularly large box.

“Hello! Is anypony there!?” A voice called out, followed by the owner of said voice appearing. She was a gray-furred pegasus, with a bright, blonde mane. Her golden eyes were, oddly enough, looking in two different directions as she looked around the room.

L1 (Hold): Potion Select: Invisibility Potion.

Pulling out his last potion of Invisibility, he quietly gulped it down, feeling the effect wash over his body. Poking his head out, he watched as she carefully walked through the room, looking all around. Her eyes passed over him for a moment, but she swiftly turned her head, continuing to search for the cause of the hole in the roof.

Sneaking past her, Steve snuck silently, careful not to attract her attention. Walking backwards, he kept his gaze on her as he crept, eventually making his way to the door. Stopping just before the threshold, he turned and stepped forward.

Only to give a yelp as he was forced to hurriedly step over a small unicorn filly that had just magically appeared. Accidently misstepping, he gave a yell of surprise, tumbling over the small pony as she too let out a shriek, sending him crashing down the stairs. Thudding face-first on the floor, Steve let out a groan.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 16 health remaining.

Rolling over onto his back, he sighed and propped himself up on his elbows, taking a look up the stairwell. The pegasus, who, if Steve’s memory was correct, was named Derpy, or something like that, was holding the small unicorn filly against her body protectively. Steve assumed this must’ve her daughter. Both ponies stared at where he lay, unable to see him, but able to see where he landed.

“Sorry.” Steve muttered quietly as he got to his feet, before making his way to where he assumed the front of the house was. Walking through the kitchen, he arrived in what he would call a front room, with two couches, a small table and a record player in the back. Walking to the front door, he peeked out. Looking around, he saw a squad of guards slowly making their way down the street. Usually, he would just try to sneak away, but with their counter to his Invisibility, he had to wait till they were gone.

Sighing, he smacked his back into the door, slowly sliding to the floor, facepalming.

“Excuse me?” a voice asked. Looking up, Steve saw that Derpy was standing a few feet away, looking at him with a curious and nervous expression. Her daughter stood just behind her, with a similar expression.

“What?” Steve said gruffly, narrowing his gaze at the two ponies. At his tone, she tensed and almost took a step back. However, she steeled herself and moved forward a step.

“What are you, exactly?” At her question, Steve’s eyebrow raised. Why did she care?

“My name is Steve. Why do you care? Shouldn’t you be calling the guards, or trying to beat the ever-loving crap out of me?” Steve questioned. That’s what every pony that’d laid eyes on him had done. Why would she be different? At his question, her eye’s widened in shock.

“What? No! Why would anypony ever do that?” She asked, seemingly upset. Steve let out a humorless chuckle,

“Every one of you ponies that has ever laid eyes on me had done exactly that. In fact, this is probably the longest conversation I’ve had with a pony that isn’t related to fighting.” At this, her misaligned eyes narrowed, somehow.

“You’re the creature that causing all the guards so much trouble.” she accused.

“They want to capture me and imprison me for something I didn’t do. Of course I’m gonna cause them trouble.” Steve argued, looking out the door. Road seemed clear. Steve had his chance.

“See ya.” he said quietly, opening the door and walking out. Stopping just past the threshold, he turned back to the occupants of the house. “Thanks. For, not attacking me.” Turning back, he sighed, then started walking again.

“Wait!” came a voice from behind him. Stopping, Steve turned his head to find Derpy coming up to him. When she came up to him, she reached a hoof. Upon it sat a delicious-looking blueberry muffin.

“Maybe you aren’t as bad as they say. So here’s a muffin. I hope you like it.” She stated simply with a smile present on her muzzle. Hesitating, Steve slowly reached out and took hold of the muffin with an invisible hand.

“Thanks, miss.” Shoving the baked good in his inventory, he started to walk away, when something came to his attention.

“Wait a minute, how did you see me? I’m invisible!” he said to her retreating form. Turning her head to glance at him, she smiled.

“You leave a little shimmering effect when you move. It’s easy to see if you know what to look for.” With that, she walked into her home and closed the door behind her. Steve looked at her front door for a few moments, before walking away, thinking about what he’d just experienced.

“She didn’t try to fight me, even though she could see where I was. She even gave me a muffin. Although I’ll have to make sure she didn’t poison it or something. But that doesn’t explain why she did it, unless she did poison it. *Sigh* I just don’t know.”

Suddenly, Steve felt a bad feeling rise in his gut. Looking around, he saw a trio of guards coming down the way. A unicorn, a regular, and a pegasus. Luckily, they didn’t seem to know he was nearby, though the regular pony had his eye’s closed for some reason. Steve had just begun to sneak off again, when the group stopped for some reason.

Quirking an eyebrow, Steve took another step, when the regular pony said something that made his heart skip a beat.

“In front of us, 37 feet. Two feet to the right.” This caused the two other guards to shoot their gaze in Steve’s direction. Almost exactly where he was.

Glaring at the earth pony, which still had his eye’s closed, Steve realized something. That pony knew exactly where he was. Taking another, quiet step, he watched it’s ear flick ever-so-slightly.

“It’s moving. Bright, cast your dispel.” Just as he said, the unicorn’s horn glowed, and Steve felt the same wae of energy pass through him, causing his Invisibility to drain away. The pegasus and unicorns eye’s widened when they saw Steve appear out of thin air. As soon as Steve saw that he had been found, he immediately turned and ran.

“Halt, creature! In the name of Princess Celestia!” One of them called from behind him.

“Tell me!” Steve yelled behind him. “How many have ever actually listened to that?!” Glancing behind him, he saw they were quickly catching up. Taking a quick look through his inventory, he saw he had no potions of Swiftness, or Invisibility, only some options of Healing and Strength.

L1 (Hold): Potion Select: Strength Potion.

Taking out the bottle, he quickly drained the contents. Feeling newfound strength surge into his body, he whirled around, ready to fight.

X (Hold): Power Jump

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Jumping high, he sent a devastating roundhouse kick into the off-guard pegasus, his potion enhanced strength sending the guard slamming into the floor.

Circle: Dodge

Landing in a crouch, Steve rolled to the side to avoid a magic blast. Comin up to his feet. He stood facing the two guards, their friend having been knocked unconscious.

Square: Punch

Square (Hold): Uppercut

Triangle: Kick

Dashing forward, Steve laid a haymaker into the unicorns muzzle. Bringing back his fist, his sent it flying forward, knocking the unicorn hard in the chin with an uppercut. Sending the pony airborne, Steve swung a kick into his barrel, knocking the guard into a nearby wall. The pony slammed hard into the structure, before sliding down, knocked out.

Suddenly, Steve felt something slam into his back, sending him careening through the air, landing on his back.

Damage Received - 5 damage. 11 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet, facing his last opponent. It was the earth pony, still with his eye’s closed. He wielded a long wooden staff, instead of the spear Steve had seen many of the guards armed with.

“Why are your eye’s closed? You’d probably fight better with them open.” Steve questioned, getting into a fighting stance.

“Whether my eyes are open or not, creature, I would fight no different.” This made Steve raise an eyebrow, not yet understanding, before finally realizing.

“Oh! You’re blind, that’s why it wouldn't matter. You must be a badass if you’re blind, and still managed to become a guard.”

“Thank you, creature.”, he said. Steve couldn’t tell if the pony was being sarcastic or not.

“Regardless, I don’t think we should fight. At least not today.” Steve said.

“And why is that?” the pony muttered, eyebrow raised.

“Because if we fight and I win, all three of you will be unable to find medical attention, and I’m fairly certain that Bright has a severe concussion after what he went through.”

“But if you lose, I can still take them to the hospital, and you get your punishment.” the guard stated, lips drawn in a small smile.

“Maybe, but are you willing to take the chance of losing, of putting your comrade’s lives on the line?” This question caused the smile to fade. The two beings stood facing each other for a few minutes, silence reigning. Finally, the pony spoke.

“No, I’m not.” he said, sheathing his staff. Steve let out a sigh of relief. The pony moved to collect his fallen teammates, as Steve began to walk away.

“Know this creature. You got off easy this time, but when next we meet, you will fall before me.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, dirt-bag.” Steve responded, before running off towards home.

Author's Note

Hey, Thanks for reading everyone. Please, tell me what you all think in the comments. I enjoy reading what you guys have to say.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 10: The Talk

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Crash!!!

Damage Received - 4 damage. 16 health remaining.

Steve flew through the wall, making a massive hole in it. Crashing into a table, it broke under his weight, sending him to the floor. Groaning, Steve got to his feet, taking a deep breath. A scream from his right made his head snap to the side. There, a mare with violet fur and a pale pink-ish mane stood there, her lime green eyes wide in fear. She had curlers in her mane, as well as a strange green slime of her face.

Steve formed a fake smile and waved at her. Suddenly, he felt his instincts flare up, screaming for him to move.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the left, avoiding the bolt of magic flying overhead. Jumping over a nearby counter, Steve took off, heading out her dining room, into the mare’s front room. Spotting a window, Steve immediately dove through, sending shattered glass flying.

Circle: Dodge

Landing on his back, he hurriedly got back to his feet, only to duck under another blast of magic that shot past him, scorching the house next door. The next thing Steve knew, he was back on the floor with a heavily armored unicorn trapping him on the ground, horn glowing threateningly.

“By the power of of the Royal Sisters, I place you under arrest!” A pair of hoof-cuffs appeared in Steve vision.

Square: Punch

“By the power of my fist, your ass is grass and I’m a pair of fucking shears!” Steve yelled, slamming a fist into the guards muzzle, knocking him off.

Triangle: Kick

Shooting to his feet, Steve kicked the pony hard in the gut, sending him flying back, rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop, hurt but still conscious. Seeing the fight was over, Steve continued on, leaving the struggling pony in the early morning darkness.

Steve had arrived early in the morning, with the intention of talking to the one pony that hadn’t attacked him, Miss Derpy Hooves. He’s had the hopes that if he came early, he could sneak by the guards no problem. Clearly, he’d been wrong in that regard.

Rubbing his side, he gritted his teeth and suddenly jolted his arm. He let out a groan at the pain that blossomed in his torso as he pushed a rib back in place. That unicorn had a mean swing. Walking, he kept to the alley’s, keeping out of sight. It wasn’t long before he finally made it to a familiar looking home.

L1 (Hold): Potion Select: Invisibility Potion.

Pulling out the bottle, he gulped the carrot-flavoured liquid. Immediately, the effect took hold, turning his body invisible. While she hadn’t attacked him yet, Steve didn’t trust Miss Derpy enough to not scream if she actually saw what he looked like. Stepping forward, he knocked twice on her back door.

After a few minutes, there was shuffling on the opposite side. There was the sound of metal clinking and the door open, revealing a gray pegasus with a mussed-up mane and tired looking golden eyes.

“Hey Miss Derpy. Can I come in?” Her confused expression was filled with realizations as her mouth opened in an “oh”. She pondered for a moment, before stepping back in, leaving the door ajar. Steve stepped through the threshold, closing the door behind him.

Walking close behind, Steve followed Derpy as she trotted into the kitchen, where a small unicorn filly was sitting on a chair, eating some cereal. She looked at her mom with a curious expression.

“Who was at the door, Mom?” Steve decided to respond.

“I was. Hi miss Dinky.” He expected her face to fill with shock or something close. Instead, excitement and small bit of nervousness poured onto her features.

“Oh, Mister Steve, what are you doing here?” Steve raised an eyebrow. She was getting friendly fast. Then again, these ponies were naturally friendly, at least to their own species. But the small filly was already being friendly with him, something that Steve knew for a fact that wasn’t shared by the rest of her species, minus Derpy.

“I’m here to talk with your mom. What about you?” Steve didn’t really care, but she had been rather nice, so he decided to humor her.

“I’m going to school. Mrs. Cheerilee's the best! We’re learning how to write really good!” She exclaimed excitedly. Smirking, Steve gave her a thumbs up, before realizing she couldn’t see him.

“Good for you kid, I hope you learn all you can. Knowledge is very important. Trust me, I would know.” Looking up, he spotted Derpy washing some dishes, smiling at the two of them.

“Anyway, Miss Derpy, I…”

“Just Derpy, please. I never liked formalities.” Steve raised an eyebrow, but shrugged his shoulders, and continued.

“Alright, Derpy, I can wait a little bit, but I really need to talk to someone about what’s going on in this town, and in case you haven’t noticed, no-one in this town really likes me.” She looks at Steve for a moment, before nodding her head in confirmation. Walking to her front room, she called Dinky.

“C’mon Dinky, we gotta go, or you’ll be late for class. Mr. Steve, I’ll be back in a minute.” Steve nodded from his seat at the kitchen table. Moments later, he heard the door close. Sitting back in his seat, he started the waiting game.

* * * * *

Just as Steve was chomping down a loaf of bread, minutes after Derpy had left, he finally heard the door open, and hooves trot towards him. Looking up, Steve saw the gray pegasus walk in, her misaligned eyes focused on the spot where he sat.

“Hey.” Steve said simply. She didn't respond immediately, choosing instead to sit down across the table from where he sat. Looking up, her gaze focused, approximately, where his face was.

“Would you like some muffins?” Derpy inquired. Steve thought for a moment before answering.

“Uh, sure. Thanks.” She nodded in response, before getting up and heading over to a cupboard, retrieving a plate of blueberry muffins, similar to the one she'd given him a few days prior. She trotted back over to the table, setting the plate gently down.

“Thanks for letting me in. And not reporting me to the guards. I already fought one today, I really don't want to fight more.” She smiled and nodded before responding.

“I don't think you're as bad as the guards are making you out to be. But I really want to know what you did, or didn't do, that made it suitable to send 30-ish guards to capture you.” Sighing, Steve rubbed his hand on his face.

“I don’t know, not really, at least. Things are just really messed up,and the worst part is that I’m not the one at fault for that. I’m pretty sure that the psycho Rainbow Dash and the nerd Twilight are the ones responsible for all this.”

“Rainbow and Twilight!? That can’t be!” Derpy exclaimed. Steve gave her a confused look.

“What? Why? Cause I know for a fact that both have tried to hurt/kill me at least once.” Steve huffed.

“They’re heroes! They saved the world from Nightmare Moon! They saved the town a few times already, like from the Ursa Minor.” This made Steve grit his teeth.

“I have fought, both the Ursa, and Nightmare Moon. The second one twice! Tell me, does anyone know I helped fight those monsters!? Do they!?” Derpy flinched back, nervous at his outburst.

“W-well, no, I-I don’t think so.” Seeing her reaction, Steve flinched internally, and sighed. Reaching out a hand, he comfortingly rubbed her shoulder. She flinched slightly upon his hand making contact, but she didn’t move away from his grip.

“I’m sorry. You haven’t done anything to me personally. It’s just, it seems that your town and fate are working together in screwing me over.” Retracting his hand, he stood, before making his way to her back door, her curiously following him.

“Thanks for talking to me, Derpy. I, well, I really needed it. Your the only pony I’ve ever talked to that hasn’t tried to beat the stuffing out of me.” She winced slightly at the implication, but smiled none-the-less.

“Your welcome. If you want, you can come by whenever you want. Maybe I can convince some of my friends to give you a chance.” Steve laughed.

“If they’re as level-headed as you, maybe I have a chance in this place.” Steve chuckled, before leaving her home.

* * * * *

Steve parkoured through town, leaping across roof gaps and over unsuspecting ponies, still under the effects of the Invisibility potion. Luckily, the guards seemed to still be in a stir, probably because of that whole deal with the blanket of smoke that had descended on the town a few days ago. Steve had only caught a part of what had happened, something about a dragon, or something, but he had other priorities with gathering supplies for potion brewing.

Regardless, that didn’t mean Steve was careless. If that blind pony had taught him anything, it was to never underestimate your opponents. Ever. So he stuck to the roofs and alleys, careful to keep out of sight, even with being invisible. Soon enough, he was hanging outside a restaurant, thinking about what to do next, when he heard a dreadingly familiar voice speaking from below him.

“Yes waiter, I’ll take a daisy sandwich with extra sauce. What about you Spike?”

“I’ll take some hayfries, extra crispy!”

Peeking down, Steve felt a frown don his features as he watched Twilight Sparkle wait with her companion, Spike, at a table, eager for their coming food. Shaking his head, he was about to leave when something caught his ear.

“What about the weird ape, Twilight?” Spike inquired. Stopping himself, he listened closely, hoping to glean something.

“I told you Spike. General Trench said to leave everything regarding the bipedal to him and his troops. He was personally picked by the Princess and I trust her.” Twilight swiftly responded, almost automatically.

“But I was there, Twilight. I heard Snips and Snails tell you about how that creature saved them, and for no reason. The monkey talked to them, so maybe it can be reasoned with.” Spike countered.

“I know Spike. But you were also there when Rainbow Dash told us about it attacked her.” Twilight argued.

“Yeah, but isn't it weird how the creature just attacks Rainbow Dash, then turns right around and saves two colts for no reason?”

Twilight sighed. “I agree. Something doesn’t seem right. But until something comes up, I don’t know what to do. And while I don’t doubt the Princess, something is definitely up with General Trench. He seemed, excited, at the prospect of capturing the creature. I’ll have to look further into it.” Twilight stated.

Any further conversation was hampered as the duo’s food had just arrived. Deciding he was done here, Steve leapt away from the building, heading off towards home.

* * * * *

Entering his home, Steve sighed, putting his extra supplies into storage. Checking his furnaces, he swiftly dropped a few lumps of coal in one, setting it running, before laying on his bed. Ready to sleep, he was about to drift away when he heard something he was definitely not expecting.

Something knocked on his door. Three, quick knocks.

Knock, knock, knock.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Shooting to his feet, Steve had his sword drawn in an instant, blue blade flourishing. He hesitated for a few moments, before the knocking came again.

Knock, knock, knock.

Stepping up to the door, Steve gripped the handle. Pulling back the blade, fast as lighting, he whipped the door open. To his horror and shock, there on his doorstep, stood the very pony he had been careful to avoid, the very mare that annoyed him to no end.

“Creature, please, it has been a long walk. Now, I believe, we should talk.” the striped pony spoke. Steve groaned.

“Aw, fuck!”

Author's Note

Hey, thanks for reading so far. Tell me what you guys all think in the comments.
Anyway, updating may be a little slow over the next three weeks, as SAT's are a pain in the a$$, so yeah. :ajbemused:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 11: Just Checking In

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Here he was, sitting on his bed. He looked at the striped pony that sat a few feet away from him. She introduced herself as Zecora shortly after she’d entered his home. Granted, he hadn't invited her in, he had actually slammed the door shut. She had just opened his door and walked in, rhyming about how he owed it to her for stealing the Fire Ruby Dust, which Steve had begrudgingly agreed with.

“I only wish to discuss your intention, if only for my comprehension.” She spoke. Steve sighed, then responded.

“Look, miss Zecora, I’m gonna level with you here. The main reason I’ve avoided you for the time I’ve been in this world is because of the whole rhyming thing you do when you talk.” At this, her eyebrows formed into a glare and she opened her mouth to retort, before Steve continued.

“It’s nothing personal, trust me. Just that, back home, there was a guy I fought that wasn’t very nice, that did the whole rhyming jig. He, well, he hurt a lot of people before I could stop him. I’m not asking you to stop, just, do you think you could refrain from doing so? At least when your talking to me? It brings back bad memories.”

Her glare fell as Steve explained himself. After he finished, she didn’t respond for moment, before a small grin came across her lips and she nodded.

“I do believe I can do that. My rhyming is part of my Zebrican culture, but you have a very valid reason. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I don’t wish for our talk to make you uncomfortable.” Steve smirked and nodded.

“Thank you. What do you want to talk about?”

“I simply wish to know more about my fellow Forest-dweller. You choose what you wish to tell me.” At this, Steve pondered for a moment what to tell her. Nothing too deep, obviously, he had just met her. Making his decision, he looked up and began to tell his story, starting from waking up in this world’s Everfree forest.

* * * * *

“...And that just about leads up to where we are now, so now that… Miss Zecora, are you alright?” Looking up, he saw, to his surprise, Zecora had a look of absolute fury present of her features. Her teeth were grit tightly. Her normally calm dark blue eyes were filled with a fiery rage Steve had only seen accompanied with a few people in his lifetime. A dark red color had filled her face and Steve thought he saw steam coming out her ears.

A few moments later, the anger faded, the steam stopped and the red color faded from her face. She took a few deep breaths and she finally spoke.

“Excuse me, Steve, just calming myself down.” Steve quirked in a clear, ‘Really? I couldn’t tell’ expression.

“Clearly. You looked ready to beat down the next person you saw. What happened? You were so calm at the start.” She dodged his gaze in shame.

“I know what it is like to be falsely accused. It just angers me that somepony else is treated like that as well, in the land of Equestria, no less.” Steve nodded in agreement, before something caught his attention.

“Wait, you’ve been in the same situation as me?” Zecora nodded.

“Yes, that is the main reason why I am living in Equestria now. I never wanted to be living in such a dangerous place such as this, but it is my lot. I have gotten used to it over time.” Steve frowned in thought, pondering for a moment before speaking.

“What about the ponies? What have your experiences with them been like?” At this, Zecora let out a humorless chuckle.

“I have not yet spoken with any of the town residents for the years I’ve lived here. They are seemingly terrified of me, even that dingbat, Rainbow Dash. Why she is scared of me, and not you, is unknown to me.” Zecora spoke, while turning her head to look out the door, to see it was getting dark.

“I must depart, before it gets too dark. I look forward to any further meetings we have.” Zecora told Steve, getting up to leave. Steve stood from his bed and followed her out.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I enjoyed our conversation. It felt good to finally be able to tell someone about this. Hard to do that if everyone is more interested on killing you rather than talking about it.” Zecora simply smirked at his words and began walking home. Just before she disappeared into the foliage, she turned and waved. Smirking, Steve waved back, before walking back inside.

* * * * *

Steve gazed around, looking at the destruction that was currently being wrecked on the town of Ponyville. His invisible jaw was wide open in awe at the chaos. Those little creatures were eating almost everything that should’ve been non-edible. But for whatever reason, probably by some spell by the way Twilight was freaking out, they were eating houses, carts, books, all of it. They were even eating the guards armor if they got close enough.

Speaking of the guards, they were pretty much useless in this situation. The pegasi and earth ponies were barely able to combat the ever-growing Parasprite storm and the unicorns couldn’t wipe them out fast enough. Many of them were wearing little to none of their armor, revealing something Steve didn’t previously know. They weren’t all white.

Steve had thought they had white or gray fur coats, but when their helmets were removed, (or eaten in this case) it revealed their natural colors. Their armor must’ve been enchanted to do so.

Regardless, Steve was standing by, watching the chaos as ponies ran around. The only pony who seemed to know what they were doing, weirdly enough, was Miss Pinkamena. She was looking for instruments. She had talked with him for a minute or two during her search and he learned that Parasprites were attracted to music. The little demons loved it. She had asked him if he could help her search, but he quickly declined, stating that she was the only one in town who knew about him (Lie) so he wouldn’t be of much help.

Not much longer, it seemed Miss Pinkamena had finally acquired enough instruments, as she was somehow playing all of them, the Parasprites soon following. It was kinda funny, her playing the instruments with a deadpan expression on her face as she swiftly lead them through town, back to the Everfree Forest.

“Great, with my luck, I’ll be dealing with those things at some point.” Steve muttered to himself as he walked through town towards Miss Derpy’s home. He hadn’t seen her amidst the chaos, so he decided to check on his new and upcoming friends. Ugh, the words tasted strange on his tongue.

Moving through the square, he was careful to avoid making contact with any ponies, wanting to stay undetected. He had no worries about the guards, seeing as they were so busy with clean up. Besides, they were all focused on some special somebody making an appearance at the celebration, which was clearly not gonna happen, seeing as half the town had been eaten.

Arriving at her home, Steve was gladdened to see her house had sustained little damage, just a few chomps here and there, nothing that would take very long to fix. In fact…

Pulling out a few spare planks, he swiftly knocked away some of the excess debris, before placing the planks in the holes with a quick and practiced hand. Stepping back to inspect his handiwork, he nodded at the freshly repaired home, before walking towards the door. Giving a few knocks, he waited for moment. Not long later, the door opened, revealing a concerned Derpy. Upon spotting the shimmer, she gave a smile.

“Oh, hello Steve, it’s good to see you. Haha.” She chuckled, putting a little emphasis of the word “see.” Steve rolled his eyes.

“Oh ha, ha, ha. You’re a comedian, Derpy. Anyway, can I come in? I wanted to see how you and Dinky were doing after all that’s happened today.” Steve laughed.

“Of course! C’mon in, Dinky and I were huddled down in here while all that was going on. Figured it was safer in here, than out there.” Derpy spoke, stepping back inside. Following her, he passed the threshold and closed the door behind him.

* * * * *

“Thank you for accompanying me to Phillydelphia, General Trench. I’m glad we have this opportunity to talk about your assignment.” Celestia spoke. Her companion, General Trench, still dressed in his armor, looked up at his ruler.

“Of course, your highness. Would you like to hear the report?” At her nod, he began.

“Since our deployment, all efforts to capture the creature have ended in failure. There have been a total of 17 different injuries on several guards. Two have lead to hospitalization.” At this Celestia gasped.

“Oh my. This creature is more formidable than I thought. Perhaps my sister was right.”

“Maybe. Anyways, the creature has been proven sentient. On multiple occasions guards have reported it speaking in complex sentences and insulting ponies, showing it has a similar intelligence level to a standard pony.”

“What about it’s combat effectiveness?”

“High, your highness. It is a very strong being, capable of delivering blows that would make an earth pony whistle in awe. It has a high pain resistance and has taken blows that would cripple a normal pony. In terms of rating, it’s a definite Tier 4.” This tidbit made Celestia tense. When it came to rating threats, there was 5 Tiers. This being was just below a “Catastrophic.”

“Have there been any more attacks?”

“None your majesty.” She breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s good. Hopefully your efforts will prove fruitful before things take a turn for the worse.” General Trench simply nodded in response as the pair flew the rest of the way in silence.

Author's Note

Sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to get this out to help progress the storyline a little and fill out a few things before I go full freak-out on studying. :twilightoops:
Anyway, let me know what you all think in the comments. Nothing lifts me up more than knowing you guys like the story and want to see more :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 12: Bad Impressions

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Look, Miss Zec…”

“Just Zecora, please Steve. We’re friends, there’s no need for formalities.” She chided.

“Zecora, I trust you a bit, which is more than I can say for most of your kind. But what the Nether am I supposed to be doing?” Steve inquired, hanging upside down, his left leg firmly stuck to the roof of her tree hut.

“You are aiding in the testing of my Timberwolf trap. That sap is some of the stickiest I’ve ever seen. If it can keep you stuck, then they stand no chance.” Steve sighed as he got the nausea that accompanied his head rush.

“If you could, I would appreciate getting down now. All the blood is rushing to my head.” She laughed, before tossing up a vial, which Steve caught, full of the disolvent. Pouring the liquid on the sap, Steve slowly felt himself loosening, before he fell, somehow landing on his feet. Doubling over, he groaned at the nausea, before righting himself. Shaking his head a bit to clear it, he walked over to Zecora, who seemed busy with some potion in her cauldron. The green liquid inside was bubbling and smelled like dirty socks. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he turned to the pony slowly stirring the mixture.

“What is this stuff?”

“Monster Repellent. The smell and consistency are enough to drive most monsters away. I took me many a day to perfect the recipe.” At this, Steve nodded.

“Makes sense. Some of the monsters in this forest are brutal. Of course you had to make countermeasures for those beasts.”

“Or for overzealous ponies that have no concept of personal space or private property.” She huffed in obvious frustration. This made Steve raise an eyebrow.

“Something happen?” He inquired, feeling something was up with the striped mare. She sighed.

“Nothing much. A week ago, coincidentally, two days after we spoke, I met with this Twilight Sparkle you told me about, and her group of friends. It turns out they were all suffering from Poison Joke. They seemed to think it was some curse I had placed upon them. Safe to say, after a few misdemeanors and some talking, I was finally able to convince them I was not responsible for their ailments. I aided Miss Twilight in making the cure for it, and she seems to consider me a friend.” Steve nodded as he responded. Taking notice of her furrowed eyebrows and small frown, he spoke.

“You know I don’t hold any real grudge against her, right? I figured out it wasn’t her fault for her actions. At least not really.” She sighed.

“Yes, just as you have not, I haven’t let your experiences cloud my judgement of Miss Twilight. Rainbow Dash on the other hand…” She growled, causing Steve to let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, that one is kind of an idiot. Loyal, from what I’ve seen, but still, a down-right idiot.” Zecora nodded in agreement, her anger towards the cyan mare fading. “She didn’t attack you, did she?” Steve suddenly asked, deadly serious. Zecora looked up at Steve in surprise at the change of tone, before answering.

“Actually, while I think she wanted to, she couldn’t.” At Steve’s raised eyebrow, she continued. “The poison joke made it so she couldn’t fly well. She was constantly crashing into things.” At this Steve laughed.

“Oh wow, karma really is a bitch. The one who loves flying so much was made unable to. Hopefully that served her a big slice of humble pie, although, knowing her, it probably didn’t.” Steve commented, absentmindedly looking out her window, the one he’d fixed after breaking it a while back. Sighing he looked back to Zecora.

“Hey Zecora, as much as I enjoy being glued to ceilings, I have to get home. I have some things to do. Is there anything else you need me for?” She thought for a moment, before shaking her head.

“Alright, I’m gonna get going. If you need me, you know where to find me.” She said her goodbyes as Steve stepped out, setting off immediately towards home.

* * * * *

“Oh you’ve gotta be shitting me.” Steve muttered, looking around the open field he found himself in. To his right, the tree that had slammed Nightmare Moon into oblivion last time he was here still sat on its side, scorch marks scarring the area where it had broken.

Getting to his feet, he looked around the surrounding area. Nothing seemed amiss. But, as Steve knew all too well, looks can be and are deceiving.

Suddenly, just as before, his heart began began to race as his stomach clenched. The sky darkened and the whole rippling effect occurred, just as before. But unlike last time, Steve knew what to expect. Looking up, he had to close his eyes as the flash of light blinded him momentarily as the clap of thunder hurt his ears. When he regained his sight, he saw, just as before, Nightmare Moon flying, slowly making her way towards where he was. He didn’t bother hiding. She already knew where he was.

He waited, with baited breath as she neared him. She gently glided down with outstretched wings. With barely a sound, she landed and proceeded to slowly trot up to him. When she had come within 10 feet of him, she stopped and stood.

“What do you want Nightmare Moon?” Steve inquired. Her expression didn’t change.

“We am not Nightmare Moon. Thy name is Princess Luna.” At her statement, Steve’s eyebrow raised. Was she being serious?

“Uh, no offense, you look a helluva lot Nightmare Moon. You even talk like her. Sorry if I’m hesitant to believe you. I have trust issues. Comes with being a wanted man.” Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment.

“We used to be Nightmare Moon. But thanks to the efforts of Young Twilight Sparkle and her friends, I was purged of the Nightmare by the Elements of Harmony.” Steve was suddenly reminded of his and Derpy’s conversation.

“Rainbow and Twilight!? That can’t be!” Derpy exclaimed. Steve gave her a confused look.

“What? Why? Cause I know for a fact that both have tried to hurt/kill me at least once.” Steve huffed.

“They’re heroes! They saved the world from Nightmare Moon! They saved the town a few times already, like from the Ursa Minor.”

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he focused back on the matter at hand. Which happened to that Nightma… Luna, was trying to get his attention.

“Creature! Creature! Are you listening?” She yelled, slowly stepping closer. On instinct, he stepped back, hand already reaching for a sword that wasn’t there. Her eyes widened as they followed his movements. Her eyes narrowed.

“You were reaching for thou sword, weren’t you.” Steve simply nodded. “You were going to battle us, weren’t you?” His silence said it all. Neither talked for a few moments, both beings, one Crafter and one Alicorn, both staring at each other. Eventually, her glare fell and her eyes filled with what looked wonder and sadness.

“Why is your first extinct to fight us? Why can’t you cease your ways? Maybe if you became more peaceful, you could live amongst us ponies.” She sighed as she shook her head in, was that pity?

“She, this bitch has the gall to tell me to be more peaceful when her subjects are the very reason for my isolation!? Why would I want to live with those Xenophobic pricks when they hate me for no reason as it is!!?” Steve’s thoughts swirled angrily in his mind as his fists clenched tightly, to the point of making his knuckles white. His fiery glare met hers, making her step back in nervousness, sweat forming on her midnight blue fur. She opened her mouth to speak, but Steve beat her to the punch.

“Leave. Now.” Steve spoke, not yelling, but leaving no room for argument. She flinched back. Her eyes looked at him pleadingly, as if what he was doing was wrong, but his gaze was a stone wall. Her horn glowed for a moment and she was gone.

Still looking at the place she was standing only moments before, Steve took deep breaths before he felt the swirling rage inside his chest slowly disperse. Sighing, he fell back on his butt and curled up into himself, the only sound being the deep raspy breaths of Steve as the world faded out around him.

* * * * *

Square: Slash

Slashing his sword down, the blue blade cut through the tough vegetation like a knife through butter. Warm butter. Hacking the tall grass down, Steve continued on his trek.

He was looking for a cave entrance. He’d completely excavated the only mine he’d found so far and now he was looking for one he’d discovered a while back when he was exploring. It was a gamble, seeing as this one had not been explored, but Steve was willing to bet on it. The only thing he had to worry about were the Everfree monsters, but hopefully he could avoid them.

Suddenly, a twig snapped to his left. Whirling around, Steve pulled back his blade in a fighting, eyes looking for a the source of the noise. To his horror, a pair of lime-green orbs met his gaze. Steve immediately knew what that was.

Timber wolf.

He’d actually just called them Wood Wolves when he’d first discovered them, but when he'd called them that in front of Zecora, the zebra had laughed for two minutes straight, then corrected him, telling him their actual name. The wolves weren’t all that strong on their own, but very rarely did they travel alone, being the pack monster’s they were.

The Timber Wolf came out of the brush, edging closer to Steve. Steve, in turn, backed up, eyes looking all around for any companions this guy may have brought with him. As the wolf came closer, but no back-up came out, Steve had a sneaking suspicion that this was a loner.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the side as the wolf suddenly thrust it’s head forward, jaws chomping on the tasty air where he’d been just moments before. Backpedaling Steve dropped into into a fighting stance as the Timber Wolf righted itself and charged at Steve.

X (Hold): Power Jump

Square x 4: Slash Combo

Jumping high, Steve leapt right on top of the wolf’s back. Bringing up his blade, he slashed three times, cutting deep gashes into its hide. Raising his sword, he stabbed down, burying the blade up to its hilt. The wolf roared in pain and shook, throwing Steve from its body. He flew through the air, before landing hard on the ground, rolling for a bit before coming to a stop.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

Groaning, he got back to his feet and faced his opponent, who seemed severely hampered by it’s injuries. It struggled to stand, panting heavily. It’s green eyes were filled with pain. Focusing on Steve, it stumbled forward, eager to kill him.

D-Pad Right: Bow and Arrow

Square (Hold): Critical Shot

Equipping his bow, Steve put an arrow in the string, before pulling back. He aimed towards the injured Timber Wolf, focusing on his shot. Letting go, the arrow flew, slamming into the wolf’s skull with enough force to make a small shockwave. The arrow pierced its skull with ease, killing it in a millisecond. The body went limp, it’s forward momentum sending it sliding in the dirt. It stopped a few feet from Steve’s feet.

Slowly walking forward, Steve inspected it, looking for signs of life. But it’s faded eyes showed him, it was dead. Slowly, it crumbled away, leaving behind nothing but a memory and a line in the dirt from where it had slid. Sighing in regret, Steve walked off, continuing his search for the cave.

Author's Note

Not sure why, but I had, like, a ton of extra time today, so have a chapter.

Also, tell me, I'm not making Steve too edgy, am I? That's the last thing I want. :fluttershysad:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 13: Lost and Found (Part 1)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“These muffins are dangerously tasty. I’m serious. These can end world hunger, they're so good.” Steve muttered aloud. His grey-furred companion, who sat beside him on her roof, laughed and took another bite out of her blueberry muffin.

“Have you ever thought of making a living selling these? I bet you could. Imagine it, ponies coming from all over just to try your muffins.” Derpy hummed in thought.

“No, I don’t think I could. I was never that good at business and numbers. Besides, I make more than enough as a weather-mare. I just like making them myself. After all, Ponyville already has one amazing baker. It doesn’t need another.” Steve chuckled at her response.

“You know, you may not have everything, but you for sure have something other ponies could never dream of having.” Derpy looked at him in confusion.

“What’s that?”

“Humility. Back in my world, I saw many of my kind fall because of their pride. Back there, having too much pride was a deadly flaw. But here, your kind can be as proud as you want. There’s no need to check both ways before you leave your home, in fear you may be killed. There’s no need to constantly carry around swords and bows because there’s always enemies around. But even then, you have humility. You feel good at your accomplishments, but you don’t let it go to your head. And, that, Derpy, is an admirable trait. I wish my people were like you.” Derpy was stunned into silence. She stared at Steve’s invisible form. Finally, after a few moments, she spoke.

“Do you want to go home? Back to your world?” The question shocked Steve. Snapping his head towards his friend, he saw her eyes had filled with sadness at the prospect. Steve didn’t speak for a moment as he considered the question.

“... No. I don’t.” Her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

“What? But, but why. What about your family. What about the friends you have back in your world?” She couldn’t see it, but Steve visibly flinched. He forgot that he hadn’t told her.

“Derpy, I, well, there’s no easy way to say this, really. But, there isn’t anyone in my world for me to go home to.” His eyes began to sting as he memories of what happened, his fight with Herobrine, resurfaced. Tears slowly began to fall. Derpy’s eyes widened.

“There was a fight. Against this, very bad man. He was strong, so strong, and merciless. It took everything I had, and eventually, I defeated him. But by that time, it was too late. By then everyone was, gone, just gone. I’m the only one left, Derpy. So there’s no reason for me to go home, is there?” Suddenly, Steve felt something grab his side, Looking down, he found Derpy was clutched against him, tears falling from her eyes as well.

Calmly, he let the tears fall as he gently stroked her mane, letting her, and himself cry, tears soaking up his transparent shirt.

He wasn't sure how long the two of them sat like that, tears dripping onto the roof and into his shirt, but he didn't care. He was content to let her cry, as long as she needed to. She'd given him the chance no-one else in this town had. He owed her this much.

Eventually the tears stopped. Sniffling a bit, she stepped away and wiped her eyes with a hoof.

“Sorry for dirtying your shirt.” She mumbled.

“Don't be. Trust me, this shirt has been through way worse than anything you can dish out.”, Steve chuckled. She laughed.

“I can believe that, from what you've told me. But still, are you sure you want to stay here? Are you really sure?” Steve could pick up on the concern in her voice.

“I know you’re worried. Trust me, I am too. I won’t lie, I was close to saying “Fuck this town” and just leaving, hoping for a better life somewhere else. Or maybe I would exact some vengeance on the town. Not my best thoughts, but that’s what was going through my mind. But you and Zecora helped me see past the town’s actions against me, and mine against them.” Steve frowned slightly. “Except for Rainbow Dash. I still have a bit of a grudge with her, all things considered.” Derpy winced at the implications behind those words but reassured herself

“Yeah. I’ll bet it hurt a bit when she hit you, huh?” Steve sighed.

“A bit, but the lightning strike was much worse.” A sudden sound of coughing came from his side. Snapping his head to the right, he saw Derpy was coughing, rather harshly. Patting her firmly on the back, she stopped after a few moments.

“Sorry about that. Just, what do you mean lightning strike?!” She asked loudly. Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Uh, yeah, what’s so bad about that? I mean, sure it hurt like the Nether, but what about that?” Her eyes were wide in shock and disbelief.

“That’s illegal! Using lightning against a sentient being is a crime punishable by 3 year’s jail time or a 5,000 bit fine, last I checked!” Steve’s eyes grew wide in surprise.

“Oh. I was not aware of that.”

“I can’t believe it! That bucking crip!” Derpy growled. Steve edged away from her, surprised by her sudden mood swing. He began to placatingly pet her mane, hoping the action would calm her down. It seemed to work as her growling began to be replaced by purring. After a few minutes, she finally calmed down.

“Relax. Just relax. One way or another, she’ll get her just desserts. By my hand or anothers.” Derpy sighed.

“I know. It just angers me that she would do something like that. In the last few weeks since we met, I’ve gotten to know a lot about you, even if you insist on using your invisibility whenever I’m around. I feel like we’ve become great friends since then.” She huffed. “She was lucky it only injured you. If you had actually died from it, well, the punishment would be a lot more severe.” Steve nodded at her statement. Looking up he searched the road for any nearby guards. Seeing none, he sighed as the reasons for coming into town today came into the forefront of his mind. Letting the hand still petting Derpy fall, he stood.

“I have to get going, Derpy. While I hate to cut the only relaxation time I’ve had in months short, I have errands to run. Same time, next week?” She simply laughed and nodded. Steve jumped off onto a nearby roof and set off, while Derpy picked up the empty plate and walked back inside her home.

Unfortunately, both beings were unaware of the pair of eyes watching them from afar.

* * * * *

Steve firmly grasped the apple he’d plucked from the apple tree. Stuffing it in his inventory, along with the other two, he steadily picked another three from his position on a high branch. He’d been doing this every so often, taking, er, obtaining, apples from Applejack’s place of residence, Sweet Apple Acres. He thought it a little cliche her name was so closely related to both her mark, and what she did for a living. The idea made him chuckle a little whenever he thought about it.

Regardless of the strange name plague that seemed to engulf the town, he was having a rather peaceful time, just sitting alone in the tree, peace and quiet abundant. He even managed to avoid those three devils that attracted trouble like it was their middle name. It was truly peaceful.

“Get back here! You’re gonna pay for what you did to those guards!”

At least until she showed up. Steve had been so peaceful that he didn’t even notice that his invisibility had worn away. He opened his eyes to see a pair of cyan blue hooves about to smash his skull. Barely having time to react, he only just managed to roll off the tree branch to avoid the attack. He’d started running immediately, Rainbow Crash (a fun little nickname he’d thought of after the Poison Joke incident Zecora had told him about) following close behind.

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled, avoiding another one of her attacks as he ran weaved through the apple trees, hoping the constant weaving would deter her, but he was proven wrong, the actions doing little to slow her down. It was when the pair came to a small opening in the grove did she strike. Steve felt her hooves slam into his back, sending him rolling.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

Steve shot to his feet, facing his opponent. She glared at him with angry magenta eyes, lips pulled up in a snarl. Suddenly, she shot forward.

Circle: Dodge

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Steve sidestepped the attack, whirling his body around with his leg outstretched. His foot slammed into her skull in a powerful roundhouse kick. She flew forward, smacking her muzzle into the dirt. Shaking her head, she took to the air, hovering just out of Steve’s reach. Suddenly flying in close, she threw a quick punch, followed by a kick from her back leg.

Circle: Block

Circle: Dodge

Square: Punch

Steve put up an arm, blocking her punch, then twisted his body to dodge her kick. Using the momentum from the twist, he whirled around, punching her straight in the jaw. She fell, landing on her back. Steve backpedalled to avoid retaliation.

Suddenly, she jumped into the air, a raging fire burning in her eyes. Her wings flared out. She shot at Steve with enough speed to create a small shockwave as she slammed into him. Hard.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 14 health remaining.

Steve sailed through the air, before slamming into a tree. Falling to his knees, he got up, only to find the pegasus in his face.

Circle: Block

Circle: Dodge

Steve hurriedly blocked her attacks, Dash’s attack speed having suddenly increased. He was unable to attack as everytime he did so, she was already attacking. Rolling backwards, Steve summoned every ounce of strength in his body, wanting to end this fight already.

L2 and R2: Special (Multi-Punch)

Leaping forward, Steve punched her straight in the muzzle. Before she could react, he threw three punches at incredible speeds, all hitting his opponent hard. He jabbed her hard in the side of her head. Pulling back his fist, he sent it upward, knocking Dash into the air. Jumping up, he brought both his fists up, then slammed them down with every ounce of strength in his body.

She crashed into the floor with enough force to create a deep impression in the dirt. Steve landed in a slight crouch, before walking over to his aggressor. Kneeling down, he put two fingers against her neck. It took a moment, but he felt a pulse, signifying she was just unconscious. Sighing, Steve pulled out his lone Regeneration Potion and gulped half of it down, before pouring the rest down the mare’s throat. Stuffing the empty bottle in his inventory, he walked off, heading back towards town.

* * * * *

Steve leapt across another rooftop, a bad feeling present in his gut. Usually, he had the guards to worry about, but strangely enough, there were no guards. Like, at all. It was highly suspicious. Keeping a wary eye out, he leapt across a alley.

Only to stop when he heard a noise come from within the alley down below. Poking his head over, he leapt into the darkness, his feet barely making a sound as he landed. Cupping his ear, he listened, and heard in again. It sounded like, crying?

Walking further in, he looked all around, searching for the source of the noise. His efforts were rewarded when he spotted a shockingly familiar filly sitting next to a dumpster, crying her eyes out.

“Dinky? What are you doing here?” Steve asked, concern heavy in his voice. The little filly looked up, her eyes catching sight of the tall being before her. Normally, she would be terrified, but she recognized that voice. That kind, concerned voice.

“Steve? Is that you?” She mumbled out, eyes wide, tears still falling. At his nod, her face fell. Steve, thinking he was the cause of the action, flinched.

“Dinky, I…” He was unable to finish his sentence as the young pony launched herself at him, latching onto his torso, sobs starting anew.

“Woah, Dinky, what’s wrong? What happened?” Steve asked, quietly stroking her mane with one arm while the other held her.

“They took her! They took Mommy! Why did they take my mommy?!” SHe cried out, her voice slightly garbled from her sobs. Steve’s stomach dropped.

“Who? Who took her?” Steve asked, hurriedly.

“The guards! The General! They took my Mom!” She answered.

Steve sat there, with the crying child in his arms, eye’s wide in shock. Steve felt a familiar emotion fill his body, starting from his heart and expanding outwards. Dread.

“Oh no.”

Author's Note

Hey, cliffhanger. My very first. Maybe I will go to join the greats. :pinkiecrazy:
Anyways, hope you like the chapter. Tell me what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 14: Lost and Found (Part 2)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve ran, his furious form quickly making its way down the road. His feet pounded the road as he rushed to the most likely place Derpy probably was. The Ponyville Guard Camp.

Ponyville itself didn’t have a guard barracks, for whatever reason. So the guards that were in town had set up a series of tents at a campground just outside Ponyville. After he had dropped Dinky off at her home, making her promise not to open the door at all until he came back, he immediately rushed off towards the campground. He wished he had time to go back home and pick up some battle supplies, but Derpy was in trouble, and time was of the essence.

Making his way out of town, Steve’s gaze was met with the dozens of tents that made up the guard barracks. To his chagrin, a large, gray dome had surrounded the camp. Steve’s eyes narrowed. If they thought a simple barrier would keep him out, they were sorely mistaken.

Pulling out his pickaxe, Steve didn’t stop, running full force at the shield. When he got within a short distance, he moved.

X: Jump

Leaping, Steve raised his pick above his head. In mid-air, he slammed it down with all the destructive force and anger in his body. There was a loud CLANG!! as it hit home, utterly shattering the shield, causing the rest of the dome to collapse. Landing in a roll, he set to work, storing his pick and dashing forward, eyes looking all around. He was immediately met with three guards, all earth ponies, all wearing their gold armor and wielding spears.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Not bothering to stop, Steve withdrew his sword.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Triangle: Kick

Steve dodged a swipe, then dashed forward, slamming his blade into one guards head. Slashing the other across the chest, he stepped forward, kicking the last hard in the barrel. Not bothering to finish the fight, Steve rushed off, searching for his missing friend.

Circle: Dodge

Steve slid under a magic blast, not stopping his momentum, nor attempting to fight the attacker. Running, Steve looked all around, in desperation, but he couldn’t find his friend anywhere.

Suddenly, a loud blare sounded through the entire campground. This blare was quickly followed by a loud voice yelling.

“ATTENTION!! ALL GUARDS!! THE CREATURE HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THE CAMPGROUNDS!! STOP IT AT ALL COSTS!!” The voice boomed.

“Shit.” Steve muttered under his breath. “Looks like I’m getting the full welcome party.” Looking through his inventory, he saw he only had one piece of armor on him. Some diamond leggings. Sighing, Steve put them on.

Armor equipped. Max health increased to 26.

Rushing through the camp, Steve came across a group of guards. Two unicorns, a pegasus, and two earth ponies. Gritting his teeth, Steve raised his sword.

“If you try to stop me, I will break you.” Steve stated simply. This sent a shiver of discomfort through the group, but they held. The unicorn’s horns glowed, the pegasus and earth ponies reaffirmed their grips. Steve sighed.

“Alright. Your choice.”

X (Hold) + Square (Hold): Sword Slam

Leaping high, Steve slammed his sword into the ground, creating a shockwave, sending the unicorns and earth ponies flailing.

Circle + Square: Counter

The pegasus charged at him. Sidestepping the attack, he whirled around, slamming the flat end of the blade into the guards head, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. The earth ponies, upon getting back on their hooves, both simultaneously thrust their spears at him.

Circle: Dodge

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Leaping over the stabs, he twisted his body mid-air, bashing one of the earth ponies in the skull with a vicious roundhouse, sending him to the dirt. Suddenly, a beam of magic flew by his head, reminding him of his unicorn opponents. Landing in a roll, Steve whirled around to look at his adversaries.

The pegasus was out cold, and one earther was struggling to get to his feet. The other earth pony and the two unicorn guards were both up and glaring at him, horns glowing. Steve pulled back his sword in a stance, and the fight began anew.

Circle: Dodge

Square x 4: Sword Slash Combo

Steve immediately rolled to the side as another beam of magic shot past him. Steve rushed forward, sword raised. Slicing it forward, Steve felt the satisfying clang of metal against sword. Whirling the opposite direction, he smashed the blade against a unicorn’s muzzle. Grabbing the dazed pony, he lifted him up, having the guard wonderfully intercept a beam of magic from his fellow guard. He felt the body jolt and the unicorn give out a strangled gasp, before the body went limp. Tossing the (hopefully) unconscious unicorn to the side, he leapt at the other unicorn, swiping twice, knocking him back.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 23 health remaining.

Steve felt hooves buck him straight in the back, sending him forward into the dirt. Hitting the ground, Steve rolled over and got to his feet. Looking up, he saw much to his frustration, a vaguely familiar earth pony standing where the other guard once did, both earth ponies having seemingly disappeared. One that, in the lighting of torches, had his eyes closed.

“I told you creature, you would fall before me.” The earth pony said with a smirk present on his lips, wood staff clenched in his hoof.

“Aw, fuck.” Steve muttered.

Ready?

Fight!

Circle: Block

Circle: Dodge

Circle: Block

Steve swiftly blocked a hit from the staff, then rolled under a swipe, coming back onto his feet to block another attack. Pushing against the staff, which was still pushing on his blade, Steve was quick to force the earth pony back. The guard may have skills, but it couldn’t match his raw strength.

“Get out of my way. I’m getting to her, one way or another.” The earth pony’s mouth grew back into a smirk.

“Who, Miss Hooves?” Steve’s blood went cold as the earth pony laughed.

“Don’t worry. We've taken good care of her.” Steve’s heart seemingly stopped as he heard the words leave his mouth.

“After all, you know how males are, away from female company for so long. They get, urges.” Something inside Steve broke. It wasn’t his will, nor his strength. No. It was his patience. Roaring in a bellow that could be heard for miles, he pushed through the earth pony’s defense, snapping up a hand, he gripped his neck, clenching tight. Pulling the staff out of the guards hooves, he slammed the pony into the earth, tightening his grip, cutting off his air. Roaring again, he slammed him again, and again. Over and over. Until he felt something break. Breathing heavily, he released his grip and stood, looking down at the broken body of the pony. Steve couldn’t tell if the guard was even breathing, but he couldn’t care less.

Suddenly, Steve’s ears heard the sound of hooves coming towards him. Looking up, Steve saw at least dozen guards, varying in species, all standing a short distance, all glaring at him with anger and hate in his eyes.

Steve felt a grin overtake his features. Standing straight, he held his blade calmly by his side. Putting up his hand, he made the traditional ‘Come at me’ gesture, and the battle began.

* * * * *

Derpy was many things. A weather mare, a part-time mailmare, a good baker and friend to Steve and many ponies in Ponyville. But right now, she was mostly terrified. And in pain.

Whack!

She gave a cry of pain as the General smacked her across the face again, for what felt like the dozenth time.

“I’m starting to lose my patience, Miss Hooves. I just want to know where the creature, the bipedal lives. But you have made this process much more difficult than it needs to be.”

“But I don’t…” Whack! She let out another cry as the hoof struck her hard against her muzzle. Tears slowly dripped down her cheeks.

“You tell me that again, and I’ll make sure the guards on duty get their way with you after their shift.” General Trench said coldly, eyes narrowed. “My guard caught you talking with the creature, and by what he heard, you both have known each other for some time now. So don’t try to tell me that…?”

“Sir! We have a situation!” A guard interrupted the general. Turning to the guard, his expression turned into one of confusion.

“What situation?”

“The alarm has been sounded! The creature has been sighted on the grounds.” The guard exclaimed. Derpy’s heart lifted. Steve was here?! Was he here to save her?

“What? Why couldn’t I hear it?” The General inquired. The guard pointed to the roof.

“The sound-proofing spell you requested works both ways, sir.” The General blinked.

“Oh. Anyway, get on it, see to it that the creature is…!?” He was interrupted again as the wall of the tent blew up. All three ponies in the room gave shouts of surprise as they were blown back. Except for Derpy, still tied to the chair, who barely managed to stay upright. Shaking her head, she looked to the new opening. What she saw caused her eyes to widen.

It was tall, and bipedal. It was huffing, taking short, shallow breaths. It’s shirt was torn and blood was splattered across the front of it. It’s eyes were deep indigo, and filled with a whole mixture of emotions. She didn’t know why, but she immediately knew who this being was. It was her friend, Steve.

The guard recovered well, and flew at Steve, but a bright blue blade knocked him on the face, rendering him unconscious. Taking a quick look at Derpy, she saw Steve let a small grin appear for a moment. Before a groan from somewhere else in the tent made it fade, and anger reappeared. Walking over, Steve stood before the groaning General. Kneeling down, Steve gripped the front of his golden chestplate, lifting him up to eye level. Silence reigned for a moment, which felt like hours to Derpy. Finally, Steve spoke.

“Are you General Trench?” It was strange. His eyes were filled with many emotions, but his voice was deadly calm. The General hesitantly nodded.

“Did you or did you not let the guards use Miss Derpy to their whim, for their perverted urges?” A hesitant head shake. Steve nodded to himself.

“Good. You’re not lying. But you’re not telling the whole truth.” Steve raised his blade and put the edge against the General’s throat. “What did you do?” The pony gulped.

“I, threatened her that I would, if she didn’t tell me where we could find you.” Derpy saw Steve’s grip tighten. His lips pulled up in a snarl. He pulled back his sword.

“I have no words for a disgusting creature like you. You don’t deserve to live another second.” Steve thrust his blade forward as the General’s eyes widened.

“Wait!” The blade stopped, just millimeters from the earth ponies throat. Steve took a deep breath.

“Derpy, this pony, he…”

“Please. Don’t.” Steve turned his head to look at his friend. He saw her terrified eyes. He saw the bruises and scrapes on her body. He grit his teeth.

Every fiber of his being wanted to end the life of the pony in his grip. But he didn’t want to do that in front of his friend. That was a line he would never cross. Growling, he turned back to his hostage, then threw the General to the floor with enough force to make a deep impression on the ground.

Towering over his prone form, Steve gave a parting message.

“If you ever come within ten feet of Miss Derpy, Miss Dinky, or their household, I will come back here, and I will kill you and every guard here. Just know, you only keep your life today, because the very mare you beat and threatened wished it so. Goodbye.” With that, Steve cut the ropes holding Derpy, and with out a word, picked her up as one would a baby, and ran off.

Author's Note

I swear, I have an addiction or something. When I get started, I just can't stop writing! :pinkiehappy:

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. Honestly, I like writing this part of Steve. So far, all you guys had seen was Steve holding himself back. Trying to not do so much damage. This, I think, is the first time he really let loose.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 15: Lost and Found (Part 3)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve carried Derpy, holding her wounded body against his chest. Neither had said a word, him because he was focused on getting back to their home, and Derpy because she was too busy sobbing into his shirt. Steve grit his teeth in anger at what that prick had done to her.

Under the cover of night, Steve eventually made it to her home. The lights were on, signifying Dinky was probably still up. Trying the door, he found it locked. Happy she had listened to him, but still slightly frustrated, he gently knocked.

“Hello? Dinky? It’s me, Steve. Your mom’s here.” There was a hurried shuffling on the other side, some clicking and the door swung open, revealing the small unicorn filly. Her eyes were watering, but a smile was present on her face at the sight of the pair. However, that smile fell and turned into fear when she saw the state her mother was in.

Walking in, Steve gently laid Derpy on the couch. Sighing to himself, he turned to Dinky.

“Dinky, I need some soup, some muffins and a fluffy blanket.” She didn’t question him, immediately setting off to find what he requested. Turning back to his charge, he brought her face tear-stained face up to look at him. He winced at the black eye and bruises she sported.

L1: Potion Select: Healing Potion (Level 2)

Withdrawing a potion of healing, Steve swiftly uncorked the bottle.

“C’mon, Derpy. Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.” She nodded shakily, and gripped the bottle. Tipping back her head, she gulped down the red liquid. Immediately, Steve saw the bruises on her face and body fade. Taking the empty bottle back, he stored it just as Dinky came back with a fluffy blanket and a plate of three muffins.

“The soup is warming up right now, Mister Steve.” He nodded, and grabbed the muffins and blanket. Placing the plate on the nearby table, he unfolded the blanket.

“Hey Derpy, could you sit up a little?” She responded by doing just that, allowing Steve to wrap the blanket around her. Picking up the pony burrito, he gently laid her down. All the while, she didn’t say a word. Steve looked her in her eyes. They were blank. He sighed, knowing exactly what was wrong. She was terrified. And after what had happened, he didn’t blame her.

“Derpy, it’s okay. Your safe.” Steve spoke, softly. She didn’t respond, causing him to sigh again. Steps to his right made him turn his head. Dinky trotted in, a bowl of soup clutched in her magical grip. Nodding his head in thanks, he grabbed the bowl, setting that too on the table, next to the muffins. Standing up, he spoke.

“Derpy, I’ll be right back. Just need to talk to your daughter for a moment. Make sure to eat something.” Turning, he walked to the kitchen. “C’mon Dinky.” Curious, she followed.

Once in the kitchen, he faced Dinky and knelt. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he sighed and thought on how best to tell her what had happened. Dinky waited patiently.

“Dinky, I wish I knew a better way to tell you this, but I don’t, so here it is. Your mom, has been through a lot tonight. Probably more than she’d ever gone through in her entire life, combined. She’s hurt, not physically, I healed her, but mentally. I know you may not understand, but…”

“I got it.” She interrupted. This made Steve raise an eyebrow in confusion. Sighing, she walked out of the kitchen, only to return with a book. She hoofed it over to Steve. Grabbing it, he turned it over to the front cover.

“Psychology and the Pony Mind?” Steve wondered aloud.

“Chapter 5.” She responded simply. Steve shrugged and turned to the proper page.

“Oh. Mental Trauma and its Effects.” Steve read aloud. Looking up and closing the book, he gave Dinky a curious look.

“You read this? No offense, but this doesn't seem like a very interesting book.” She chuckled and blushed.

“Yeah, but I found it interesting.” Steve shrugged.

“So, you know your mom is really hurt, right?” She nodded.

“Good, that means you can help her when I can’t. Look, I’ve seen this before, so I know it affects everyone differently. Right now, she needs to feel she’s safe, and she needs you.” Dinky nodded.

“Are you leaving?” She asked. Steve pondered for a moment, but shook his head.

“No. This all happened because of me, so I’ll make sure she’s okay, at least for tonight.” Dinky’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean this is your fault?” Steve sighed.

“The guards targeted your mom because she was my friend. They thought they could figure out where I lived from her.” Steve looked back in the direction of the living room and sighed, a expression of guilt present on his face.

“I don’t blame you, Mister Steve. And I don’t think Mom could ever blame you for what happened either.” Dinky spoke from behind him. Turning his head, he gave her a unbelieving look.

“No offense, but I find it hard to believe she won’t. You weren’t there. She looks better now, but that whole experience will scar her, possibly for life. I deserve to be blamed.” Dinky looked up, looking like she wanted to argue, but Steve spoke before she could.

“Anyway, kid, I don’t know if your mom has a bed time for you, but I think it’s time you got some sleep. And don’t worry about your mom. I’ll stay with her out here. I don’t want to risk moving her, not while she’s still fragile.” Dinky sighed but didn’t argue, moving on to, presumably, her room. Steve turned and started to walk to the living room.

“Mr Steve?” Steve stopped and looked at Dinky. She had her head poked out of a doorway with a worried expression on her face.

“She’ll be alright, right? My mom.” It broke Steve’s heart, to see such a good kid scared like that. The least he could do was reassure her. He smiled.

“Of course.” She smiled and went back into her room. Steve felt his smile drop. In truth he didn’t know. Problems in the mind always eluded him.

Walking into the room, he saw Derpy had fallen asleep, covered in the blanket. Smiling, Steve gently sat on the couch, tucking his head onto a large pillow. Tired from the day’s events, Steve fell asleep.

He was in too deep a sleep to feel the blanket-covered pony shift and cuddle against him in the night, a faint smile present on her sleeping form.

* * * * *

Steve blinked his eyes, groaning at the light that invaded his sight. Rubbing a hand on his face, he sat up and stretched, popping his back. Looking over to his side, he saw, to his horror, Derpy wasn't there. Only a mussed up blanket remained, left spread out on the couch. Shooting to his feet, Steve set off, searching for his friend.

He didn't have to look for long. To his surprise, he found both mother and daughter in the kitchen. Dinky was sitting at the dining table, while Derpy was at the stove, cooking something. Upon his entry, both mares and filly smile widely at him.

“Hey Steve. I was beginning to think I would have to wake you up myself. Breakfast is almost ready.” Derpy stated, turning back to the hot pan on the stove. Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion. Hesitantly, he sat down in the chair besides Dinky.

“Hey Derpy, Dinky. How are things going with you gals?” Steve
asked, eyes looking in Derpy's direction, a slight hint of concern present on his features. She looked back at him and winced slightly from the look he was giving her. Looking to her daughter, she spoke.

“Hey Dinky, sweetie? Could you go to your room for a moment? Steve and I need to talk for a bit.” Dinky nodded in understanding, and swiftly left the room. A few moments later, Steve heard the sound of her door closing. Sighing, Steve slowly walked towards her.

“Look Miss Derpy, I understand if you hate me now because of what I …? He was swiftly interrupted as Derpy latched herself onto his, giving him a big hug. Stepping back in surprise, he looked down at the mare in confusion as she looked up at him, a smile on her face.

“Dinky told me you blame yourself. I couldn’t imagine why, until she told me how you said it was your fault that I was imprisoned.” Steve looked away, an expression of guilt on his face. “Steve, look at me.” He didn’t, until her hoof reached up and turned his head to look at her. “I don’t blame you. You didn’t want me to go through that. You weren’t the one that put me through that.”

Steve opened his mouth to protest, but she continued.

“I saw what you did. You fought tooth and hoof to get to me. You risked your life to save me from that dirt-bag of a General. How could I possibly even dislike you?” She asked, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Steve looked down at her, surprise and happiness in his face. Kneeling down, he smiled and gave her a big hug, arms wrapping around her. She readily returned the hug, content to stay there in his comforting grasp.

Steve felt something latch onto his arm. Looking up, he smiled as he saw Dinky, hugging his arm, a smile on her muzzle. Steve readjusted his grip, allowing the filly to get into the hug as well. The trio sat there, hugging each other, letting everything else fade away.

However, as all things must, they were forced to end the hug when Derpy suddenly shot up.

“The muffins are burning!” Just like that, she was at the stove, hurriedly pulling out a dozen blackened muffins. “Oh no!” She groaned. Steve simply chuckled. She turned her head to look at him, a expression of mock hurt on her face.

“What, are you laughing at my misfortune!” She inquired, sounding a lot like a certain white unicorn. Steve laughed.

“Oh wow, you sound just like Miss Rarity!” He chuckled. She simply smiled, as her daughter laughed along with Steve. Grumbling, she moved to grab some flour to make some more, before Steve's hand intercepted her hoof, gripping the bag of flour instead. Smirking down at the mare, he spoke.

“Let me, Miss Derpy. After all, such an exquisite mare like yourself must not dirty your hooves.” He replied, bowing low, putting on a fancy accent, making both ponies in the room laugh loudly at the display. Standing back up, he grabbed some bowls and utensils.

“Let’s get to work.”

* * * * *

After some time, the pair had been thoroughly covered in a mixture of flour, sugar, and egg. After cleaning themselves up, they set to cleaning up while Dinky was busy reading in her room. Derpy washed, while Steve dried and put away the dishes. They were both silent, content to work without talking. Until, Steve broke the silence with a hesitantly asked question.

“Sorry for not asking earlier, but, are you okay Derpy?”She stopped. Steve turned his head to look at her, waiting for her response.

“No. If I’m being honest, I’m not.” She turned to look at him, the look in her eye similar to what it had been last night. “I’m scared, Steve. I’m terrified that the Royal Guard would do that to anypony. I know, and I trust that you will protect me. I know. But you won’t always be around to protect me and Dinky, will you?” Steve opened his mouth to respond, closed it, then shook his head, regretfully. She sighed.

“That’s why I’m scared. I can’t prove they did anything wrong because I don’t have any proof, those guards are out to get you, and by connection, me, and the only being on this planet that has the means and will to protect my family is wanted as a criminal.” Sitting down, she let out a shuddering sigh. “When did my life get so stressful?” Steve looked down at the mare, feeling guilt bloom in his chest. Not knowing what to do, he hugged her. Feeling her hooves wrap around him, he spoke gently.

“I don’t know all the answers. I may be strong, and fast, and powerful, but I’m not a god,or some all-powerful being. At the end of the day, I’m just me, the last member of a extinct species. But I promise you. I will fight to my last breath to protect you and Dinky. And you can trust the promise of a Crafter.” He felt her tightened her grip.

“Thank you.”

* * * * *

Celestia and Luna gazed in horror at the sight before them. Eight beds, all filled with Royal Guards, all sporting various injuries. They were all unconscious, healing from their injuries. Their gazes took on the hurt and pain they were all in.

“How many, Sister?” Luna asked. Celestia sighed.

“The total guards hospitalized are 22. Two are in critical condition. Luckily, there were no deaths.” Luna gasped.

“This, this was not an attack. This was a massacre.” Luna spoke. Her sister nodded.

“Indeed. Even the general was not conscious, and any guards that were not injured or present don’t know what happened, only that the Creature was responsible.” Luna growled.

“Sister, this calls for desperate measures. I wish to enact Black Claw.” Celestia’s eyes widened, but as she was about to respond, she pondered the idea. Sighing, she looked at her sister, eyes narrowed in seriousness.

“Luna, that initiative is a worst-case scenario. They are given all access to anything they wish. They have an authority level just below ours. Are you sure this is the correct thing to do?” Luna took one more glance at the guards, and nodded her head. Celestia gave a nod in response and sighed.

“I will inform them immediately. May Faust have mercy on the Creature’s soul.”

Author's Note

Hey, thanks for reading. Don't worry about Derpy, she'll be alright. Eventually. And if anyone is wondering why Dinky is hecka smart, I imagine the fillies aren't that young, somewhere around ten to eleven years old, and I've met some smart ten year-olds. :twilightsheepish:

Hey, foreshadowing!! Yeah, the Black Claw are gonna be a real pain in the a$$ later on. And yes, just as the name implies, they're are not ponies. But what are they? Only time will tell. Or the next chapter. Either one.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 16: Winter Amends

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve hated the winter. Not because it was cold, as that one annoying song said, “The cold never bothered him anyways.” No, in fact he really enjoyed snow angels and snowball fights and making forts. No, he hated winter because at night, if it was snowing, it made it hard to see, and it made fighting mobs hard as well, as it threw off his coordination. Steve had questioned at first why snow had just appeared out of nowhere, especially considering how it had been sunny on the days beforehand, but he remembered that pegasi controlled the weather, and could do whatever they damn well pleased with it.

Steve sat upon Town Hall, under the effects of an invisibility potion, a deadpan expression on his face. It was getting the end of the day, and he hadn't seen anything unusual. Not even any guards had tried to harass him. A slight snowfall had made the white powder form a circle around him, but he ignored it.

Leaning back, he sighed. Today had been a really boring day, which caught him off guard, all things considered, with what had happened to Derpy just two days prior. Steve had expected something like an increase in guard presence, but so far, the only guards that had arrived were the ones to replace the guard’s Steve had slaughtered/beat down. He’d made sure not to kill any of them. He knew from his time being a soldier back on his world that only the higher-ups really know what’s going on most of the time. The foot-soldiers were just following orders.

The only exception was that blind, dirt-bag, earth pony. That guard had crossed a line. While Steve was fairly sure he hadn’t killed him, he wasn’t gonna wake up for a while. The rest would probably be up and about within the week, something that made Steve groan a bit, knowing he’d probably only made things harder for himself. Still, Steve had morals and he was sure to follow them, lest he become the very thing he fought to destroy. A monster.

Getting up, Steve patted his behind, knocking off any snow that had stuck. Stretching, he cracked his neck, then popped his shoulder. With that, he leapt across onto a nearby building, and started to make his way out of town. It wasn’t until he made it onto the open path, all pure, unfiltered white, did he get an idea.

After a good half-hour, he eventually came back into town under cover of night, with two items, one in each hand. On one hand, he clutched a diamond shovel. The other held a carved pumpkin, it’s smirk mirroring Steve’s.

“Oh, this is gonna be good!”

* * * * *

The town was in uproar.

Not because there was a monster attack. Not technically. No, the town was in uproar because of all the snow creatures that were shuffling through town.

There were dozens, maybe over a hundred. They were shuffling down the road, in the town square, and even into any homes or buildings that were unlucky enough to have their door open. What was even stranger was how the creatures looked.

They were tall, easily double a small pony’s height. Their body consisted of two square pieces of snow, the second one slightly smaller than the bottom piece, with three black buttons. Two thin sticks stuck out of their body as arms. Their head was a large orange pumpkin, with two empty eyes and a thin mouth.

Usually such an event would end up with something attacking, and something being destroyed, but that was the weirdest part. They weren’t attacking. If anypony approached them, they would simply look at them for a moment, before utterly ignoring the pony altogether.

“What are these things?” Rainbow Dash stated, poking one of the creatures in it’s stomach area. In response, it moved back an inch, but other-wise, did nothing. Turning to Twilight and Fluttershy, she shrugged. “They’re not doing anything. What do we do with them?”

Twilight had a conflicted expression on her muzzle as she thought. Looking up, she saw the towns ponies were all staying wary, making sure not to get too close to the strange beings. Looking at them, she saw the creatures, so far, were peaceful.

“I don’t know. They aren’t harming anypony, but they are still an unknown species. Try and see if they can communicate.” Dash nodded, before turning to the snow creature. Hovering, she got close to its face.

“Hey!! Hey, weirdo! Do you understand me?!” The being simply stared at her for a few moments, before shuffling away. Dash sighed, before landing. “No luck, Twi.”

“This just complicates things. Hold on. Let me try a simple translation spell. Hopefully that will work.” Her horn glowed, then shot a faint, purple bolt at the creature. Instead of the bolt simply being absorbed by the being, like it was supposed to, instead, the creature let out a loud squeak as it flashed red for a split second and was knocked back by the bolt.

“What, that should’ve worked. Excuse me, can you understand me now?”

“Uh,Twilight?” Fluttershy spoke. Twilight turned her head in curiosity.

“What is it, Fluttershy?” In response, Fluttershy pointed behind her. Twilight turned around and gasped in shock. Every snow creature in the town was focused on her. Taking a step back, a nervous expression overtook her features.

All at once, every snow creatures right hand shot up, a snowball materializing in their grip. The next moment, Twilight found herself under a barrage of snow as at least 100 snowballs flew her way, more coming by the second. It was only at the last second that she teleported away in a flash of light. Once their target was gone, the snow creatures lowered their arms, becoming peaceful once more.

Rainbow Dash found her one road down, snow peppered on her mane.

“I think they got a little mad Twi.” Dash chuckled.

“Yeah. I noticed.” Twilight said, looking up at her friend with a deadpan expression. As she did so, she noticed Dash’s gaze drift for a moment, then focus on something which made her eyes narrow. Turning around, she saw nothing. Frowning, she focused on her friend again.

“What is it Rainbow Dash?” Dash shook her head and looked back at Twilight.

“Sorry, just thought I saw something. Anyway, I just remembered I kinda forgot to do something. Sorry, but I’ll have to catch you later. Bye.” Before Twilight could protest, Dash was gone in a few flaps of her powerful wings. She sighed, shook her head to clear the snow from it, then carried on her way.

* * * * *

Steve figuratively patted himself on the back for both the great idea, and the job well done. He figured the naturally peaceful snow golems wouldn’t just attack any residents that didn’t attack them first, as golems were made to fight monsters, not sentient ponies. He’d almost laughed when everyone of them had just focused on Twilight after she’d hit one with her magic bolt. Luckily for her, she reacted in time before she was covered under a blanket of snow and teleported onto an adjacent road. Seeing her appear, snow covering her mane, he had let out a small chuckle, then started making his way towards Derpy’s house.

She’d invited him over for something called “hot chocolate.” He’d told her he’d never heard of such a food. She had stopped, looked at him for a moment, then started laughing. It was only after he’d gotten her to stop did she tell him what hot chocolate was. She’d even offered to make him some right at the time, but he had needed to leave to take care of some things, promising he’d try it next time he came around.

Arriving at her back door, he knocked three times. After a minute or two, and another knocking, she had come to the door, a scarf wrapped around her neck and a pair of earmuffs on her head. She smiled and immediately invited him in. Accepting the invitation, he wiped his boots and walked in, shutting the door behind him.

He was unaware of the pair of narrowed magenta eyes watching from above.

* * * * *

Steve parkoured his way home, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Bit by bit, he made his way out of town and down the path, walking slow in order to enjoy the cool wind blowing by. He felt the tingle on his skin fade, signaling the invisibility had worn away. But he didn’t care much. He had no ponies to worry about, as they were all in town, trying to find a way to get rid of his golems. If previous experiences had told him anything, they would resort to killing them off soon enough. The golems would fight back, sure, but with their snowballs being able to deal no damage whatsoever, they wouldn’t last long. Steve was surprised Rainbow Dash hadn’t tried to just hit all of them, as she had he when Steve had first arrived in town.

Suddenly, Steve felt a familiar presence behind him, followed by the almost imperceptible sound of beating wings.

X: Jump

Steve leapt forward, whirling around, hand reaching up to his shoulder. Just as he thought, there was Rainbow Dash, in the air. However, what caught him off-guard was the fact that she wasn’t speeding at him like a banshee. Instead, she just hovered a few feet above the ground, staring at him. Steve stared back, feeling a mix of confusion and irritation rise in his gut.

Silence reigned. Eventually, it was broken by Rainbow Dash.

“Why?” Steve quirked an eyebrow. What did she mean?

“The Nether are you talking about?” She sighed and asked again.

“Why? Why didn’t you kill me?” Steve took a step back. Kill her? Before he could inquire further, she landed and started trotting forward, slowly.

“You fought me three times, and as much as it hurts my pride to say, you won every time. I’ve seen the sword you carry, the big blue one. I know you could’ve killed me at any opportunity. So why didn’t you?” Steve thought for a moment, eyes remaining on the mare. After a few minutes, he responded.

“You’re not evil.” She raised an eyebrow and was about to speak, but he continued. “I will only kill people and creatures I deem to be evil. You may be kinda stupid, and your brash and you jump to conclusions, but your not evil. That’s why.”

“Then why did you hurt all those guards a few days ago? What did they do?” She countered.

Steve sighed. “One of my friends was taken by General Trench. Apparently, he figured out she was my friend and wanted as much knowledge about me as he could get. I figured out he was using some unsettling methods to get that info. The guards were trying to stop me, not because they didn’t want me to rescue my friend, but because it was their job.”

“It was Derpy, wasn’t it.” She asked. Steve immediately tensed. How did she..?

“I saw something shimmering and moving over the rooftops this morning. I remember the guards talking about how to look out for a shimmer, as that was the indication that you were nearby. I followed you to Derpy’s house. Anyway’s, what methods did they use?” Steve hesitated, before sighing.

“It’s not my place to say. If you want to know,you gotta ask her. But don’t try and force her to talk. If I hear from her that you pushed her to talk about something she didn’t want to, I will personally rip your wings off.” He growled. She backed up slightly, before steeling herself, then nodding.

“Got it.” She said. Steve nodded in response, before beginning to walk away. He had only walked for a few feet before he heard something from behind.

“I’m sorry.” These words made Steve almost stumble, before turning around, to see Rainbow Dash with a look of guilt on her face.

“I’m sorry. I’m really, really, sorry. I hurt you, and beat you, and I even struck you with bucking lightning! I always called you a monster. But I just realized that you’re not. I’m the monster.” Turning, she flared out her wings, getting ready to fly. “You won’t have to worry about me fighting you or anything anymore. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Hold the fuck on!” Steve cried out in confusion, making Dash turn around with a confused expression on her face.

“What?”

“The fuck do you mean, what?! Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re the same mare that has fought me and hit me and had me shunned from your town! Now, you’re all guilty and shit! What the Nether happened to you?!” She looked away for a moment, before looking back at Steve.

“My friend, Fluttershy was talking about you yesterday. She talked about how maybe you were just misunderstood and stuff like that. It got me thinking about the day you first came and how, maybe you weren’t the monster I thought you were, especially considering you didn’t hurt AJ, when you had the chance. I thought all that was just, uh, what did Twilight say, “wishful thinking”, until earlier today. I watched you in Derpy’s house, just talking and relaxing and laughing. A monster doesn’t do that. But when I thought that, I was reminded of all of the horrible stuff I did to you. The fights, the lightning. I just… What the buck was I thinking?” She murmured the last part to herself as she sat down in the snow, face downcast. Steve stared at her, wide-eyed. What was he supposed to do? This mare was the very cause of why he was being hunted. But at the same time, she owning up to her mistakes and, kinda trying to solve them. Steve sighed.

“Look, I don’t hate you.” She looked up at him. “I just don’t really like you. You made a lot of mistakes, and I’m expecting you to try and fix them. I can’t forgive you just like that, but maybe, just maybe, if you’re willing to work for it, I can give you a second chance.” Her face lifted slightly and she nodded.

“You got it!” She immediately jumped into the air, wings flapping.

“Just one thing!” She immediately looked down at him, eyebrows creased in confusion.

“Stay away from the guards. If they catch wind of you and I talking at all, they will try to capture you. And yes, you may be fast, and strong, but you can’t take on a whole guard platoon. So keep quiet.” She nodded solemnly.

Steve felt a smirk come to his lips. Without a word, he put up his hand, clenching it into a fist, not in a threatening way, but a casual way. Getting the idea, she flew down and gently brohoofed him.

“Cool.”

Author's Note

Hey, so Dashie finally got a brain. 'Bout time, right? :pinkiehappy:

Tell me what all y'all think in the comments. But be warned, not everything will be brought to light, just yet.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 17: First Meetings, Once Again

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve was kinda fucked. Not, like that he was going to die, at least not yet, but he knew trouble was in the horizon when that stupid death squad came on the scene.

Steve had been walking through the forest, minding his own business, after a long day of watching the town residents, when he suddenly heard the sound of yelling and barking from somewhere in the foliage. After a few minutes of running, he eventually came upon the source of the noise.

Three Timberwolves were surrounding a large rock. They jumped and clawed, trying their best to get on it. Their prize, was something Steve had never seen before. It stood at the same height as a pony, if a little taller. Their body was covered in brown fur, with large, feathered wings. Instead of hooves and a muzzle, however, this creature had a claws and a large beak. Frankly, it looked like someone took four animals and just threw ‘em together. As Steve watched from the tree’s, this creature was keeping from the edge, and shouting for help, looking around in terror. Steve wondered why the creature simply didn’t fly away, but he saw it’s right wing hanging limply by its side.

Steve groaned. It’s freaking wing was broken. It couldn’t fly.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve sighed, unsheathing his sword.

“Great, so much for a peaceful night.” He muttered. Calmly walking forward, he was silent. The wolves were too busy with their prey to take notice, but the creature took notice almost immediately, eyes widening upon making contact with Steve’s form. Steve’s gaze met with the creature’s and he nodded. Looking back at his opponents, he saw they still hadn’t noticed him.

“Oh, well, their mistake.” He chuckled.

X (Hold) +Square (Hold): Sword Slam

Leaping high, Steve brought his blade up, before slamming it down into the back of a Timberwolf. The monster crumbled on impact. The shockwave knocked the other two to either side.

Triangle: Kick

Square: Slash

X: Jump

Not allowing them time to recover, Steve immediately kicked one hard in the side. Leaping off that wolf, he launched at the other, slashing his sword across it’s torso. Jumping off that one, he landed back in between the two. Flourishing his blade, his eyes focused on his opponents.

“You guys got one chance! Leave now, and you might just live! How about it?!” Steve yelled at the top of his lungs. Zecora had told him that really loud noises scared Timberwolves off most of the time. Seems like she was right, as both wolves gave whimpers and ran off into the forest, leaving the two beings alone. Smirking, Steve turned to look at the creature on top of the rock.

The creature’s beak had formed a small smile.

“Thank you.” It spoke, informing Steve it was a male. “I thought I was a goner for a moment.”

“No problem. Quick question, the Nether are you, exactly?” The creature blinked, then responded.

“I’m a griffon. Never seen one before?” Steve simply shook his head as his gaze drifted over the griffon. It took a moment, but Steve realized something. The griffon, unlike before, had his wings both tucked against his body. His wing was never broken. So why didn’t he fly while he had the chance?

Steve felt his sense flare as he became aware of two other beings, slowly approaching from behind him. He clenched his hand, tightening his grip on his sword. Suddenly, Steve felt the familiar sensation of something speeding at his back.

X: Jump

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Steve jumped up, flipping in mid air. The being that had attempted to blindside him passed underneath. Twisting his body, Steve brought his leg around, managing to clobber whatever it was, eliciting a shout of pain. Landing in a roll, Steve backpedaled, gaze looking at the two new arrivals with narrowed eyes.

The first was large, standing at around the same height as an enderman. It was broad-shouldered, with a thick muscle mass. It had a muzzle, with two teeth jutting out from it’s lower jaw. A pair of large horns sat upon its head. It was shrouded in armor and wielded a huge battle-axe.

The other, the one he had kicked into the ground, was back on her feet. She looked like a pony, but had orange, cat-like pupils, and had leathery wings instead of the normal feathered ones. He could make out a pair of sharp fangs hanging from her upper gums. She wore a dark purple chestplate. They walked forward, nearing Steve. As they did so, the griffon joined them, walking beside his obvious comrades.

“Wow!”, the griffon spoke loudly. “You, my friend have some amazing reflexes. I almost thought Aura here was gonna knock you flat. But you just barely avoided her attack in time, not to mention giving her a whopper in the side. Nice!”

“Shut it, Riz. I thought he was too distracted. Didn’t know it would backfire like that.” The vampire pony, Aura, grumbled, rubbing her side.

“Nog thought that was funny.” The large, brute creature spoke, it’s quiet voice coming quite unexpectedly from it’s large form.

“See, Aura, even Nog thought it was funny!” The griffon, Riz, laughed. Still laughing, he turned back in Steve’s direction, only to see said Crafter calmly walking away from the trio. Not running, just walking off.

“Hey!” He yelled, bringing everyone’s attention to him. Steve stopped and turned his head to lazily look at the irritated griffon.

“What do you want Mismatch? I’m busy.” The response made all three of their mouths drop open in a gasp. Riz’s eyes narrowed in a glare and his teeth grit.

“What did you call, monkey?!” He said in a loud, angry voice. Steve sighed in barely hidden annoyance, something that made the trio bristle.

“Forgive me, but I’ve known the lot of you for about ten minutes and I’ve already been attacked by the vampire pony and I’ve heard nothing close to an apology.” The vampire pony growled.

“It’s thestral, you racist! Call me a vampony again and I’ll knock your teeth in!” Steve narrowed his gaze.

“Hey, don’t get snippy with me bitch. Not my problem you look like an off-brand Dracula.” She yelled and leapt forward, only for Nog’s large arm to come around grab her shoulder, gently but firmly. Steve looked up into the creature’s gray eyes. Steve felt something envelop him briefly, like the wind was trying to grab him, but he easily shook it off as his imagination. Until, he saw the large form’s eyes widen.

“You are strong, creature. You have strong heart and will.” Suddenly, he lifted his war-axe and crossed it across his body, before letting it fall back to his side. This garnered a look of confusion from Steve and two looks of shock from his companions. They all looked at Steve with a look of awe, and a slight hint of nervousness.

“Aura, Rizworth, must go. Time up.” The large creature’s buddies nodded slowly, before, just like that they ran off into the forest.

Steve looked at where the three beings had disappeared into the forest, staring as a million thoughts swirled through his head. Shaking his head to clear it, he shrugged, then continued on his way.

* * * * *

“Guys, I think we need to better prepare ourselves for next time.” Aura spoke, gently sipping her hard cider. Her companions all muttered sounds of agreement as they guzzled their drinks, trying to drown their embarrassment. Riz flopped his chin onto the table of the bar and sighed.

“Y’know, when Princess Sunbutt actually activated the Black Claw Initiative and called all of us, I figured it would be something simple, something her pansy guards couldn’t handle themselves. But that thing means business.”

“Yeah,” Aura said, “he took care of the Timberwolves like it was second nature. It’s definitely not gonna be easy to capture that monkey. What about you Nog? What about it made you see it as worthy of such a sign of respect?” She asked, looking up at the minotaur. Nog didn’t respond immediately, seemingly deep in thought. After a few moment, he spoke.

“Creature immune to Intimidation. Easily broke through.” This sentence made both pony and griffon freeze. Nog had the ability to use a very specific spell, called Intimidation, how, he never told. When Nog used it on a being, sentient or not, it caused them to experience their deepest and darkest fears.

Usually, the recipient would collapse in terror, allowing for their easy capture. If the being had a strong enough will, they could fight the spell and break free. To have the spell break, and easily, by what Nog said, showed the creature, whatever it was, had an impossible strong will. That demonstrated the power and heart of this, being.

“Things just got a whole more complicated guys.” Aura spoke softly, garnering the nods of her compatriots.

“We’re gonna need a plan. And weapons.” Riz spoke.

“And we should probably wait for Thorn, too. When he gets here, taking that thing down will be a whole lot easier.” Riz chuckled.

“Yeah. I thought bringing a dragon into this thing was overkill, but that was before I met that thing.” Nog simply nodded, not really listening, thinking about what the Princess had asked of him when he’d been briefed on their mission.

“I have a request to ask of you, Sir Nog. I only ask you not tell your coworkers, until it comes time to.” Nog raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

She sighed. “When you find, and capture the creature, I ask that, if given the opportunity you end the life of the being.” Nog took a step back in surprise. Sure, he’d killed before, but this was the “Pretty, Perfect, Peaceful Princess of Equestria."

“I don’t ask this easily. But this creature has wounded many of my guards, hospitalized four, and hurt my sister. It is simply too dangerous to keep alive. I don’t like resorting to killing, but I feel like it’s one of the few options left. Do you accept?”

Nog hesitated, but nodded his head. She smiled softly, and slightly bowed her head.

“Thank you. I look forward to your success.”

* * * * *

Steve sat in Derpy’s home, resting on a chair. Dinky lay in his lap, dozing peacefully. He smiled down at the filly, before setting the book they’d been reading over the couch arm and gently picking up the small pony, being careful not to wake her. Walking into her room, he laid her in her bed and covered with her blanket. Kissing her forehead, as per Derpy’s instructions, he walked out and closed her door.

Derpy had something come up at the Ponyville Weather Factory while Steve was there visiting. She’d been hesitant to leave, but at Steve’s insistence that the both of them would be fine, she had started giving out some hastily explained instructions. Steve had chuckled at her franticness, before reminding her that he’d taken care of himself just fine for years. They’d be fine. She had smiled at Steve, before flying out the door, literally.

Now, with Dinky asleep, which was strange, considering it was still early, he simply sat back in his chair, reading a book called “Ponies and Prejudice.” Derpy had recommended it to him, saying it was a “classic.” Steve had to say, he was rather enjoying it. The concept, the drama, the family dynamic. It interested him.

Sure, others liked the fast-paced adventure stories. But Steve, who always went on adventures and lived a fast-paced life, didn’t want to read those. He enjoyed reading about the other aspect of living, where peace was abundant and people could afford to worry about family drama and such. It gave him a warm feeling inside.

Steve, picking up his book, slowly walked up to the living room window, looking out onto the mostly empty road, a smile on his face.

The smile remained, until a dark shadow that covered the street snuffed out the sunlight.

Author's Note

Hey, in honor of the SAT's I'm probably gonna bomb, have a chapter! :rainbowlaugh:
So yeah, the Black Claw make their first appearence, but don't worry, they'll show up a lot more later. Hopefully, Steve will be ready.
And what of Celestia's request? Will Nog get the chance, or will he end up getting his butt kicked like all the rest?
Will Steve be able to defeat Thorn, the last member of the Black Claw? Only time will tell.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 18: Sin Runs Deeper

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve was thoroughly pissed. Upon seeing what was causing the dark shadow, which traveled down the path, scaring many of the town residents, he had hurriedly drunk an Invisibility potion, wrote a messy note to Dinky that he’d be back, and locked the door. Immediately, he set off, running down the street, past curious and scared ponies.

As he ran, he quickly checked his inventory. Along with his weapons and tool, he had a single Potion of Strength, two Potions of Healing (Level 2), his basic set of Diamond Armor, and some spare materials. Sighing, he continued to run, dismissing his inventory, eyes following the black dragon flying over town.

It was then, as Steve looked over it’s form. He noticed that, in terms of body size, this dragon wasn’t close to the Ender Dragon he’d fought. The Ender Dragon was absolutely massive, easily towering over Steve when they’d fought. This dragon, as far as Steve could tell, wasn’t nearly as big as that. Not to say it wasn’t big. It was surely big, probably the same height, if not taller than that large creature he’d met the previous night, the one with the griffon and thestral. It’s wingspan was big, easily covering the width of the road. But if the Ender Dragon and this newcomer got into a fight, Steve would bet his entire horde of diamonds on the first.

Steve gave a small sigh of relief, having feared he was in for the fight of his life. Not stopping, he followed the creature as it flew, all the way over the town, to the guard’s campsite. Steve thought this would cause a stir and send the ponies running for their weapons, but while the dragon made them nervous, they made no move to fight it. As the large reptile landed, Steve’s eyes widened as he saw three familiar beings approach it.

It was the trio from last night. Steve snuck forward, hiding behind a tent that was staked nearby the group. As he sat there, he listened in on their conversation.

“Hey, Thorn! How was your flight?” He heard Riz speak. In response, Steve heard a deep voice respond in a bored tone.

“Fine. Have you made any progress in the mission?” A nervous chuckle sounded through the air. “Heh, about that, we may have found and talked to the creature. And we were severely underprepared.”, Aura chuckled

“Oh? I figured you would’ve already captured it. Seems like you need my assistance. Did you gauge its power at all?” Thorn responded. There was a moment of silence, before Riz spoke again.

“It’s immune to Nog’s Intimidation and took care of three Timberwolves like it was nothing.”

“Ah. So, a rather formidable opponent. Have you come up with a plan, or strategy?” Thorn spoke. Poking his invisible head out around the side of the tent, he saw the group slowly walking over to a particularly large tent, any further conversation hindered by their walking away.

Steve considered following, but quickly trashed that thought as his mind went to what he’d heard. They’s been talking about the “creature”, which obviously was referring to him. For one reason or another, The group had been told and most likely paid to capture him, or worse. Steve narrowed his gaze at the tent entrance they’d just passed through, before backing away and running off.

He eventually made it back to Derpy’s house, thoughts swirling in his head. Walking up to the door, he gripped the knob and twisted.

Only for it to refuse to turn. Furrowing his eyebrows, Steve turned harder, but it refused to budge. Suddenly he remembered he had locked the door in a hurry before he’d left. Groaning in frustration, Steve backed up. He contemplated kicking the door down, but he didn’t want to have to replace it. Looking to the side, he saw the large front window, which lead directly to the front room. Getting an idea, he sighed.

A few moments later, he was on the floor of her front room, shattered glass littering the floor. Groaning, he got to his feet, shaking any remnants off him. Looking down at the mess he had created, he sighed.

“Geez, who knew one window could make such a mess.” Steve muttered to himself.

“Mr. Steve, what happened?!”, a small voice yelped from the other side of the room. Looking up, he saw Dinky staring at him from the entrance to the hall-way. Her gaze switched from him to the glass on the floor.

“Hey Dinky. Sorry, door was locked. You know where the dustpan is?” She looked only more confused for a moment, before shaking her head and walking over to their closet. Retrieving the dustpan from the closet, she walked over and hoofed it over to Steve. Grabbing it, he quickly cleaned up the mess, dumping the glass and dust into the trash. Putting it away, he walked over to the kitchen to grab a muffin or two, or maybe bake something, and saw Dinky sitting at the table, writing something in a book of some kind, probably a journal, quill held in her magical grip.

“Hey Dinky, what are ya writing there?” Looking up, she gazed at Steve, a smile present on her muzzle.

“It’s my school assignment from the other day. We’re supposed to describe and talk about one of our friends, or somepony we look up to. I’m writing about you.” Steve stared at her. His mind was having trouble processing what the filly had just said.

“Uh, sorry, just making sure I heard you right. You said that, you’re writing about me?” She nodded. “What? Why? Not that I don’t appreciate it, but surely you have a friend or authority figure that would be, uh, what’s the word, more better?” Dinky chuckled.

“Mr. Steve, ‘more better’ isn’t a phrase. And, honestly, no. There isn’t. You have faced hostility time and time again, but you always smiling. I don’t know of anypony else that could do that, except maybe the Princesses. So I’m proud of calling you my friend. Only, I don’t thinks it’s very safe to tell everypony that I’m friends with you, ‘cause of what happened to my mom. So I’m putting you down as my imaginary friend, if that’s okay with you.” Steve smiled.

“Of course Dinky. I’m proud to call myself your friend as well.” Her grin widened and she nodded in happiness. Just then, they both heard the sound of a lock jingling, the front door opening, and hoofsteps, followed by a voice.

“Hello? Steve? Dinky? Where are you?” Derpy spoke, looking all around.

“We’re in here!” Steve called back. There were hoofsteps and Derpy trotted in. The sight of her made Steve gasp. Her normally gray fur was tinged black and some of her feathers were covered in soot. Her normally smooth blonde mane was frazzled and blown back. Even now, Steve saw a small crackle of electricity fizz and pop.

“Derpy! What in the Nether happened!?” Steve asked, rushing to aid the seemingly injured mare. However, this theory was disproved when she simply waved him off.

“Relax, Steve, I’m fine. Just a bit shocked”, she spoke, looking at Steve, a playful smirk on her lips. Steve sighed, in both relief and annoyance.

“Well, if your fine enough to joke, you must not be hurt all that much.” Steve said, letting the concern fade from his voice. Reaching over, he rubbed her electrified mane, ignoring the small pang of pain as he made contact. Petting her mane, he walked over to her fridge, looking for her reserve muffins he knew she kept in the back.

He never saw the faint blush that came to her cheeks.

“Anyways, what happened? You look like you went through the ringer.” Steve asked.

“H-huh? Sorry, what was that?” Derpy asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

“What happened?” He asked again.

“Oh, there was a malfunction with the thunder cloud machine. Ended making much more than we needed. Safe to say, the solution wasn’t the safest.” She chuckled.

“Oh really? What happened? What did you do with the extra thunder clouds?”

“Well, it went like this…”

* * * * *

Celestia sat outside the hospital room door, her sister beside her. They had come to Ponyville Hospital immediately when they’d heard the General had awoken from his mini-coma. They were conversing with Doctor Horse, as he informed them about all of the guards health and stay.

Many had already returned to the Ponyville Barracks or Canterlot, while a few still remained with the more severe injuries.

Finally, after a good 15 minutes, the report was given and the Princesses were given access to the room. After walking in, they trotted over to the conscious form of General as he lay in the bed. His eyes widened as he saw the alicorns enter, sitting up to greet them.

“Hello Princesses. How are you both today?” They smiled back in response.

“We are doing fine, thank you General Trench. How are you?” Celestia inquired.

“Eh, still kicking, I guess. What can I help you both with today?” He asked.

“We would like to talk about the night the Creature attacked.” At this, the General’s smile faltered slightly, something that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Is something wrong?” Luna asked.The General sighed before responding.

“Yeah little bit. I, can’t really remember the attack.” At this, both alicorns eyebrows raised.

“What do you mean, you can’t remember?” Celestia inquired. The General sighed again.

“Just that. I’ve had many hospital personnel come in here, talking about the attack, but I can’t remember it at all. I figured I just got hit pretty hard in the head and had some memory loss. I talked to the doc about it, and he said to wait, and if nothing comes back, that I’ll have to take some tests.” Luna’s eyes narrowed. The General wasn’t lying. She could tell. Getting an idea, she lit up her horn.

“General, with your permission, I would like to take a quick search through your memories. If your memories are repressed by the concussion you suffered, I should be able to bring them back. There is no danger to you, as it will only just barely touch your mindscape. I wish we could wait for them to come back naturally, but now, time is most needed.” The General hesitated for a moment, before he nodded. Nodding back, she touched her horn to his head.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, Luna stepped back, her eyes showing confusion.

“They’re not there.” She spoke quietly. Looking to her sister, she spoke in a low, cautious tone.

“His memories are gone. Somepony, or something removed them.”

Silence reigned.

Author's Note

Hey, hope you all like the chapter! I know I liked writing it. Anyways,
Next Time, on A Crafter's Dream:
Will Steve be ready for the Black Claw when they make their move? Or will they finally get the upper hand?
What happened to the General's memories? Is he a really good hider, or is there something more sinister at play?
What brought Steve to Equestria in the first place? Find out Next Time!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 19: In the Dark of the Night

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Thud!!

Steve jumped off the roof, landed in a crouch, his diamond-clad boots making a heavy thudding noise against the ground. He took off immediately, eyes searching for any signs of her following him. His ears picked up the sound of beating wings, but it didn’t sound close. That meant he had time before she found him again.

Quickly removing any armor, as to help in staying out of sight, he ran down the street, the darkness of midnight helping to hide his movements. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

“Creature! Thou will pay for thou's transgressions!” Luna’s voice carried across the way. Looking back, sight enhanced by the effect of a Night Vision potion, he saw the dark blue alicorn, her gaze focused on him. Eyes widening, Steve sped off, trying his best to avoid the angry pony. But he was running out of options.

She was blocking the way to his home, and he didn’t know of anyway to get past her. Right now, she was forcing him in the direction of the one place he didn’t want to go. The Ponyville Barracks, where every single being that wanted him captured or dead currently resided. He didn’t know if this was intentional, or a complete fluke. He hoped it was the latter, so he wouldn’t have to worry about 30-ish guards, a griffon, a thestral, whatever the Nether that guy Nog was, a freaking dragon, anda angry, temperamental alicorn to either fight or escape. Honestly, if it came to that, he’d have to run. Sure, he had armor, and weapons, but he had a single Healing potion, one Strength potion, and a Regeneration potion. Sure, it could get him by, but not in such a large scale fight.

A bolt of magic narrowly missed his head, encouraging him to run faster. Coming over a hill, he saw, much to his chagrin, a platoon of guards, maybe 15 or so, all armed and waiting. Behind them, the four from before, Riz, Aura, Nog and Thorn, stood a few paces behind, all armed to the teeth in armor and weapons. Even the fricking dragon had a metal chestplate and leg guards, wielding a large broadsword. Nog, while still holding his battle-axe, had some type of canvas armor, with metal studding. Riz and Aura had similar armor to the guards, however, instead of gold, it was a silvery metal, probably iron.

“The creature is inbound!” Steve heard one of the guards call. “Weapons up! All unicorns, Operation Artillery!” Suddenly, bolts of magic, shining like the stars, flew up over the guards, sailing through the air, before heading right towards Steve. His eyes widened.

Circle: Dodge

Steve hurriedly dodged the blasts as they rained down, exploding the ground on impact. Rolling, he got to his feet, only to have to dodge again as another blast would’ve ripped him apart. Taking a quick glance behind him, he saw that Luna had disappeared. Smirking, he saw the opportunity to run, turning around and running in the opposite direction from the guards.

Only to smack face first into a barrier.

Circle: Dodge

Groaning, he rolled as a bolt nearly hit him. Getting to his feet, he looked at the wall that had magically appeared. Gritting his teeth, he realized this wall was meant to keep him in range of the magic bolts. While looking around, he saw the wall was fencing off the citizens homes and buildings, leaving him open in the street. Looking up, he saw another volley of magic shooting up, ready to rain down upon him. Lowering his gaze, he saw, in the moonlight, all of them, the guards, Luna, the group, all of them, looking at him expectantly, as if they were just waiting for him to give up.

Pulling out his diamond shovel, he felt a his lips twitch as a faint smirk appeared on his face.

“Here’s hoping they were lenient with their barrier.” He muttered. Raising his shovel, he dug into the dirt. After two hits, the floor beneath him crumbled. After a few more, he had dug himself four blocks down, hurriedly placing two dirt blocks above him to cover his entrance. Not wasting a second, he quickly dug in the opposite direction. After he had dug a little ways, he dug his way back to the surface.

Jumping back onto ground level and covering the hole with dirt, he turned back to his attackers. They all looked at him, with expressions of awe, confusion and frustration. Giving them a smirk, and flipping them the middle finger, he ran off.

* * * * *

Steve ran down the familiar path, eager to both make it back home to get some rest after the rather stressful night he’d had, and to get as far away from the town as quickly as possible. Eventually, he figured they weren’t going to get him and he slowed down his pace to a jog. He still wanted to get home, as he didn’t want to have to fight any monsters that wanted him as a midnight snack.

Suddenly, Steve heard a sound. It sounded very familiar. Like a mixture of a crack of thunder, and an Enderman’s teleportation. Wait…

Damage Received - 5 damage. 15 health remaining.

Steve felt a blast of magic catch him right in the back, making him fly forward, skidding along the forest floor. Shooting to his feet, he groaned at the pain as his gaze focused on his attacker. Well, attackers.

Much to his surprise and horror, Luna, and the Mismatch group were on the path, standing a few feet behind were he’d been. Luna’s horn was glowing while her eyes were narrowed.

“Creature! We…”

“Steve.” The simple word made the group blink in confusion. Riz was the first to ask.

“What?” Steve sighed.

“My name is Steve. You all keep calling me ‘Creature’ and ‘Bipedal’ and stuff. Figured you’d at least have the decency to call me by my name.” Luna huffed.

“We have no care for your name, Creature.” She stated. Steve chuckled.

“Huh. Weird. Figured you of all people would care about names, Nightmare Moon.”

Circle: Dodge

Steve sidestepped to the right as a large blast of magic flew at him, knocking a small tree to the floor. She stepped forward, horn glowing threateningly.

“Call us by that name again, Creature, and you will become nothing more than a splotch of blood.”

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve didn’t respond, choosing instead to unsheathe his sword, the blade glowing blue in the darkness. He swiftly slid his diamond chestplate and leggings on.

Armor equipped - Diamond Chestplate. Max Health increased to 28.

Armor equipped - Diamond Leggings. Max Health increased to 34.

Pulling back his sword, he dropped into a fighting stance.

“Let’s see you try. I’ll take all of you, right now.”

Ready?

Fight!

They ran at him, raising their weapons and letting out battle cries. Steve took a step back to reinforce his stance. When they finally got within distance, he moved.

Circle + Square: Counter

Circle: Block or Dodge

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Square x 4: Slash Combo

Nog’s battle-axe sliced down, intent on cutting the Crafter in two. Raising his blade, he deflected the attack while sliding under the large creature. While sliding, he sliced his sword, cutting into the back of Nog’s knee, sending him into a kneeling position as he let out a cry of pain. Getting to his feet, he rolled to avoid a magic bolt that slammed into the earth. Holding his arm down, he spun, clobbering the griffon with a roundhouse kick. Back on his feet in an instant, Steve brought his blade back, before slashing forward, smacking Riz hard in the muzzle, making him fall back. Aura moved to attack, but Steve slammed the flat end into her head, before slashing her twice across her armored chest, sending her rolling.

Steve felt something surround him, making his skin tingle. He was lifted off the ground, before being slammed into the ground multiple times. He groaned with each time his body met the ground. Eventually, he was released, letting him collapse to the floor.

Damage Received - 12 damage. 17 health remaining.

Groaning, he got back to his feet, only to find a large black claw about to cut him to ribbons.

Circle: Dodge

Rolling backwards, he managed to dodge the swipe.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Circle + Square: Counter

Steve sidestepped another attack, reciprocating with a quick slash to the dragon’s outstretched arm, which cut through Thorn’s scales rather easily. Roaring, Thorn tried again, bringing back both arms for a crushing double blow. Taking advantage of the opening, Steve dashed forward. Jumping up, he swung his blade, sending it crashing into the dragon’s jaw. There was a loud Crack! and Thorn fell back, crying out in pain and cradling his jaw. Groaning, Thorn got back up and glared at Steve with a furious anger in his eyes as he spat out two bloodied teeth. Even his companions had their eyes widened in fear and nervousness.

“Oh shit.” Steve muttered.

Circle: Dodge

Steve immediately leapt to the side as a large ball of flame shot at him. It whizzed past him, exploding upon contact with a nearby tree, causing it to send out a gust of flame that nearly burned Steve’s back.

“Hey! Are you fucking crazy?! Are you trying to burn the whole forest to the ground?!” Steve yelled in anger.

“I’ll burn it down with you in it!” Thorn roared. Instantly, a dark blue aura surrounded the flaming tree, causing the flames to go out instantly.

“Thorn!” Luna called out, catching everyone’s attention. “I agree, we must catch the creature, but we mustn't destroy every living thing in the forest to do it! Control thy anger!” She yelled as she reprimanded the dragon.

“Yeah!” Steve joined in. “I’m sure you all don’t want this to drag-on!” Steve let a smirk form as his opponents all looked at him with deadpan expressions. Slowly, Luna’s horn glowed.

Circle: Dodge

Steve leapt to the side as a bolt of magic shot past where he had stood only moments before. Steve raised his sword.

“What? Did that joke just not, cut it?” He asked, not letting the cheeky grin fall. This time, a small laugh came from the griffon, Riz. This brought everyone’s attention to him, making him look around nervously.

“What? That was kinda good.”

“Thank you Rizworth! If we weren’t sworn enemies right now, maybe we’d get along. Unfortunately, we kinda have to fight.” Steve said, dragging their attention back to him.

“Anyway, you guys want to continue this? Or, do you guys just wanna, I don’t know, take a day? Maybe relax and come back ready to fight in a day or so? How’s that sound?” Steve offered. His response was every single one of them getting into their respective battle stances. He sighed and got into his.

“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

Square (Hold): Whirlwind

Steve gripped his blade and whirled his body around, blade out, hitting everything that got near. Aura tried to attack, but was unable to get in close, instead getting smacked back hard.

Steve came to a stop, only to get sidelined as Nog’s war-axe slammed him in the chest, sending him flying back.

Damage Received - 7 damage. 10 health remaining.

Steve got to his feet, only to get a blast of magic straight to the chest. He flew back, slamming into the ground, rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop on his stomach. Groaning, he got up, only to receive a buck to the face from Aura.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 7 health remaining.

Steve flipped over, landing hard on his back. Coughing, he rolled over, spitting blood. Letting out a shaky breath, he became aware of the sound of hoofsteps coming close. He lifted his head up, to see Luna coming close, her horn glowing.

“Thou are severely wounded, Creature. Thou cannot possibly continue to fight. Concede.” Steve laughed. Reinforcing his grip on his sword, he slowly stood, wiping his mouth.

“No. I will always fight. Even if there’s no hope. Even if I’m sure I’ll die, I will always fight, to my last breath.” He pulled back his sword, ignoring the pain that flowed through him. “So c’mon then! You want me dead, so c’mon! Fight!” Steve ran forward, sword pulled back, voice yelling at the top of his lungs, knowing in his gut he probably wouldn’t survive. In return, they all ran forward, intent on the fighting to begin again, with the expectation that the creature would not survive the fight.

Until the ground exploded.

Author's Note

Hey, thank you all for reading! Tell me all what you guys and gals think in the comments. :rainbowlaugh:

Also, don't hate, cliffhangers may become a regular thing, dunno. Depends on what I feel. :pinkiecrazy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 21: Plans and Connections

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Crunch. Clink. Crunch.

Rainbow Dash stared at her companion as she ate her cereal. He sat across the table from her, looking down lazily at his own bowl. The pair sat in silence. No one spoke for a few minutes, before he broke the tranquillity.

“So…?” She didn’t respond, instead looking up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. The pair fell in silence once again. After a few moments, she sighed.

“So what?”

“So, what do you think about me meeting with your friends?” She slapped a hoof to her face in exasperation at his question.

“I think it’s a stupid as buck decision and I question your mental health. But that’s just my opinion.” She stated honestly. Steve chuckled.

“Yeah, if I’m being honest, it was more of a split-second choice, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.” She raised an eyebrow.

“How so?”

“Look, I’m not trying to be mean, but let’s face it, you are the main reason why I’m feared in the town.” She flinched and looked away, an expression of guilt on her face. “But you and I, we’re sitting here, talking, despite the fights, the hits and insults. If you and I can become anything close to friends after our, history, than it might convince the others, the guards, the town, your friends, that I’m not the horrible monster they all think I am.” Rainbow put a hoof to her chin in thought. Sighing, she responded.

“Maybe, but with all the rumors about you, most of which are not my fault, it might be more difficult.”

“Yeah, but maybe if you could group your friends together, like for maybe a picnic or just a little get-together, then I can show up. As long as I don’t get blasted to kingdom come a few second later by Miss Sparkle.” Steve spoke, rubbing a hand to his face. Rainbow winced at the implications behind his statement.

“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that. She isn’t really the kind of pony to just, fly off her rocker.” She told Steve, smiling.

He scoffed. “Yeah right. She was the same unicorn to smack me sideways when I was trying to defend your town from the Ursa Minor a while back.” She gasped.

“Wait, you helped to stop that thing?” At his nod, she continued. “But, I didn’t know that! When I asked her what had happened, she only said she had managed to take care of it. She never mentioned you.” At this, he shrugged.

“Well, she did take care of it. After she knocked me off of it, she made it fall asleep, then levitated it away. My way of taking care of the problem was choking it to death.” Dash’s eyes widened.

“You tried to kill it?!” She asked incredulously. He sighed.

“Look, at the time, I was not prepared for such a fight, with such a tough creature. I wished killing wasn’t the last option, but sometimes, you don’t have a choice. Besides, it had tried to kill me more than a few times, and could have destroyed the town.” She looked like she wanted to argue, but she thought about it for a moment, then sighed in resignation.

“Fine, guess you have a point. Still, even if Twilight couldn’t take it down, I would be there to stop it.” She said proudly.

“Oh really? Then where were you that night? I don’t recall seeing you around at the time.”

“I was helping everypony get a safe distance from the town, in case things went bad.”

“Oh. Makes sense. Anyways, getting off track. How about it? Think you can do it? Get them all together, I mean.” She didn’t respond at first, hoof to her chin as she thought. Finally, after a few moments, she looked up, a small smile on her muzzle.

“Absolutely. Look, in two days, there’s gonna be this competition called “The Running of the Leaves. AJ and I are gonna be competing against each other, and all my friends are gonna watch and cheer. I think Pinkie is gonna be spectating, even. Anyway, we are probably all going to Sugarcube Corner to celebrate my obvious victory. I can’t think of any other place where we could all meet, without looking really suspicious. What do you think?”

“I know where Sugarcube corner is, and I’ve heard of the Cakes. As long as there’s not too many bystanders, it should be fine.” Steve spoke, getting up and grabbing both their dishes, walking over to the sink. Putting them in, he plugged the drain and started running some water.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Washing the dishes.” He stated simply, grabbing some nearby soap.

“Uh, no.” She said, trotting over to him. “After everything I’ve done to you, your not gonna make me feel worse by doing my dishes. Move over.” Complying to the mare’s command, he rinsed his hands and moved aside, allowing the prismatic mare to take over the task.

Sighing, he walked back over to her table, sitting down in her too-short chair. Sitting back (as much one could in a tiny-ass chair), he sighed, looking blankly up at the ceiling.

“You alright?” Turning his head at the inquiry, he saw Rainbow looking at him from the sink, concern in her eyes. Sighing, he shook his head.

“No, not really.” He responded. “I’m scared. Not for myself, but for the ponies I care about. Derpy, and Dinky, and Zecora. And, as much as it surprises me, I’m scared for you too.”

Her eyebrows creased. “Why?”

“Why am I scared, or why does it surprise me?” He asked.

“The first one.”

“I don’t know!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. Letting them drop, he sighed and continued. “I guess I’m just scared that the few ponies I’ve actually become friends with are going to be taken from me. Just like.” His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “Just like everyone else.”

Dash looked at him, a mixture of worry and sadness filling her barrel. Slowly trotting over to him, she gently placed a hoof on his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes made contact with her. She saw the beginnings of a tear forming, but it was swiftly wiped away by his hand.

“Thanks Rainbow.”

“No problem, Steve. After all, it’s the least I could do. Y’know, all things considered.” Steve chuckled in response.

“Yeah, guess so. Anyways!” Steve said as he stood, walking to her front door. “While I enjoyed talking to you, I think it’s time I headed out. I have some things to do.” He finished as he opened the door and stepped out onto her porch, the only thing between him and a long fall, Rainbow following close behind him.

“Wait, I know how you got up here, but how exactly are you gonna get back down?” He didn’t respond, instead looking down off the edge of the cloud. He muttered quietly to himself.

“I could, uh, let you fly on my back, y’know, if you wanted to.”She said quietly, looking up at him.

He didn't seem to hear her, as he didn't respond. She was about to continue, before he suddenly explained, “I got it!”

She jumped back slightly. “Uh, got what?” She questioned.

“I figured out my way down.” He whipped out his fishing rod, before flicking the hook onto her roof. The string went taught as it latched. Looking at Rainbow, who wore a confused expression, he smiled and waved.

“See ya!”

Then he jumped off the edge.

* * * * *

“Are you BUCKING INSANE!!!??” Rainbow Dash yelled at the confused Crafter. They sat upon a large grassy field, Steve in a cross-legged position, while Rainbow stood a few feet from him, a look of anger present on her muzzle.

“What? I knew what I was doing.” Steve stated simply, not seeing how he was in the wrong.

“Yeah, you did. But to me, when you just jumped straight off, it scared the bucking daylights out of me! I thought you were gonna…” She trailed off, not wanting to think about it. Steve looked at her in confusion.

“Why did it scare you so much? I’m not made out of glass.”

She sighed. “I know that. I’ve seen you fight. It’s just, I’m so used to helping out other ponies. I like helping others, as well as the praise that comes with it,” She admitted. “But I bucked up, badly, when I attacked you and hurt you and all that other stuff. I wanna make it up to you, if I can.” She looked down, avoiding his gaze. “Cause if you can’t forgive me, how can I ever forgive myself?”

Steve looked at her with compassion in his eyes. It suddenly made sense. Her actions were haunting her. He knew exactly what that felt like. After all, he gone through the same thing after the final battle with Herobrine, when everyone had, well, yeah. She wanted forgiveness, not just from him, but from herself. Stepping forward, he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him.

“Look, Rainbow Dash. I understand what you’re going through. I went through the same thing myself a long time ago.”

“Why? What happened?” She asked. He flinched slightly at the question. Upon seeing his reaction, she realized that wasn’t the best or most comfortable question for him to answer.

“Sorry, you don’t have to..”

“No, it’s fine. You didn’t know. Besides, if Derpy knows, it’s only fair that you know too.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Back home, on my world, there was a being, a god, named Herobrine, the god of the Night. Herobrine, the evil bastard he was, created monsters, terrible monsters, to fight my kind, the Minecraftians, or Crafters, for short. After many years of fighting, I rallied all of my kind, into one last war, which ravaged the land for six years. It finally ended with one final attack on his fortress. We gathered every single Crafter left alive, a total of 6,000, and stormed his base and fought his army. There, I fought and finally killed him. But, in the battle, everyone died. Everyone except me. So now, as Derpy knows, I am the last of my kind.” He finished, tears trailing down his cheeks. He heard sniffling from in front of him. Looking up, he saw tears pouring down her face.

Before he could react, she latched herself onto him, hooves wrapped around his torso, two words on repeat as she hugged him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry....”

* * * * *

General Trench was feeling pretty good. Not particularly ecstatic, just happy. He’d finally been released from the hospital, with a package of meds in his saddlebag and reminder to come back in case he started suffering from headaches or if his memory ever came back.

That being said, he had to get back to the barracks, as he needed to see what had come up in the recent weeks he’d been incapacitated. He’d also been informed about a small group of mercenaries had been hired to aid them in their mission, and he’d have to talk with them.

He adjusted his saddlebag as his mind went to the loss of memory he was suffering from. The doctors, even the Princesses themselves had confirmed it hadn’t been by magic, as no trace was found, but that left more questions than answers, as his memories were completely wiped. If it hadn’t been magic, what had caused it?

He sighed. “No use worrying about it now. Just gotta get back to..!” He was interrupted as he accidentally bumped into another pony. Stumbling back slightly, he looked at the pony he come across.

It was a gray colored pegasus mare, with a golden mane, and equally golden eyes. Her cutie mark resembled a bunch of bubbles. She was staring at him with wide eyes, seemingly petrified.

‘Must be one of the nervous types.’ Trench reasoned, seeing no other reason why the mare would appear to be so scared.

“Hello miss. How may I help you?” He asked. She stayed still for a moment, before, in the blink of an eye, she was gone with little but the swirling dust to tell she been there moments before.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you all think in the comments! :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 22: Running

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” Steve said to himself as he ran along the forest path, ground rumbling beneath his feet. He quickly glanced behind him to see a few dozens ponies all running behind him, the source of the rumbling. They all continued to run, ignorant of the invisible Crafter running only a few feet ahead of them.

It took him by surprise that the collective running was giving enough force to actually cause a mini earthquake, but frankly, it wasn't the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. He’d once seen two snake chickens have the world's longest staring contest. Few things are stranger than that.

He heard the sounds of them coming closer, bit by bit. Slowing down, just a tiny bit, he swerved and twisted his body to avoid coming in contact with any pony that came close as he merged with the horde. He looked all around for Rainbow Dash, hoping he could speak to the mare for a few moments, just to confirm a few things. She wasn’t in the front, much to his surprise. With her being a speed demon, he figured she would be at or near the front, considering the rope he’d seen around her wings. But she wasn’t.

Turning his head, he was shocked to see her near the back of the group, glaring to the orange pony at her side, who Steve recognized as Applejack. Furrowing his eyebrows, he slowed down again, until he was by AJ’s side. Leaning over, he firmly jabbed her side with a palm, making her stumble quite a bit. She almost fell but recovered, unfortunately losing several feet of distance from Rainbow Dash.

Dash looked back at her competitor in confusion. Up until she felt a poke to her side from an invisible source.

“Hey, Rainbow.” Steve spoke, making Dash gain a look of understanding and irritation.

“Steve, is that you? What are you doing here?! And were you the reason AJ almost fell right now?!”

He sighed, looking around to make sure that no one else was looking at them. “In order, yes, obviously, I needed to talk to you, and yes. I just needed her away from you so we could talk for a sec. We need to hurry before she catches up.”

She grumbled, but complied. “Fine, what is it?”

“First off, I checked in at Sugarcube Corner, it’s mostly clear right now, so it should be fine for our meeting. Second off, what the Nether are you doing way here at the back!?” Steve said loudly, causing Dash to look up in shock, finally realizing how behind she was. “C’mon, you’re one of the fastest mares I know! You’re better than this! You can’t get last!” She gritted her teeth in determination.

“You’re right! I’ve been so focused on beating Applejack, I was gonna lose the race! Not anymore!” She looked at her companion. “Thanks Steve!” With that, she sped up, quickly pushing through the group, eventually coming up to the front, Applejack coming close behind.

Steve smirked as his friend quickly grew further from him. Slowing down, he watched as the group of ponies quickly left his sight.

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

X (Hold): Rod Zip

Pulling out his fishing rod, he hooked the branch of a nearby tree, yanking himself onto it. Putting away his rod, he ran off in the direction of town.

* * * * *

After a good ten minutes, he made it to the place where the finish line was located. It looked like the race had already ended. They had all gathered together and were kind of, bowing, in the direction of a, rather strange creature.

It stood much taller than the surrounding ponies. He was reminded of Luna, with both horns and wings, only this one had a clear, white fur with white feathered wings and a beautiful blue, pink and green mane, which seemed to sparkle. She had a warm smile on her muzzle and she wore some type of golden crown and necklace, along with the golden boots. Her purple-ish eyes were filled with kindness and reassurance as she looked over the bowing ponies.

After a single word, the ponies rose, all stood back as the pegacorn walked over to a familiar purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle. Two white guards in gold armor came and stood by the newcomers side.

They talked for a bit, as Applejack and Rainbow Dash both stood alongside Twilight as they conversed, Steve being too far away to hear their conversation. Steve felt his skin tingle as his invisibility wear off. He looked down at his arm, sighing at seeing it visible. Looking back up, he saw he was far enough away that he hadn’t been spotted yet.

“Well, better head to Sugarcube corner. I’ll probably get there before..?” Steve was interrupted as he felt something wrap around his arm. Snapping his gaze back down, he saw a corded rope with a hook on the end had wrapped around his upper right arm,the rest of the cord trailing off behind him.

“What the..?” Steve didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before he was roughly tugged back off the branch, landing hard on his back.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

He didn’t have the chance to get up before he was forcefully tugged forward, sliding along the ground. He bounced along tree roots and crashed into trees along the way, the rope showing no signs of coming loose on it’s own. He furiously tried to remove the rope, but with the combined jarring of being pulled and the tough material, he remained stuck as he was dragged through the forest.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve managed to unsheathe his sword. Bringing it up, he slashed down at the cord, severing it in one blow. Getting up, he hurriedly unwrapped the rope from his arm, throwing it to the ground. As he was dusting himself off, he heard the sound of rustling. After only a few moments, the source of the noise soon made themselves known, upon which Steve let out an irritated groan.

It was the Mix-match gang. Nog even had the end of the rope coiled up in his grip, slinging it over his shoulder. They were in the same armor and wielded the same weapons they had when he’d fought them a few days prior. With the exception of Thorn, who had a piece of armor covering his jaw, probably because of the bad hit he’d gotten from Steve during said fight. He also held a large javelin in his left hand.

“Uh, hi.” Riz spoke first, looking at Steve with a small grin. “Did not expect you to break out of the rope so easily.” He rubbed the back of his head with a claw.

Steve looked at them with an incredulous look. “After everything you’ve seen me do, you expected a simple rope to hold me? Seriously?”

“Well, it wasn’t a simple rope. It was enchanted to be hard to break. Even had a seeking feature to aid in capturing out targets.” Aura huffed. “Seems like that didn’t work either.”

“Well, it got you here.” Thorn stepped forward, punching his open palm as a grin took over his features. “Now we can get this over with.”

Steve scoffed. “Uh, lizard boy, have you been paying attention at all? I’ve been more than holding my own with every fight I’ve gotten into. Granted, you almost had me in that last fight, but 1. You caught me off-guard, and 2. You had five people fighting me. Now we’re on even ground, and there’s only four of you. You really think you guys can win?”

Thorn’s grin got wider. “Who said we were the only one’s here?”

Steve eyes widened, and he took a stepback. Just as he did so, shapes formed in the nearby foliage. They seemed like shadows, there, but at the same time, not there. Then, there was a flash of light, and suddenly, about two dozen guards appeared, all with their weapons and horns (for the unicorns) pointing directly at him. He took a step back.

“Hah.” Thorn laughed. “Seems like you can’t detect a good Concealment spell.” The group walked forward, brandishing their weapons. “Now, I’m gonna make this real easy for you.” He pointed his javelin at Steve. “You, can give up, drop your weapons, and surrender to us! Or,” He said, gesturing to the guards. “You can die, right here, right now! Your choice!”

Steve kept his sword aloft as he eyed his opponents. There was about 20 of them, not including the Mix-match gang. He had only snagged a diamond chestplate and boots when he’d left home, having other things on his mind at the time. Not only that, a quick check of his inventory informed him he only had two potions of Healing, as well as a potion of Invisibility, but that wouldn’t do much, given their counter to it. Sighing, he slowly let his blade and head drop.

He couldn’t tell, but every other creature there et out a collective, silent sigh of relief. Thorn brought a large chain up in his hand.

“Drop your weapons, and get on your knees.” Steve stopped, before lifting his head to look at Thorn, a fire in his eyes. He smirked and let out a humorless laugh.

“Not on your life, asshole.” He raised his blade, pulling it back as he dropped into a fighting stance.

Thorn snarled. “Have it your way, monkey.” He turned to the guards and his group. “Take him down.” And with that, the fight was under way.

X (Hold) + Square (Hold): Sword Slam

Leaping up, he slammed his sword into the ground, knocking any nearby guards to the ground.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

He rolled under a bolt of magic, then side-stepped another. He slashed his sword, smacking the thestral, Aura, sideways. Spinning on his heels, he swung his leg into an attacking guard with a vicious roundhouse kick. Suddenly, he felt something rushing towards his back.

Circle + Square: Counter

Steve whirled around to see a Nog’s war-axe about to cut him it two. Bringing his blade up, he feinted to the side, letting the axe slam into the dirt. Spinning, he sliced his blade into his arm, causing blood to spurt out. He roared, then slammed his fist into Steve, sending him flying back.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 16 health remaining.

Rolling back, Steve stayed on his feet. Groaning, he back-pedaled, slipping on his chestplate and boots.

Armor equipped - Diamond Chestplate. Max Health increased to 28.

Armor equipped - Diamond Boots. Max Health increased to 31.

Feeling the familiar coolness of his armor, he got back into his fighting stance. Nog was hurriedly bandaging his wound while everyone else was slowly edging forward. He smirked, then leapt forward.

“Bring it on!”

* * * * *

Square: Slash

Steve slashed his sword again, sending another guard to the floor, knocked out.

Circle: Block

He let out a tired sigh as he blocked another spear attack,sending the earth pony rolling back. Stepping back, he looked around at his handiwork, seeing the guards either unconscious or too hurt to move. But it had taken a lot out of him. Sure he didn’t get tired, but he sure as Nether could get out of breath, and that’s what he was after taking down almost twenty, fully trained and armored guards. Even Aura and Riz, two members of the Mix-match group, were lying beaten on the forest floor, cuts and bruises covering them.

There were three guards, one unicorn and two earth ponies left standing, as well as Thorn and Nog. Every one of them were covered in injuries. Steve stumbled back, taking a moment to check himself.

Health remaining - 14.

He wasn’t doing to well himself. However, all things considered, he was pretty proud he was still standing. Taking a deep breath, he raised his blade and made his way forward, ready to continue the fight.

“Halt!” The single word, shouted by Nog, caused all movement to stop. The three guards looked back at the large form, while Steve looked with confusion on his face. Nog walked forward, war-axe clutched in his grip. He made his way to Steve, eventually stopping just in front of the guards.

“Retreat.” The single word caused a stir among the remaining guards, as well as Thorn. Steve took a step back in surprise.

“What?” He asked the creature, eyes narrowed.

“Retreat. Guards, carry allies. We retreat.” They got the idea, beginning to pick up their fallen comrades with all the strength they had left, helping the hurt ones to their feet while carrying the unconscious ones.

Nog held his axe in a defensive stance. It took Steve a moment to figure out why; Nog was making sure the guards made it out, by making sure that Steve couldn’t attack them without having to take him on first. Steve sheathed his blade, but remained on guard.

“I will not attack those that cannot defend themselves.” He stated simply. Thorn scoffed.

“Oh, would you look at that, a monster with honor.” Steve turned to look at Thorn.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am a monster. But I have more honor and more of a conscious than most of the guards I’ve fought.”

Thorn growled. “How would you know?!”

“Ask General Trench what happened the night of the attack.” And with that, Steve turned away, and ran off into the forest.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! Tell me what all y'all think in the comments! :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 23: Just Roll With It

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve groaned at the phantom pain that traveled along his body as he ran and parkoured over homes and buildings. He had drank one of his Healing potions while saving one for later, which had healed his injuries, but had only slightly relieved his soreness. He was currently invisible, using his last remaining potion as he made his way to the meeting place, Sugarcube Corner.

Landing on the balcony of one of the town's houses, he stopped to check were he was. Looking across the way, he saw the water fountain in the main square.

“Okay, if that’s there, then Sugarcube corner should be just down, that way.” Steve muttered to himself, turning to face the street on the ground below

Using the fence lining the balcony as a step up, he ran and jumped off the edge, expecting to land on the hard ground, not bothering to check. Instead, he was surprisingly met with a rather soft landing, making him give an “Ooph!” as he was suddenly enclosed in what felt like grass.

Shaking his confusion off, he clambered, standing up, looking around with a quirked eyebrow.

He was on a rather large, wooden cart. Said cart was filled to the brim with soft, yellow hay. As he looked around in confusion, he felt the cart slowly move forward from the sudden movement. Looking toward the front, his eyes widened as he saw it coming closer and closer to the edge of the hill.

“No, don’t you dare go over the hill.” Steve threatened the non-sentient cart as it’s wheels steadily came closer to the edge. Steve gripped the handle of his fishing rod, not quite drawing it, but making sure he was ready to use it if need be. He didn’t dare move, as any movement would surely send the cart plummeting down the hill.

The cart came closer and closer, and Steve held his breath as the wheels turned once more. And stopped.

After a few moments of no movement, Steve sighed in relief, then let his hand fall. Which unknowingly jarred the cart a tiny, miniscule bit.

And the cart rolled down the hill.

* * * * *

Big Mac slowly trotted up the road, a piece of grass chomped between his teeth. He had just finished fixing up Miss Cheerilee's fence and was heading back to get some his chores done.

He appreciated the touch of normality the day had brought, considering the crazy things that had happened since the return of Nightmare Moon. The guards, the mercenaries, the creature they were all chasing, frankly, it was getting to be a bit much for him. But just getting some work done without some crazy event happening was well-welcomed with the red stallion.

All in all, just a normal day.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!” A hay-filled cart with no-pony pulling sped by, screaming at the top of it’s lungs.

“And, there it goes.” Mac said with a sigh, as he swiftly turned around and followed the cart down the hill.

* * * * *

Steve gripped the edge of the cart as it really got going. By the time the hill had leveled off, the cart was already going very fast. It rumbled and wiggled, but by some miracle, or perhaps good craftsmanship, it didn’t fall apart.

Another bump sent him stumbling. Upon righting himself, he saw, much to his horror, a small of group of fillies, three of them, were just exiting a street shop, completely oblivious to their impending doom by wooden cart. Steve quickly estimated he had about 7 seconds before impact.

6 seconds.

Steve realized that trying to latch any stationary object to try and stop the cart with his fishing rod wouldn’t be fast enough.

4 seconds.

“Shit!” Steve thought, as he realized the only option he had was gonna hurt quite a bit.

3 seconds.

Just as he heard the high-pitched, terrified screams of the fillies, he leapt over the backside of the cart, gripping it. As soon as his feet touched the dirt, he dug into the ground, his boots actually making a cartoon-ish “Screech!!!” as they completely halted the cart. He gritted his teeth as his feet burned with the action. The cart pulled away him, but his iron-like grip held.

Eventually, the cart stopped, and Steve relented his grip, giving a sigh. Slowly walking around the cart, he checked on the fillies.

As his gaze landed on the trio, he recognized them. One was named Applebloom, a small yellow filly with a red mane, younger sister to Applejack. The second was Scootaloo, an orange filly sporting a fuchsia mane. The third filly was white, with a pink and light-purple mane. She, if he remembered correctly, was the younger sister of the local clothes maker, Rarity. Said filly was also unconscious. He wasn’t sure if that was his doing or not.

They were all staring at the cart in amazement and confusion.

“Hey, you guys alright?” At his question, Applebloom and Scootaloo both snapped their heads in his direction. They backed up fearfully.

“Wh-who are you?” Applebloom asked, voice quivering. Steve sighed.

“Y’know, just your resident Crafter, helping others and being feared for it. What about you guys?” This statement just seemed to confuse the pair. “What happened to your friend?” He asked.

“She, passed out. From being scared, I guess.” Scootaloo responded.

“Ah. She’ll be alright?” They only nodded in response. The four of them stood in silence for a few moments, before Steve decided to take his leave.

“Um, so, stay safe, I guess. See ya around.” And with that, he ran off, leaving the trio sitting in front of the cart.

They would still be there a minute or two later when Mac found them. His questions on what had happened was only met with confusion from the fillies, as they weren’t sure themselves what had happened.

* * * * *

Steve pulled himself onto the roof of Sugarcube corner. Looking around, he checked his surroundings for a second, before making his way to a nearby window. Gently pushing on it, he found, to his fortune, it was unlocked.

Just as he climbed inside, his skin tingled. Looking at his arm, he saw it flicker, then fully come back into view. He sighed, silently grumbling at the potion running out. He hopefully didn’t need it any further, but it would be nice to have. As he looked around, he saw the room was something straight out of a young girl’s dream.

Confetti covered the floor. Balloons littered the ceiling. Spare cakes were placed randomly around the room. There was a single bed, which had pink bed sheets, from what he could see. In short, it was a complete mess.

Looking around in awe, Steve sighed, rubbing a hand to his face, before making his way to the door that lead out of the room.

GLOMP!

Steve stopped as something slimy suddenly attached itself to his leg. Slowly looking down, he was utterly shocked to find a small lizard, with seemingly no teeth, chomping down on his leg. It’s soulless purple eyes stared up at him as he stared back down.

“AGGHH!! What the fuck is that?!!” Steve yelled. Kicking his leg out, he attempted to shake the creature off. However, it’s bite, while toothless, was tough, letting it hang on to Steve. Seeing his fruitless efforts, he grabbed the lizard, then tried pulling it off. However, despite Steve’s superior strength, he found he was unable to pull it off.

“What the Nether are you made of, dammit!!?” Steve yelled as he backed up against the door of the room while trying not to slip on any of the spare cakes or confetti, making a loud “BANG!!”. He tried to shake it off again, but just as before, the damn thing refused to come off.

Eventually, it’s gums loosened slightly, which was all he needed to fling the fucker off his leg and across the room, having it land on the bed, bouncing. Unfortunately, he used a little too much force on the swing, which threw him off balance. Failing to save himself, he landed flat on his back with a “Thud!”

Letting out a small groan, Steve propped himself up his elbows and looked to see where the thing was.

GLOMP!

Only for his vision to be obscured by darkness as the piece of shit bit around his head, covering his eyes.

“FUCK!! Get off my face, you little demon!!” Steve yell as he grabbed it, trying and failing to pull the thing off his face. Stumbling around the room, he managed to find the door. Searching around with his hand, he found the doorknob. Twisting, he threw the door open, then stepped out.

Only for his footing to miss completely as he was unprepared for the stairs on the other side. Still wrestling with the lizard on his face, he rolled down the stairs, groaning with each harsh impact. Eventually, he hit the bottom.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 16 health remaining.

By some luck, the sudden, jarring movement of hitting the floor had knocked the damn thing loose, letting it roll away from him. Steve wiped his eyes of the slobber that had accumulated on his face, blinking his eyes a few times to clear them. What met his gaze caused him to freeze.

The room was mostly empty, chairs and tables scattered around the room, abandoned. To his right, a mare and stallion he knew as Mr. and Mrs. Cake were behind the counter, staring at him. In front of him, six mares sat around a table, all staring at him in shock. They were all mares he knew, one way or another.

The first was Dash, his friend. The second, third and fourth were ponies he’d only really met with once, Applejack, Rarity and Ms. Sparkle. The fifth was a very shy mare that lived on the edge of the Everfree forest, Fluttershy. The last was the strangest, and most confusing to Steve, Ms. Pinkamena. They all looked at him, unmoving. Unsure of what to do, he did the first thing that came to mind.

Steve pointed to the lizard that lay on the ground, staring at him.

“That thing, is a demon. Just wanted to let you know.”

* * * * *

“I’ve told you guys time and again, I don’t remember. You can ask the doctor, Tartarus, you can ask the Princesses! My memories of the incident are completely gone!” Trench said in frustration, tired of their constant inquiring. He was already angry he didn’t remember a thing, they sure weren’t helping.

Thorn sat back in his chair in Trench’s office, groaning as he held an ice-bag against his shoulder. “Yeah, we got that you don’t remember squat about that night. But the creature, ‘Steve’, knows something about that night. Something happened that night that made, or forced it to attack the barracks. If we find that reason, we can maybe get a reason or explanation on why this has all happened.”

“Perhaps,” Nog spoke from the other side of the tent, “we talk to creature himself.” This drew the surprised looks of both pony and dragon to him.

“You mean, just go up and talk to i, uh, him? Why in the world would that work?” General Trench asked, majorly confused.

“Creature is smart. Morals. Wouldn’t attack us, even when he could win easily. Something very wrong about this situation.” Thorn quirked an eyebrow at his ally’s statement.

“Why?”

“When we got mission, Princess asked me to kill creature in moment of weakness. Said it too dangerous to keep alive.” This made the others gasp slightly in shock.

“The Princess actually asked you that?” Thorn asked, not quite believing what he was hearing. At his nod, he put a claw to his chin in thought.

“Your right. Something doesn’t seem right.” Trench gave a silent nod in agreement.

“I agree with you, Sir Nog. Something it definitely up. So, I propose a peaceful meeting with the creature. We take arms, but they are strictly to be used in self-defense. Maybe, if that works, we can get some answers. If you both see fit, I want to go as soon as you are all healed.”

Nog and Thorn both consented with the plan, before leaving to head back to the medical tent. Trench laid back in his seat, giving a sigh, rubbing a hoof to his face.

“What happened that night?” He muttered to himself, trying to think back to that night. However, just as before, nothing came.

Author's Note

Hey, thanks to you all for reading. Tell me what you all think in the comments. :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 24: Revelations

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The next thing Steve knew, he felt two hooves dig into his ribs as he was launched across the room.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 13 health remaining.

Landing with a thud, he knocked over various tables and chairs as he rolled to a stop.

“Alright, probably should’ve seen that one coming.” Steve said as he lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling.

Circle: Dodge

Sitting up, he was forced to roll to the side as a pair of orange hooves nearly bucked him in the face. Jumping to his feet, he was quickly met with a bolt of blue magic heading right for him.

Circle: Dodge

Circle: Block

Sidestepping the bolt, he stepped forward, only for a chair to be thrown at him. Reaching out, he swiftly grabbed the chair in midair, throwing it to the side. Pulling back his fist, he dropped into a fighting stance as he prepared for the oncoming fight.

“HOLD THE BUCK ON!!!” Dash yelled as she got in between the Crafter and his attackers, those being the farmer, AJ, and her dressmaker friend Rarity. She glared at the pair of mares, anger in her eyes.

“What the actual buck was that you guys?! You both just straight up attacked him!” They, along with Twilight, gave her a confused look, while the remaining two mare, Ms. Pinkamena and Fluttershy, simply sat at the table and watched with wide eyes.

“What in tarnation are ya talkin’ about, Dash? That’s the same monkey that’s been giving us so much trouble, ain’t it?”

“Yes, why are you defending the very same creature that attacked you, and kidnapped poor Applejack?”

Steve saw Dash flinch slightly at the question. She sighed. “Look, I’ll explain everything. But I can’t do that if you’re all fighting. Please.” They all looked at each other, before, slowly, they walked over to the table they’d been sitting at only moments before.

When Steve didn’t move, Dash trotted over to him. “I’m sorry Steve. I didn’t think that would happen at all.”

“Don’t worry about it. If I’m being honest, I kinda expected it. I don’t blame you, though. After all, this was my idea. But if they attack me again, I will defend myself.” She nodded with a smile. Following her to the table, he pulled up a chair and sat next to her, looking around at the faces at the table.

Dash had a look of nervousness, probably because she was feeling as jumpy as he was. Rarity had an expression of distrust and a slight hint of anxiousness. AJ straight up looked furious. Twilight looked confused, anxious and excited. Fluttershy, as per usual, looked scared. Pinkie had, weirdly enough, a look of realization present, which confused Steve for a moment. Shaking it off in order to deal with the current situation, he sighed, then spoke.

“Alright, look. I’m sure you all have a lot of questions. I do as well. So, in order to make this less complicated, you all will ask me a question. I will answer them. After that, I’ll ask my question. We can go back to beating the crap out of each other afterwards if any of you are up for it.”

“Pl-please don’t. I-I don’t like v-violence.” Fluttershy muttered, barely perceptible to Steve’s ear. He simply nodded, garnering the nods of everyone else at the table.

“Alright. Who’s up first?” Twilight’s hoof rose into the air. “Alright. What is it?”

“Why did you attack the guard’s barracks?” Her question was straight and clear. Steve sighed.

“That will take a little bit of time to explain. To make it short, I discovered that a certain guard had discovered I had become friends with one of your towns residents.” The ponies at the table, with the exception of Dash, rose their eyebrows at this tidbit. “They captured them, and attempted to use, disgusting, methods, in order to gain any info about me. I broke past their shield, fought any guards in my way, and rescued my friend. So, put simply, it wasn’t an attack. It was a rescue operation. If it was an attack, why would I leave the guards alive?” The company of mares shuddered slightly at the notion.

“O-okay. Thank you.” Steve nodded in response, then gestured for the next question. Fluttershy spoke.

“Uh, d-do you eat p-ponies?” She asked hesitantly. Steve stared at her for a few moments in silence, making her hide her face behind her mane.

“Uh, okay, first off, the Nether!? Second, no. I haven’t, don’t and never will eat ponies, so you don’t have to worry about that. Next.” Ms. Pinkamena raised her hoof. He nodded to her.

“Is this why you never wanted to have your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, Mr. Ghostie?” Steve flinched slightly as he recalled promising, as Mr. Ghostie, to go to one of her parties ‘when he felt up to it.’ Now that he was face to muzzle with the party-pony herself, he felt bad about it. But how had she recognized him?

“How did you figure out it was me?” Steve asked. She sighed, and as she did so, he swore he could see her usually poofy mane flatten slightly.

“I never forget a voice, and when you talked I knew your voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t put my hoof on it, then I remembered Mr. Ghostie’s voice, and I realized your voices sounded exactly the same, and I figured you were both the same.” Pinkamena spoke, talking in one long, run-on sentence. Taking a small breath, she continued. “Were you really avoiding my party for you?” Steve’s heart hurt to see the expression of sadness on the mare’s face, especially since it was sadness of his own creation. He sighed.

“Look, I didn’t mean to avoid your parties, but it wasn’t logical for me to go. At that point, the town was already either wary or scared of me. Could you imagine me showing up and having every pony at the party panic? I wasn’t ready for that.” She jumped up slightly to argue.

“But if you had gone, maybe everypony would’ve seen you were friendly!”

“And if they didn’t?” She opened her mouth, seemingly to continue, but she stopped, then dropped her head down. Steve leaned across the table, ignoring how the other mares tensed, before putting a hand on Pinkamena’s shoulder, causing her to look up. He smiled.

“When all this blows over, you and I are gonna throw the biggest party in the whole nation! How’s that sound?” She smiled immediately and her mane regained it’s poofiness.

“That sound completely awesome!! Wecanhaveballoonsandcakeandcookiesandhotsauce
and…” Steve clamped her mouth with a hand.

“That’s sound wonderful, but if you could just slow down for a bit, and we’ll get through this Q & A first.”

“Mmph mmmph.” She mumbled. Pulling back his hand, he sat back in his chair.

“I suppose I am next.” Rarity spoke, pulling Steve’s attention to her. “Now, while I have many questions, I feel like this is the most important. Who in Equestria designed your clothes?!” She cried, pointing a hoof at Steve’s apparel. He quirked an eyebrow, then looked down at his slightly torn shirt and trousers. He didn’t see anything wrong with it.

“Rarity, what kinda question is that? Out a’ everything, that’s your question?” Applejack asked, clearly a bit miffed.

“I’m sorry, dear Applejack, but that outfit is positively dreadful! Mr. Steve, your shirt looks like it was run over by a cart a few dozens times, at least! And your trousers are covered in mud and tears! And while the dark blue and cyan complement each other, it is simply too much, blue!” Steve simply looked at the pale mare with a deadpan expression. He was getting fashion advice, from a small horse, that was currently naked.

“Excuse my lack of fashion, Ms. Rarity, but I usually am more focused on surviving, rather than my sense of style. Like the wise words of some dude from back home, ‘They say we cannot live without love. I think air is a bit more important.’ I find it’s a rather true statement.” Before she could respond, he turned his attention to the last mare, Applejack. She looked at him with an indiscernible expression.

“Well, your up, Miss. What you got?” Steve asked. She stayed silent for a moment, before speaking.

“Why did ya attack Rainbow Dash?” He sighed, finally getting the million dollar question.

“To put it simply, I didn’t.” This confused the mare, as well as her friends, except for Rainbow. Her expression was filled with fear and nervousness. “I, was attacked by her.” At this, they all gasped and turned to the mare in question, who seemed like she was trying to disappear.

“She was the one who hit first. I was trying to defend myself when Ms. Rarity showed. My guess is she saw me beating her up, and thought I was evil or something. We fought, blah, blah, blah, you all know what happened. I spied on the town, fought some guards, got myself something of a reputation, you all pretty much know that. Then during the winter, she came to me, without attacking me. We talked things through, I agree to give her another chance. It surprised me too, but after a while, I began to think of her as a friend.” He looked at Dash and smiled. “Never thought I’d become friends with a pony I’ve fought on multiple occasions.” He looked up, taking in the surprised faces of the mares. He stayed silent.

“Dash.Ya lied to us.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement. The words left Applejacks mouth with no small hint of anger. Rainbow flinched. “Ya lied to us, and to the Princesses. And to the guards. Why?”

“I, uh, I thought, maybe…” Dash sputtered, trying to come up with a explanation.

“Why?” Applejack said loudly, making Rainbow Dash flinch back slightly. Steve stood, putting out a hand to calm the mare.

“Applejack!” Twilight yelled, getting her attention. “I’m angry too, but we shouldn’t resort to violence!”

“I agree.” Rarity spoke. “Applejack, I am angry too at Dash’s lies, but resorting to violence is not the answer.” Applejack didn’t respond, instead moving around the table. Steve tensed, just in case she was going to hit Dash, but she moved past the pair, heading out the door of the bakery. There was silence for a few moments, before Steve broke it.

“Well, that went better than I expected.” Twilight glared at him.

“Oh? And how did you picture this meeting going?” Steve looked back at her with an flat expression.

“I figured the building would be completely destroyed within a few minutes.” He answered simply. Groaning in frustration, he rubbed a hand to his face, before standing up.

“Hey, Dash?” She looked up from the table at him. “I’m just gonna head out. I think I’ve done enough damage as it is.” He started walking towards the door.

“No, you, it wasn’t your fault. If I hadn’t…” Her retort fell on deaf ears, as Steve was already gone.

* * * * *

My power grows. Soon, it will be enough.

He eludes my grasp. My attempts to find him have all been for naught. The power used to get information out of that mare, Derpy, wasted. Even in this world, he angers me.

He was always the fighter. Even with me, constantly turning the tables on him, he continues to push through. Irritating. Though, his time is coming.

The time approaches. When my plan works, Steve will be obliterated off the face of the earth. There will be no-one left on this world who can stop me,

Herobrine.

Author's Note

Hey, thanks for reading! Tell me what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 25: Pale and White

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Muffins are ready!!” Steve called out as he opened the oven door, mitt on hand, pulling out the hot tray. Setting the delicious treats down on the counter, he shook off the oven mitt, then turned the valve to OFF. Brushing his hands off, he heard the sounds of hooves trotting into the room, two sets of them. Glancing at the entrance, he saw exactly the ponies he was expecting, Derpy and Dinky. He smiled at the duo.

“They just got out done cooking. Be careful when you’re eating them. I don’t want to treat you all for burns of awesomeness.” This got a chuckle out of the mom and daughter. Taking three muffins out, he placed each on a napkin, then handed them out, one each.

“Ooh, blueberry!” Dinky exclaimed, carefully taking the muffin, then running off with it. Derpy chuckled, then took her muffin, blowing slightly on it to cool it down. She looked up at Steve as he took a big chomp out of the muffin, ignoring the heat.

“So, how did the meeting go yesterday?” She asked. Steve stopped chewing, thought for a moment, then swallowed before responding.

“Pretty terrible, if I’m being honest. I think I ruined at least one of Dash’s friendships and damaged most of the others. Frankly, the entire meeting made more problems than it solved. I’ve been meaning to talk to her, or any of them since then, but I feel like that would only make things worse.”

“Well, maybe, but it could also solve a few of the problems.” She responded. Steve sighed, but nodded.

“I guess, but I’d rather not risk making the issue worse, especially considering that social issues were never my forte. Mine is more, ‘punch, punch, kick’ that kinda thing.” Derpy chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Looking away in thought, she turned back to the Crafter. “Do you think I should try and talk to them?” Steve shook his head immediately.

“No. I won’t have you solving my problems. I gotta do this myself.” Steve said, chomping down the rest of the muffin. Grabbing another, he walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the living room. She followed.

“Anyway, I gotta get going. Zecora had some stuff for me to do with her. I want to get that all done before it gets dark.” He spoke, walking to her front door.

“Alright, I hope to see you soon Steve. Bye.” Derpy said, hugging him.

“Me too. Bye Derpy. Bye Dinky!” He called. His response came quickly.

“Bye Mister Steve!” He smirked, then turned the knob, walking out onto her front lawn. Looking both ways, he determined it was clear.

L1 (Hold) Potion Select: Invisibility Potion (Level 3)

Taking out his potion of Invisibility, he uncorked it and tipped the bottle back.

“Wait, Steve!” Turning his head back, he saw Derpy was standing in the doorway, hoof out, as if reaching for him.

“Yeah? What is it?” Steve asked, lowering the bottle. She opened her mouth, then, as if thinking better of it, closed it. He noticed a faint redness on her cheeks. Was she sick?

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Bye Steve!” Before he could ask what was on her mind, or if she was feeling well, Derpy had closed the door. He considered for a moment going after her, but he scrapped the thought.

“Derpy’s a grown mare. She can take care of herself. And if not, Dinky will be there to help her.” Steve muttered to himself, before gulping down the carrot-flavored liquid in the bottle, which instantly turned him invisible. Glancing around for a moment, he ran off, heading for the forest.

* * * * *

Steve walked down the forest path in the dim twilight. In his inventory, besides his usual stuff, he carried a few potion flasks, as well as brewing materials, given to him by Zecora upon his request during his visit. Nothing special, but he wanted to try and cook up some new potions.

Suddenly, his ear picked up the sound of footsteps.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve whirled around, unsheathing his sword and dropping into a fighting stance, all in one, fluid motion. His eyes searched for the source, knowing there was no way those steps were from a Timberwolf or Manticore. They were too light.

Soon, a figure stepped out of the underbrush, causing Steve to let out a growl as he recognized the figure. It was Nog, wearing his familiar set of studded armor. His battle-axe hung sheathed on his back. His massive forearms hung limply by his sides. His gray eyes were blank, focused solely on Steve.

Steve grit his teeth, then moved towards his opponent, sword pulled back, expecting the fight to begin immediately. However, he was shocked when the unexpected happened; Nog put his hands up in a placating, non-threatening manner. Steve stopped, gaze narrowed.

“Creature, Steve, I want to talk.” Steve didn’t move, nor did his expression change, but he responded.

“About what?” Nog released a small sigh of relief.

“Attack on barracks. What happened?” Nog asked, letting his arms drop. Steve sighed in annoyance.

“I told you, ask General Trench. The piece of sh…”

“He no remember.” Nog interrupted. Steve did a double take as his expression changed to one of confusion.

“Wait, what?” He asked, making sure he had heard correctly.

“Memories wiped. No remember. You must tell us.” Steve opened his mouth to reply, before something occurred to him. His fist clenched around his sword.

“What do you mean, ‘us’?” He saw Nog tense, before sighing. Putting up a hand, Nog suddenly closed his hand into a fist. Just like that, a least half a dozen guards trotted into view, exiting the foliage. Alongside them were the rest of the Mismatch gang, all armed. Steve stepped back and dropped into a fighting stance again, growling, which caused everyone on the other side to tense.

“Wait, we just want to talk!” Aura spoke, the thestral stepping forward. Steve didn’t move.

“Why should I believe you now!? You all were hiding, waiting!” Steve yelled, eyes narrowed at them. Aura had the decency to look at least a little guilty, trying to come up with a response. Instead, Riz spoke out.

“Look dude, I know we don’t like each other that much, but something’s very, very wrong. We just want to find out what, and why.” Steve scoffed at the griffon.

“And why should I even give a shit?”

“It might be the reason why there’s a kill order on you.”

The remark caused Steve to stop for a moment. After a moment, he groaned, then stood straight, leaving his blade hanging loosely by side.

“Alright. I’m listening. But if there’s any more surprises, I will not be held responsible for my actions. You four,” Steve said, pointing to the Mismatch group, “are already on thin ice with me as it is.” Thorn narrowed his eyes.

“Oh yeah? Why not the guards?”

“Back home, I was soldier. I know for a fact that only the higher-ups actually know what’s going on. The rest are just following orders. You four, I know for a fact, are not part of the military. Besides, you are more of a threat then the guards are, all things considered.”

“Well, sorry my troops don’t meet your standards, Creature.” Steve’s eyes widened in shock as he heard those words, and the voice that spoke them. He knew that voice. Looking at the guards, he saw one that he recognized slowly walking forward.

The guard wasn’t wearing his helmet, revealing his dark gray coat and brown eyes, along with his black mane. Steve felt anger churn in his stomach as the earth stallion came closer, stopping just beside Thorn.

General Trench.

Steve’s first instinct was to throttle the fucker, but he toned it down, trying to go for the peaceful route. As it was, if Nog wasn’t lying, Trench didn’t remember the incident. That meant he couldn’t kill him, yet. Didn’t mean he had to forgive him though.

“Ah, General Trench. I see you are here as well.” Steve spoke through gritted teeth. If the pony saw Steve’s restraint, he didn’t mention it.

“Yeah, Nog and Thorn figured that since you talked about me, I should come to this meeting. Now, can you please tell us what happened that made you attack the barracks and hospitalize dozens of guards?”

Steve sighed, relieving some of the tension that had formed in his stomach. “Alright, look. I made a friend in Ponyville. Who it is, I will not say, but I like to think we’ve gotten pretty close. Anyway, one evening, I’m walking through an alley, only to find her daughter, crying in an alley about how the General had taken her mom.” Trench’s eyes widened. “After that, I was set on getting her back. I broke through your barrier and fought against any guards in my way. It wasn't long before I was facing a blind earth pony.”

“Shot.” Trench interrupted. Steve quirked an eyebrow at him. Seeing the motion, Trench elaborated. “The stallion’s name is Sure Shot. One of my best fighters, despite his blindness.”

“Okay, so I was facing Sure Shit, and I told him that I was getting to my friend, one way or another. Then,” Steve clenched his fist in anger as he remembered the exact words the pony had said. “he said that the guards, had used my friend for their own, personal urges.” He looked up and saw everyone had a look of pure disgust and horror on their face.

“So, after that, I nearly killed Sure Shot in a fit of rage, then fought my way to the camp where D, uh, my friend, was being held. I blew the side of it open, and found my friend tied to a chair. Only a few seconds later, I saw you.” Steve pointed to Trench. “I held you at sword point and asked you if my friend had been raped. Luckily, she hadn’t, but you had threatened her with it if you didn't get what you wanted. I was about to kill you, but my friend convinced me not to.” Steve gave a sigh, repressing his anger, then finished his tale. “After that, I took my friend home. Simple as that.”

“I, but, why would, I did that?!” Trench spoke incredulously, horror plastered across his face. He looked at Steve, as if expecting him to answer. But the Crafter ignored him, instead focusing on Nog.

“So, you have your answer, now I want mine. What’s this about a kill order?”

“When we take mission, Princess ask me to kill you, in moment of weakness. Very strange.” The statement caused Steve to quirk an eyebrow.

“Why is it so strange?” This time, Thorn answered.

“The Princess is well-known for being peaceful. It’s really bucking strange that she would ask for your death.” Steve gave a small chuckle, making the dragon, as well as the others, to furrow their brows.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, it’s just, y’know. Strange behavior, lost memories, bad situations. If we were back home, I would definitely say it was…” Steve stopped, as his stomach was suddenly filled with a powerful, knee-shaking dread. No. It couldn’t be, could it?

Steve was suddenly aware of the quiet flapping of wings, as something landed behind him. Judging by the expressions on Trench’s face, it was someone important. Whirling around, he saw the being behind him.

It was the same pony that had been at the end of the race. She stood tall, a foot above his own height. Her pristine white fur stood out heavily against the dark green foliage. Her eyes, strangely enough, were closed. But something felt, wrong. Steve could feel it in his gut.

Oh, looks like I’ve been found out.

Steve jolted suddenly as the words, coming from a foreign voice, echoed through his mind. His fingers tightened around the handle of his sword. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t their Princess.

“Ah, your majesty! I was unaware of your…?” Trench began moving forward, only to be stopped by a hand from Steve. He looked up with a irritated expression, which fell when he saw the look of fear on Steve’s face.

“That, is not your princess.” Trench’s eyes widened, then looked at the white creature that stood before them. For a moment, it remained motionless.

Then, slowly, a smile, at first, small, but gradually growing larger and more sinister overtook it’s features. The guards bristled, as they unconsciously prepared themselves for whatever happened.

Suddenly, the creatures eye opened, revealing a blinding white light. Steve stumbled back as he covered his eyes, gritting his teeth. The air felt like static. Steve squinted his eyes, trying and failing to see what was going on. Then, something slammed into him, and everything went black.

* * * * *

When Steve came to, he was laying on his back. Sitting up, he groaned as pain flared up in his back. Popping it, he found himself in a vaguely familiar place.

Everything was black. Everywhere he looked, all he could see was the deep blackness clouding his vision. A small feeling of panic came over him. Where was he?

“Hello!!” Steve called out. His only response was pure silence, as not even the echo of his call was swallowed by the darkness.

“Hello!! Where am I!!??” Steve called again, to no avail.

“The Mindscape, dear Steve.” a voice spoke from behind. Steve froze. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned as his eyes made contact with the source of the voice. With those pale, glowing eyes.

“Herobrine.”

Author's Note

So, this is the final chapter of the "Misunderstood" Arc. The next arc will be called "Mind over Matter."

Thank you all for reading! Tell me what you all think in the comments! :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 26: Thanks for the Nightmares

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve stood, a frown present on his face. Although he looked calm and collected, inside was a different story. His heart pounded in his chest, blood roaring through his veins as adrenaline coursed through his body. His hands were closed into fists, knuckles white and palms sweaty. His teeth were grit so tightly, one could wonder how they hadn’t already become nubs.

His opponent stood facing Steve, glowing eyes simply staring at Steve. Herobrine had a small frown on his face, eyebrows furrowed.

“I thought, y-you were dead.” Steve said, mentally cursing at himself for stuttering. The words caused the frown on Herobrine’s face to slowly tilt upwards into a small smile.

“I nearly was, thanks to you.” He spoke, a small amount of anger present in his voice. “But, death was, and is, a foreign concept to me. A god, after all, does not so easily die.” Steve had enough nerve to smirk.

“Gods don’t bleed, asshole.” Herobrine frowned.

Circle: Dodge

Steve jumped to the side as a large beam of white light cut through the darkness, nearly hitting him. Pulling back his fist, he dropped low, getting into his fighting stance. Herobrine laughed, a cold, malicious laugh, that only promised one thing. Death.

“Hahahahaha.” His laugh sent a chill down Steve’s spine. “You always were a fighter. Maybe, that will come in handy for you, one last time.” Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Herobrine snapped his fingers. Suddenly, seven doors popped into existence, making Steve take a step back, gaze narrowed.

“Behind each of these doors, a soul lies, trapped.” Steve’s gaze followed along the doors. “Behind one, the Princess, Celestia. Another, General Trench, Behind another,” Herobrine smirked. “Your friend, Derpy lies, trapped in a sleep, like death. The same can be said for Rainbow Dash.” Steve felt a blistering anger well up in his stomach. Already, his mind raced to come up with a plan, some way to beat his opponent’s pasty ass and rescue his friends.

“You will have to make your way past traps, enemies and deceptions in order to rescue them. If you fail, you, as well as your friends will die, trapped in a coma they will never wake from.” Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion. Herobrine, wasn’t going to fight him, and probably kill him? Why? The Herobrine that Steve knew would never pass up an opportunity to kill those who stood in his way, so why wasn’t that happening now? Suddenly, Herobrine laughed.

“Ah, you are wondering why I am forcing you to play my little game?” Steve just glared at him. “Well that, my friend, is something I don’t have to tell you.” Herobrine finished, a gleam present in his eye. Steve frowned heavily at his words, teeth grit.

“I wish you the worst of luck.” Herobrine stated, before, just like that, he was gone.

For a while, Steve remained motionless, mind trying to process what had just happened. Thinking it over, he absentmindedly walked to the first door on his right. Rubbing his chin, he muttered to himself.

“That, fucker, just wants me to play his game. I don’t want to know what horrors he had planned for me.” Giving an nervous sigh, Steve didn’t see much choice but to play along, at least for the time being. Gripping the door handle, he pulled the door open. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.

* * * * *

Steve walked, the blackness being quickly replaced by landscape as he walked. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. It looked like a town, if the town was built of pure and utter depression.

There was no color, anywhere. The homes and buildings were seemingly all built of sad, gray brick and wood. Even the thatched roofs, which were supposed to be yellow, were a dead, blonde color. As he walked, Steve couldn’t help but feel sad and miserable. A frown was ever-present on his features as he walked, looking for something, well, anything.

Suddenly, he heard a sound. It sounded dreadenly like a scream. Even from so far away, he could hear the pain and anguish in it’s tone. Not hesitating for a second, he took off, running down the street as fast as he could. It was only after he had turned off of that street and onto the next one that he saw it. The cause for the screaming, probably.

Bodies. Dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them. They littered the street, blood pouring from their wounds. Steve’s eyes widened as they took in the horror. He slowed down to a walk, momentarily forgetting about the scream. His mouth dropped open in a look of dismay. But, that wasn’t the worst part, if it can be believed.

The worst part was the ways some of them had died. One, a unicorn stallion, had two arrows in him, one imbedded in his chest, the other piercing his skull, eyes stuck in a fixture of terror. Another, a mare this time, was severed in half, the two pieces about ten or so feet from one another. Yet another, a stallion earth pony, had his head twisted at an unnatural angle.

There were many, all lying dead on the road. Steve covered his mouth, eyes slammed shut. He fought to keep himself steady, his brain a horrid mixture of emotions. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again, this time refusing to look down.

Suddenly, there was another scream, this time much closer, in front of him. Without hesitation, Steve took off, trying to avoid the bodies beneath him. After only a minute or two, he came across the source of the scream.

It was General Trench, sitting among the bodies, still very much alive. He sat, facing the sky, spear clutched in his hoof. He didn’t move, nor show notion that he had noticed Steve’s approach.

“Trench.” At this single word, Trench’s head snapped in Steve direction. His eyes were filled with fear and his voice shook.

“C-creature? What are y-you doing here?” Steve held his hands in front of him in a placating matter.

“Trying to find you, I guess.” Steve responded. Trying to ignore the bodies, he continued. “What the Nether happened here?”

Trench sniffled a bit, tears beginning to fall. “I failed them. I promised to protect them, and I failed. Now they’re, g-gone.” The stallion began to sob, his choked cries the only sound present. Steve could only look at him in empathy. In truth, he’d been there, once before, after the Final Battle. When he’d looked around and saw all of his friends lying lifeless on the ground. Steve stepped forward, to offer a small amount of comfort, before his ears picked up the sound of footsteps.

Whirling around, he saw black, mist-like creatures, akin to wolves, slowly making their way to the pair. They had glowing yellow eyes, and green, cruddy teeth. Even the air they exhaled was tinted lime. Steve stood up straight, turning to face the monsters. Looking around, Steve groaned as more appeared alongside their kin. More and more appeared, until the entire road looked like it was made of pure black mist.

Turning back, he saw Trench, still sobbing, completely oblivious to his impending doom. Steve gritted his teeth.

“Trench! Get up, or you’ll die!” No response. He seemed to be really out of it. Letting out an irritated sigh, Steve tried to open his inventory. However, to his horror, he found he was unable to. Trying again, he was met with the same result. Cursing, he pulled back his fist, dropping into a fighting stance.

“C’mon then you fuckers!!” Steve yelled, which was all the incentive needed for the fight to begin. They swarmed forward, a single large, black mass.

Ready?

Fight!!

Square x 4: Punch Combo

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Dashing forward, Steve sent his fist rocketing forward, caving the muzzle of the mist-wolf. Rolling over that one, he sent two more crushing blows, taking them out as well. Bringing up his fists, he smashed them down, taking out another one. Spinning, he knocked another aside with a roundhouse. While he did so, one of the mist-wolves got lucky and chomped down on Steve’s arm, tearing through the flesh of his forearm.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 17 health remaining.

Triangle: Kick

Shaking it off, he gave it a solid kick, making it fizzle and disappear, like it’s defeated brethren. Groaning, he stumbled back, facing the horde that’d he’d barely made a dent in. Pulling back his fist, blood dripped down onto the cobblestone road.

Circle + Square: Tackle

Square: Punch

Triangle: Kick

Dodging another attack, he tackled a mist-wolf, holding it in a choke-hold. Twisting, he heard a soft, “Snap!” as it’s neck cracked, causing it to go limp in his grasp. Throwing the body aside, he punch an attacking mist-wolf, then drop-kicked it. All of the sudden, Steve was tackled to the ground, feeling teeth in his torso as one of them bite down.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 14 health remaining.

Yelling in pain and anger, mostly anger, Steve twisted his body, managing to throw the monster off. Shooting to his feet, he back-pedaled to give himself some distance. Blood dripped down his side, as well as his arm, serving to remind him of his injuries, as well as how outnumbered he was. Gritting his teeth, he reinforced his stance, and prepared himself.

The horde edged closer, seemingly taking their time. Their numbers were quite extensive, as shown by the thick mass of black that covered the street. Then, like an arrow from a bow, they all lunged.

X (Hold): Power Jump

Steve leapt high above the mist-wolves, looking down with a look of determination. Bringing up his leg, he brought it down with every ounce of strength that his body would allow. He smashed into the ground with enough force to crack the road beneath him.

New Move Learned! X (Hold) + Triangle: Curb Stomp.

The wolves didn’t fare well against the attack. Any that were close enough were killed on impact. Any that weren’t were thrown back, creating a crater in the mass of black. Standing straight, he smirked. The mist-wolves reoriented themselves, snarling at Steve, then attacked again.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Punch

Rolling under a lunge, Steve got back onto his feet, only to sidestep another. Pulling back his fist, he punched a wolf in the face, sending it rolling. Suddenly, Steve felt pain flare up in his leg. Snapping his gaze down, he saw a wolf chomping down on his calf. Before he could do anything about it, another mist-wolf gripped his un-injured forearm with its nasty teeth, then pulled down, sending the off-balance Crafter to the floor.

Damage Received - 7 damage. 7 health remaining.

Shaking them off, Steve rolled as he was nearly beheaded by a wolf’s bite. Stumbling back, Steve groaned at the pain. Looking up, he groaned in pain and frustration as he saw there was still a large number of wolves left. Glancing behind him, he saw Trench was still there, though his crying had stopped. Now he looked at the ground with a blank stare. Steve grit his teeth.

“Trench!! You need to get out of here!! I can’t hold these things off!! They’ll tear you apart!!” He shouted, trying to get through to the dazed stallion.

Square: Punch

Another wolf jumped on Steve's turned back, but he punched it away. Hobbling towards Trench, he was pushed down on his stomach. Rolling over, he was swiftly scratched by the wolf's claws.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 5 health remaining.

Crying out in pain, Steve pushed it off. Getting to his feet, he huffed, pushing through the pain, ignoring the blood that fell. Grimacing, he got into his fighting stance, preparing for his final stand.

Only for a spear to impale two mist-wolves at once.

The mist-wolves were as shocked as Steve was. He was even more shocked when he heard a vicious yell from behind him. Whirling around, he was just able to see a gray stallion leaping past him, a look of rage present on his face. Landing, Trench picked up his spear and immediately thrust it into the nearest mist-wolf, killing it on contact. Not waiting a moment, Steve joined the fight, pummeling the dark creatures into oblivion.

For the first time since he'd arrived on that world, Steve fought alongside a pony.

* * * * *

Steve crushed a mist-wolf beneath his feet, satisfied to see it twitch and fade away. Looking up, Steve saw Trench sitting across the way from him, huffing in exhaustion. His spear lay on the ground beside him. Getting up, Steve groaned in pain from his wounds. Hobbling over, he gingerly sat down beside the stallion. They sat in silence for a moment, simply taking in the quiet. Eventually, Trench spoke.

“Thank you.” He said quietly. Steve gave him a sideways glance.

“No problem, I guess. Just don't ask me to do again for a while. At least until I'm healed up.” Steve said, wincing as he held his side.

“I can treat your injuries. It was one of the many skills I learned over the years.” Steve narrowed his gaze at the General, for a moment, before sighing.

“Sure, fine.” Trench nodded, before setting to work. Not long later, after scavenging some nearby houses, he came back with supplies. After a good ten minutes, he was finished.

Regeneration Effect Gained. +1 health per 20 seconds.

Steve closed his eyes and sighed as the pain, slowly but surely, began to fade. Opening his eyes, he looked around at the death and destruction.

“Hey, Trench. Do you know where we are?” The stallion sighed, looking around.

“No, I don't. But frankly, I don't want to. It looks like something straight out of my worst nightmare.” This statement caused Steve to stop as something occurred to him.

“Wait, hold on. Your nightmare?” Trench looked up at Steve with a curious gaze.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“The guy that put us in here said I, and by connection you, are in the Mindscape. If my gut is correct, which it usually is, we probably just fought a physical representation of your nightmare.” Before Trench could respond, there was sudden, “BING!” Then, a large wooden door, exactly like the one Steve had used to enter appeared.

Getting to his feet, Steve slowly walked forward, stopping right in front of the door, Trench following close behind. Taking a deep breath, he reached out a hand and turned the knob, causing the door to click open. Without a word, Steve stepped through, into the unknown.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 27: One Un-simple Jump

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve found both himself and Trench back in the pitch black room. Looking around, Steve found nothing had changed, with one exception. The door he’d entered before, where he’d found Trench, was gone. Now, only six doors remained, each looking exactly like all the rest.

He sighed, rubbing a hand against his face.

“Where are we?” Trench asked. Steve looked down at his companion.

“Not entirely sure myself. All I know is that we’re in the Mindscape. Besides that, I’m pretty much lost. My best guess is that we might be in his mind.”

“Whose?” Trench inquired.

“The guy who put us here. Herobrine.” A small shiver ran down his spine, but he repressed it.

“Who is this guy, this Herobrine?” The gray stallion asked, rightly curious. Steve sighed, not wanting to answer, but also not wanting to leave Trench in the dark.

“This guy, is a god, from my world. He is evil, sadistic, and power-hungry. If you were to meet him, he would not hesitate to kill you. He is also single-handedly responsible for the extinction of my entire species, except for myself, obviously.” Trench’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open in shock.

“He, killed your, entire race!?” His tone showed just how shocked he was by this revelation.

“Yeah.” Steve responded, grimly. “He’s a pretty bad person, putting it lightly. But something’s different this time around.” Trench’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What is it?”

“Well, the Herobrine I knew wouldn’t miss out on a chance to kill me. But, all he did was put you guys in a coma, and then let me go and try to find you all. Though I’m unsure why you or Celestia were part of the group that he put under.” At Trench’s questioning expression, he continued. “Look, I’m gonna level with you, I don’t like you. At all. I understand you don’t remember what happened, and I think I know what caused that, but regardless. I won’t hold it against you, but I can’t just forgive you. Not just like that.”

Trench gave a small sigh of relief. “That’s more than what I was hoping for. Considering what I did, I wouldn’t forgive myself quickly either.” Looking at the six doors, he thought for a moment, then pointed to the third one. “That one.” He said, with a note of finality. Glancing up, Steve saw the door Trench was pointing to.

“Why that one in particular?” He asked. Trench simply shrugged in response.

“Not really sure. Just got a gut feeling.” Steve simply nodded in response, getting to his feet. As he sauntered over to it, he tried, once again, to open his inventory, only to be unable to access it.

Walking up to the door, Steve turned the knob. Upon opening it, he was met with the same darkness he’d seen when he’d opened the first door. Taking a deep breath and smirking at the gray stallion beside him, he stepped through, Trench following close behind.

* * * * *

It was dark. That was the first thing that went through the Steve’s mind as he walked through town under cover of night. While this had become a common occurrence for him due to recent circumstances, the exception was the gray earth stallion trotting along next to him. The duo walked down the road, small road-side lamps being the only source of light. Steve kept a wary gaze, eyes looking all around for signs of danger.

Strangely enough, this town had some signs of activity. Lights were on in some homes and buildings, revealing the ponies inside. If Steve’s hunch was correct, he would have to face each member's worst nightmare, like with Trench. But so far, nothing had popped up. Regardless, he didn’t drop his guard, lest he be caught by surprise.

Suddenly, there was a loud, terrified scream, making both pony and Crafter snap their heads in that direction. Glancing at Trench, he smirked.

“Let’s get to work.” And with that, the pair set off, running off in the direction of the scream, ignoring the curious and scared looks of any nearby ponies. Not much later, they arrived in front of their destination, the town square, and witnessed a horrific scene.

Three dead ponies, all stallions, lying dead on the ground with bleeding wounds on their necks. Standing above them, a single mare, with dark, leathery wings and blood-stained fangs, gleaming in the moonlight. Cat-like pupils glowed yellow in the darkness, barely shadowed by her raggedy black mane. Steve and Trench both easily recognized the thestral.

“Aura, is that you?” Trench spoke, voice unsteady. In response, she hissed loudly and swiftly lunged at the stallion.

Square: Punch

Steve’s fist quickly met her muzzle in a solid punch to the face, knocking her back. She hissed again, blood dripping from her muzzle. He dropped into a fighting stance as Trench pulled back his spear.

“Aura, what the Nether are you doing?! Snap out of it!!” Steve said, get through to the mare. Unfortunately, instead of coming to her senses, her wings flared and her fangs bared.

“Oh, fuck it.” He muttered.

Ready?

Fight!!

Aura took the initiative, lunging forward at Steve. However, she was intercepted by Trench as put his spear across his body in a defensive position, holding her off. She pushed him back, powered by some sort of unnatural strength.

Square: Punch

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Aiding Trench, Steve punched hard across the muzzle, following up with a roundhouse that slammed into her barrel. Rolling, she was back on her feet in an instant, looking no worse for wear. Glaring at the duo with an animalistic expression, she suddenly disappeared, with barely a sound. They stared at the spot she’d been at only moments before.

“She can freaking teleport!?” Steve yelled, only moments before he was blindsided from behind. Stumbling forward, Aura chomped down on his neck, teeth digging in as Steve felt himself being drained. He cried out in pain.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 17 health remaining.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 15 health remaining.

“Get off him!” Steve heard Trench yell. Suddenly, the thestral on his back was ripped off him. Stumbling, Steve righted himself, only to see Trench on his back with Aura trying her best to rip his throat out, his spear the only thing keeping her from doing so.

Triangle: Kick

“Oi!” Aura and Trench both looked up to see Steve standing right next to the pair, leg pulled back. Just as they did so, he sent his leg rocketing into Aura’s muzzle, knocking her into the air, turning end over end, before slamming into the earth with a dull, “Thud!!”. Groaning, he pressed a hand to his neck, eyes trained on the motionless mare. He heard a sigh from his left. Looking down, he saw Trench was still lying on his back. He met Steve’s gaze and lifted a hoof.

“Mind helping me up?”

Gripping Trench’s hoof, he pulled the stallion to his hooves, patting him down a little. Looking to the thestral’s landing spot, he saw she lay in the dirt, unmoving. Gently, he edged closer, guard up, in case she decided to attack again. Just as he had gotten within a few feet from her, she stirred, causing the Crafter to tense.

Groaning, she stood, hoof pressed against her head. Fluttering her eyes open, she quickly took in the scene. Steve stood a few feet away from her, bleeding from his neck. Trench was only a short distance behind him, sporting his own fair share of bruises. Off to the side, three stallions laid dead in the moonlight. She gasped in shock, backpedaling.

“Oh no. I-I did this, didn’t I?” She asked in a quiet voice, barely perceptible. Steve saw tears forming in her eyes. “I didn’t… But why… Am I?” She sputters, gaze focused on the dead stallions lying on the square. She squinted her eyes shut, pain evident on her face.

“Aura, wait, stop and we can…!” Trench’s words fell on deaf ears as the thestral took off, flying away into the night. Only moments later, she gone from sight. Trench’s teeth grit in frustration.

“Buck! C’mon Steve! We gotta find her, fast!!” He ran off, following the direction the pair had seen her flying, Steve running right beside him.

* * * * *

“What do you think that was all about, Steve? Aura going crazy, I mean.” Trench asked as they jogged through the forest they had entered in their search for Aura. Steve took a moment to think, ducking under a tree, before responding.

“Well, if my experience with you is anything to go by, I think we were experiencing her nightmare.”

Trench quirked an eyebrow as he frowned. “So, her nightmare was her going insane and killing stallions?” Steve nodded slightly, mind going back to the night he’d first met the thestral.

“It’s thestral, you racist! Call me a vampony again and I’ll knock your teeth in!” Steve felt a feeling of apprehension sink in his gut as realization dawned on him. He hoped he was wrong.

“Hey, Trench? Tell me, do thestrals experience racism in your land?” Trench blinked a little at the question.

“Uh, I don’t think so. At least, not from what I’ve seen. Sure, maybe a little behind closed doors, but never out in the open. Why?” Steve felt a grimace overtake his features.

“I think that Aura was, or is, a victim of racism. Her nightmare is probably stemming from that. It would explain her acting like a psycho and killing those stallions by sucking their blood. That’s her, acting like how ponies think of her kind. A vampony that’ll drain your blood and kill you.” Trench’s eyes were wide as they took in this information.

“That, makes sense, now that I think about it. But still, how much was she put through to make her like that?” Steve shook his head.

“I don’t know.” He responded simply. “But we’ll find out. Hopefully.”

Trench sighed. “Yeah. Hopefully.”

The duo continued their trek in silence, both on the lookout for the missing mare. Even in the early morning light, they were unsuccessful in finding Aura. That is, until Steve thought he had heard something, a sound that would normally be foreign in a forest. Crying.

Without wasting a second, they both began running towards the sound, trying their best to be both fast and quiet, as to not startle the mare. Eventually, they made it to the edge of a clearing, light breaking through the foliage. Slowing to a walk, they looked out into the meadow. There was Aura, sitting on the very verge of a cliff. From what Steve could see, she was mere inches from a very long fall, legs dangling off the edge. She looked out over the valley, tear stains present on her face.

Trench was about to move forward, when Steve put out a hand. Looking up with a confused expression, it quickly dropped when he saw Steve’s face. It looked terrified, but strangely calm at the same time. So, he stepped back while Steve slowly moved closer, not making a sound. As he came nearer and nearer, he could hear Aura was talking to herself.

“... a monster anyways. Parents hate me, I killed ponies. I really am a monster. Nopony would miss me. They’d hate me. Nopony would miss me. They don’t care if I live or die. All I gotta do is jump and keep my wings tucked. Then everything will be fine. Maybe then, everypony will be happy.”

Steve’s eyes widened. Did she just..? Was she going to…?

“On three. T-three,” Steve felt his heart lurch at her stuttering voice. Oh no.

“Two,” He raced forward, forgoing sneakiness, hand reaching out for the mare.

“One.” She gently pushed herself forward, and, just like that, she was gone.

* * * * *

Steve held the cliff edge with his left hand, grip hard as diamond, knuckles white with effort. The reason why he couldn’t use both hands was because the other was grasping a sobbing thestral mare. He held onto her, giving a quick sigh of relief at being able to catch her.

“S-St-Steve? What a-are you..?”

“The fuck does it look like, you absolute dumbass!?! I’m stopping you from making the biggest fucking mistake of your life, dammit!!” Steve yelled. She gave a choked breath.

“W-why?! Why do you even care!? I m-murdered those poor ponies!! N-nobody would..!”

“And did you honestly think that, was the best solution!?” Steve groaned, in both frustration and tiredness from holding both himself and Aura onto the edge. Where the hell was Trench?

“Steve! Hold on!” He felt two hooves grip his hand, and, slowly but surely, the both of them were pulled onto solid ground. Rolling, he dropped the mare, stopping on his back. Taking a deep breath, he sat up, looking at Aura as she gazed intently on the ground, not willing to speak. Sighing, he gently knelt next to her. She looked up at him.

Before she could say a word, he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Too shocked to move, she could only sit there as she heard Steve mutter two words.

“It’s okay.”

She sniffled and teared up, trying her best to hold it in. But she couldn’t. She wrapped her hooves around Steve’s torso, and cried.

Author's Note

Yeah, this chapter took a slightly darker turn. Sorry for that. Just, a friend of mine attempted suicide yesterday and she's in a mental institution now. And I may have let that seep into my writing. Not to worry though, I won't let that stop my updates.

In all seriousness, suicide is no joke.

Thank you all for reading and be sure to comment what you think!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 28: A Queen's Terror (Part 1)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve wasn’t sure how long they sat there on the cool grass, Aura sobbing into his chest. It seemed like time was at a standstill, and in the Mindscape, maybe it was. Trench had joined in on the hug, one hoof wrapped around either of them, eyes closed with a solemn expression on his face. Neither Steve nor Trench moved an inch, seemingly comfortable in the embrace, listening as the choked sobs slowly lessened into just simple tears and quiet breathing as her grip on Steve went slack.

Peering down, Steve saw she had actually cried herself into a slumber. Sighing, Steve gently shook off Trench’s hoof as he re-adjusted his grip. Standing up, he carried the dark mare as he had carried Derpy all those days ago, after her capture and subsequent rescue. Trench looked up at him, gaze looking over the thestral in his arms.

“That was close. Too close.” He spoke, a mixture of relief and worry in his voice.

“Yeah.” Steve agreed simply.

“I thought for a second you didn’t get her, that she was going to actually…” Trench didn’t finish his sentence, but Steve more than understood.

“For a second, neither did I.” Steve sighed. “I nearly missed her.” He didn’t inform Trench on how close it had been. In reality, he had been mere centimeters from missing her. It was far too close for comfort.

Suddenly, there was a loud, “BING!!”, and just like before, a large wooden door appeared in the grass beside them. Trench let out a sigh of relief.

“Nice. Looks like our ticket out of here has arrived.” He looked at Steve, as well as the mare in his grip. “Should we wait for her to wake up before we leave, or would it be better to leave?” Steve thought for a moment before responding.

“Let’s head out. There’s nothing here for her but bad memories and guilt. Besides, I don’t want to find out the hard way that these doors have a time limit.” Trench nodded in agreement, before trotting up and opening the door. Without a second thought, he walked through, closely followed by Steve, Aura asleep in his arms.

* * * * *

Just as before, they found themselves in the dark room, and just as before, the door they had entered was gone. Now only five remained. Steve looked around the room with a grim expression on his face, before gently setting the mare down on the ground. Sitting down next to her, he looked at her rather calm expression, despite the tears staining her face. Sighing, he rubbed a hand to his face.

“You alright?” Steve heard from his left. Looking at Trench, he let a deadpan expression take over his features.

“Seriously?” He asked incredulously. Trench let out a humorless chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, sorry, dumb question. Just wanted to break the silence.” He muttered, looking down. Steve sighed.

“Y’know, silence isn’t always a bad thing.” Trench looked at him with a questioning gaze, making him continue. “I’ve known a lot of people who would always try to find something to talk about. But sometimes, silence isn’t a bad thing. Good friends don’t always have to always talk. Sometimes they can just sit around and enjoy the silence. You get me?” Trench nodded and remained silent for a short time. After a few minutes, he spoke.

“Are we friends, Steve?” Trench asked. He looked at the stallion, before groaning and putting his face in his hands.

“Dammit man, that’s not an easy question to answer.” He said. Groaning slightly, he sat up straight. “Look, you’re not a bad dude. I can see that. You do your job well, you genuinely care about others, and you’re not an asshole. But at the same time, despite it not being your fault, most likely, I can’t get the image of you hurting Derpy out of my head. I’m just conflicted, I guess.” Looking over, he saw Trench looking down at the floor in guilt. Steve smirked as he put a hand on the stallions head and patted it, garnering a curious gaze. “But I think after what we’ve done together, and you clearly trying to redeem yourself, I can call us friends.” Trench’s guilty expression morphed into a smile.

“Thanks.”

Before Steve could respond, they heard a small groan from their left. Snapping their heads to the side, they saw a certain mare was starting to wake up. Turning, Steve gently edged closer as Aura came around.

She sat up and put a hoof to her head, letting out a small groan. “Aw, Faust that hurts.” SHe said, eyes still closed. Upon opening them, they immediately grew wide as they took in the dark room. She turned her back to the pair, having not seen them yet as she looked around.

“Oh no, I thought that was a nightmare. Am I really…?” She was interrupted by Steve loudly clearing his throat, causing her to whirl around.

“Trench, S-Steve? What are you doing here? Where are we?” She asked, hastily getting to her hooves.

“Whoa, whoa, just calm down.” Steve said, with his hands out in a placating manner. “Just calm down. We’re in the Mindscape, far as we know.” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Mindscape? What the buck is that? The last thing I remember, I was having a nightmare, then” She looked at the pair with narrowed eyes. “You both were there. How were you both there? I thought only Princess Luna had the ability to enter dreams!” Steve contemplated how best to answer her question

“We were put in a coma by some dude named Herobrine and Steve here has been freeing us one by one by facing and beating our worst nightmares.” And Trench just took the direct route. Steve sighed.

“Yeah, that just about sums it up.” He muttered in agreement, rubbing a hand against his face. Looking at Aura, her expression showed just how much she didn’t understand. “Look, don’t expect a whole lot of answers from us, We’re just as confused about most of this as you are.”

“Well, how did you both get out?” She asked. This time, Steve answered.

“I didn’t. He never put me in a coma. I got Trench out after finding him caught in his nightmare and after I fought off a horde of mist-wolves, which nearly got both of us killed.”

“What do you mean ‘killed’? I didn’t think you could die in the Dreamscape.” Aura responded, confused.

“Maybe not in the Dreamscape, but the Mindscape is a lot different, from what I’ve seen. I don’t know for sure what death here means for us in the real world, but I don’t want to find out.” Trench and Aura both nodded at the Crafter’s words. “That’s one of the reasons why I was trying so hard to save you when you nearly, y’know, did it.”

Aura looked up at him a small hin of irritation present on her face. “What were the other reasons?” She asked, curious.

“The other reason is because suicide is never the correct answer. I know things were pretty bad for you, but you should never resort to that as a solution.” Aura grit her teeth.

“Well, I’m sorry, alright!? I didn’t want to, but at the time, I didn’t see much choice! It hurt, so, so badly! Do you know what it feels like to feel like your drowning, with no hope of rescue!? Do you know what it’s like to feel like the whole damn world is on crushing down on you!? Do you!!?” Aura yelled, a sad fury in her eyes as she stomped closer to him. Steve’s response, however, stopped her dead in her tracks.

“More than you could ever know.” He said as he looked down at her with an angry expression on his face, his fist clenched. That was all he said, before walking over to a random door, throwing it open, and walking straight through.

Neither pony talked for a few, tense moments. Finally, Trench broke the silence with a sigh.

“C’mon.” He said, before walking towards the open door. Aura frowned at the stallion.

“What?” She asked, indignantly. Trench sighed again, then looked at the thestral with a frown on his face.

“Steve and I risked our lives to make sure you came out alive. Steve risked falling off the cliff to save you. I don’t care what you went through, you owe it to him to help free everypony else. So c’mon.” And with that, he trotted through the door.

Aura groaned, muttered, but eventually, she followed suit.

* * * * *

Steve walked through town in the late evening sun. It was a ghost town. Windows were barred shut, shutters drawn and doors locked tight. Adding insult to injury, a tumbleweed lazily blew by in the wind. He barely noticed this, as he was still trying to bury the anger brought up by the thestral mare. His fists were clenched as he repressed the painful memories that had resurfaced.

Steve, save me!!

We can still do this!! Come on!!

We aren’t going to survive this, are we Steve?

Steve grit his teeth as he used the most useful skill he’d ever acquired; suppressing his feelings. He took deep breaths, slowly managing to calm himself.

Finally shoving it down, he sighed and looked around, suddenly aware of how barren the town and road was. He quirked an eyebrow, eyes searching for any signs of life, but they found none. Steve kept his guard up as he walked through town, on the lookout for anything.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a distant crash. Snapping his head in that direction, he immediately took off. He ran down the empty road, looking for the source of the noise. He eventually found it. He arrived in front of a house, with it’s door busted down and muffled yelling coming from inside. Steeling himself, he wasted no time in running inside.

What met his gaze caused his jaw to drop. Two unicorns stood off to one side of the room, backs turned to him, wearing a similar armor to what Aura had been wearing when he’d first met her, a heavy-looking steel armor and helmet. Their horns glowed as their telekinesis held someone, a pegasus stallion. An earth pony, wearing the same armor as the unicorns, was currently pounding the shit out of the pegasus while he was held in the unicorns field of magic, unable to defend himself. They didn’t notice Steve walk in, too busy on their task.

After another punch, the earth pony stopped his beating and stood straight, a vicious smirk on his muzzle.

“By the order of The Queen, you are under arrest for treason and conspiring against royalty!” At this moment, Steve decided it was time to intervene. He didn’t care what the pegasus had done, he didn’t like the smile on the guard’s face.

“Ahem.” Everypony in the room whirled around, with the exception of the pegasus, who seemed to have passed out, to stare at the Steve. He had a evil grin on his face and had a chair in his grip as a makeshift weapon.

“Would you like your beatdowns all at once, or one at a time?”

* * * * *

Trench and Aura walked through town, concerned at the lack of life in the town. They looked around, hoping to find either Steve, or anypony really. Trench looked around, spear sheathed, but guard up in case they would have to fight. Again. Really, at this point, it was just a matter of when, not if.

Suddenly, as they were walking, there was a loud crashing noise and the form of an unconscious unicorn, wearing a set of heavy, silvery armor, was sent flying through the air before slamming into the dirt.

They stared at the prone form for a second or two before the sound of somepony clearing their throat was heard. Looking up, they saw Steve, sporting a few bruises on his face and arms, carrying a pegasus over his shoulder and holding what looked like a broken chair leg in his hand.

“What the buck happened to you?” Trench asked. Steve shrugged his shoulders.

“Just doing a little clean up. Do you think you could fix this guy up?” He asked Trench as he laid the pegasus on the ground, revealing the bruises and scrapes he had.

“Whoa.” Aura spoke. “What happened to him?”

“I’m not sure. But, I have a feeling it was more than just a simple case of police brutality.” Standing up straight, Steve looked down the road before turning back to the pair. “Oi, you two stay here for a second. I’m going to explore a bit more. Maybe find someone to talk to.” He started walking off.

“Steve, wait.” Aura spoke, causing him to stop, not turning around. “I’m sorry. About what I said. You were trying to help me, Tartarus, you saved my life, and I didn’t even say thanks. So I’m sorry, and thank you, for saving me.” Steve stood stock still for a bit. After a moment, he glanced back, and gave the thestral mare a smirk.

“No problem. Just doing my job.” And with that he walked off.

* * * * *

Steve had no such luck with finding anyone. He would’ve thought the town was deserted, except for the barely seen movement behind closed doors and locked windows. He’d thought about knocking on a door or something, but figured that wouldn’t work, considering the welcome he’d received.

As he strolled, he suddenly stopped, sensing the familiar feeling of eyes watching him. Whirling around, his gaze searched over the houses and buildings, but found nothing. But the feeling remained. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward.

“C’mon! I know your there!! Quit hiding like a sissy!!”

Silence.

Then the silence was broken by a faint sound. Almost like a quiet whistle. Then he felt something gently prick him in the neck. Jerking to the side, he snagged whatever it was and pulled it out to look at it. It was a dart, with a small green tip. All of the sudden, his sense’s began blaring, “DANGER!!” but they were strangely muted.

He looked up and tried to look for the culprit, but found it hard to do so, as his vision was swimming. Stumbling, he struggled to stay upright, but failed and fell to a knee. Upon trying to get up, he flopped onto the floor, finding he couldn’t feel his anything. His vision began to darken as a set of hooves stepped into his line of sight. That was the last thing he saw as he blacked out, hearing a single sentence.

“Take him in.”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you all think in the comments.

Yes, I actually read them. Far more than it's probably healthy to be doing. :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 29: A Queen's Terror (Part 2)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The first thing Steve knew, he was waking up. Groaning, he blinked his eyes groggily and looked around. He was in a small, cement room. A single light above him dimly lit the room. He flexed his hands, but found them bound behind him. He was also tied to a damn chair, metal chains wrapping around his torso. Squirming, he tried to wiggle his way out of the chains they’d tied him up with, but they held firm. He sighed.

“Okay.” He mumbled to himself. “How do I get out of this?” Looking around the room, he found it was bare. Looking down, he saw the chair he was sitting on was a simple wooden one. This caused his eyes to light up. However, before he could do anything, there was a loud click as the door unlocked. Thinking fast, he tilted his head down, closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, trying to fake sleep. He hoped whoever was coming in wouldn’t notice.

There was a “Clung!” and the door swung open. Steve could hear the sound of hoofsteps nearing him. They stopped next to him. He could hear the sound of faint breathing as they didn’t move for a few moments. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the hoofsteps moved away from him. The door swung shut and locked with a final clicking noise.

Immediately setting to work, Steve sat up as straight as his restraints would allow. Rocking back and forth, he began to build up leverage. After a few times, he thrust forward as hard as he could, managing to get to his feet, albeit a bit bent over slightly from the chair. Jumping up a little, he fell backwards, slamming the chair into the floor. It shattered on impact. Shaking the now-loosened chains from his body, he worked his hands free from their bonds, freeing them.

After doing so, his gaze turned to the metal door. It looked heavy, and quite sturdy, but Steve was determined. He let a small grin appear on his face.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to do this.” He said as he rubbed his hands together in a devious manner. Taking a deep breath, he stepped towards the door and raised his fist.

Knock Knock Knock

“FBI!! OPEN UP!!”

Triangle: Kick

Jumping up, Steve planted both feet firmly on the door and kicked. In response, the door flew open and clattered to the floor. Landing in a crouch, he cautiously walked out of the room. And immediately got sidelined by a bolt of magic.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 16 health remaining.

He flew through the air, then slammed into the hard tile beneath him. Coming to a stop on his stomach, he groaned and looked up at his attacker.

Circle: Dodge

Only to see another bolt of white magic heading straight for him, making roll to the side. Getting to his feet, he darted away, ignoring the angry shouts from behind for him to stop. He ran down the long, gray hallway, the unicorns behind him giving chase, bolts of magic flying past him. Luckily, it seemed the ponies giving chase weren’t the most athletic, as their voices quickly faded from earshot.

After he was sure he’d really lost them, Steve allowed himself to slow down to a jog, so as to not make as much noise while looking for an exit. It was only after a good, fifteen minutes that he found something, although it was not an exit.

It was a large gray door, similar to the one he’d kicked down earlier. Only this one had a sign above it in big bold letters.

“Armory.” Steve read aloud. Smirking at his good fortune, he grabbed the handle and pulled. To his surprise, it opened without issue, swinging outwards. Hesitantly stepping inside, he looked all around the room, whistling in awe.

The owner of this place was freaking loaded. Bows hung from hooks, quivers beside them. A whole manner of weapons, swords, axes, spears, and the like were scattered around the room. To his right, he saw a large box with a label, “Fire Crystals. Warning! Highly Explosive!” That put a smirk on his face. Saving the box for later, he began looking for a good sword. Suddenly, he heard a quiet, almost indiscernible voice speak in the back of his head.

< oリ|| ̇/_t⍑ᒷ_w𝙹ꖎ⎓ > /⊣╎⍊ᒷ sℸ ̣ ᒷ⍊ᒷ ↸╎ᔑᒲ𝙹リ↸_ᓭ∴𝙹∷↸

Whirling around, Steve pulled back his fist, expecting someone or something to be there. However, to his confusion, no-one was there. His gaze searched the room, but found it was just as empty as before.

“What the Nether was that?” Steve muttered aloud to himself, eyes squinted. His mind raced to try and decipher the foreign tongue the voice had spoke in. It sounded, vaguely familiar. Suddenly, he caught sight of something blue in the corner of his eye. Turning to it, he walked over to see what it was.

It was a sword, bigger than the others, encased in a brown sheathe. However, the handle was a familiar cyan blue color. Steve’s eyes widened at the sight. Gripping the handle, he removed the sword and held it in front of him.

It was large, far larger than any other sword in the room. It wasn’t made of metal, instead made of a transparent, crystal material. He recognized the weapon. He should’ve, as he’d made many just like it. It was a diamond sword.

“But what’s one of these doing here?”Steve wondered aloud as he gazed at the crystalline blade.

Steve pushed that thought to the back of his head, as he had bigger issues to deal with. Besides, he knew better to question anything that happened in the Mindscape. Sighing, he instinctively tried to store the blade into his inventory, only to groan when he remembered how he had no inventory here.

“Guess I’ll have to do it the hard way.” Steve mumbled to himself.

Re-sheathing the blade, Steve strapped the sword to his back, knowing that for whatever reason, he had no inventory to store it in. Tightening the straps, he grabbed some fire crystals and put them in his pockets. Slinging a quiver of arrows over his shoulder, he nabbed a bow from one of the hooks, holding it in his left hand. Upon opening the door, he looked out, looking both ways to make sure to was safe. Luckily for him, the way was clear.

He closed the door behind him and stepped out. Sighing, he started to his left, eager to find an exit.

* * * * *

Steve ran through the concrete halls, yelping as yet another arrow flew by him, narrowly missing. Steve held his bow in his right hand now, arrow knocked. Flinging himself around a corner, he whirled around, bow at the ready.

Square: Shoot

Steve let an arrow fly, only for it to be blocked by a magic shield, projected from one of the unicorns. Not to be deterred, he shot another arrow, only for the same result. Gritting his teeth, he took off again, careening down the halls.

Suddenly, Steve was forcefully stopped as he ran full-force into something very solid. He stumbled and fell onto his back.

Damage Received - 1 damage. 15 health remaining.

Pushing himself to his feet, he looked up with a glare on his face, which quickly dropped at the sight of what exactly had formed the barrier.

It was the Dreamwalker, Princess Luna. Only, she looked a little different.

Her astral mane was shorter, hanging just above her neck. One of her eyes was closed, a long scar running over it. Most noticeably, though, was her horn. Glowing dark blue, the tip was missing, seemingly broken off, sparks coming off the end of it. Her one eye stared down at Steve with a blank expression.

“Being, cease thy running. Tis futile.” Steve sighed, boredom seeping into his voice, which threw off the mare.

“You know, why is it that everyone always tells me to stop, like they expect me to just lay down and take it? Seriously, when has anyone actually listened to that?” Tossing his bow aside and throwing down the arrows, he unsheathed his sword. Her eye widened in surprise.

“How didst... what?” She asked, clearly confused, as well as apprehensive.

“Like it? Found it while I was scavenging your armory.” Her eyebrows furrowed in anger. Her barrier dropped, probably to conserve energy. Steve pulled back his blade, dropping into a fighting stance. He could hear the hurried sounds of his pursuers getting closer. He'd have to finish this fast.

Square: Slash

Triangle: Kick

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Steve slashed his blade forward, making Luna backpedal. Intent of keeping her on the defensive, he kicked forward, then spun in a roundhouse kick. Caught off-guard, Luna managed to avoid the first kick, but failed to do the same with the second, catching it straight in the muzzle. Growling in pain, her horn released a small burst of magic bolts.

Circle: Dodge

Steve dodged, weaved and jumped over the attacks, managing to remain unharmed. Raising his blade, he rushed towards the mare. In response, her horn lit, and a burst of purple fire shot from it.

Circle + Square: Counter

Steve swiped blade sword with all of his might across the incoming flames. To his joy and Luna’s frustration, the magical flames flickered and went out before they could touch him.

“Woo Hoo! That’s what I call getting burned!” Steve yelled. Luna growled and shot another beam of magic.

Circle: Dodge

Steve nimbly dodged this attack as well, feeling the air rush past him as it flew by.

“Hey, be careful Luna!” Steve chided. “You should control you fiery temper.” Luna’s expression morphed into one of confusion, until it finally clicked. Then she was just pissed.

“Thou art making jokes?!” She yelled, both angry and confused.

“Of course! I spend most of my time between life and death, so I gotta get my jokes in when I can!” Steve said, sword pulled back. “But, as much as I’d love to fight you, I gotta go. Friends to find, and such.” At this, Luna’s eye lit up, and not in a good way. Her horn stopped glowing as a smirk made it way onto her lips.

“These friends. Their names wouldn’t befall to be ‘Trench’ and ‘Aura’, wouldst they?” Steve stopped, staring at the mare in distrust and anger. His smile fell and his teeth grit.

“How do you know those names?” He growled. Her smirk turned victorious, which made his blood boil and stomach churn.

“They art our prison’rs. We did capture them not longeth after thee.” Luna said proudly. Steve’s eyes widened in shock. They had Trench and Aura! Suddenly, the unicorns giving chase finally caught up. They arrived behind Steve, horns glowing, glaring at him.

“Dropeth thy weapons. Surrend'r and thy friends shall live.” Luna spoke, voice hard. “Flee, and their lives art forfeit.”

Steve’s mind raced. He wanted to beat the living shit out of her. He wanted to stomp her into the ground while he laughed in victory. But he couldn’t. Trench and Aura’s lives were on the line. He had no idea where they were.

He sighed. He didn’t have much choice. Slowly, his grip on the blade loosened and the sword clattered to the floor. Luna huffed in triumph.

“On thou knees.” She commanded. Steve’s pride burned at the notion but he swallowed it. His friends depended on it. He readied himself to kneel on the ground.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” A familiar voice spoke from behind. Whirling around, Steve gasped in shock at the owner of the voice,

“Abyss?!!”

* * * * *

He persists.

It was to be expected. He was never the one to give up.

Even when he was on the verge of death, when he had nothing left, he fought. It, frustrates me.

But he will fail. The nightmares will only get stronger. And they will learn. Even if he does, he will never beat me, not when I finally achieve full power. I would crush him beneath my foot.

But it will never get to that point. She, will make sure of that.

He cannot hope to beat her. My wonderful creation.

My little Daybreaker.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! Tell me all what you think in the comments!

The diamond sword wasn't originally supposed to be in the story, but if you decode the phrase you see in the story, you'll see why it's there. Also, writing in old english is a pain in the freaking A$$!!

Don't lynch me.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 30: A Queen's Terror (Part 3)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The dark, purple-eyed dragoness stood a few feet from Steve. She had a small smile on her lips as she waved to the confused Crafter.

“Hello Steve. It’s good to see you.” She spoke softly. Steve, on the other hand, sputtered incomprehensibly as he tried to speak. Finally, he managed to voice his thoughts.

“How the actual fuck are you here?!” Steve said loudly. He started towards the dragoness, not angrily, but in demand of answers. However, he was stopped by two glowing horns blocking his way. The unicorn guards glared up at him.

“Step back creature.” One of them spoke harshly. In turn, he glared back down at them, making them unconsciously shudder at the expression on his face.

“I swear to whatever deities you worship, I will knock you the fuck out. Let me through.” Suddenly, he heard a growl from behind him.

“Thou will die first.”

“Luna!” Abyss barked. “This guy is our best shot at us winning! So shut it!” Steve looked at Abyss with a confused and wary gaze.

“Best shot at winning what?” He asked. She sighed, before glancing at the two unicorns.

“At ease. Let him through.” At this, the guards let their magic fade, though the same could not be said for their glares. Stepping past them and away from the irate princess, Steve slowly walked up to Abyss. She said nothing, simply walking away, gesturing for him to follow. Sighing, he did so, coming up alongside her. For a while, neither of them said a word, letting silence reign. After a few minutes of walking, the silence was broken by Abyss.

“So,” She started awkwardly. “How are you doing?”

Steve looked up at her with a deadpan expression. Such a face made her chuckle nervously, rubbing the side of her face with a claw. After a few moments of glaring up at her, he spoke.

“I think I’m doing pretty good. I only nearly died a few dozen times today, so that’s nice. Fought a vampony that sucked my blood and nearly fell off a cliff because of said vampony. I also got tranqued by one of your cronies. That was a new experience. Oh yeah, and for some bizarre reason, you’re somehow here in the Mindscape. Which, by the way, I want an explanation for. Besides that, just a normal day for me. How about you?”

She sighed, a guilty expression overtaking her features. If Steve was being honest, he felt a little bad about it, but he’d had a trying day, and he wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries.

“Sorry about the knockout dart, but it wasn’t my decision. I only found out about it after Dug dragged you here. Something about you being a hyper-violent creature.” She glanced sideways at him while a small smile played on her lips. “I do wonder why that is.”

Steve huffed. “Yes, I fought a little bit after I came into town. Some guards were beating a pony into the ground for treason or something. Speaking of which, who’s the Queen? And, follow-up question, she’s a tyrant, isn’t she?”

“The pegasus you saved was one of our scouts. Dusty Trail, I believe. We found him with your friends, Trench and Aura.” Steve perked up at the mention of the pony and thestral.

“Where are they? What happened to them?” He asked. Abyss chuckled.

“They’re alright. Just being held one of the holding cells. Luna and a few guards thought they were changelings at first, but a quick magic scan proved that false. We brought them in for questioning.” She looked at Steve with an indiscernible expression. “And to answer your earlier question, yes. Queen Daybreaker is a tyrant. And a terrible one at that.” She looked away and continued walking. Steve briefly considered asking what the Nether a changeling was, but figured he probably had bigger problems on his hands. Case in point, the ruler of this land that needed a good ass kicking.

Not only that, but he still had no idea who’s nightmare he and the others were currently fighting against. The only ponies he knew for a fact were trapped were Trench, Derpy, Dash and the Princess Celestia, since Herobrine had told him when it had all started. Trench had already been freed, so it couldn’t be him, and Steve hadn’t seen any trace of Dash yet. But if it wasn’t her, Derpy or the Princess, than he was at a loss on what to do, since he had no idea who else was trapped.

So far, this nightmare seemed to be centered around this Queen. Steve knew in the back of his mind that, more likely than not, he would end up fighting her, whoever she was. But Steve wasn’t alone this time. He had Trench and Aura by his side, not to mention Abyss was here as well, somehow. Speaking of which…

“Hey, Abyss?” Steve asked the dragoness. She looked over to him with a questioning look on her face. “How, exactly, are you here?” The question made her tense slightly, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Steve. “Look, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t…”

“It’s not that.” She muttered, avoiding eye-contact with the Crafter. Steve’s expression changed from curious to confused.

“Then what is it?” He inquired.

“It’s just, I’m not sure how you’ll take it.” She spoke guiltily. This did nothing to sate his confusion. In fact, it only made it worse.

“No sure how I’ll...? What do you mean how I’ll take it? What does you being here have to do with me?” Steve asked, expression and tone showing his slowly-rising irritation. Abyss sighed.

“Alright Steve, let me ask you something. Do I look familiar to you?” Steve quirked an eyebrow, before looking at her form.

She was tall, a good foot or two above his own height. Her scales, black as night, shined in the hall lights. Large wings were tucked against her back, separated by large purple-black spines. Her black tail swished slightly on the ground. Steve looked back up at her purple eyes, pointedly ignoring her, womanly assets, as he made eye-contact with her.

“Not really.” He thought for a moment. “It’s kinda funny, but back home, there was this place, this otherworldly land. It was ruled by a…”

“Dragon?” Abyss interrupted. Steve took a step back in shock. His mouth opened, as if to say something, but no words escaped his lips. Regardless, his expression told it all.

“C’mon Steve. You’re no idiot. Brash, sure, and with a distinct lack of self-preservation, but not an idiot. What’s the only other black, purple-eyed dragon you’ve ever met?” Abyss asked.

Steve stared at her in shock. He heard her inquiry, but made no motion to respond. He was a little busy processing everything. After a few minutes, he managed to bring himself to speak.

“So, you’re, uh. You’re the um, the Ender Dragon?” He asked, hesitantly. She gave a sigh of relief and nodded. Steve nodded in acknowledgement, before turning away. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Abyss.

“How the fuck did you get here?” Steve asked, with a too-calm voice. Abyss quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

“You mean here in the Dreamscape, or here in this land?”

Steve mulled over his answer for a few moments before sighing. “The first one, I guess.”

“Oh. Well, that’s rather simple. Notch sent me.” Abyss responded simply. Steve gasped in shock.

“Notch is here too?” He asked.

“No, he couldn’t come. If he left home, the world would die, and as you know, he would never let that happen.”

Steve sighed, but a small, reminiscent smile could be seen on his face. “Yeah.” He muttered with a far-away look in his eyes. He shook his head as he focused back on the dragoness. “So why are you here instead? And why do you look like different?”

“Well, I-I, uh, I kinda owed Notch a small favor. As to why I look like this, my best guess is that this world’s magic changed my form to suit it’s laws. But that’s just a hunch. I don’t make it a regular thing to travel to other worlds.” She explained. Steve nodded to himself, finding the logic in her words. But he had one further question.

“But how can you talk? In all the times I saw you, you never talked. Only roared and growled and stuff.”

She sighed. “I could always talk. But I spoke a different tongue than you did. An ancient and long dead language that you probably never even heard of. It would only sound like grunts and growls to you. It was from that language that I got my new name Abyss.” Steve walked silently beside her, taking in this information. However, something caught his attention.

“Wait, hold up.” He turned to her. “You said new name. I thought your name was Abyss. What the heck was your old name?” Steve inquired.

“Jean.” She answered, not looking at the Crafter.

Steve stopped and looked at Abyss with a blank expression. In turn, she gazed back at him with a curious one.

“What?” She asked, genuinely confused. After a few moments, Steve gave a small chuckle.

“Sorry. It’s just, I have a hard time imagining you, a big, scary, deadly dragon, going by the name Jean. It’s just, kinda silly.” He said, suppressing a laugh. She stared at him for a few moments, before letting out a laugh herself.

“Yeah. I guess so.” She muttered, looking forward to check where they were, a smirk present on her face. Up ahead, she saw their destination was coming up, a large, gray door without a label.

“Alright. Your friends should be inside there.” Abyss informed Steve while nodding to the door. Pulling out a key, she offered it to him. Steve nodded and grabbed it, walking over to the door to unlock it. Before opening it, he turned to her.

“What are you going to be doing?” He asked.

“I need to go over some plans with Luna and Captain Armor.” Abyss responded.

“Plans for the Queen?” Abyss tensed slightly at Steve’s statement. “What did you mean when you told Luna I was your best shot at winning?”

The dragoness remained silent for a few moments. Eventually, she sighed and turned away, shame showing on her face.

“I’m sorry, Steve. We’ll talk later.” Without another word, she walked off. Steve opened his mouth to call after her, maybe convince her to tell him, but he decided against it, and let his mouth lift closed. He needed to see how Trench and Aura were doing. Sighing, he unlocked the door and stepped inside and gently shut the door behind him.

“Just leave the food on the table.” He heard Aura speak. Looking up in shock, Steve saw that Aura was sitting on a chair, facing away from him, looking at the ground. To his left, Trench was lying back-first on a mat on the floor, not asleep, but just laying there. They looked tired, and depressed, but relatively okay.

“Sorry, don’t have any food.” At the sound of his voice, they both sat up in shock and whirled around to look at him. He smiled at them. “Just my fine self.”

“Steve! You’re alright!” Trench cried out as he jumped up and rushed over to him, followed by Aura. He laughed as he gave them a hug, wrapping his arms around the pair.

“Of course I’m alright! You really think I’d get taken down so easily?” Steve chuckled as he stood. “Course not! I wasn’t gonna wait around for help! I broke out and fought some of the guards, who nearly took me down. Unfortunately for them, I have a friend in high places, as luck would have it. Long story. What happened to you guys?”

“We went looking for you after you didn’t come back. Little while later, we got surrounded by these ponies in cloaks. They demanded we come with them. Naturally, this didn’t go over too well with Aura and I, so we tried to get away.” Trench explained.

“And we didn’t get very far.” Aura interrupted, looking rather irritated. “Turns out when you are severely outnumbered and your opponents have a unicorn or two, you better hope and pray you’re lucky, because you don’t stand much of a chance otherwise.”

“Hey, I’ve fought when the odds were stacked against me, and I’m still kicking.” Steve countered. Aura scoffed.

“Yeah, but you’re, you. I’m not sure you can be defeated by anypony, besides the Princesses, maybe. Or overwhelming force.”

“Yeah, probably.” Steve chuckled. “Anyway, how are…?” Steve stopped as he caught the sound of raised voices on the other side of the door. Quirking an eyebrow in confusion, he carefully walked over to the door. Gripping the handle, he pushed it open. He was surprised at what he found on the other side.

Abyss was there, looking quite angry. She was currently yelling in Luna’s face as the alicorn yelled back. A stallion with white fur, blue mane and light blue eyes was there, beside the two females, trying to calm them down. Besides that, a few guards hung back, seemingly afraid to get caught up in the yelling. They hadn’t even noticed that Steve had made his appearance, they were so caught up in yelling at each other. It was so bad that Steve couldn’t make out a word they were saying.

Groaning, he leaned back, took a breath, cupped his hands around his mouth, and let loose.

“WOULD YOU ALL SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! I CAN’T EVEN HEAR MYSELF THINK!!!!”

The effect was immediate. Everypony and dragon in the hallway jumped. The yelling immediately ceased as they whirled to face him. One of the guards in the back cried out and fell over. Abyss growled in irritation.

“What the Nether was that about, Steve?” She said. He gave her a deadpan expression for the second time that day.

“You all were yelling your heads off. I wanted it to stop. Simple problems require simple solutions, as they say.” Steve responded, merely getting a huff in response. He looked at the Luna and the guards, as well as the white stallion. “What were you arguing about?”

Luna answered. “Abyss was angry at mine own suggestion f'r our attack plan.”

“Attack plan? For taking out the tyrant?” Steve asked. She nodded. Sighing, he looked to Abyss. “I take it this was what you meant when you said I was your best chance?”

She nodded. “But I wanted to send you in with a team! Not what she was suggesting!” At this, Steve looked back to the alicorn.

“Well, what exactly was your suggestion?”

“Simple. We use thee as a distraction. Aft'r all, as a non-pony, thou art expendable.” Luna spoke, as if she was discussing the weather, instead of sending Steve to his possible death.

“And I said she could shove it up her ass!” Abyss yelled, stepping towards the alicorn. However, before she could, Steve stepped between the two. Keeping his back to Abyss, he faced Luna.

“And why would I do that?” He asked, an unusually blank expression on his face. Luna smirked.

“Because thy friends art still captive.” Steve simply smirked in response and stepped to the side, revealing the door to Trench and Aura’s room was wide open. Luna’s pupils shrunk.

“So, with my friends out of your incapable hooves, now we can talk on equal grounds. Regardless, fortunately for you, taking care of this Daybreaker, aligns with both my plans, as well as yours. But before I do this, I need something from you.”

“What is it?” The white stallion asked, stepping forward.

Steve grinned. “I need weapons, armor, and as much healing supplies as you can get me. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading. Tell me what you think in the comments.

VERY IMPORTANT
Tommorrow, I will be setting up a blog. All I ask is that you guys read it, and comment what you guys think.
Besides that, I will be leaving for a trip to Argentina with my family for three weeks. During that time, I may write, but I will not post anything. Think of it as a hiatus. Hope you guys understand. :fluttershysad:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 31: A Queen's Fall (Part 1)

Author's Note

Guess who's back!!? That's right, it's me, ya boi ruthim345!! Back from Argentina with a hurt jaw and a lifetime ban from rock-climbing!!

Anyway, thanks for reading and tell me what you all think!

NOTE: I will read over the results from my last blog later and implement them into the following chapters. Thank you all for your opinions!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 31: A Queen's Fall (Part 1)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve knelt upon the roof, cold tile beneath his diamond boots. His eyes, squinted, were hidden behind the crystal blue visor on his helmet. A blue sword was strapped to his diamond-clad back, alongside a quiver full of arrows. In his gloved hands he held a bow, string pulled back with an arrow knocked. Attached to the arrow was a long string of rope.

Adjusting his aim, Steve released his grip and let the arrow fly. It sailed through the air before slamming into his target, the castle wall, with a dull thud. Grabbing the other end of the rope, Steve quickly tied it to a nearby post. Looking onto the battlements, he found them surprisingly empty. Smirking at his good fortune but keeping a wary eye out, he glanced behind him and waved his hand forward.

“All clear! Let’s move!” He called, trying to stay relatively quiet. There was a shuffling, then his party made their way over to him.

His little squad consisted of himself, two pegasus guards whose names he hadn’t been told, along with the white unicorn from earlier, who was named Shining Armor. They wore dark cloaks to hide the iron armor and weapons they wielded. They had offered one to Steve, but he had refused, since it would only hamper him. Instead, he’d punched down a tree, made a crafting table and scavenged as many diamonds as he could get. He’d just managed to make himself a full set of diamond armor. While his inventory wouldn’t open, his other powers and abilities seemed to be in working order.

He looked to the pegasi. “You two fly to the battlements. Make sure it’s clear for us.” They stiffly nodded, and took off, flying silently over to the wall, disappearing behind the battlements. A few moments later, Steve saw one of their hooves waving. That was the sign it was clear.

Sighing, Steve looked over to the stallion beside him. “Are you sure you can’t teleport us over?”

Shining shook his head. “I specialize in defensive magic, and while I probably could, teleporting creates a big flash, which we really don't want. We need to be stealthy, sir.”

Steve sighed in resignation, then knelt in front of the unicorn. “Alright, climb on.”

“What?” Shining asked. Steve glanced behind at the stallion.

“You can’t teleport over there, and I don’t know how well you can climb rope with those hooves. So I’ll piggyback you over. That is, unless you have a better idea, because I would love to hear it.” Shining lifted a hoof, mouth open as if to respond. After a moment of silence, he closed it and shook his head.

“Alright then. Hop on, and hold on tight.” Steve spoke, gesturing to his back. The stallion climbed on and hooked his front hooves around Steve’s shoulders. Readying himself, Steve gripped the rope, took a deep breath, then stepped off the roof. He hung from the rope, the cord growing taunt under his weight. Pulling himself up, Steve quickly began shuffling along the rope, steadily making progress across the gap.

They were about halfway through when Steve suddenly felt a slight jarring sensation run through him as the rope shook slightly and he felt his stomach drop. Shining must have felt it too, because he tightened his hold.

“Uh, I was just wondering, how good are your knots, exactly?” He asked Steve, his voice laced with worry.

“Pretty good, I’ve had a lot of practice. I don’t think it’s coming loose.” Steve responded. There was a moment of silence. Then Shining spoke again.

“What about your anchor point?” There was a moment of silence. “Sir, where did you tie the other end?”

Steve thought for a second, then snapped his head towards the roof they’d come from. To his horror, the post he’d tied it to, which had been standing straight at the time, was cracked around the bottom and tilted heavily in their direction. It teetered on the edge, an inch from coming off. His eyes widened.

“Fuck.”

And the post came loose.

Steve clutched the rope in a grip like diamond as the pair swung, biting his tongue to keep from shouting in surprise. He heard Shining cry out in alarm at their jarring and surprising descent. Suddenly, Steve felt an intense tugging sensation in his gut, followed shortly by his vision cutting out for a moment. A second later, after he regained his sight, he found himself on top of the wall, flanked by the two pegasi, as well as Shining.

Steve looked around, unsure how the two of them had suddenly arrived there, until he noticed that Shining was panting slightly. It was then that it made sense.

“I’m gonna guess you managed to teleport us over?” He asked the stallion. At Shining’s nod, Steve sighed. “Why didn’t you do that before?”

“We were pretty far up. I don’t want to know what it feels like to hit the ground from that high up, so I took the risk.” Shining responded. Conceding the point, Steve withdrew his sword and glanced over the edge of the wall, into the main courtyard.

THWACK!!

Only for an arrow to stick into the wall just to his right. Ducking to the side, he peeked back at his squad as a thunderous shout rose from the courtyard, almost shaking the very wall itself.

“I think they know we’re here.”

“THEY'RE ON THE BATTLEMENTS!!” Steve flinched slightly at the deafening voice that shouted the command. Looking over the wall, he spotted a pegasus mare, standing out among the numerous guards that were heading for them. Instead of the normal armor, she wore a long, black coat. Instead of a spear, or sword, her wings were coated in a metal covering, the front of each sharpened into blades. She looked up, gaze hardening as she spotted Steve’s face, a large frown present on her muzzle. In return, he gave a small smile as he waved, only to duck as a volley of arrows attempted to hit him.

“How in Equestria did they know we were coming?” One of the pegasi yelled as they all took cover behind the armaments, bolts of magic and arrows flying past.

“It doesn’t matter now!! We need to get the buck outta here!!” Shining yelled, horn glowing as he charged up a spell.

“No shit, Shining!” Steve yelled, brain trying to think up a plan. “How do you propose we do that!?”

“Die traitors!!” came a shout from above. Snapping his face up, Steve managed to catch the sight of a dark blur shooting at him, before a pegasus guard slammed into him, causing Steve to fly backwards, hitting the ground hard.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 36 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet, glaring at his opponent. Glancing behind the pegasus, he found the rest of his squad desperately fighting the pegasi that had arrived. He knew his allies were strong, and well-trained, but they were severely outnumbered. They wouldn’t last long without help. Suddenly, the dark pegasus, armed with a sword, lunged forward with a quick swing.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Raising his own blade, Steve swiftly blocked the attack. Deflecting to the side, he spun around and slashed downwards. His opponent rolled to the side, dodging the strike.

Triangle: Kick

Taking advantage of the small opening, Steve swiftly stepped forward and threw a kick, this one managing to clip his opponent’s side hard. Stumbling back, the stallion’s lips morphed into a grimace. Flaring his wings, he dashed forward, sword thrust forward in an attack.

Circle + Square: Counter

Steve twisted his sword in a feint block while sidestepping, letting the pegasus bypass him. Grabbing the pony by one leg, Steve swung him into the ground with all his might, before throwing the dazed stallion off the wall, onto the stone floor below.

With that out of the way, Steve turned towards the guards that were still attacking his squad. He gritted his teeth and raised his sword.

Square: Slash

Steve swung his blade in large, powerful arcs, knocking any guard unlucky enough to be hit off the wall. Any that weren’t, instead were dazed or straight-up knocked out by the blows rained down upon them by the Crafter as he plowed his way through them. As Steve forced his way through, he saw his squadmates renew their efforts, managing to take down their own opponents before aiding in the fight. Within only two or three minutes, the four of them were the only beings left standing on the wall. Letting his sword fall limply to his side, Steve, as well as his squad, let out a deep, ragged breath.

“Squadron 1 has been defeated! Squadron 3 and 7! Advance!!” Steve’s head shot up, before looking over the side of the wall, his allies following his lead. His eyes widened at the sight of not one, but two more squads of heavily-armed pegasi flying towards them, the pegasus mare with the black coat leading them. At that time, all four of them had the same collective thought.

“Run.”

They ran along the wall, Steve in the lead, the pegasi squadron following close behind them. Arriving at one of the nearby guard towers, Steve threw open the door, allowing his teammates to get in before slamming it shut and pressing his back up against it. He grit his teeth as the door shuddered against whatever onslaught was taking place on the other side.

“C’mon!” Shining yelled. Looking up, Steve saw the rest of the squad running through an adjacent door. Hesitating for a moment, he followed, hearing the door crash open behind him. The moment he was through, he slammed the second door behind him, taking a moment to lock it before running. He followed just behind Shining as arrows and bolts of magic whizzed past him. Only moments later there was another crash as the second door was broken down. Glancing back for a moment, he saw the pegasi following close behind them, some running along the wall while others took flight. One of them caught up quickly, lunging forward with a spear clutched in one hoof.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Steve swiftly blocked the attack with his sword, knocking the lance to the side, following with a quick slash at his opponents wings, which cut deep into the appendage. This sent the pegasus spiraling to the ground below with a scream of pain.

Steve found he had no time to celebrate his victory, as there were many pegasi following to replace the one he'd taken down.

“Through there!” came a shout from in front of him. Looking ahead, Steve saw a door, one which that lead directly into the castle from the wall. Fortunately for them, it seemed to be unguarded. The pegasus in front of the group threw open the door and entered, followed closely by the other pegasus and Shining. Steve ran with all his might, now only a short distance away.

Suddenly, his instincts tingled, and screamed at him to duck.

“NO!!” came a furious shout from his left. Before he could react, something heavy slammed into him, knocking him flat on his back.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 33 health remaining.

To his shock, the pegasus mare he seen before, the one leading the troops, was standing above him, teeth grit, revealing a pair of sharp fangs, showing she was actually a thestral.

“Sir!” Both her and Steve's head snapped to the side at the yell. Shining was at the doors threshold, horn glowing, glaring at the thestral. He wanted to help Steve, the Crafter could see it in the unicorn's eyes. But there was no way Steve was going to let all of them get captured, or worse.

“GO!!” Steve yelled as he headbutted the thestral mare in the teeth. There was a moment of hesitation, before Shining nodded slightly and the door slammed shut. Steve gripped the mare's leg and threw her off as he rolled over and got to his feet.

“You have doomed yourself and only bought your friends time.” Steve heard from behind him. Turning around, he saw the mare getting to her feet, a commander probably, flanked by two squadrons of pegasi. His teeth grit behind his visor as he took a step back, sword hanging by his side.

“There is no possible way you can win this fight.” she continued. “While you fight well, you are hopelessly outnumbered. This battle can only end in your defeat.”

Steve sighed. “Yeah, probably.” he spoke softly. He smirked at the mare through his visor. “Won't stop me from trying though.”

His statement caused a distasteful look to come over her face. “Fine then, I suppose. Have it your way.” Looking toward her troops, she gestured toward the Crafter. “Take him down.” And with that, the fighting began.

Circle: Dodge

X (Hold) + Square (Hold): Sword Slam

Jumping back in a reverse roll, he narrowly avoided being impaled by the half dozen spears being thrown at him. Back on his feet in an instant, he leapt forward and slammed his blade into the floor, knocking the closer pegasi away. The commander rushed forward with a cry of fury, slicing through the air towards him with her wing-blades.

Circle: Block

Triangle: Kick

Raising his sword, Steve managed to block the first attack, though he stumbled back from it. She took advantage of that and struck again. Thinking fast, Steve feinted a block to the side, then hit her with a strong kick to her barrel. Before he could follow up, a guard slammed into him, sending the both of them rolling.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 31 health remaining.

Hastily throwing his aggressor off, Steve shot back to his feet and was immediately sidelined by the commander's wing blades crashing into him.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 27 health remaining.

The force of the blow sent him rolling. Digging his gloved hand into the floor, he slid to a stop and stood, pulling his sword back as he got into a fighting stance. His mind raced to think of a plan to get out of this.

“There's too many for me to fight! Maybe if I had some potions, maybe some TNT, heck, my fishing rod would do! I don’t have anything that could take out all of them!” The guards edged closer. “Come on, think!”

Suddenly, a guard leapt forward, trying to catch Steve off-guard.

Square: Slash

He responded with a swift slash, knocking the stallion to the floor. Stepping back, Steve kept his blade raised, eyes narrowed at his opponents. Then, they shot open in realisation as he remembered something. Quickly digging into his pocket with a hand, his fingers made contact with four or five decent-sized crystals, warm to the touch. Grinning, he withdrew three, the fire-red stones glowing brightly in the moonlight. The commander’s eyes widened in shock as she recognized what he held. Steve brought his arm back.

“MOVE!!!” She yelled as she leapt off the side of the wall. Steve sent the crystals sailing through the air, landing on the stone floor with a small clink. He barely had time to blink before a giant explosion blew him back, sending him flying into the door behind him.

Damage Received - 9 damage. 18 health remaining.

It shattered into splinters upon impact. Steve hit the ground and rolled to a stop on his stomach. Coughing, he groaned and rolled onto his back. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out on of the healing vials he had. The glass they were stored in was tempered, luckily, so they would be hard to break. Uncorking it, he lifted the visor on his helmet and tilted his head back, gulping down the rather grainy liquid.

Health Restored - 8 health. 26 health remaining.

Sighing in relief, he threw the vial aside and snapped the visor back down. Getting to his feet, Steve grabbed his sword and sheathed it. Looking around, he saw a large, ominous stairwell leading down. Sighing, he readied himself and began his trek.

* * * * *

It wasn’t that hard to find the rest of his squad. The flashing lights, explosions and screaming were, after all, tell-tale signs. Steve ran into the room, sword drawn, ready for a fight. His mouth dropped open in shock at what he saw.

Guards laid about on the ground, unconscious. Fires were burning away in random locations and rubble littered the ground. His squad was encased in a light purple dome. One of the pegasi was knocked out, while the other looked only moderately injured. Shining was hurt himself, but seemed fine. Standing a few feet from them, horn burning like a small sun, stood who he assumed was Queen Daybreaker.

She stood tall, right around his height, with a whitish coat. Her mane blazed like it was pure flames. Her eyes were a dark red with glowing orange pupils. She wore a strange orange breastplate, along with boots. She grinned maliciously as her horn sent out waves of magic against the shield protecting his allies. Steve’s eyes narrowed in anger and his teeth grit.

Square: Slash

Rushing forward, Steve sent his sword slamming into her side, catching her off-guard. She cried out in shock as she stumbled back from the blow. Switching targets, her horn glowed as fiery bolts of magic shot at Steve.

Circle: Dodge

Rolling to his left, he dodged the first few bolts. Back on his feet, he was forced to side-step the next blast, feeling the heat through his armor. Bringing back his sword, he sprinted forward. Daybreaker growled and rushed to meet him. Alongside her, a longsword was brought up in her magical grip.

Square: Slash

Circle: Block

Steve went to slash Daybreaker with his blade, only to be blocked by her own. She pushed upward, sending him stumbling back. Bringing up her sword, she sliced downward. Steve swiped to the side, deflecting the attack.

Square: Slash

Circle + Square: Counter

Whirling around, he swung hard, his blade cutting into her chest. She roared in pain and jumped back, sword blazing with power as it sliced forward. Putting up his blade, he swiftly blocked the attack. Gripping the blade, he ignored the pain shooting through his hand as he wrenched the sword from her magical grip. Rushing forward he pulled his blade back, ready to attack. However, her horn glowed and he found himself unable to move, encased in her magical aura. He was lifted up, then slammed into the ground. Then the wall. Then the ceiling. Then back into the floor again.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 22 health remaining.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 19 health remaining.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 16 health remaining.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 12 health remaining.

Steve groaned with each impact, vision shaking from the pain coursing through his body. He was unceremoniously dropped to the floor, panting and groaning.

“You cannot win against my might, strange creature! Surrender while you have the chance!” Daybreaker spoke loudly with a smirk on her muzzle. Steve coughed.

“Not a chance in the Nether, bitch!” Steve growled out as he got to his feet, pulling his sword back as he got into a fighting stance. Her smirk morphed into a frown.

“Then you have chosen death.” She growled softly as her horn began to glow.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 32: A Queen's Fall (Part 2)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 33: Trial by Fire (Part 1)

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve stood behind the two sisters as they hugged and cried. For a minute or two, he simply looked on. Sighing, he sheathed his blade, garnering the attention of both alicorns. Brushing her tears aside with a hoof, Celestia slowly trotted over to the Crafter with an unreadable expression.

“How are you here?” She asked.

“I’m assuming you mean here in Mindscape. That, in and of itself is a long story, so I’ll give you the rundown. Super-powerful being that’s kind of an ass trapped us, as well as a few others, here in the Mindscape. I’m on a wild goose chase trying to find and free everyone. That’s the gist of it, at least.” Steve spoke, looking at her with a deadpan expression.

Celestia’s face turned blank for a moment. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Who put..?”

However, she was interrupted by a loud “BING!!” sound. Moments later, just as before, a large wooden door suddenly appeared before them. Sighing, Steve looked back at Abyss, Trench and Aura before gesturing towards the door.

“C’mon. Looks like our ride is here.” He turned to Celestia, who had a confused looked on her face. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but first, we need to leave this place.” Steve walked to the door, gripped the handle, and threw it open, revealing a swirling mass of nothingness on the other side, just like the last two times.

“Wait.” That single word caused him to stop. Looking back, he saw the Princess of the sun looking at him with a narrowed and distrustful gaze. “How can I trust you? You’re the very being that has hurt my subjects on multiple occasions. You put two dozen guards in the hospital!” Her voice rose in volume as her horn glowed. “You have fought and hurt my own sister! Why should I trust you!!??”

“Because the way I see it, you don’t have much choice otherwise.” The Crafter’s calmly spoken words made Celestia freeze in realization. Steve continued. “You are a powerful being, no doubt about that. But you have little idea where you are, and as far as I know, no idea on how to get out, just as I don’t. Which means you have two options. One, stay with my group, find and rescue the others, and hopefully escape. Or two, you try and escape on your own, by your own means.” Steve let a small smirk grace his lips. “But something tells me you won’t take option two.”

“And why is that?”

“Because there are four other beings trapped. And as much as you evidently hate me, from what I've heard you also care a lot for your subjects. There’s no way you would leave them to die.”

Celestia stared silently at him, their gazes locked on the other. After a few tense moments of quiet, Trench stepped forward towards his ruler.

“Princess, I know he’s done some stuff, but after everything I’ve seen him do, how he acts, I don’t think he’s bad, or evil, or something.” He let out a small laugh. “In fact, despite what I did, he still helped me. If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead.” The alicorn looked at the general in confusion.

“What do you mean? What did you do?”

Trench visibly gulped. “W-well I uh, I mean…”

“Hold on.” Steve interrupted. “We can and will continue this conversation later, but for now, we need to get going.” Trench gave a sigh of relief and nodded, before walked through the door, followed closely by Aura. Abyss followed suit, but stopped just before entering. Glancing back at Celestia, her gaze hardened.

“Steve is my friend, Princess. If you continue to do what you’ve been doing to him, he isn’t the only one you’ll have to worry about.” She spoke with just a hint of venom in her voice, before stepping through the door.

“Sister, what will thou do?” Steve’s gaze focused on the dark blue alicorn as she stepped beside her sibling. Celestia remained silent, not taking her gaze off of Steve, though the anger and distrust had disappeared for the most part.

“I suppose, the best option would be to go through that door, and see where it goes from there.” She said, after a few more moments of silence. Sighing, she turned to Luna. “Goodbye, sister. I will see you soon.” They hugged once more, before Luna disappeared with barely a twinkle of her horn. Turning to Steve, she trotted up to the door. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, her eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t make me regret this.” She warned, before stepping through.

Sighing, Steve followed soon after.

* * * * *

Just as he arrived back in the main room, Steve suddenly got very dizzy. Groaning, he rubbed his head as he managed to stay on his feet.

“You alright?” Looking up at the question, he saw Abyss standing beside him. He sighed and nodded his head.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit disoriented.” Looking past her, his gaze settled on the four doors still remaining. Walking over to them, he contemplated which one to open.

“Where are we?” He heard Celestia speak from behind. Glancing back, he saw the princess looking around in confusion. “Why are there four doors?” She continued gesturing towards them.

“This is kind of the starting room where this all began.” Steve explained. “Each door leads to each of the captive’s minds, where I have to take on their worst nightmare, one way or the other. One such nightmare would be you turning into Daybreaker and ruling with an iron fist, or hoof in your case.” He stated offhandedly, ignoring the flinch his words had brought from the alicorn.

“Yeah, only instead of harmless figments of imagination, these nightmares can probably kill us.” Trench chimed in. “We don’t know for sure, but better safe than sorry.”

“Yeah. Speaking of nightmares, while I’m a big fan of small talk, which door should we go through next?”

“We?” Questioned Celestia, making everyone else look at her with a questioning gaze. She explained. “Well, there are five of us here, and four doors. If we were to split up…”

Steve swiftly interrupted her. “If we were to split up, we could get all the doors done faster, yes. But that leaves the risk of one of us getting hurt, or worse, on their own. That’s not something I want to risk.”

Celestia smiled in confidence. “Trench and Aura are both well-trained and respected fighters. I have the utmost faith in their capabilities.”

“Really? Because I don’t.” Steve replied simply. Her mouth dropped open slightly in shock at his blunt statement, while Trench and Aura both looked at him with slightly hurt expressions. “Look, they are great fighters, I don’t doubt that. But I know the man that put us here and I know how ruthless he is. So trust me when I say this. If we split up, not everyone in this room will leave this place alive.”

“Just, how ruthless is this being? Because I have faced many villains in my time and…”

“He’s single-handedly responsible for the death of my entire species.” Steve spoke, cutting her off. Her eyes widened.

“What?” She asked. Steve opened his mouth to respond, before shaking his head as his eyebrows furrowed.

“Look, can we talk about this later? We have more pressing issues to deal with.” He turned back to the doors, before quickly choosing the door on the far right. “How about that one?” He asked, gesturing to it. Upon getting no arguments, he walked up to the door, gripped the handle and opened it. Without a word, he stepped through, into the blackness.

* * * * *

The next thing he knew, he was in Ponyville’s main square. Quickly searching his surroundings, he found the square was surprisingly empty.

“Where the Nether is…?” The Crafter was interrupted by a quiet rippling noise. Turning around, he saw Abyss appear out of thin air. Moments later, Trench appeared, followed closely by Aura and the Princess.

“Hey, what took you guys so long?” He asked with a smirk on his face.

“Oh quiet.” Abyss said with a playful grin. Looking around, her smile faded as she probably realized what Steve had moments before. “Hey, don’t want to worry anyone, but where the heck is everyone?”

“Uh, Steve!? You should probably take a look at this!” Steve whirled around to see Trench a short distance away, looking at something. Sprinting over to him, he saw the object of interest.

It was a poster. On it, in giant letters, read:

Trial Today!!!

See the criminal Rainbow Dash convicted of her crimes!!!

Public Seats open at 9:00 am at Town Hall!!!

There was silence as everyone read the poster. After a short while, the quiet was suddenly broken by Steve.

“Well. Shit.”

* * * * *

Only a few minutes later, Steve was running through town, followed by his allies, as well as Celestia as they made their way towards the town hall.

“How much farther!?” He yelled behind him.

“Not much further! Take the next left!” Aura shouted in response. Nodding his head, Steve put out his hands for balance as he skidded into a turn, feet grinding into the dirt before taking off down the road. Looking ahead, his gaze landed on the familiar sight of the Town Hall. In front of the building, a small crowd had gathered. Pushing himself through the herd, he eventually made his way to the front doors, where two guards stood, keeping the civilians back. Their eyes widened in shock at the sight of the tall Crafter.

Steve reached his hand over his shoulder, preparing for a fight. However, much to his surprise, they hastily assured him inside, muttering about how “late he was.” Just as he stepped through the doorway, the guards shut the doors behind him, leaving him alone in the short hallway. Chalking it up to the weirdness of the mind, he shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the far door. Just above the entrance was a small wooden sign that read “Courtroom.” Taking a deep breath, he gripped the handle, twisted, then opened the door.

Silence greeted him. Stepping inside, he was confused to see everyone in the room was staring at him, not in fear or wonder, but as if they were expecting him. Slowly making his way forward, his gaze looked all around.

“Oh, Mr. Steve! You made it!” To the Crafter's confusion, a green pegasus mare trotted up to him with a smile on her muzzle. Her black mane was pulled into a bun. “What took you so long? Come on, let's get to our seats.” Before he could respond, the mare pulled him along with a hoof, leading him over to a table with two chairs positioned to face the front of the room. She took her seat before looking over to him and patting the chair beside her. Playing along for the time being, he sat down, eyebrows furrowed.

“Don't worry, Mr. Steve. With all of the evidence I've prepared, there's no way we can lose.” The mare reassured him. Just as he was about to ask her what she meant, a side door opened. A gray earth stallion, dressed in a black suit, trotted into the room.

“All rise for the honorable judge, Mr. Iron Gavel!” Everypony, as well as Steve, stood as Iron Gavel took his spot on the raised platform at the front of the room.

“You may be seated.” He spoke in a deep voice. Everyone sat. The stallions dark eyes looked around the room for a moment. “Alright. Mr. Codswell! Are we ready to begin?”

A chocolate brown stallion responded. “Yes, your Honor.”

“Very well. Guards, you may now bring in the accused.” Steve heard a door opening, followed shortly by the sound of rattling chains. Looking over, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Trotting slowly into the room, heavy chains shackling her legs and a rope tied around her wings, came a light blue pegasus he easily recognized.

It was Rainbow Dash.

She looked down at the floor, head dropped low. Flanked by two guards, she was lead over to her seat, sitting down with one final, heavy rattle.

“The accused has been seated.” The gray stallion raised his gavel.

Bang!! Bang!!

“Let the trial of Rainbow Dash, commence!!”

Author's Note

Sorry for the late chapter!! Between homework, make-up tests and getting (and being) sick, I didn't have a whole lot of time for writing! Once I'm back up to snuff and not drowning in anxiety, then I'll be back to my regular schedule.

Anyway, thanks for reading and tell me what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 35: The Monster Inside

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“The fuck do you mean I was unconscious for three freaking hours!!?” Steve asked loudly, extremely worried. Abyss shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s just it. When we came through the door, you were laying on the ground asleep. I thought you would have some idea as to why.” The Crafter shook his head in response.

“I don’t know either. The last thing I remember is going through, then waking up to you guys yelling your heads off.” He sighed. “Was I really unconscious for that long?” They all nodded, causing him to rub his face with his hand.

“If I may.” Celestia spoke up. Steve’s hand dropped as he looked at her questioningly. “I may know a spell that will let me figure out what is wrong, if you will let me try.”

He looked at her with a squinted gaze for a few moments, before sighing. “Alright. I’ll let you do your magic thing. While it may be a mistake, I’ll trust you.” She smiled a small bit, before nodding her head.

“Thank you. If you will, please lay on the floor.” He did so. “Now close your eyes.” Begrudgingly, he did so as well. He heard a gentle hum as her horn came to life and felt a strange feeling come over him. Moments later, he heard a few startled gasps.

“What is it?” He asked, eyes remaining shut. There was silence for a few moments.

“Steve, please open your eyes.”

Upon opening them, he beheld a strange sight. His entire body was glowing bright white. However, in the middle of his chest, a swirling mass of black vapor resided, making his stomach drop.

“What the Nether is that?!” He asked, staring at the dark orb with wide eyes.

“It is as I feared.” Celestia spoke, tone grave. “It seems you are slowly turning into a Nightmare.” Steve looked up at the Solar Princess.

“A Nightmare? What the heck is that?”

She sighed. “A Nightmare is a creature born of darkness. They corrupt other beings and use them to their will. Usually, they manifest at sources of anger and hate, then grow from those same emotions. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the Nightmare.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Said Steve, utterly confused. “I don’t really have that much anger or hate in me. Though I should, all things considered.”

Celestia continued to scan the black mass, contemplating. After a few moments, she spoke.

“From what I can tell, the Nightmare is relatively fresh. However, likely due to your jumping from one nightmare to another, it has significantly grown in size. What would normally take a two weeks for it to grow has occurred in only a day or two.” She cut the magic flow and the glow on his chest disappeared. He sat up.

“But that doesn’t explain why it’s there in the first place.” He said, rubbing his chin.

“Have you fought any Nightmare monsters? It is possible for one of them to transfer the Nightmare to another being.” Celestia inquired.

Steve shook his head. “I don’t think…”

“Yeah we have.” Trench interrupted. Everyone looked at him. “In my nightmare. Steve fought off a horde of these black, mist-wolves that tried to kill us. He got pretty hurt during the fight.”

Steve’s eyes widened as he remembered the battle. “Oh yeah. Trench was way out of it and I was unarmed. I had to fight them on my own for a bit before he pulled himself together and helped me.” Sighing, he got to his feet. “We eventually killed them all, but by that time, I was already really hurt.”

The Solar Princess nodded. “That may be the cause. These mist-wolves sound like Nightmares.” She turned to Trench with a raised eyebrow. “Your nightmare was being attacked by those monsters?”

The stallion shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. That’s what I’m wondering. If the mist-wolves weren’t originally part of my nightmare, then why did they appear?”

“Well, from what I know, Nightmares are born from the negative realm known as the Shadow-Plane and are attracted to beings who have undergone great suffering, since they feed off of anger and sadness. Perhaps they were attracted to Steve.” Celestia turned to the Crafter. “You said you are the, uh,” She hesitated. “last of your kind, correct? I imagine that doesn’t weigh easy on one’s soul.”

Steve gave her a deadpan look. “Oh really? How did ya figure that one out?” He threw his hands in the air. “Yes I’ve suffered! I’ve fought in wars, I’ve ended hundreds of lives! For fuck’s sake, I’ve personally watched my species as a whole go extinct!” Taking a deep breath, he rubbed a hand against his face. “Look, it doesn’t matter how it got in me. It’s in me now. What I want to know is, can you get it out of me?”

Celestia gave him an uncertain look. “I, don’t know.”

The Crafter’s eyebrows furrowed. “Princess, from what it sounds like, this thing in my chest will kill me. I kinda need something better than an I-don’t-know.”

“It’s not as easy as a simple spell, Steve. Actually purifying Nightmares from their hosts is a new topic. It doesn’t help that our knowledge on them is lacking.”

“How new is it?” Aura asked.

“Only a few months, ever since the Nightmare Moon incident. And last time I asked Ms. Dawn, progress was slow.” Trench responded.

“The only way we know to purify a Nightmare is with the Elements of Harmony, and for that, we would need to escape this place.”

“The Elements of what?” Steve asked in disbelief. “The heck are those?”

Celestia answered. “The Elements of Harmony are powerful artifacts that can only be wielded by the Bearers, ponies who represent the six essential parts of friendship, Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness and Magic. When used, they are capable of doing incredible feats, such as purging my sister Luna of Nightmare Moon.”

Steve stared at her with wide eyes for a few moments before responding.

“If that wasn’t the most flowery, make-peace, hippie pile of garbage I have ever heard in my entire life.” This garnered a glare from the alicorn. “Alright, look. If they get the job done, then kudos for you. But you said it yourself, we would have to leave in order to use them. So first things first, we gotta rescue everyone.” He walked over to the three remaining doors. “So which one should we go through?”

“Uh, what do you think you’re doing?” Steve turned around to see Abyss walking towards him with an angry expression on her face. He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m trying to figure out what door to go through. Sooner we get this done, the…”

“Oh, you want to go through another door? Okay, that’s fine. Except for the part where Miss Sunbutt here said that because of your excessive mind-traveling, the Nightmare is growing faster than normal! If you keep this up, you may not survive!”

“And I’m alright with that.” The blunt statement caused Abyss’ jaw to drop open. “If it costs my life to rescue everyone, than I can die knowing someone else is alive because of me. I made a promise long ago that I wouldn’t run, that I would rescue everyone I can, as long as I can. That I would use the powers given to me for good. And I intend to do just that. It’ll probably kill me, I’m aware of that.” He sighed. “But there’s three other beings trapped here, and I intend to help them as I’ve helped you guys.” He looked at them all. “Because, like what someone once said. ‘If you can do the things I can do, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen. They happen because of you.’ And, trust me, I really don’t need that on my conscience.”

“Steve.” Abyss spoke. “I took an oath to protect you. To do everything in my power to keep you alive. I can’t just let you go and risk your life, especially not for these ponies!”

Celestia glared at her. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Abyss readily returned the expression. “I’m talking about the ponies who have attacked him, shot at him and hurt him! I’m talking about the ponies who hunted him down like an animal! I’m talking about you, Princess, who put a death warrant out for him! So forgive me if I can’t understand why he wants to help you!”

“For the same reason I brought you back all those years ago.” Steve spoke softly, making Abyss stop in her tracks. “I believed you deserved a second chance at life. So I gave you one.” He walked up to the dragoness. “Look, there’s no mistaking they’ve made some mistakes. But let’s be honest, who hasn’t? It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you realize what you did wrong and learn from it. And I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

“But why?” Trench inquired. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you are, but why?”

Steve shrugged. “Because I have a feeling the attacks aren’t your fault. The guy who put us in here is a master manipulator and has some powerful magic at his disposal. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was behind all this.”

“You have faced this villain before?” Celestia asked.

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Killed him too. Turns out death isn’t as permanent for him as it is for everyone else.” He turned to the doors. “But we’re wasting time sitting around talking. What door should we go through?”

“I’m thinking the one on the far left.” Aura spoke up, gesturing with a hoof. Nodding in agreement, Steve walked over and opened the appointed door. Just as he was about to step through, Celestia’s voice made him pause.

“Steve. Just so you are aware, at the rate the Nightmare is growing, there is a miniscule chance you will live through this. You are a powerful being as you are now. If you were to go full Nightmare, I dread to think what horrors you will be capable of.” Her gaze softened. “And I truly am sorry for the wrongs we have committed against you. But if you turn into a Nightmare, then I will have no choice but to end you. I cannot put my citizens into danger.

Steve sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Majority rules and all that shit. You have to take care of your people. I get that.” He turned to look at the Solar Princess. “Honestly speaking, if that does happen, I hope you can defeat me. I don't want anyone hurt because of me.” And with that, he stepped through the portal.

* * * * *

Pain. That was the first thing that registered through his brain when he appeared on the sandy beaches of whoever-the-fuck's nightmare this was. Burning, blistering pain.

Damage Received - 5 damage. 32 health remaining.

Falling to one knee, Steve gurgled indistinctly, severely caught off-guard. Putting a hand to his chest, he struggled to get back the breathe he'd lost. After a few moments, the liquid fire in his veins began to disappear. Taking a few deep breaths, he struggled back to his feet, coughing and spitting out a wad of red saliva, evidently mixed with blood.

Not a few seconds after he did that, the sound of feet landing in the sand behind him registered in his ears. Turning around, he saw everyone else had arrived, looking around at the new scenery. Well, everyone except Abyss. She stared straight out at him with a narrowed gaze, eyes looking over him as if searching for something. Thankfully, a few moments later, Trench broke her concentration.

“Where the hay are we?” He asked.

Steve looked around. “From what it looks like, we're on an empty beach. Be on the lookout for anything strange. Usually, the danger finds us sooner or…”

“HELP!!! HELP!!! I'M DROWNING!!!” A new voice shouted, causing everyone's head to snap in that direction.

“And there it is.” Steve sighed. “Let's move!”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading and let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 36: Going Under

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

He struggled to stay above water. His efforts to do so had been successful so far, but he could feel the ache in his muscles beginning to take hold.

“HELP!!!” He cried again, hoping against hope for a savior. Only moments later, he was pulled under once again by whatever had wrapped itself around his back legs. He held what little air he had left in his lungs as he flailed, managing to break it’s hold long enough to get back to the surface. Taking a deep breath, he cried out once again, but to no avail. He attempted to swim to shore, only for the whatever creature that hide beneath the waves to grab onto his leg, pulling him back. He fought against it, but it refused to let go, trying to pull him under again. No matter how much he tugged and scraped and kicked, it wouldn’t release him. He began to feel the fatigue take effect and he was pulled beneath the waves.

* * * * *

They ran along the beach, the sand pulling at their feet doing little to deter them. The cries for help progressively got louder as they ran.

“Just hold on!!” Steve yelled at whoever they were trying to find. The cries stopped for a second, which made the Crafter’s stomach drop, before they began again, renewed in their effort. Taking that as a good sign, Steve pushed himself to go faster. Eventually, he managed to spot someone flailing about in the water, a good distance from the shore.

Without a second thought, he ran for the shore and took a deep breath before diving straight into the deep blue water. Immediately going into a butterfly stroke, he swam as fast as he could towards the source of the cries for help. However, after only a few moments in the water, he felt something wrap itself around his ankle. Looking down, his eyes widened in shock to see some sort of black tentacle attached to his leg. Before he could contemplate it further, it suddenly retracted, pulling the Crafter down with it. Letting out a silent cry of surprise, he desperately tried to shake it loose, but it held firm with a grip like iron.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Square: Slash

D-Pad Up: Sword

Reaching over his shoulder, he managed to withdraw his blade. Pulling up, he slashed downwards, effectively cutting off the tentacle. Not wasting a moment, he sheathed his sword and swam upwards, lungs crying out for more air. Upon breaching the surface, he quickly took in a breath, regaining his oxygen. Shaking his head, he looked around to get his bearings. Upon doing so, he saw his target a short distance away, and now he could recognize them.

It was Rizworth. His dark green eyes showed his fear as his feathered wings flapped uselessly. Steve swam towards the griffon.

“Riz! Calm down!!” he yelled. At his words, Rizworth turned to look at him, eyes widening in shock.

“What the b…?” Whatever the griffon was about to say was interrupted when he was unceremoniously pulled underwater.

“Shit!” Steve cried out, before ducking underwater himself. Upon doing so, he saw Riz struggling with the same black tentacles that had attacked him. His eyes narrowed.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Square: Slash

Unsheathing his sword, he swam to aid the struggling griffon, who fought desperately for his life. Swinging his sword, he cut through one of the tentacles, releasing Rizworth’s front leg. Grinning in victory, Steve pulled back for another swing. Before he could do so, he felt one of them wrap around his arm and pull back.

Square: Slash

Releasing his grip on the sword, Steve immediately grabbed it with his other hand and slashed, cutting the tentacle and freeing him. Looking up, he saw Riz still struggling, but his movements were getting much slower. Gritting his teeth, Steve ignored the pounding of his heart and the screaming from his lungs as he swam towards the trapped griffon.

Square: Slash

Bringing back his arm, he slashed forward, cutting off one of the tentacles, before grabbing another and wrenching it off.

Suddenly, Riz stopped moving. Glancing up, Steve’s eyes widened. The griffon’s beak was open wide, but no air escaped. His sharp talons floated lifelessly in the water and his eyes were shut. For a moment, time stopped. For a single, solitary second, the Crafter stared at the unmoving griffon in shock.

And then that moment ended.

Before Steve could react, the one dark tentacle that still held Riz suddenly pulled down, taking the griffon with it. The Crafter’s eyes narrowed in determination. Swimming downward, he followed, quickly managing to catch up. Reaching out, he gripped the foreleg of the griffon, pulling hard against the black vine, which pulled back. But Steve would not let himself lose.

Square: Slash

D-Pad Up: Sword

Pulling upward, Steve slashed the tentacle, severing it in one blow. Quickly sheathing his sword, he swam as quickly as he could upwards, lungs feeling close to bursting. Breaching the surface, he gasped loudly as he caught his breath.

“Steve!!” He heard someone yell from above him. Looking up, he saw Dash hovering above him with a worried expression. Sighing in relief, he grabbed Riz roughly by the shoulders, and hoisted him into the air as best he could.

“Take him!! He’s not breathing!!” He yelled back in response. The mare’s eyes widened as she hurriedly nodded and scooped up the unmoving griffon in her hooves before immediately zooming off for the shore. Not wasting any time himself, Steve began swimming towards shore. Unfortunately, he hadn’t gone far before he felt something wrap around his leg. Again.

“Son of a…” Steve’s curse was interrupted as he was pulled underwater.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Square: Slash

Triangle: Kick

Immediately withdrawing his sword, Steve swung down at the vine around his ankle, cutting out a chunk from it. Pulling back his leg, he kicked away what was left, freeing himself. Wasting no time, he immediately began swimming away, sword still in hand should he need it. However, as he did so, he suddenly had the urge to look behind him. Though he resisted at first, he eventually looked back just to sate his curiosity.

He saw two large, yellow orbs, eyes, staring at him from the waters below.

Eyes widening, Steve’s muscles went into overdrive in a desire to get away from whatever nightmarish monster was there. A short time later, he found himself back at the shore, collapsing on the sandy beach. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his rapidly-beating heart, he pushed himself to one knee.

“Steve!! Are you okay?!”

Looking up, the Crafter saw Abyss and Dash sprinting over to him. A little ways behind the duo, everyone else was gathered around Riz, who appeared to be breathing again. Steve sighed in relief and nodded.

“Uh, yeah, I’m okay. Just a bit tired from swimming and fighting those black tentacles underwater.” At his words, both mare and dragoness gave him a questioning look, which he waved off. “I’ll explain later. How’s Riz?”

Abyss answered him. “He wasn’t breathing when Dash got him here. Too much water in his lungs. Luckily, Trench knows CPR and managed to bring him back.” She looked back at the unconscious griffon. “He woke up, looked around, then passed out. Apparently nearly dying really takes the energy out of you.”

“That’s good. For a second, I thought he had, y’know. Drowned.” He spoke in a soft voice.

“Which makes me wonder.” Dash spoke up as she looked out over the water. “If he couldn’t swim well, what the hay was he doing that far out?”

“It wasn’t that.” Steve responded. “There was something out there, under the waves. It had these black tentacles, and glowing yellow eyes. It tried to pull us both under the water, to drown us. That’s why he couldn’t escape.” He looked at the waves with a hard expression. “My guess is, Riz has an avid fear of drowning. Considering what I saw, his fear formed into the nightmare we currently find ourselves in, though I’m unsure why there was a monster. Maybe some childhood trauma or something, I don't know.” His attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps in the sand approaching them. Glancing behind him, he saw Celestia trotting over to the trio.

“Thank you, Steve, for rescuing Riz.”

Steve shrugged it off. “Eh, it’s fine. Not like you couldn’t have helped him with that magic of yours.” At his words, he saw the alicorn flinch slightly, causing him to give her a questioning look. “What is it?” He asked, feeling as though something was wrong.

She hesitated before answering. “I couldn’t help him. I tried to teleport him to the shore, but for some reason, I couldn’t. It was as if something was blocking me from helping him.”

“Do you know why, Princess?” Dash asked. The alicorn shook her head.

“No, I don’t.”

Steve sighed. “Well that ain’t good. Especially considering what I saw under there.”

Celestia gave him a confused look. “What exactly did you see?”

“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t want to. Whatever that thing was, it can stay the hell away from us.” Steve responded as he got to his feet. He gestured over at Riz, who was still knocked out. “Is he gonna be okay?”

The Solar Princess nodded. “The water wasn’t in his lungs long enough to do any serious damage. Besides that, I healed any injuries he had, so he’ll be okay when he regains consciousness.”

“Good to know. Is he A-Okay to be transported?” Steve asked Celestia.

“Yes, though the same can’t be said for you.” At this, all eyes went to the alicorn. Steve raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean? I don’t feel that bad.”

She smiled, though there was no joy behind it. “Steve, I have lived for many years, too many, perhaps. In that time, I have learned many things, one such being how to know when somepony is lying to me. So please, don't. Just tell us what is wrong.”

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but no words escaped his lips. Normally, he would simply lie and say he was fine, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Perhaps it was the feeling of dread that had taken hold in his gut. Or maybe it was the sad expression on Celestia’s face. Regardless, try as he might, he couldn’t bring himself to lie. It wouldn't have done any good anyways, since she could tell if he was fibbing or not.

After a few moments, he sighed. “Yeah, I’m not doing so well. Earlier, when we first transported here, I felt a huge burst of pain in my gut and I coughed up a bit of blood.” Abyss and Dash’s eyes widened.

“What?! Why didn’t you say anything?” Abyss said loudly.

“Because I didn't want to worry you.” He said with a sigh. “Any focus directed towards me would be focus taken off the mission at hand. Besides, I've dealt with worse. I can handle it.” There was a few moments of silence, until it was broken by Abyss.

“You're always like this.” The dragoness spoke in a soft voice. Steve looked at her in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

She grit her teeth. “I mean, you are always like this. You are constantly jumping into the fray, not caring about what might happen, or even if you’ll survive. You don't think about what your death would mean to your friends. How it would affect them.” She threw her hands into the air. “And for what purpose?! No matter what this damned world has thrown at you, you always are ready and willing to fight, be it xenophobic ponies, wild monsters, the fucking parasite that’s inside you, or even mother-fuckin’ HEROBRINE!!! It’s almost like some kind of theme or trope, where this world consistently fucks with you!” Facepalming, she took a deep breath. “Look Steve, I’m worried for you.” Dropping her hand, her eyes gazed into Steve’s. “You are a strong, strong Minecraftian, who has been through many hardships. But you can only go so far before you break. And at this point, I’m afraid you’re reaching that point.”

Steve sighed. “Well, if I am, then…” He didn’t finish his sentence as his thoughts took over. If that did happen, if he did reach his breaking point, what would he do? Would he break down and cry, or go into some rage-induced blood fest. The very thought made him shudder slightly. Before he could continue his statement, Steve heard a shout from behind him.

“Hey, everypony!! Riz is waking up!!”

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 37: Divide and Conquer

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The first thing Riz knew, he was lying on what felt like dirt or sand, which was a bit strange, considering the last thing he remembered was being dragged underwater by those tentacles, then everything had gone dark.

Riz groaned at the soreness blossoming in his chest. Coughing a bit, his eyes fluttered, then opened. His gaze was immediately met by six different faces looking down at him with slightly worried expressions.

“Rizworth, you okay?” A vaguely familiar voice spoke. Squinting his eyes, the griffon managed to make out the owner.

“Steve? What the buck are you doing here?” He asked, slightly groggy. Riz pushed himself to his feet, though his muscles protested heavily.

“Saving you, as it turns out. Though Dash was the one who brought you to shore, Trench cleared the water from your lungs and Celestia healed any injuries you had. So, all in all, a team effort.” The Crafter answered while shrugging.

Rizworth’s eyes widened. “That’s right! I saw you just before I got pulled under by those, things.” He finished his statement with a shudder as the memory of their cold, fierce grip on his legs resurfaced.

“Yeah, I had to cut you loose from their grip. And let me tell you, those things were tough! If I didn’t have this sword, I’m not sure if you would’ve made it out of this alive. Me neither, for that matter.” Steve spoke as he shook his head. Riz let out a shuddering sigh and looked up at Steve.

“Thank you Steve, and everypony as well, for saving me. But I have some questions.”

Steve sighed in understanding. “As you should. I’m sure there’s a few things you’ve noticed that doesn’t make sense.”

The griffon nodded. “Yeah, just a few things.” He took a deep breath. “Where are we, what was that thing under the water, why is the Princess here and who is that?” He pointed at Abyss with a talon.

Celestia decided to answer. “In order, we are currently in your nightmare, we have no idea what monster is lying beneath the waves, I am here because Steve freed me from my own nightmare and that is Abyss, a powerful ally and close friend of Steve’s.”

Riz looked at the princess with a raised eyebrow. “My nightmare? What do you mean?”

“Long story short, you, along with Trench, Aura, Dash and Celestia were trapped in your own nightmares.” Steve responded. “I’ve been going through all of them, fighting whatever they are, one way or another, and freeing you guys one by one.”

There was silence for a few moments. Then Riz spoke.

“That’s, actually kinda cool, in a weird, scary way.” He looked up at Steve in curiosity. “What were their nightmares like?”

The Crafter opened his mouth to respond, but closed it as he thought about his answer. Memories of him fighting the horde of mist-wolves and almost dying flashed through his mind. Of him narrowly managing to save Aura from her attempted suicide. Of him, tired and hurt, facing down the tyrant, Daybreaker. Of Shining, bleeding out from the sword piercing his chest. He remembered the horror and pain. Steve took a deep breath before answering.

“Terrifying.”

Rizworth’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh. I’m sorry dude. I didn’t…”

Steve interrupted the griffon. “Nah, it’s fine. Just part of the job, I guess. Besides, I’m still kicking.”

“Despite your best efforts.” He heard Abyss speak from behind. Sighing, he was about to respond to the dragoness, before…

BING!!!

Turning to the side, he saw, just as always, the wooden door had appeared, facing towards the group on the sandy beach. Riz looked at it in confusion.

“What just happened? Why did that door just flipping appear out of nowhere?”

Steve answered the griffon. “Well, whenever we defeat a nightmare and free the victim of said nightmare, this door shows up. Stepping through will take you back to main area where the rest of the doors are.”

The Crafter walked up to the door, gripped the handle, then opened it to the all-too-familiar swirl of darkness on the other side. But before he could step through, he was stopped.

“Steve.” Celestia spoke, causing him to look back at the alicorn with a questioning expression. “None of us here know how you will fair should you step the portal, not even me. While I haven’t checked, I’m sure the Nightmare has grown in the short time since we first discovered it. So I would like to try something first, if you will let me.”

“What do you mean nightmare?” Riz questioned.

“A little while ago, we discovered that Steve has been infected by a Nightmare, and has slowly been converting into one. Since the process is normally slow, we would’ve had enough time to cure the infection after escaping this place, but it turns out that because of his constant traveling from one nightmare to another, it has grown exponentially.” Celestia explained.

“Yeah, so now I have a black parasite in me, no racism intended.” Steve spoke with a sigh before turning to the princess. “Anyway, what exactly do you want to do?”

“While I don’t know of any way to protect you from damage caused by the Nightmare, I may be able to temporarily reverse it.” Her horn glowed. “It’s called the Spell of Great Reversal, though a few of my students have been calling it the No-You Spell, and I am unsure as to why.” If she had heard Riz or Aura snickering, she made no notion of it. “Regardless, it was originally a defensive spell, but it was modified and changed to have a more medicinal use, used to reverse damage caused by injuries. The two downsides is that it requires a level of magic capabilities not many unicorns are capable of, and can only be used on a single being once. Anymore than that and there will be terrible side effects”

“And you’re sure it will work?” Steve asked, still unsure. Celestia took a moment to respond.

“Yes, but since I don’t know the extent of the damage, I’m unsure as to how effective the spell will be.”

Steve sighed and shrugged. “Alright. Do it. Not like it can make it worse.” She nodded and pointed her horn towards him. A few moments later, a beam of yellow light erupted from it and shot towards him. Steve braced himself, but found it was unneeded as when it made contact with him, he didn’t feel pain. Instead, he felt a warmth fill his body, flooding his senses with a feeling of calm. The pain in his gut swiftly disappeared and the feeling of dread faded. A short while later, the beam cut off and the warmth disappeared, but now he felt great, strong and refreshed.

“How do you feel?” Celestia asked, stepping closer to him. He smirked at her.

“Fan-fucking-tastic, Princess. That spell really works.” The Crafter responded, stretching. “But if you don’t mind me asking, not trying to sound rude and all, but why did you only mention that spell now and not before?”

“By the time I remembered the spell and thought to use it, we had already entered Rizworth’s nightmare.” The Solar Alicorn answered. Steve shrugged in response.

“Fair enough. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m just gonna yeet on outta here.” With that, Steve, quite literally, yeeted himself through the doorway, into the darkness.

* * * * *

When Steve came around, he was standing back in the main room, the two remaining doors lying a short distance from him. Immediately, a wave of nausea washed over him, forcing him to double over and groan. After a few seconds, it passed. Coughing, he righted himself, rubbing his stomach absentmindedly.

“Ugh, that sucked. Still, better than unbearable spikes of agony.” Coughing once more, he started walking over to the two doors. However, his ears picked up the faint sound of feet/hooves hitting the ground. Turning around, he saw everyone appearing in the room, one by one. Abyss first, Dash next, then Celestia, until everyone had arrived. Abyss immediately locked eyes with the Crafter.

“Steve, how are you feeling?” She asked, a slight tone of worry in her voice. Steve smirked and gave her a thumbs-up.

“I’m alright. Just a small wave of nausea at first, but that came and went. Besides that, I’m fine.”

“Good.” Celestia spoke, glancing over at Steve. “Have you already decided what door to enter?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking the one on the right. Not really sure why, but…”

“Wait, where the buck are we?” Riz asked, looking around in confusion.

“This is the room where I started this bullshit scavenger hunt.” Steve responded. “Every door lead to someone else’s nightmare. At first, there were seven doors. Now, after a lot of blood, sweat and whatever other bodily fluids have been beaten out of me, there’s only two left.” Everyone looked at the Crafter with blank expressions.

“Okay, gross. Really didn’t need to hear that.” Aura spoke with a slight hint of disgust. Steve shrugged with a smirk.

“What can I say, I’m a sarcastic piece of shit. Anyone who’s spent a certain amount of time with me would know that.”

“I can second that.” said Abyss.

“That’s not what… Nevermind, let’s get going.”

Steve nodded and was about to turn around before Trench’s voice made him stop.

“Steve, wait.”

The Crafter turned to face the stallion, a questioning expression on his face. “Yeah? What is it Trench?”

The general hesitated for a moment before answering. “Look, I know you’re going to be against the idea, but first, hear me out. “Steve’s eyebrow raised in confusion, but he remained silent. “There are seven of us, and only two doors left. If we were to split up into two teams, maybe we could take both doors down at once. Three on one side and four on the other.”

“And who would go on which team?” Steve inquired.

“Well, for the optimum team, we need at least one attack type, one support, and one tank at least. I play a lot of O & O on the weekends, so I know these things.”

“Nerd!!” Dash spoke loudly.

Trench sent the prismatic mare a glare. “Anyways, for team 1, how about Steve, Dash and me, while team 2 has Aura, Princess Celestia, Abyss and Rizworth?”

Steve thought about it for a moment and found the logic in Trench’s plan was solid. Sighing, he nodded in agreement.

“Alright. I may not like the idea of splitting up, but since time is of the essence, I don’t think I have much of a choice.” The Crafter looked at everyone. “Are you guys good with your teams?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Then let’s get going. Team 1, we’re taking the right door, while Team 2 takes the other.”

Walking over to his respective door, he swiftly opened it and stepped through, followed closely by Dash and Trench.

* * * * *

The next thing he knew, he was standing in a rather familiar place, Ponyville main square. Shaking his head, he ignored the soreness that had blossomed in his chest as he looked around. It seemed that they were alone, no ponies in sight. Glancing up, he saw the sun was on the decline through the sky, meaning it was going to get dark soon. Looking behind him, he saw the rest of his team was looking around as well, seemingly confused by the lack of life in the town.

“Where the hay is everypony?” Dash asked in her traditional, raspy voice.

“I don’t know. From what I’ve seen, it varies from one nightmare to another.” Sighing, he readjusted the strap across his chest. “C’mon, let’s get moving. We gotta find whoever’s suffering from this nightmare and fast.”

* * * * *

A few hours later, night had fallen on the land and the trio hadn’t had any luck. They had searched pretty much the entire town, but had failed to find whoever was trapped. The fact that nothing had happened didn’t help either.

They sat on a bench on Alfalfa street, contemplating what to do next.

“Ugh, this is so boring!” Dash exclaimed.

Well, Steve and Trench were. Dash had been complaining about being bored for roughly half-an-hour, and it was getting irritating.

“Well, if you’re so bored, why not make yourself useful and do another fly-over of the town. Maybe you can spot something.” Steve spoke.

“But I’ve already done that three times! And I never found anything!” She responded loudly, throwing her front hooves up in exasperation.

“Well, maybe this time you will.”

She sighed but nodded. “Fine. I’ll check again. But I probably won’t find anything.” SHe crouched down, wings flaring as she prepared her take-off. However, she was interrupted.

“Help!! Please help!!” All three of their heads snapped in the direction the shout had come from, Steve getting a small feeling of deja vu. “Please he…!!” The voice was suddenly cut off. Without a word, Steve shot from his seat, taking off down the road, Dash and Trench close behind. Taking a right at an intersection, they continued running, searching for the source of the screams. After about a minute of straight running, they found their target.

Steve’s eyes widened in fear as his mouth dropped open.

There, on the ground in an alley, lay a mare. Her gray fur was matted, with red blood pouring out of multiple wounds. Her wings appeared slightly mangled, with large amounts of feathers missing. Her eyes were closed. It was his friend, Miss Derpy Hooves. But she wasn’t the only pony in the alley.

Standing beside her, spear raised, was a stallion Steve easily recognized. After all, the very same pony was currently standing behind him. It was General Trench, about to kill his friend.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Without even thinking, Steve had his sword drawn, the noise attracting the Trench copy. It turned around, lowering it’s spear as it’s gray eyes met Steve’s. Then, it smiled, a cold and evil smile, before it launched itself at Steve.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Steve raised his sword and blocked the attack. Pushing back, he slashed his blade at the copy. It leapt back, avoiding the attack. Trench, the real one, made his move as he threw his spear. It managed to dodge the attack, only for Dash to swiftly buck it in the chest, sending it rolling.

X: Jump

Square x 4: Slash Combo

Leaping forward, Steve brought his blade down with crushing force. Disoriented thanks to Dash, it barely managed to block the attack with it’s spear, though it weapon snapped in two. Not stopping, Steve slashed it twice more, cutting deep into it. Gripping the copy by the throat, he pulled back and plunged his sword into its chest. The blood-coated tip exited out it’s back

Taking a deep breath, Steve withdrew his sword and dropped the lifeless body to the floor, blood pouring onto the floor. Looking up, his gaze landed on Derpy’s unmoving body. Stumbling forward, his blade dropped from his grip as he fell to his knees. Taking her into his arms, he gently pressed his ear to her chest, listening desperately for a heartbeat.

Only silence met his ears.

Author's Note

I wouldn't have the time to post it later today, so I'm posting this chapter now. Be sure to comment and tell me what you all think!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 38: Getting Back Up

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Celestia watched as Steve and his team walked through the door on the far right, disappearing into the darkness. A few moments later, the door shook slightly and vanished in a small burst of light.

Aura spoke. “Huh. So that’s what happens after we go through a door.”

“Alright everyone, let’s get going.” Abyss spoke up, garnering their attention. “We don’t have any time to waste.” The dragoness walked over to the last remaining door and opened it. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through. Aura and Riz followed close behind her, leaving Celestia alone in the room. The Solar Princess sighed heavily, then trotted over to the door and stepped through.

* * * * *

It was a dark night in the town of Ponyville. A dense fog had creeped over the town. The moons light was snuffed out by thick clouds that covered the sky. A light rain fell, pattering softly against the cobblestone road. The town itself seemed dead.

‘Though that’s probably because it’s so late.’ Celestia thought as she traveled down the road with her companions. ‘But even then, there is usually still ponies up and about at this time.’

“Damn, this fog is thick. I can barely see.” Riz muttered. “Hey Princess, can you whip up some spell that will let us see please?”

“Absolutely, Rizworth. Give me a moment.” Celestia concentrated for a second, channeling magic into her horn. A small ball of light swiftly formed on the tip of her horn, lighting up the road and managing to break through the fog, to a certain extent. Everyone in the group smiled.

“Good.” Abyss spoke. “Now c’mon everyone, let’s keep moving. Someone needs our help.”

“Yeah, but even with the Princess’ spell, how can we…?” Aura began to speak, but stopped suddenly, ears perking up. Everyone looked at the thestral in confusion.

“Aura? What is it?” Riz asked, stepping closer, only for her to put out a hoof.

“Shush. I heard something.” There was a few more moments of silence before she spoke again. “I heard it again. Follow me.” Without another word, the thestral ran off, leaving the dragoness, griffon and alicorn to follow.

“Miss Aura, wait!!” Celestia called out, taking off after the thestral with Abyss and Riz beside her. After about a minute running, the trio finally managed to catch up with Aura, probably due to the fact that she had stopped. And, when the Solar Princess listened for a moment, she understood why.

Crying. That was what Aura had heard, only the whole group could hear it now. The sound of crying was emanating from somewhere in front of them. It sounded so, desperate and sorrowful, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that the owner sounded young, very young.

Eyebrows furrowed in worry, Celestia slowly made her way forward. What came into sight caused her to give a silent gasp, an action that was repeated by the rest of her team.

It was Steve. He was sitting up against the wall, head tilted down. His right arm was twisted at an, assumedly, unnatural angle. His cyan blue shirt, which was now stained red, was shredded, revealing the multiple cuts and bruises underneath. His leg appeared to have been broken multiple times, as seen by the bones protruding from it. Beside him, his blue sword lay on the ground, broken in two.

Laying just beside him, was a gray pegasus mare. Her blonde mane was askew as her yellow pupils stared lifelessly into the sky above. One of her wings had seemingly been torn off, since it lay a few feet to the side, while the other was mangled and red. A dozen or so wounds littered her body, blood dripping from them. Celestia recognized her as the Ponyville mail-mare, Derpy Hooves.

And there, hugging both Crafter and mare, was the source of the crying. It was a small unicorn filly, with a light, violet colored fur and blonde mane. The Solar Princess recognized her as Derpy’s young daughter, Dinky. She had her back to the group, too busy crying her heart out, hugging both Steve and Derpy tightly.

Celestia slowly made her way forward, being careful to not startle the filly. Once she was closer, but still a short distance away, she spoke in a quiet, calm voice.

“Dinky?”

Dinky cried out in alarm and whirled around, eyes wide in terror. Upon seeing Celestia, as well as who she was with, she gasped and took a step back.

“P-princess? W-what are y-you doing here?” She asked, voice cracking. Celestia merely looked at her with a sorrowful look. She slowly moved forward, causing the filly to tense and look up. Once she was right in front of Dinky, Celestia sat down, then spoke.

“I’m so, so sorry for your loss, young one.”

Dinky looked down, not meeting Celestia’s eyes. The filly sniffled as tears began to come forth once again. However, much to Dinky’s surprise, she suddenly found herself in the alicorn’s embrace. She wanted to squirm and fight against it, but she was too tired and too sad and she felt so warm and comfortable against Celestia’s fur. Letting out a sob, she returned the hug, letting her tears flow freely. The Solar Princess simply stroked her head with a hoof, content to let the filly cry.

Much, much later, she eventually felt Dinky’s grip on her loosen slightly. Looking down, Celestia saw the filly’s eyes were closed and her breathing had calmed down. She wasn't really sure how much time had passed, but it seemed Dinky had cried herself into a slumber, still clutching at her barrel. Sighing, she looked over at the bodies of Steve and Derpy sitting against the wall.

“How can one so young, have such terrible nightmares?” She spoke softly.

“I, don’t know, Princess. I just, don’t know.” Aura spoke with a defeated sigh. “Frankly speaking, I think that will give me nightmares now.” She gestured to the scene with a hoof.

“C'mon, we should get her out of here. If she wakes up to see, them, again, it won’t be pretty.” Abyss spoke.

Celestia sighed. “While I agree, the door hasn’t yet shown up. So, instead I suggest we move to…”

BING!!

The Solar Princess was interrupted by the familiar noise. Moments later, the door showed up, just as it always did. Sighing in relief, Celestia gently picked up the filly in her magic before placing her on her back. Trotting over to the door, she opened it and stepped through, soon enveloped by the darkness. Everyone else followed.

* * * * *

Steve gently brought his head up to look at the mare in his arms. Her face, despite the cuts and bruises that littered it, looked strangely peaceful. Steve grit his teeth as tears trailed down his cheeks. Pressing his face against her chest, he let out a slightly-repressed sob.

“I’m sorry Derpy. I’m so, so sorry.”

For a short time, no more than a minute, there was no sound in the alley, except the sound of Steve’s sobs. His two companions stood a few feet behind him. Glancing at Dash with a downcast expression, Trench slowly made his way forward stopping just behind the sorrowful Crafter. Lifting a hoof, he gently patted Steve’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry Steve.”

The Crafter let out a shuddering sob, then spoke. “I-is there a-anything we can do? To help her?”

Trench didn’t speak for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. After a few moments, a large smirk made its way onto his face.

“Maybe there is.” The stallion’s words made Steve glance back at him in confusion. Before he could ask, Trench whirled around to face Dash. “Dash, I need you to get a thundercloud! Make sure it’s a decent size and not too unstable!” Though confused, the prismatic mare swiftly saluted the general and took off.

“What do you need a thundercloud for?” Steve asked.

“A friend of mine taught me how to do this a few years ago, as a last resort.” Taking Derpy into his hooves, he began looking over her chest area. After a few seconds of searching, he sighed in relief. “Good, there seems to be no wound over her heart. Hopefully it’s undamaged.” He looked up at Steve. “If I do this correctly, the lightning from the thundercloud will act as a unicorn defibrillator and restart her heart.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “A lightning strike! Are you insane!? That’s too dangerous!”

Trench shook his head. “Not if Dash can regulate the amount discharged. With the proper amount, the electricity won’t harm her, it’ll actually jumpstart her and bring her back. But we have to do it quickly. If I remember correctly, once ten minutes had passed, it’s too late. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.” Just as he said this, Dash returned, hooves pushing a black cloud. Small arcs of electricity sparked along its surface.

“Got your thundercloud!” She called out.

“Great! Quick, rip off a chunk and bring it over here!” Dash nodded and pulled a sizable piece of the cloud off before moving it to float over Derpy’s body. “On my mark, buck the cloud! Steve, be ready.”

“Ready for wha…?”

“Now!” Trench yelled. Dash bucked the cloud, sending a small bolt of lightning straight into Derpy’s chest. She jolted heavily, then went still. Trench put his head to her chest, listened for a few seconds, then pulled back.

“Again!” He shouted. Another bolt of lightning, another jolt, but no change. “C’mon, again!” Dash bucked it again, sending another bolt of lightning into her chest. Leaning forward, he placed his head against her chest, only to groan in frustration. Looking around, he saw his spear laying on the ground from where he’d thrown it. Quickly grabbing it, he broke the tip off the shaft and held the spearhead just centimeters above where Derpy’s heart was with his hooves, pointed end down. “Wake up dammit!! C’mon, again!!”

Steve’s eyes widened while Dash shook her head, teeth grit. “Trench, get out of the way!! You’ll…!”

“DO IT!!” He roared. Yelping, Dash instinctively bucked the cloud. What occurred next happened almost in slow motion.

The lightning traveled down from the cloud, only instead of hitting Derpy, it struck the spearhead in Trench’s grip. For a millisecond, the piece of metal glowed blue. Then the electricity shot out and struck Derpy’s chest, not as a crooked arc, but as one straight beam. The next thing Steve knew, Trench let out a cry of pain as he was blown backwards, slamming into a nearby wall and falling to the floor face-down.

“Trench!” Steve cried out, running to the injured stallion. Kneeling down beside him, Steve reached out a hand and rolled him over. As he did so, Trench let out a groan of pain, signifying he was, in fact, still alive.

“Ugh, yeah. That really hurt.” He muttered, eyes squinted in pain. Steve let out a sigh of relief.

“Well no shit. What did you think was gonna happen?” Steve retorted. Trench sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“I was hoping that if we could concentrate the electricity on one spot using the spearhead, then maybe it would…”

Dash’s voice into their conversation. “Uh, Steve? Trench?”

Steve looked up. “What is… it…?” His eyes widened in disbelief. Blinking, he rubbed his eyes, just to make sure he was actually seeing what he was seeing. Fortunately, it seemed that he wasn’t hallucinating.

Derpy’s body was moving. It wasn’t very much, but Steve could make out the gentle rising and falling of her chest. She was breathing. She was alive. Steve’s eyes began to fill up with tears as he slowly walked over to her, falling to his knees. Just to prove it to himself once more, he placed his ear against her chest.

Ba-bump.

Sitting back, he let out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding. Rubbing his face with a hand, he brushed away the tears that had accumulated on his cheeks. Gently picking her up, he hugged her close against him, doing his best to be careful with her. Hearing the sound of hooves approaching, he glanced to the side and saw Trench and Dash standing there, smiles on their faces. He smiled back.

“Thank you. Both of you.”

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments! :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 39: A Journey's End (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve wiped the blood off his blade with a spare cloth he’d found in the alley. Inspecting his weapon, he nodded to himself and sheathed it. Looking up, he saw Trench sitting beside Derpy, bandaging her wounds with a first-aid kit he’d gotten from, well, somewhere. Dash was helping him. Steve walked over to them, his footsteps drawing their attention.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hey Steve.” Trench spoke in a quiet voice, going back to his task. “I’m almost done, just need a bit more time.”

Steve gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders. “No worries. Take as much time as you need. Besides, the door hasn’t shown up yet, so no rush.” Looking down at the unconscious mare, he winced at the white cloth, which was now stained red from the blood. “How bad are her injuries?”

Trench sighed. “I won’t lie, they’re bad. From what I can tell, she’s lost quite a bit of blood. Luckily, none of the injuries seem permanent and should heal with time.”

Steve nodded. “Good. That’s, really good to hear.” For a few moments no-one said anything, letting silence take over. Then Trench spoke.

“Steve?” The Crafter looked over at him with a questioning expression. Trench didn’t look up from his task as he spoke. “Why was I attacking Miss Derpy? Why did that copy of me nearly, kill, her?” Steve’s eyes widened at the question. He’d been so preoccupied with Derpy that he had completely forgotten about the very reason she had almost died. Glancing to the side, Steve saw the body of the copy, laying in a small pool of its own blood.

“Well, you kinda…” Steve was cut off.

“She’s your friend, isn’t she? The one that I arrested and threatened all that time ago.”

Steve hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, she is. Trench, meet Miss Derpy Hooves, my very first friend in this crazy world of yours. I just wish your first real meeting could’ve been under better circumstances.”

“Yeah.” Trench said quietly. “I do too.” Silence fell over the trio. After a few moments, Steve knelt beside the stallion and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him in some way. Dash simply stood back a few feet, unsure of what to do. Emotional things had never been her strong suit.

“It’s in the past now Trench, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Steve spoke, voice quiet. “The only thing you can do is move past it and hope you can somehow make it up to her.”

“But how can I?” Trench asked, not looking up. “How can I possibly make up for what I did to her? What I made her go through?”

“That’s up to Derpy and Dinky. They are the ones you wronged and they are the ones to decide whether they will forgive you or not.” Steve smirked. “And to be honest, after seeing how hard you fought to save her, I’d say you have a chance.”

Trench looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks Steve.”

“No problem.”

BING!!

The trio looked up and, just as always, saw the door appear a short distance from them. It glowed slightly in the darkness of night.

“Good, it showed up.” Steve looked down at Derpy. “Is she okay to be transported?”

Trench nodded. “Yeah, the bandages should hold.” Nodding, Steve reached down to pick her up, but the stallion stopped him with a hoof. “I’ll carry her. After all, if I want to make it up to her, I gotta start somewhere.” The Crafter smiled before nodding and backing away, allowing Trench to put the unconscious mare on his back. Walking over to the door, Steve opened it. Taking a deep breath he stepped through into the darkness, followed closely by his companions.

* * * * *

The next thing Steve knew, he stumbled and fell to one knee as he felt an enormous pressure on his chest. He heard his name being called but it seemed muted to his ears, barely perceptible. Falling onto his back, Steve clutched at his chest, trying to breathe.

Finally, after a short time, the feeling passed, leaving Steve coughing for air on the floor. Staring at the ceiling with wide eyes, he managed to get his breath back.

“Steve!! Are you alright!!” Abyss’ worried face appeared in his line of sight.

Cough, cough. “No.” He groaned. Pushing himself up, he managed to sit up. “That fucking sucked.”

“What happened?” The dragoness asked.

“Don’t really know. Felt like I had the entire weight of the world on my chest.” He coughed a bit, then cleared his throat. “We gotta get this nightmare out of me as soon as possible. But that’ll have to wait.” Looking up, it suddenly registered in his brain that Celestia’s group had arrived as well. After all, Abyss had been part of that group, yet here she was, worrying about him. “Oh good, you guys are back. Tell us, who did you have to save from their nightmare?”

“St-Steve?” A small voice asked from his right. Eyes widening, the Crafter turned his head in the direction the voice had come from. His mouth dropped open in shock as his gaze landed on the tiny violet filly, Dinky. Her large blonde eyes were wide, with tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

“Dinky?” Steve asked in disbelief. Nodding slightly, she slowly trotted forward, stopping just in front of him. “Kid, what’s wro…?” He was interrupted as she launched herself into his chest, bawling into his diamond chestplate. Steve quickly wrapped his arms around to comfort the sobbing filly. Looking up, he saw the sorrowful expressions of Celestia, Aura, Abyss and Rizworth.

“What the hell happened?” He asked, anger in his voice. Celestia answered.

“Young Dinky’s nightmare was the, death of you and her mother. Your deaths were, very graphic, to say the least.”

Steve’s mouth dropped open in shock. “She, what?”

“When we found her, she was hugging both of you, crying. In fact, the sound of her sobs were what allowed us to find her in the first place.” Abyss spoke, not meeting Steve’s eyes.

The Crafter looked down at the filly in his arms. His heart ached to think of what she had to go through, of what she was forced to suffer through. All because of one man. Herobrine.

Steve’s teeth grit and his gaze hardened at the thought of it. Anger like hot lava blossomed in his chest. Everyone else quickly saw his mood change as Dash spoke in a nervous voice.

“Uh, Steve? You okay?”

He didn’t respond immediately, staying silent for a few moments. Eventually, he spoke.

“Herobrine is going to pay!” Steve’s voice was deep, dripping with anger and hatred. His very tone itself promised unending death and destruction. Everyone instinctively took a step away from the livid Crafter, despite knowing his anger wasn’t directed at them.

“I’m gonna kill him in the most painful way possible, then I’m going to bring him back, just so I can do it again! You don’t FUCK with my family!!”

“Steve!” Abyss called out, drawing the Crafter out of his death-filled thoughts to look at her. She put her clawed hands out in a placating manner. “Yes, I’m sure you want vengeance and all that, but can you tone it down a bit, please? You’re scaring everyone.” Her words made Steve look at his companions with a quirked eyebrow, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the nervous and scared expressions on their faces. Looking down, he saw even Dinky was shaking slightly in his arms. Taking a deep breath, he let his anger subside temporarily.

“Sorry about that everyone. Just, got a little angry.”

Trench let out a scoff. “Uh, no kidding dude. I thought you were going to explode.”

“Seconded.” Celestia spoke. “And though you are right to feel angry Steve, don’t make the mistake of letting anger and hatred consume you. It will only hurt you in the end, trust me.” Steve simply nodded in response.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He looked over his companions with an apologetic grin, before his gaze landed on Trench and the mare that lay on his back. His eyes widened as he remembered what Dinky’s nightmare had been about. He looked down at the filly in his arms. “Hey, Dinky?” She looked up. “Do you know what I’ve been doing here?” She shook her head. “Well, you see, when I got here, this big bad dude named Herobrine had trapped seven other beings in their nightmares. I had to go into each person’s head and fight their various nightmares. Fast forward to a little while ago, while Celestia and her team were saving you, I was fighting somepony else’s nightmare.” He hesitated for a second. “It was Derpy.” Her eyes widened.

“What?! Where is she?! Where’s mom?” She squirmed, making him release her from the hug. Whirling around, she caught sight of the unconscious mare laying on Trench’s back. “Mom!!” Running over, she gasped at the multiple bandages covering her body. She looked back at Steve with wide, fearful eyes. “What happened?”

“She, got hurt. Really bad. But she’s okay now, in fact, with a little time, she’ll be right as rain.” Steve knew that was a lie. If the injuries received here actually transferred into the real world, Derpy would be out of commision for weeks. And even then, while there was no lasting physical trauma, he had no idea what kind of mental trauma had been inflicted on her.

Sighing, he rubbed a hand against his face before looking at the Solar Princess. “Speaking of which, do you know any healings spells that will fix her up?”

She nodded as her horn lit up. “Yes, just give me a moment.” Closing her eyes, a yellow aura surrounded Derpy as she was lifted off of Trench and placed on the ground in front of her. She began to mutter something in some unknown language. The glow around Derpy intensified for a few seconds, before it disappeared altogether. Celestia’s horn stopped glowing and she opened her eyes. “Done. She should be fully healed.”

Walking forward, Steve knelt next to Derpy as he removed her bandages. He smiled when he saw that her injuries were nothing more than a memory now. “Yep. All her injuries are gone.” He glanced at Dinky. “See kid, what did I tell ya? Your momma is A-okay!”

BING!!

His statement was followed shortly by the dreadingly familiar sound. Snapping his head in the direction the noise had come from, his stomach dropped when his gaze landed on a door. It looked the same as all of the others, except there appeared to be something written on the front. Getting to his feet, Steve walked closer, soon able to make out what it said. In red drippy letters, three words were written.

Come get me

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed in anger. It wouldn’t have taken a genius to figure out why this door had appeared. He knew in his gut that wherever this door lead, Herobrine would be on the other side, waiting for him.

“Steve?” Abyss asked from behind him. He didn’t respond, continuing to look at the door. Quirking an eyebrow, she looked over the door herself, the words written on it making her eyes widen. After a few moments, she glanced over at Steve. “You know that’s a trap, right.”

The Crafter nodded. “Yep. And the only way any of us get out of here is if I spring it.”

She sighed, but nodded. “Yeah. But at least you’ll have me and the others, right?” He didn’t answer, making her give him a serious look. “Right, Steve?”

Steve gave a small sigh and turned around to look at everyone, who had gathered a short distance from the Crafter and dragoness. “Alright everyone, listen. This experience has been one of the weirdest, most terrifying of my life, and while it isn’t quite over for me and Abyss, this is where we must part ways.”

“What!?” They all asked simultaneously.

“You can’t be serious!” Trench spoke in disbelief. Steve nodded.

“I am. This threat is from my world, one you never should’ve had to worry about and I cannot apologize enough for what he has put you all through. As such, it’s up to Abyss and I to defeat him and make sure he never hurts anyone again.”

“No offense Steve, but that's a load of crap.” Dash bluntly stated with a deadpan expression. “Yeah, he may be from your world, but he’s messed with us, he’s hurt us, and he’s scarred us. For buck’s sake, look at Derpy!” She pointed a hoof at the unconscious mare. “She nearly died because of him!”

“And that’s the exact reason why I don’t want you near the fight! I don’t want you all hurt because of me!” Steve yelled.

“Steve.” Trench spoke, garnering the Crafter’s attention. “Miss Derpy and Dinky care for you. A lot. I already have much to make up to them, so I’ll be damned before I stand back and let you, their friend, die. Whether you like it or not, I’m going.” Steve opened his mouth to retort, but someone else spoke first.

“I’m going too!” Dash cried out, a smirk on her face. “I’m going to give that monster a buck he’ll never forget!” Steve tried to speak, but was interrupted when Celestia stepped forward.

“I will go as well. This villain has hurt my subjects without reason. I will not let that go unpunished.”

“We’re going too!” Riz and Aura spoke simultaneously. “It’s our duty to protect Equestria, after all!”

Trench looked at the ponies and griffon with a smile before turning his gaze back to Steve. “We’re going with you, Steve. For better or for worse. Besides, from what I’ve heard about this guy, you’ll need all the help you can get.”

Steve remained silent for a few moments, looking at them all with an uncertain expression. After a few moments, he chuckled and rubbed his face with a hand. “You’re all insane, you know that?” Sighing, he dropped his hand, a small smile on his face. “Alright then. But what about Derpy and Dinky? Dinky can’t fight and Derpy is still unconscious.”

“Not to worry, I will take care of that. Miss Dinky, if you would please stand beside your mother.” Celestia spoke as her horn glowed. The violet filly did so, a confused expression on her face. Moments later, a yellow shield appeared around both of them. Taking a step back, the Solar Princess sighed, slight hints of perspiration on her brow. “That is my strongest barrier spell, capable of enduring even the mightiest of blows. As long as I draw breath, it will endure.”

“Good.” Steve said, nodding. Walking over to the shield, he knelt in front of it and looked at the young filly. She looked up at him. “Dinky, can you do something for me?”

She nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to stay here with Derpy until she wakes up. When she does, she'll be very confused and scared, so comfort her until I get back, please. Just like before.”

She smiled and nodded again. “You can count on me, Mr. Steve!” The Crafter grinned.

“I know I can.”

Standing up, he walked over to the door. Gripping the handle, he turned the knob and opened it, revealing the inky blackness behind it. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through.

Author's Note

This is the second-to-last chapter before the end of the "Mind over Matter" arc. Let the fighting commence!!
Thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 40: A Journey's End (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Square: Slash

Steve brought his blade down with force, cutting through the thick foliage in his way. Pushing it aside, he trudged forward, grass crunching beneath his feet. His companions followed close behind, eyes on the lookout for anything unusual as they walked through the forest they had found themselves in shortly after entering the last door.

“Hey Dash!” Steve called out, glancing behind him at the prismatic mare. “How far away are we from that town you spotted earlier?”

“Uh, give me a sec!” With that, she flew upwards to take a look around before returning to the ground moments later. “Not much farther! Just keep going!” Nodding in response, Steve faced forward again and resumed walking, blade at the ready for when the need arose.

“So Steve, quick question!” Aura spoke up from somewhere in the back of the group.

“What is it Aura?” Steve inquired, ducking under a low hanging branch.

“So, we’re going to be fighting this Herobrine dude, and from what I’ve heard, he’s pretty tough.”

Steve scoffed. “Understatement of the frigging century, Aura. Try nearly indestructible.”

The thestral chuckled nervously, then continued. “Y-yeah, anyways, what I want to know is this. What, exactly, is your plan to take him down?” The Crafter didn’t respond immediately, remaining silent for a short time. After a few moments, he sighed and spoke.

“Look, Herobrine is one of, if not the most powerful being I have ever faced. Not only is he extremely strong, but he is also smart and unpredictable. I only barely managed to defeat him last time, and that was with 6,000 trained and well-armed troops. The only advantage we have now is that something is up with him.”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked, one eyebrow cocked.

“I mean, something’s wrong with him. Nothing that has happened here is like his style at all. He enjoys killing others personally, so he can see the light leave their eyes, or some demented shit like that. He wouldn’t have some nightmare do it for him. And he certainly wouldn’t have given me the opportunity to free you all.”

“So why would he?” Abyss asked, clawed hand rubbing her chin in thought.

Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t.” Sighing, he rubbed a hand against his face. “To answer your question Aura, no, I don’t have a plan. But I’m more than open to suggestions.”

“Why don’t we just gang up on him and hit him all at once!?” Dash’s voice rang out. “He can’t fight all of us at the same time!”

Steve gave her a deadpan expression. “Again, 6,000 Minecraftians and I’m the only one that survived. Sure, we had to fight his army as well, but regardless, numbers simply won’t work for shit with this guy. The only ways to take him down is to either outwit him, or overpower him.”

“Is it possible to do either of those?” Celestia asked.

“Maybe.” Steve said, voice displaying his uncertainty. “I don’t what his current power level is, so I’ll assume the worse case scenario and say he’s at full strength. If that is the case, then the chances of us winning are pretty low.”

“And what is the likelihood that he is at full strength?” Trench inquired.

Steve hesitated for a moment before he responded. “High. Too high.” Shaking his head, he looked forward, and much to his joy, saw sunlight breaking through the canopy of leaves. Pushing forward, he broke through the tree line and immediately spotted the town, sticking out from the fields of green like a sore thumb. The rest of his group came up and stood beside him.

“So,” Abyss began. “That town is most likely where Herobrine is?”

“Yup.” Steve spoke, nodding.

“And you have no plan on how to defeat him?” Celestia inquired, eyebrow raised.

“I actually, might have a plan.” Trench spoke up, garnering everyone’s attention.

“You have a plan?” Steve asked, to which the stallion nodded. “Alright then. What exactly you have in mind?”

“Okay, so, a while back I was playing O&O”

“Nerd!” Said Dash loudly, but Trench ignored her.

“with a couple buddies, when we came across one of the toughest enemies in the game, a Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon. This thing was tough, fast and strong, not to mention immune to light-based spells. But Armor, the brilliant tactician he is, came up with a plan to take it down.”

“And what was that plan?” Steve asked.

“It went like this…”

* * * * *

Steve slowly walked through the town, diamond-clad boots clinking softly against the cobblestone road. His gaze searched all around, eyes narrowed and sword clenched tight in one armored fist. All was quiet around him, save for a gentle breeze blowing past him. His muscles were tense, the silence only making him more nervous.

“Ah, so you have finally arrived.” Spoke a voice from behind him. Whirling around, Steve brandished his blade as he dropped into a fighting stance. There, a short distance from him, stood the form of Herobrine, smiling at him with an evil grin. “I was beginning to think you had died.”

“After taking a look at your ugly mug, I wish I had.” Steve responded, letting a nervous smirk grace his lips. However, his insult didn’t work as intended, as Herobrine simply chuckled.

“Yes, you did have quite a mouth on you. But that won’t save you now.” The god of the night began walking towards Steve, confidence in every step. “You will die, just like the rest of your kind.”

Steve grit his teeth. “Probably. But not before I drive my sword through your skull for ever thinking about hurting my friends.”

Herobrine frowned. “Let’s see about that then, shall we?” Suddenly, he leapt, fist flying forward towards Steve’s face.

Circle: Dodge

Triangle: Kick

Rolling to the side, Steve narrowly avoided the attack. Twisting his body, he managed to kick Herobrine hard in the side. The deity barely moved, instead grabbing Steve’s leg and pulling him up before throwing him into the floor.

Damage Received - 5 damage. 32 health.

Circle: Dodge

Grunting from the impact, he rolled to the side as Herobrine’s foot came down, cracking the cobblestone beneath it. Jumping to his feet, Steve backpedaled to gain some distance.

Square: Slash

Running forward, Steve slashed his sword twice. Herobrine rolled backwards, avoiding both swipes, before jumping up and twisting his body, catching Steve off-guard with a whirl kick that hit him straight in the chest.

Damage Received - 6 damage. 26 health remaining.

Flying backwards, Steve hit the ground back first and flipped over onto his stomach. Groaning, he got back to his feet and looked up, only to see his opponent mid-air, fist pulled back for a devastating blow.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Performing a backwards roll, Steve managed to avoid the earth-cracking strike. Back on his feet, Steve slashed hard, landing a solid hit on Herobrine. The god of the night rolled along the ground, coming to a stop a short distance from him. Looking up, Steve saw that a malicious grin had appeared on his lips.

“Well, well, well. You actually hit me. Looks like I won’t have to go easy on you.” Standing up, Herobrine pulled back his hand. To Steve’s horror, a diamond sword appeared in his grip, glowing in the sunlight.

“Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me.” Steve groaned. Herobrine wasted no time, leaping forward with his sword pulled back, ready to attack.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Triangle: Kick

Putting up his blade in a defensive stance, Steve blocked the attack, deflecting it to the side. Whirling around, he slashed his blade at Herobrine’s chest, cutting deep into him. Wrenching his sword free, Steve dropped low and threw a powerful kick that managed to knock his opponent back slightly. Shooting to his feet, Steve readied himself as Herobrine leapt forward, blade raised over his head for a powerful attack.

Circle: Block

Putting up his blade in a defensive position, Steve blocked the incoming attack, but was sent stumbling back. Seeing the opportunity, Herobrine swung again, to which Steve blocked once more, but was knocked flat on his back. His opponent stood over him, sword brought up to attack. Eyes widening, the Crafter brought his blade up across his body in a defensive position, barely managing to catch the blow before it struck.

Herobrine pushed down on his sword, Steve’s defense slowly faltering under the pressure. Muscles straining, he pushed back as hard as he could, but found himself losing the fight regardless.

Herobrine grinned down at the trapped Minecraftian. “What exactly was your plan, Steve? Your level of strength is disproportionate to mine.”

Steve, despite the beads of sweat forming on his brow, found it in him to shrug. “Yeah well, Trench plays a lot of O&O. NOW!!” He roared.

Quirking an eyebrow in confusion, Herobrine didn’t even have time to move before he was hit hard in the face by bolt of yellow magic, sending him flying back. Then, in mid-air, something slammed into him, redirecting the deity into the cobblestone road. Before he could react, he was picked up by the same unseen force and slammed into the ground multiple times, creating a deeper and deeper indent with each collision, before being throw down the road. Skidding along the cobblestone, the god of the night suddenly changed directions when two hard objects impacted his back, sending him flying in the opposite direction before landing on the ground. Getting to his feet, Herobrine shook his head, only to see he had been shrouded from the sun. Looking up, his eyes met a pair of glowing purple ones.

“Hello.” Abyss stated in a dark voice, before her fist collided with his face. Stumbling back from the blow, Herobrine was unable to avoid the follow up punch to the face that sent him flailing back. Shooting to his feet, Herobrine leapt forward at the dragoness, newly-summoned sword slashing forward.

Circle: Block

Only for another sword to intercept the attack. Glancing down, he saw Steve grinning up at him, diamond blade in hand. The Crafter said two simple words.

“Fuck you.”

Square: Slash

Pushing Herobrine’s blade aside, Steve whirled around and slashed him hard in the stomach, forcing the deity to stumble back and fall to one knee, breathing heavily. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Steve rushed forward and swiped hard into Herobrine’s chest, sending his opponent rolling.

Before Herobrine could get to his feet, he was unceremoniously picked up by some unseen force and thrown through a nearby building, the wooden walls shattering from the impact. Steve felt a smirk begin to form on his lips, only for it to fall when he heard a furious roar emanate from it. The building suddenly blew up in a massive explosion of energy, making Steve stumble back slightly. Herobrine shot into the air, a white glow surrounding his entire body, before he slammed into the cobblestone road, creating a large crack in the ground.

“Enough games!!” he roared. “You will not…!” Suddenly, he whirled around and swiped his hand to the side, deflectinging the magic bolt that was headed for his back. His gaze focused on the source of the attacks, Princess Celestia. She stood in the middle of the road, glaring at the deity with angry magenta eyes.

“Herobrine!!” She yelled. “You have trespassed on this peaceful land and caused harm to my subjects!! Your crimes will not go unpunished!!”

The god of the night smirked. “Ah, princess, princess, princess.” He tutted, shaking his head. “You know as well as I that you cannot defeat me alone.”

“She’s not alone.” Steve spoke, drawing Herobrine’s attention to him. Beside the Crafter stood his companions, Abyss, Rizworth, Aura, Dash and Trench. “But you are. And that’s why you’ll lose.”

“You had an army when you last defeated me, Steve. What do you hope to accomplish with only seven?”

“Seven people can do miraculous things Herobrine. Seven people can save a town from invasion. Seven people can stop the world from ending. Seven people,” Steve raised his blade as he glared at his opponent. “Can kill you, once and for all.”

“Perhaps.” He spoke, in a voice that sent chills down everyone’s spine. “But how will your friends have time for me, when they’re so busy fighting you?”

Moving too fast for any of them to track, he was suddenly right in front of Steve. His fist, encased in a cloud of dark mist, plunged itself into the Crafter’s chest. Steve, caught completely off-guard, stumbled back from the blow, strangely unhurt.

“What did you…?” Steve tried to ask, but was forced to stop when a spike of pain flared up in his chest, making him cry out in pain as he fell to one knee.

“Steve!!” Abyss was by his side in an instant, holding his shoulder. Seeing the pain he was in, she glared at the god of the night. “What did you do to him!!” She roared.

Herobrine merely smirked. “I awakened the Nightmare.”

Steve fought to get back to his feet, but found he lacked the strength to do so. Falling onto his back, the pain became more intense as his vision darkened. Fighting desperately to stay conscious, he eventually lost the battle and blacked out.

* * * * *

The next thing Steve knew, he woke up. Blinking his eyes a few times, he groaned and sat up. Looking around, he saw he was in some dark expanse, unable to see more than twenty or so feet. It appeared similar to the room where the doors had been, but different at the same time. Probably the lack of doors.

“Where the Nether am I?” He asked himself as he got to his feet.

“Don’t really know, to be honest.” Spoke a voice from behind him, causing him to whirl around, looking for the source of the voice. He quickly found it.

There, a short distance from him, stood himself. Only, this version of himself was shrouded in a dark, slightly translucent mist that covered his entire body. The most notable feature, however, were the eyes, that glowed white in the darkness. Immediately, Steve dropped into a fighting stance. However, he was shocked to see this copy of himself put out its hands in a placating manner.

“Now, now. There is no need to fight. I just wish to talk.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed in distrust, but he slowly stood up straight, keeping his guard up. “Talk about what? And who the Nether are you?”

“Simple, I am Nightmare Steve, or rather, your Nightmare form.”

“Nightmare form?”

“Yes, the form you will take when you finally turn Nightmare.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed and he pulled back a fist. “Fat chance. I’ll die before I do that.”

Nightmare Steve’s eyes widened. “Wait, wait, wait! Now, I know what Celestia has told you about us, but not all Nightmares are evil!”

“Oh really? Then why has your presence in my body caused me such pain and agony? Because that seems pretty freaking evil to me!”

“That was your body and mind actively rejecting my presence! You were fighting against me and as such, caused you the side effects you experienced." Nightmare Steve face-palmed and sighed. "But I'm getting off topic. The point is, we need to bond, now.”

“Uh, no thanks, I’m good.”

“No you are not!” The copy cried out, stomping its foot in anger. “Even with the others aiding, you lack the strength and power needed to defeat him! If we bond, you will acquire the necessary power to be able to take him down!”

“And what guarantee do I have that you won’t just take over my body and hurt my friends?”

The copy remained silent for a few moments as it stared at Steve. Finally, it sighed and looked away. “Nothing. There’s nothing I can say or do that will prove to you, right here and now, I can be trusted.” It looked at the Crafter with a pleading expression in its eyes. “But please, just for a second, trust me. Trust me to do right by you, despite what you may think of me. Please.”

Steve stared at Nightmare Steve with an unreadable expression. Slowly, he walked forward, stopping just in front of the copy. After a few more moments of silence, he stuck out his hand.

“Don’t make me regret this.” He warned. Nightmare Steve hurriedly shook its head.

“I won’t.” With that, it reached out and took Steve’s hand. No sooner had it done this that it suddenly dissolved into a small cloud of mist. This mist traveled up the length of Steve’s entire body, covering him from head to toe. Immediately, he felt newfound strength fill his muscles. His body felt lighter as energy coursed through his veins. His skin felt cold, but comfortingly so, like a cold bath on a hot summer day. His eyes glowed, lighting up the area around him like a living torch.

New Form Unlocked!

Nightmare Steve

X: Jump

X+X: Boost Jump

Square: Punch

Square (Hold): Uppercut

Triangle: Kick

“Whoa.” Steve spoke softly, caught off-guard by the unfamiliar sensation.

“Yeah, takes some getting used to.” Said Nightmare Steve. Whirling around, Steve looked for the copy, but was unable to find it, er, him.

“Nightmare Steve? Where are you?” He inquired.

“In your head. Don’t ask me why that happens, I don’t know either. Just does, I guess.”

Steve face-palmed. “Great, now I got a voice in my head.” Letting his hand drop, he sighed. “Alright then, not the weirdest thing that’s happened to me.” He shook his head. “Alright. Nightmare Steve, can you get us out of, wherever we are? We got some Herobrine ass to kick.”

He could feel Nightmare Steve grin. “Absolutely.”

* * * * *

Abyss groaned as she shakily got onto her knees, holding her side with one hand. One of her eyes was swollen shut, but the other looked around, gazing at the carnage.

Riz lay unconscious on his back in the road, body bloody and beaten. Aura was laying on her stomach beside him, still awake, but unable to get up. Celestia lay on her side, wings mangled and horn cracked. The dragoness couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive. Dash lay further down the road, knocked out.

Currently, the only one of them still standing was Trench. Despite suffering numerous injuries himself, he stood, facing the god of the night, teeth grit. Herobrine simply held his sword at his side, smug grin on his face.

“You are strong for a pony. You have my respect.”

“Take your respect and shove it!” Trench retorted

Herobrine frowned. “Fine. Have it your way.” He raised his blade and Trench prepared himself for the incoming attack. However, a groan drew both their attention to the side, where Steve was slowly getting up. As he did so, a thick layer of black mist began to appear, beginning to cover the Crafter’s body. When he stood up straight, he was completely covered in the dark mist, his eyes glowing white.

“Ah, so the Nightmare finally decides to play.” Herobrine spoke, grinning.“I was starting to think you would never awake.”

“Steve?” Abyss asked, staring wide-eyed at her friend.

“But I suppose I cannot have all the fun, my little minion. So, to start, kill them.” The deity commanded, pointing at them.

Steve didn’t move.

Herobrine’s grin faltered slightly. “Nightmare, I gave you an order! Kill them!”

Steve remained still. Herobrine snarled and was about to speak when Steve finally moved. Just not in the way he was expecting.

Square (Hold): Uppercut

Catching the god of the night unawares, Steve landed a powerful, Nightmare-fueled uppercut on his opponents chin.

Square: Punch

Rushing towards Herobrine, Steve threw two punches, the first catching him on the stomach while the other landed on his face, knocking him backwards.

“OH HEROBRINE!!! YOU DUN FUCKED UP NOW!!!” Steve roared, white eyes blazing like the sun.

The god of the night stood, glaring at Steve. “How!!? The Nightmare was supposed to make you loyal to me!!”

“Well, looks like you were wrong about that!! Why don’t you just add that to the list!?”

Herobrine growled and brandished his blade. “It doesn’t matter!! You will fall before me!!”

X: Jump

Steve leapt forward, fog-covered fist pulled back.

“Bring it on bitch!!”

Author's Note

I know, I know, I said this would be the last chapter of the arc, but I found out halfway through writing this chapter that I had way too much left to do. Sorry about that, but it'll have to be a three-parter.
Besides that, I just want to pat myself on the back, as this is by far the longest chapter I've written for this story, at a whopping 3,420 words! Yay! *pops noisemaker*
Any ways, as always, thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 41: A Journey's End (Part 3)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Square: Punch

Pulling back his fist, Steve sent it rocketing into Herobrine’s chest, another punch swiftly hitting his face. The god of the night stumbled back from the blows but recovered quickly, dashing forward with a roundhouse kick.

Circle: Block

Triangle: Kick

Blocking the attack with an arm, Steve suddenly dropped low to the ground, pivoting on one hand as he swept Herobrine’s legs from underneath him with a kick, sending him to the floor. The deity grunted as he hit the ground, before rolling backwards onto his feet.

X: Jump

Square: Punch

Leaping forward, Steve threw a powerful punch that Herobrine barely managed to block by grabbing his arm. In return, he threw a punch of his own, one that Steve barely caught. Neither one willing to let go, they were locked together, both struggling to overpower the other.

“When I win,” Herobrine spoke in a strained voice. “I am going to kill everyone you hold dear, while you watch.”

Steve panted through gritted teeth. “Gonna be hard, groan, to do that, when you’re dead.”

In response, Herobrine growled and pushed hard, breaking Steve’s hold and sending the Crafter stumbling back. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Herobrine leapt forward and landed a powerful punch on Steve’s face, snapping his head to the side as he knocked to the ground.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 22 health remaining.

Circle: Dodge

Groaning, Steve rolled to the side as a diamond sword pierced the ground where he had been laying moments before. Getting to his feet, Steve stepped to the side as Herobrine slashed his blade down, cutting through the air, but leaving him open.

Square: Punch

Triangle: Kick

Square: Punch

Taking advantage of the opening, Steve leaned forward, punching Herobrine hard in the face. Quickly kicking the back of his leg, Steve sent his opponent to one knee, before bringing back his fist and punching him solidly in the side of the head.

Roaring in fury, Herobrine threw an elbow, which connected with Steve’s stomach, knocking him back. Shooting to his feet, the deity rushed forward and threw a powerful roundhouse kick that connected with the Crafter’s face, making him spin in mid-air before colliding with the ground, face first.

Damage Received - 5 damage. 17 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve rolled over onto his back, only for a black boot to come stomping down on his chest, holding him down.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 15 health remaining.

Looking up, his eyes widened when he saw Herobrine standing over him, diamond sword lifted above his head, a malicious grin on his lips. “Looks like I win!”

“No!” A voice cried out, drawing both of their gazes over to the side, where Abyss was being helped to her feet by a struggling Trench. She stared at the deity with pleading eyes. “Don’t kill him!! Please Herobrine, I’ll do anything!!”

The god of the night smirked. “Ah, young Jean, no, you go by another name now. Abyss, I think is was.” He chuckled. “It’s been quite some time since I last saw you. How have you been?” he asked as he ground his boot into Steve’s chest.

“Please, let him go and I will do anything you wish! Please, just don’t kill him!” The dragoness begged. Steve struggled to push Herobrine off of him while the deity seemed to be in deep thought. After a few moments passed, he spoke.

“I must admit, the prospect of having you do whatever I will is a very appealing offer. But I will have to decline.” Raising his blade once more, he plunged it into Steve’s chest, piercing straight through his diamond chestplate, causing it to crack in two. Both pieces fell away and disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

Critical Damage Received - 13 damage. 2 health remaining.

Armor Broken - Diamond Chestplate. Max Health decreased to 29.

The pain was utterly agonizing. It felt like someone had just poured lava on his chest, only they made it ten times more painful, and they concentrated it to one single area, making the pain even worse. He groaned in agony as he struggled to repress the scream that so desperately wanted to leave his mouth. He could feel his blood pouring out of his body, onto the road beneath him.

“NOO!” He heard Abyss shout, but it seemed strangely muted and distant. Though his vision had significantly darkened from the pain, he managed to look over at the dragoness, as well as the stallion supporting her. They both had expressions of shock and sadness as they looked at him. He wanted to say something, anything, but his body didn’t respond to his wishes.

‘Oh shit, oh shit!’ Steve heard his Nightmare counterpart yell from the back of his mind. In all honesty, Steve had actually forgotten he was there in the first place. ‘Hang in there Steve! I’ll try and fix this!’ The Crafter didn’t respond, the pain having overloaded his senses.

Herobrine smirked down at the near-dead Minecraftian before releasing his grip on the sword, leaving it imbedded in Steve’s chest. “You never had a chance Steve. Nightmare or not.” Stepping away from the downed Crafter, he turned to Abyss and Trench, another diamond sword materializing in his grip. “Now, to kill everyone you care about. Starting with you two.” He stalked towards the pair.

Meanwhile, behind the god of the night, the black mist that had surrounded Steve was now concentrated around the wound on his chest, disappearing inside him, returning the Crafter to his standard appearance. Steve felt the pain began to ease into something less agonizing and more manageable.

‘Steve, I’ve lessened the pain and stopped the bleeding, but with that sword in your chest, there isn’t much more I can do.’

The Crafter gave a silent groan as he responded. ‘Thanks Nightmare. Give me a sec.’ He began to reach up for the sword handle.

‘Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?’ Nightmare Steve inquired.

‘What does it look like? I’m going to get this sword out of me, then I’m going to take that fucker down.’ Steve gripped the handle of the blade and squinted his eyes shut as pain flared up from the movement.

‘NO! That guy just wiped the floor with you! You’re in no condition to fight as it is! I’m not even sure you can stand!’

‘If I don’t, my friends will die!’ Steve responded as he glanced over, only to see Trench get knocked to the side by Herobrine, the stallion bleeding from the multiple wounds on his body. Abyss was on her feet now, facing off against the god of the night. ‘Look, I know it’s crazy, thinking we can beat him and all. And yeah, we may very well die here today. But please, trust me like I trusted you, just for a moment. Please’

No response for a few moments. Then, he spoke.

‘Fine. But if we die, I’m going to kill you.’ said Nightmare Steve, the humorous undertone in his voice informing Steve that he was joking.

‘Thank you.’ With that, Steve wrenched the sword out of his chest, biting his lip so hard it bled in order to keep from screaming.

Damage Received - 1 damage. 1 health remaining.

Choosing to groan instead, he managed to dig the tip of the sword into the ground, using it to push himself to his feet, though he stumbled slightly. Arm pressed against the hole on his chest, he held the blade with the other as he took slightly shaky steps towards his opponent.

Herobrine swiped his blade, cutting deep into Abyss’ arm, causing her to cry out in pain and fall backwards, cradling her injury. Just as he was about to attack again, he stopped as he heard the sound of footsteps. Glancing back, his white, pupil-less eyes widened slightly to see Steve shuffling forward, his indigo eyes narrowed on him, blood stained blade by his side.

“So, you are still able to fight. I must say I am slightly shocked.”

“Y-yeah.” Steve spoke, voice shaking. “I’m j-just full of s-surprises.”

“Indeed. But alas, you will not be winning this fight.”

“Oh r-really?” Steve brought up his sword. “Then why don’t y-you prove it?”

The deity glared at the Crafter, before pulling back his blade, dropping into a fighting stance. The next moment, he dashed at Steve, sword at the ready. Steve didn’t move, watching at the god of the night came closer and closer. Then, right when Herobrine stabbed his sword forward to impale the Crafter, Steve suddenly dropped, making the attack miss completely.

SLICE!!

Herobrine’s eyes widened as he felt pain flare up in his stomach. Looking down, he could only stare in shock as he saw the diamond sword piercing his torso. And there was Steve, both hands gripping the sword handle as he grinned up at Herobrine.

“Sorry. Did I get the drop on you?” He quipped before pulled the sword out, sending the deity stumbling back.

Square: Slash

Stepping forward, Steve swiped his opponent hard across the chest, quickly following up with slash to the leg, sending Herobrine to one knee. Quickly grabbing him by the front of his shirt, Steve pulled him up to look into his eyes.

“You lose, asshole.”

Square: Slash

Before the god of the night could respond, Steve slashed upward, making a huge gash on the deity’s chest. Herobrine stumbled backwards, staring at the Crafter with wide eyes. After a few moments of standing stock still, he swayed slightly before, ever so slowly, falling backwards, his body landing on the road with a heavy thud.

Steve stared at his fallen opponent for a short while, taking deep, ragged breaths. After about a minute had passed, he sighed heavily and let the sword in his grip drop, the weapon clanging loudly against the floor before he too fell, falling to his knees.

“He’s gone.” The voice from his side caused him to glance over at Abyss, who stared at the body of Herobrine with joy in her eyes. “You killed him. It’s, finally over.” She let out a sigh of relief.

Steve smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a evil, albeit pained laugh. Snapping his head towards the source, his stomach dropped when he saw that Herobrine’s body was moving slightly. Quickly grabbing the diamond sword by his side, Steve slowly walked over. When he was standing over him, he saw that a small grin had made its way onto the deity’s face. Steve narrowed his gaze.

“What are you laughing at?” He demanded.

“Just what Abyss said, that it was, over. It shows how, little the both of you, know about this world.” His smirk grew. “There are far more, villains in this world, than you know. Discord, Sombra, Entity 303, and many more. There is no way you can defeat them all. You will die eventually.” He coughed harshly.

Steve stared down at the god of the night. After a few moments, he sighed. “Yeah, probably. But I won’t stop trying. I will always protect the innocent, until my dying breath. And when my time comes,” Steve raised his sword. “I'll see my friends and family again.” Without another word, the Crafter plunged the sword down, straight through Herobrine’s skull.

Steve watched as the bright, white glow faded from his opponent’s eyes and all movement ceased. Gritting his teeth, he withdrew the blade and tossed it to the side, before stepping away from the corpse. Groaning, he pressed a hand to the injury on his chest, pain flaring up again.

“Ugh, that hurts.”

“Are you okay? I-I mean, relatively speaking.” Abyss asked, tone showing her concern.

“No, if I’m being honest. But I’m still alive, so there’s that, I suppose.” The Crafter shrugged. “I’ll be alright.”

The dragoness smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

Smiling back, Steve’s gaze wandered to Trench's unconscious form laying a few feet behind her. Eyes widening at the injuries he had, Steve opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when something very strange happened.

Trench turned white and faded into nothingness, right before his eyes.

Mouth dropping open in shock, Steve looked around and saw the same thing happening to the rest of his companions. One by one, they turned white and faded from existence. First Trench, then Aura, then Princess Celestia soon after, followed by Dash and Rizworth. Only a minute or two later, they were all gone, leaving only the Minecraftian and dragoness.

“What happened to them?!” Steve asked, extremely worried. Abyss merely smirked at him.

“They’re free now. With Herobrine gone, there isn’t anyone keeping them trapped here. They’ll wake up in the real world, wherever they had been when this all started. Soon enough, both of us will wake up as well.”

Steve closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as he rubbed his face with a hand. “Oh good. I thought something bad had happened.” Upon opening them, he saw his hand had turned white, just like his companions. Looking down, he saw the rest of him had turned white as well.

“Looks like it’s your turn now, Steve.” said Abyss. “Let’s talk again soon, yeah?”

Steve smirked and nodded. “You got it. See ya on the other side.”

Not a moment later, his vision went white and he knew nothing more.

* * * * *

The next moment, when Steve woke up, he immediately knew something was wrong. For one, he wasn’t in the Everfree Forest anymore. He was in some barren, white room that smelled very sterile. For another, he was laying in some weird bed, with handcuffs on his wrists that kept him from moving too much.

Grunting, he squirmed and thrashed, trying to break the restraints, but the blue glow on them told him it was a fruitless endeavor. Sighing, he ceased his moving and laid back in the bed. Taking a look around the room, he saw there was only one door, over on his far left. On his right was a window, though he was too far away to look out it.

Suddenly, the door opened. Snapping his head to the side, he saw a pony, an pink unicorn mare, walk in, sporting one of those traditional nurse’s outfits. Following close behind her were two guards in the traditional gold armor. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of him looking at her and the guards visibly tensed, glaring at him.

For a few moments, no one moved or said anything. Steve's gaze was even as his eyes wandered from nurse to guards and back. Eventually, the silence got to him and he spoke.

"Where am I?" He asked. The nurse was apparently caught off guard by the question, but recovered enough to respond.

"Um, you're in Canterlot, sir. Canterlot Royal Hospital."

Author's Note

And this marks the official end of the "Mind over Matter" arc. Be ready for the next one!
Thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments. :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 42: Aftermath

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve stared at the nurse and guards with an expression of utter confusion. “Canterlot? You mean, capital of Equestria, Canterlot?” The nurse and guards silently nodded. “But that doesn’t make any sense. I should be in the Everfree forest right now.”

One of the guards answered. “You were in the forest. It was the remaining members of the Black Claw, Sir Nog and Thorn, that brought you in. You had,” The guard looked down at a piece of paper in his hoof. “severe bruising, numerous lacerations, multiple cracked ribs and a bit-sized hole in your chest. You actually healed surprisingly fast, all things considered. Usually wounds like that take weeks to heal, not four days.”

The Crafter nodded. “Yeah, thank Notch for enhanced regeneration.” His eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Wait, remaining members? What happened to Aura and Rizworth?”

“Aura Blackhoof and Rizworth Ironfeather were brought in along with you. Rizworth was suffering from a severe concussion, a broken leg and three cracked ribs. Aura had a fractured humerus in her right wing, along with severe bruising.”

“So they’re still alive?” Steve asked. The nurse nodded.

“Yes, though Miss Aura has been put in an induced coma until her wing heals, as wing injuries require more care than normal. Sir Rizworth woke up yesterday, but he has been confined to bed for the next two weeks.”

Steve let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. What about your Princess, Celestia?”

Neither of the guards spoke, and the nurse had suddenly become very interested in the floor, eyes refusing to meet his gaze. The Crafter’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What happened to her?”

“I’m afraid that information is classified, sir. Ordered by Princess Luna for the safety of Equestria.” One of the guards spoke. Steve opened his mouth to argue, but quickly shut it after realizing that he probably wouldn’t get anywhere. These guards were loyal, at least from what he’s seen, so arguing would be pointless. Sighing, he moved to sit up, but was hampered by the handcuffs around his wrists.

“Oi.” He shook his restraints a little while looking at the guards. “Can I get these off?”

The guards both shook their heads simultaneously. “Sorry sir, but as long as you are in Canterlot, you must be restrained at all times. By order of Princess Luna.”

Steve sighed and laid back in the bed. “Figures. Can you at least tell me how the Princess is doing? Celestia, I mean. Luna can suck it.”

The guards seemed hesitant, but one of them eventually responded after a few moments. “I’m told she is recovering well.”

Steve gave a relieved sigh. “That’s good. From what I’ve heard, your species kinda depends on her, to some extent.” He glanced over at the three ponies with a raised eyebrow. “Anyways, I’m assuming you three came in here for more than just small talk.”

The guard on the left shook his head. “No. We were merely supposed to accompany Nurse First Aid in here so she could check up on your progress, but seeing as you are awake, that will be not be necessary. We will take our leave now.” With that, both guards and the nurse swiftly left the room, leaving the Crafter by his lonesome.

Steve waited for a few minutes. Then he waited a little more. Once he was absolutely sure there wasn’t anyone outside the door, he immediately pulled against his restraints, testing their strength. Just as before, he found himself unable to break himself free. Ceasing his efforts, he laid back in his bed. Glancing up, he looked around the room, trying to find a way to break out. Eventually, his gaze landed on the sole window in the room. A lightbulb went off in his head as a grin made its way onto his face.

Looking over at the door for a moment, Steve laid back down, readying himself before throwing himself upwards with all of his strength, causing the bed he was laying on to jump upwards a few inches. Smirking, he repeated the action multiple times until he eventually made his way over to the window.

While his arms were restrained, the ponies had made the mistake of leaving his legs free. Taking advantage of that fact, he brought his legs up and kicked the very bottom of the window with his feet, causing it to shudder. His plan was to knock the entire window frame out instead of simply breaking the glass, since this would make escaping much easier for him. Gritting his teeth, he kicked again and again. Once, twice, three more times.

Eventually, the window couldn’t take it anymore and was knocked free from the frame, falling somewhere outside. Grinning in victory, he used the same jumping method to turn himself so he was side by side with the opening in the wall. Reaching over as far as he could, his hand barely managed to grip the edge. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his grip slightly for a better hold.

“I sure hope this works.” Steve muttered to himself. Throwing himself upwards, he came up a short distance from the ground, but fell back to the floor with a heavy clank. Gritting his teeth, he tried again, only to fall back down again. Growling, he tried once more, throwing himself upwards with every ounce of strength in his body. Clenching the fist that held the window sill, he eventually made it halfway out, his body, still restrained to the bed, rolling over so that his chest was pressed down against on the frame. Scooting over a bit, he poked his head out to look around, only for his grin to fade when he saw he was quite a ways from the ground, probably a good thirty feet.

When he realized what he would have to do, he let out a groan at the pain he would undoubtedly feel. Taking a moment to steel his nerves, he took a deep breath, then rolled out the window.

* * * * *

General Trench was pissed. And for the normally calm stallion, that was saying something. His eyebrows were furrowed as he glared ahead at nothing, armored hooves stomping on the ground out of frustration, making a clunking noise with every step that echoed through the empty courtyard.

“Um, excuse me for asking this sir, but what’s got you so angry?” Well, empty save for one other pony. Glancing behind him, he saw a single pegasus guard following behind him. He quickly recognized the stallion as Lieutenant Rocker.

Sighing, Trench shook his head. “Nothing Lieutenant, just frustrated.”

“About what, if I may ask?” Rocker inquired.

Trench hesitated for a moment, but responded. “Princess Luna refuses to listen to me about Steve. She’s adamant that he is some great threat to Equestria, when in reality, he’s just misunderstood!”

“Well, you gotta admit, he has a significant body count. That coupled with what happened to Princess Celestia, and I can understand why she’s wary.” Rocker reasoned.

“Yeah, but how many deaths has he caused? Zero! He hasn’t killed a single pony, whether it be a guard or civilian. Besides, what happened to the Princess wasn’t his fault, it was…?”

CRASH!!

Both general and lieutenant jumped when they heard the sound of a loud crash. Snapping their head to the side, their gazes were met by the sight of a shattered window lying on the stone floor.

“What the hay?! Where did that window come from?!” Rocker questioned. The lieutenant looked around for some culprit, but the courtyard was empty save for the two stallions.

Trench shook his head. “I don’t know. Wait here.” With that, the stallion slowly approached the scene. However, a few moments later, the general would be glad he hadn’t gotten too close.

“FUUUUUUUUU!!!” CRASH!!

Something big and loud crashed down on top of the window only seconds later, causing both Trench and Rocker to jump back in surprise. There was the horrible sound of metal breaking as whatever it was imploded in on itself, bits of debris flying outwards.

Staring at the wreckage in shock and confusion, the two stallions didn’t have the chance to move before a single, fleshy hand reached out and gripped the floor, followed by another. A few moments later, there was an audible grunt, then someone pulled themselves from the remains of what appeared to be a hospital bed.

Trench’s eyes widened when he recognized who it was. “Steve?”

Turning around, the Crafter's eyes widened as he saw the gold-armored stallion a few feet from him, a smile appearing on his lips. “Trench! Glad to see you're okay, dude!”

“Yeah, good to see you too. But I have to ask, what the buck just happened?” Trench inquired, expression displaying his confusion.

Steve shrugged. “I woke up a little while ago, handcuffed to my bed. I talked to these two guards, and found out that Luna ordered that I have to be restrained as long as I’m in Canterlot. Obviously that didn’t sit too well with me, so I pulled a little jailbreak.” He stretched and Trench winced a bit when he heard a loud popping noise. Steve let put a small groan. “Two things I learned. One, enchanted handcuffs can take quite a beating before they break. And two, falling thirty feet straight down hurts a lot more if you land back first.”

Trench blanched. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Uhhhhh…” The new voice garnered both Steve and Trench’s attention to Rocker, who stared as the Crafter with his jaw agape. Sweat was forming on his brow, and his entire body was visibly tense.

“Hey Trench, who’s this?” Steve asked gesturing to the guard.

“This is Lieutenant Rocker. Rocker, this is Steve.”

The Crafter grinned and put out a hand. “Cool. Nice to meet you Lieutenant.” Rocker didn’t register the action, eyes focused solely on Steve's face. After a few moments, the stallion’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out, landing with a loud Clunk! on the floor. Grin turning sheepish, Steve let out a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well that’s a new one.”

Trench sighed and face-hooved, muttering to himself. “For buck’s sake, you’re a lieutenant Rocker. You’re supposed to be better than this.” Letting out a groan, he grabbed the unconscious stallion before pulling him over and sitting him up against the wall.

“He gonna be alright?” Steve asked from behind him.

Trench nodded. “Yeah, he’ll be fine. Probably just overwhelmed from meeting you face-to-face. You’re kinda notorious among the guards from how many....” Trench hesitated. “Well, from how many of them you put in the hospital.” The stallion glanced over at the Crafter to see the downcast expression on his face.

“Sorry. About them, I mean.” Steve muttered quietly.

Trench shook his head. “It’s not your fault Steve. We attacked you first, and you defended yourself accordingly. Not only that, but you never once actually killed any of my guards, despite having many opportunities to do so. I couldn’t blame you even if I wanted to.”

The Crafter’s dismal expression lifted and he gave a small smile. “Thanks man.”

“No problem. Least I can do, considering what you did for all of us in the Mindscape and all.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of which, how are you doing?” Steve asked, looking Trench over. “From what I remember, you were pretty hurt in the fight against Herobrine, but you seem fine now.”

“Oh. Well, I woke up in Ponyville General Hospital a few days ago. Luckily, my injuries weren’t very serious, mostly superficial, so I was discharged two days ago, under oath to Nurse Redheart to take it easy for a week. I came to Canterlot this morning because I caught wind of the situation with you.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow as he frowned. “What situation?”

Trench hesitated for a moment before responding. “Princess Luna wants to put you on trial.”

Steve’s mouth dropped open as he gained an expression of disbelief. “On trial!? For what!?”

“Hostility against Equestrian kind, multiple assault and battery charges, and conspiring to kill royalty.” Trench answered, his tone and expression grim. Steve stood stock still for a moment, before he groaned and fell back against the wall, rubbing a hand against his face. Dropping his arm to his side, he gave the stallion a serious look.

“Let me ask you this, Trench. If she were to put me on trial, and win, what would happen to me?”

Trench shrugged his shoulders. “If it were any of these charges by themselves, you would get some serious prison time, the amount of time depending on the charge. But with all three put together,” Trench shook his head before looking at Steve with a sorrowful expression.

“You’re looking at a death penalty, Steve.”

Silence overtook the duo.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 43: Cause and Effect

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

‘Well that isn’t ideal.’ The silence was broken, at least for Steve, when a voice spoke from the back of his head, causing the Crafter to jerk slightly from the unexpected sound. Trench gave him a confused look.

“What is it?” He asked, but Steve wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, now focused on the familiar voice.

‘Nightmare Steve? Is that you?’ Steve asked in his mind.

‘Yeah, it’s me. Sorry if I haven’t been very talkative, I’m still getting used to being in a body now, especially yours. Oh, and for future references, try not to get yourself injured please. I feel the pain just as much as you do, and that fall you took earlier hurt.’ The Nightmare spoke, sounding slightly miffed.

Steve winced. ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s fine man. I'm pretty tough. Anyways, what’s your plan for Princess Moonbutt?’

Steve repressed a chuckle. ‘One, awesome nickname. I’m gonna call her that next time I see her. Second, I’m not quite sure on what to do next. I’ll have to get back to you on that.’

Steve could feel the Nightmare shrug. ‘Alright. I’ll be here when you need me, but until then, I’ll try and stay quiet so I won’t distract you.’

‘Got it.’

“Steve?!” Trench asked/shouted, finally managing to drag the Crafter’s attention away from his inner conversation.

“Yeah? What is it?”

Trench gave him a concerned expression. “You seemed really out of it for a minute there. Are you okay?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, just having a conversation with the Nightmare.” It only occurred to the Minecraftian that he hadn’t informed anyone of Nightmare Steve’s existence when Trench's expression morphed into one of horror as he jumped backwards.

“What!?” He yelled, immediately dropping into a defensive stance.

Steve stepped forward, hands out in a placating manner as he tried to explain. “Listen, listen! Nightmares aren’t as bad as you guys thought they were. At least, not all of them. The one inside me right now isn’t evil. In fact, he’s what allowed me to win against Herobrine in the Mindscape! Remember that smokey form I took? That was him.”

“But what about all those side effects? The pain and the nausea?” Trench inquired, eyebrows furrowed.

“That was because I was fighting against him, because I thought he was evil. My body and mind were rejecting his presence, which caused the side effects that you mentioned.” When Trench’s distrusting expression remained, Steve sighed and rubbed a hand against his face. “Look, I know you have bad experiences with Nightmares, with the whole ‘Nightmare Moon’ incident and all, and I understand your uneasiness. That's why I’m not asking you to trust him. I’m only asking that you trust me. Please.”

Trench was silent for a short while, continuing to stare at Steve. Finally, he sighed and responded. “Alright. I trust you Steve, and if you think the Nightmare can be trusted, then I suppose that’s good enough for me.”

Steve smiled. “Thank you.”

Trench gave a small grin in return, before turning to walk down the hall. “No problem. Now c’mon, we should get moving.”

“Where are we going?” Steve asked as he followed behind the stallion.

“I may have a plan on how to get you out of here.”

* * * * *

Steve peeked around the corner, checking to see that the coast was clear. Upon seeing that the hallway was empty, he slowly walked forward, eyes looking all around for any signs of movement. Following just behind the Crafter was Trench. The duo snuck down the hall as quietly as they could, ears listening for sounds of any sort. After a few minutes, they arrived at an intersection, quickly looking both ways for any guards before crossing.

“Remind me again what we’re looking for?” Steve asked, taking a moment to glance back at Trench.

“We’re looking for one of the dumbwaiter access points littered around the castle. Those things are really useful in getting from one floor to another quickly, and since we had them enlarged due to the Minotaur incident two years back, they should be able to fit you.”

Steve gave the General a raised eyebrow. “Minotaur incident?”

Trench sighed as he answered. “The main purpose of the dumbwaiter is to transport food and supplies from one floor to another quickly and easily. Turns out minotaurs really, really, love their food.” The stallion gave a shudder. “I pity the poor souls that had to clean the bathrooms after their visit.”

“What exactly is a minotaur?” Steve questioned.

“Minotaurs are these big, bull-like beings that stand on two legs like you. They are strong and tough but not the most intelligent creature you’ll ever meet, except for a few rare ones. Sir Nog, one of the members of the Black Claw that you met, is a minotaur.”

“Oh. I always wondered what he was, but never found the right time to ask. Anyway, these dumbwaiters are big enough to fit a minotaur?” Steve asked.

Trench shook his head. “Nah, they’re only big enough to transport enough food to satisfy King Minos and his entourage should they be staying here. But that should be big enough to fit you.”

Steve nodded in response and the duo continued walking down the hall. However, only a few minutes later, right before they were about to go around a corner, they were stopped in their tracks by a furious yell.

“WHERE IS HE!!?”

The shout was so sudden and unexpected, Steve stumbled backwards into Trench, nearly sending the both of them to the floor. Managing to recover, Steve pressed himself against the wall before hesitantly peeking his head around the corner.

His gaze was met by the livid form of Princess Luna. She stood tall, wings flared out as she glared down at some poor guard that quivered beneath her. Two of those thestral guards stood by her side, silent. Her horn glowed and the guard was lifted up in her magical grip to look her straight in the eye.

Steve barely managed to put out his arm to stop Trench from rushing forward to the aid of his fellow guard. When Trench looked up at him, the Crafter softly shook his head, before turning back to the scene.

“You were the one assigned to watch the creature, guard, so we will ask again!! Where is he!!?”

The stallion quivered as he answered. “I-I d-don’t know ma’am. I-it escaped, somehow.”

This seemed to only make the alicorn angrier. “How could it have!!? It was restrained to the bed with enchanted hoof cuffs!! We placed the enchantment ourselves, so it didn’t just break out of them!!”

“T-the entire bed was g-gone and the w-window was broken. It must’ve escaped that way while s-still attached t-to the bed.”

Luna stared at the guard for a few moments longer before growling and dropping him to the floor.

“Find it, now. Do not fail me again.” She warned, voice returning to normal. The guard hurriedly nodded and ran off down the hall. For a short while, the Princess and her guards stood in silence before she turned to them.

“Colonel Pinch, Lieutenant Silver.” At their names, both thestrals stood to attention. “We have a job for both of you. Earlier today, General Trench of the Solar Guard came before us and asked that we call off the trial for the creature, who he calls Steve. Find him and bring him to us. We think he may have aided the creature in its escape.”

“Yes Princess.” They replied. There was silence for a few moments. “If I may ask Princess, what if he is responsible for the creatures escape?” One of the thestrals asked, its feminine tone indicating it was a mare.

Luna hesitated for a few seconds before responding. “Then the dungeons will have one more occupant today. Now, we will take our leave. Our sister must be attended to.” With that, her horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of light. Not long after she was gone, both thestrals took to the air and flew off down the hall, leaving the Minecraftian and stallion by themselves.

“What?” Trench growled quietly to himself, drawing Steve’s attention. “She… She… That bitch!!” The Crafter jerked back slightly at the hostility in the stallions voice, eyebrows raising. “First, she refuses to even acknowledge my claims to your innocence, and now she wants to imprison me because of suspicion!? Buck that!!” He spoke loudly, breathing heavily.

“You okay dude?” Steve asked hesitantly.

Trench gave him a deadpan expression. “Steve, there are so many things that are going wrong right now. You’re wanted for crimes you didn’t commit, as am I. Princess Luna, formerly Nightmare bucking Moon, is in charge of the kingdom after being on the moon for a thousand years, and to top it all off, Princess Celestia is in a bucking coma, so no, I’m not okay!”

“Wait what? Celestia’s in a coma?” Steve inquired, voice displaying his concern.

Trench gave a heavy sigh before responding. “Yeah, she is. She got hurt pretty badly in that last fight against Herobrine. She’s okay, physically, but she still hasn’t woken up. On the bright side, the best and the brightest unicorns are on the case, so she should be alright in the long run.”

“Well, I hope she gets better. I didn’t know her very long, but she seems like a good person. Pony. Whatever.”

Trench let out a quiet laugh as his grim expression faded. “I do too Steve. Maybe when she wakes up, she can finally clear your name, once and for all.”

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, that’ll be the day.” Sighing, he peeked around the corner to ensure it was still empty, which it was. Nodding to himself, he glanced back at Trench. “C’mon. Let’s get moving.”

With that, the duo continued on, unaware of the pair of eyes that watched them from above, hidden from sight.

“I can't believe it!" It spoke to itself in a loud whisper. "I gotta go tell the others!”

* * * * *

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The four mares sat in the hospital room. No words were spoken, silence hanging over them like a dark cloud. They could only look on, unable to do anything, as their friend Rainbow Dash lay unconscious in the hospital bed, wires and tubes connecting into her at various locations. Bandages covered her body from head to toe, leaving very little of her cyan blue fur uncovered.

She had been discovered a few days prior, by Applebloom, in a field just outside Sweet Apple Acres, near death with many grievous injuries. The poor filly had cried for hours, nearly unconsolable. Dash’s friends weren’t faring much better.

Pinkie’s hair was straight, having lost its curlyness the moment she’d heard. She hadn’t smiled in just as long, which was unheard of for the party mare. She hadn’t thrown any parties either, barely leaving Sugarcube Corner unless it was to check up on her friend's progress.

Applejack was pushing through, as she had to. She threw herself into her work, keeping herself distracted by taking on more and more of the workload. It helped, but only so much.

Rarity had rarely left her boutique since she’d heard, working herself to the bone. She had finished every single one of her pre-orders, and now spent most of her time making more and more dresses.

Twilight Sparkle coped as she always had. By reading. And when one lives in a library, there isn’t a short supply of books at hooves length. She was constantly reading, or if it wasn’t that, she was reorganizing the book keeping system for the umptieth time. Usually, her assistant Spike would complain about the excess of work he had to do. But he saw the sadness in her eyes. He saw the tears she wiped away when she thought he wasn’t looking. He knew this was just her way of coping with the near loss of her friend. As much as he disliked work, he loved his surrogate sister much more, and so he endured without complaint.

Fluttershy, well, nopony had heard from her since she had received the news of Rainbow Dash’s condition, and she’d decided to hole up inside her cottage. Various attempts to reach the mare had been fruitless.

There was a hush over the town ever since Dash had been found. The guards were out on patrol more, despite the capture of the creature Steve. Some said that he was the one who attacked her. Others said it was something else, something evil. Frankly nopony knew what to think. They only knew one thing.

Things were changing.

Author's Note

This chapter is mostly just some filler to help progress the story, but don't worry! There will be plenty of action in the next chapter!

Anyways, thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 44: Escape from Canterlot (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Steve raised his blade, barely managing to block the sword that swung towards his face. Pushing the blade aside, he whirled around and swung, knocking the guard he was battling sideways. Turning back around, Steve found himself face to face with three guards, who all lunged at him simultaneously.

Square (Hold): Whirlwind

Unfortunately for them, the Crafter had very fast reflexes. Quickly gripping his sword handle with both hands, he spun himself around, sword outstretched. The diamond blade swiftly clobbered the three guards, sending them to the floor. Putting a stop to his spin, Steve glanced to his right to see Trench holding his own, punching a guard across the face, making them stumble back. Another punch knocked them unconscious.

The Crafter grinned, before his instincts flared up, warning him of an incoming attack. Whirling around, he didn't even have time to blink before a gray pegasus guard body-slammed him, sending the both of them rolling.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

Triangle: Kick

Square: Slash

Upon landing on his back, Steve immediately kicked the guard off of him. Rolling backwards onto his feet, he leapt towards the guard, swiping his sword and knocking the pegasus unconscious. Raising his blade, he whirled around, only to see every guard either knocked out or groaning in pain on the ground. Letting out a sigh of relief, he let his blade drop as he relaxed his stance.

“Finally.” He muttered, stretching his back, causing a loud pop sound. Steve gave a small groan. “Yep, definitely gonna feel that one in the morning.”

“You alright?” He heard Trench ask.

The Crafter waved the question off. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ve taken way worse hits. Anyway, we should get going before backup arrives.” Trench gave a silent nod of agreement. With that, the duo started to run off, only to be stopped by a strained voice coming from the group of fallen guards.

“Why?” At the question, both stallion and Crafter stopped in their tracks and turned around to find the source of the voice. They quickly found it.

Among the group of defeated guards, a pegasus was trying to get to his feet. His legs shook and his body quivered from the effort. He looked at them with narrowed eyes, teeth grit in pain.

“Why what?” Trench asked, giving the pegasus a confused expression.

“Why are you doing this General Trench? You m-made a vow to serve the crown, to serve Equestria and its ponies with y-your life, just like the rest of the guard.” Buckling from the pain, the pegasus fell to his knees, panting heavily. Groaning, he gave Trench a hard glare. “We were s-supposed to be comrades. Friends. B-brothers. Why did y-you throw that all away? Why did you betray us?”

Silence reigned in the hall, save for the small, pained breaths drawn by the pegasus. Trench’s gaze softened slightly in understanding. After thinking for a few moments, he responded.

“I did swear to serve the Princesses, and to protect the citizens of Equestria. And I will continue to do so until either my death, or I am relieved of service.” Trench paused as he took a breath. “But I also want to do what’s right. Steve here has been wronged time and again by our kind. He should be honored as a hero, but instead he’s being treated like a criminal. I want to make it right, and if that means breaking a few rules, or even all of them, then so be it. I hope ponies will understand that one day.” Letting out a small sigh, Trench turned to Steve. “C’mon, we should keep moving.” With that, the stallion quickly trotted off, the Crafter jogging close behind.

The duo traveled in silence for a few minutes, before Steve spoke.

“Thank you Trench.”

His companion gave him a curious look as he responded. “What for?”

“For helping me. You’re risking a lot by doing so. Your position, your job, heck, even your life are on the line. But you still helped me when you didn’t have to, when no one else would. So thank you.”

The stallion grinned. “No problem Steve.”

Steve smirked back, only for the smile to fade when he heard the sound of creaking wood coming from just ahead of them. Snapping his gaze forward, his eyes widened when he saw that a door had opened a short distance away. Out of it stepped two figures.

The first was a familiar looking white stallion, sporting a dark blue mane with streaks of cyan blue running through it. Steve’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he recognized the stallion. It was Shining Armor.

The second was a pink mare. Steve thought she was a unicorn at first, due to the large pink horn on her head, but then he saw she had a pair of pink and violet feathered wings on her torso, meaning she was an alicorn. Her mane was a mixture of pink, purple and a cream color. The duo turned and froze when their gaze landed on the forms of Steve and Trench. Steve gave a small smile and waved.

“Hey. How are you two doing?”

Shining immediately jumped in front of his female companion, horn glowing blue. “Halt creature!!”

Steve took a step back as he raised his sword slightly, getting into a light fighting stance. “Hold up Shining! I don’t want to fight you!”

The stallion’s gaze narrowed. “How do you know my name?” He looked over at Trench. “And you, soldier! State your name and rank!”

Trench gave a small sigh as he responded. “I am General Trench Digger, of the 37th Platoon. Hello Captain Armor. Hello Princess Cadenza.”

“What?” Steve asked, confused. “There’s another Princess? How many do you guys freaking have?”

“Silent, creature!” Shining barked. “You will not speak unless spoken to!”

Steve gave a scoff. “Geez. When I met you the first time, you were much less of an asshole.”

“First time?” The pink alicorn, apparently named Cadenza, inquired, stepping past her companion. “When did you first meet?”

Steve pondered for a moment on how to best answer her question before responding. “It’s a bit of a long story. Just know that he and I have met, technically.” He turned to Shining. “Look dude, I know you may hate me right now…”

“Hate is too weak a word, creature.” The stallion spat. “You have hospitalized dozens of my guards, all good mares and stallions.”

“Because you sent them after me.” Steve interjected. “You can’t blame me for defending myself. And let me ask you this. How many have died in the attempts to capture me? None. Sure, I’ve given bruises, I’ve dealt out scars, I’ve broken bones. But you can’t say that I’ve killed a single one of your men, despite having plenty of opportunities and reason to do so.” Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his face with a hand. “I’m not the monster you all seem to think I am. I never wanted to hurt any of you.”

There was silence for a few moments, before it was finally broken by the pink mare, Cadenza.

“I believe you.” Those three simple words caused Steve to jerk back slightly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What?” He asked in disbelief.

“I believe you.” She said again, taking a step forward. “I have always been able to discern truth from lies. It’s necessary as the Princess of Love. I know you’re not lying.” She gave a sort of sad sigh as her horn began to glow. “Even so, you have hurt a lot of guards, some of which I consider close friends. That can't simply be swept under a rug. Regardless of your intentions, I’m afraid you will have to come with us.”

D-Pad Up: Sword

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

Taking a moment to glance around, Steve saw a large window over to his right. Sighing, he sheathed his sword, replacing it with his fishing rod.

“Of course. Well, I’m afraid I can’t let that happen. You see, I’m not really a big fan of being punished for something that isn’t my fault. So,”

X (Hold): Rod Zip

In one swift motion, Steve latched the hook of his rod on the window sill while simultaneously grabbing Trench with his free arm. Pulling hard, the pair sailed towards the window.

“I think we’ll just take our leave!” Only milliseconds later, they burst through the window, sending shattered glass falling onto the floor twenty feet beneath them. Tightening his grip on the fishing rod, he gritted his teeth in determination while Trench gave a cry of panic from the sudden movement. Still latched to the window sill, Steve swung down to the ground, Trench still in tow. Upon landing, he flicked the rod, releasing the hook and quickly reeling it in.

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

Quickly putting his fishing rod away, Steve set Trench down on his slightly shaky hooves.

“Come on! Let’s get moving!” He shouted. Just as he did so, there was a cry from above.

“After them!!” The words were followed shortly by bolts of magic shooting down at them

“That’s our cue!!” Steve yelled, grabbing Trench by his torso and lifting him above his head before sprinting off, zooming down the hall. They came to a corner, forcing Steve to twist sideways, sliding along the smooth floor before taking off again. Unfortunately, the duo quickly saw a platoon of guards on the other end of the hallway, a good distance away. Upon seeing the Crafter and his companion, they immediately began rushing towards them, weapons and horns at the ready.

Steve grit his teeth as his brain rushed to come up with a plan. However, his thoughts were interrupted by Trench.

“Steve, look! There’s a kitchen up ahead. Those always have a dumbwaiter!”

Looking ahead, Steve saw a set of double doors only about 10 feet in front of them. Just above it was a sign that read “Guest Kitchen.” Grinning at their luck, Steve veered over to the side, crashing through the doors with a loud “Bang!” Setting Trench down, the Crafter immediately set to work blockading the door, grabbing whatever he could use to impede access. Just in time too, as only moments later, the guards reached the doors and pushed against them, only stopped by two wooden crates and Steve’s superior strength. Trench aided him by stacking a wide variety of stuff in front of the doors. A table, cupboards, even a large metal rectangle he called a fridge, all were used to block up the doorway. Eventually, the duo lost sight of the doors themselves, there was so much stuff.

Grinning at their work, Steve spoke. “That should hold them. Now where’s that dumbwaiter?”

“Oh!” Trench exclaimed. “I think I saw it when I was grabbing that fridge.” The stallion looked around before he spotted his prize. “There it is!” He cried out, pointing at what appeared to be a wood panel in the wall, with two buttons on one side. Running over to it with Steve following, Trench hurriedly grabbed the latch and pulled, revealing a metal platform.

"That's our way out of here?" Steve asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Seems like it'll be a tight fit."

"We'll make it work. Besides, it's either this, or dealing with the guards."

Steve glanced back at the pile that currently blocked the door, eyes widening slightly when he saw the pile beginning to move, showing the duo didn't have a whole lot of time. He let out a groan as he gave Trench a sideways glance.

"Fine. You first though."

Author's Note

I am so, so, so sorry that this chapter was so late. Work kicked my ass this last week and I was having trouble finding time to write. Again, I'm very sorry, and I should be back to my regular schedule, at some point. :applecry:

A Crafter's Dream: 100k words/1000th Comment Special

A young man sits upon a chair, looking down at the book in his hands. He has short, brown hair and hazel eyes, with light colored skin that’s dotted with freckles. Letting out a small sigh, he turns the page and continues to read, sitting in silence for a short time. Eventually, he looks up and sees you, the reader, standing there. He gives you a small smile as he closes the book and sets it off to the side.

“Hello there. It’s good to see you.” He stands and gives a short bow. “My name is ruthim345, but since that is kind of a long name, you can just call me ruthie for short if you want.” He sits back down. “Now, as I’m sure you are aware, I am the author of a slightly popular story called ‘A Crafter’s Dream.’ And in the five short months since I posted my first chapter, I have gained almost 100 followers, written 100 thousand words, and had 1000 comments posted on my story. And it is all because you, guys and gals, that I continue. I cannot thank you all enough for all of the advice, helpful criticism, and encouragement you have given me that has allowed me to shape the story into what it is today. Safe to say, it would be very different otherwise.”

“To kind of celebrate this milestone in my journey to write this story, I will be answering a few questions that readers have asked me that I haven’t yet answered, as well as talking about a few things. The people who asked me these questions will remain anonymous, for legal reasons.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few note cards, shuffling them a bit and setting them on the couch arm before reading the first one.

‘Are you thinking about having the monsters from Steve’s world come into Equestria?’

“Now, I must say, the idea intrigues me. I can already think of a scenario where the guards are trying (and failing) to fight the mobs, then Steve comes in like a badass, busting every one of their kneecaps. But at the same time, I don’t know how that would work. How would the monsters get to Equestria. Probably a portal of some kind, but why would there be a portal? Where did it come from? Why is it there?” Ruthie lets out a small sigh. “These are the kind of questions I have to ask before I start typing.” Dropping the note card he was holding, he picked up the next one in the small stack.

‘Will Steve ever become friendly with the ponies?’

“Well, friendly isn’t the word I would use. Remember, while he doesn’t blame them for what’s happened so far, that doesn’t mean he trusts them. I think for the time being, he’ll remain indifferent to ponykind, with the exception being his friends, of course.”

“Alright, next one is…” Upon reading the content of the next card, his eyes widened and a deep blush appeared on his cheeks. Immediately, he ripped the card to shreds and tossed the pieces into the air. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and the blush began to fade. “So, I won’t be answering that one. And in case anyone is wondering what it said, let’s just say the question was more, romantic, in nature.” Clearing his throat, Ruthie picked up the next card.

‘Will there be any shipping? Because I’m really liking Stabyss!’

He sighs, a small smile present on his face. “I’m going to assume that ‘Stabyss’ is the ship name for Steve and Abyss. Pretty creative, if I do say so myself. As for your question, I’m not sure. I want Steve to get a little love for all that he’s gone through, but at the same time, I have no idea on how to write romance. I don’t know. We’ll just have to see.”

‘How did Herobrine know about Discord and Sombra?’

“That is a question I can’t answer quite yet. Spoilers and all.”

‘What kind of curse was Abyss under that Steve had to break her free from?’

“Only Herobine himself knows that.”

‘Why is Luna trying to put Steve on trial?! He saved her sister!’

“Yes he did. I know that, and you know that. But Luna doesn’t. The only thing that Luna really knows about Steve is that he is a dangerous and mysterious being. She doesn’t know that he saved everyone’s lives in the mindscape. She doesn’t know that the attack on the Ponyville barracks was justified, yet. All she knows is that her sister is in a coma from severe injuries, and that Steve was involved. I can’t really blame her for her actions.”

‘Will Steve ever team up with the mane six to take down some villain?’

Ruthie shrugs. “I’m planning on it. There are plenty of baddies in the show, as well as a few more that I’ll add myself, that Steve and co. will take down. Though it will probably be more of a enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend, type of deal.”

‘Where do you plan on taking the story? I mean, does Steve get a happy ending? I’m really hoping he does.’

Ruthie stares down at the piece of paper for a few moments before sighing and leaning back in his chair. “I want Steve to get a happy ending. I really do. After all of the shit that he’s gone through, the battles he has fought, the friends he’s lost, he more than deserves it. But, it may not work out that way. As I said before, there are a lot of villains in the show. I’m not sure if he will be able to defeat them all. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose.” He clears his throat. “Anyway, that was the last question, so now, talking time.” He takes a deep breath.

“Alright, in case you all haven’t noticed, I haven’t been posting nearly as much as I usually do. That is because of a few different reasons. For one, I have a full time job now instead of a part time one. For another, my niece was born last week, so that has been taking up a lot of time as well. Too much, in fact. Which is the reason I considered going on hiatus for a little while. However, after some thinking, I decided against it. Regardless, I apologize for how late my posting has been, and I’m trying to work it all out. Expect the new chapter sometime tomorrow or the day after.”

Beep. Beep.

He looks down at the watch in his right wrist for a moment. “Oh crap. Times up.” Looking up, he gives you a small smile. “Sorry, but it looks like I gotta get going. The boss will be a bit miffed if I’m late for work again. See ya later!” He calls as he runs off. Your eyes track him as he runs through a door at the far side of the room, shutting it behind him. There’s a few moments of silence, then the door opens again, with Ruthie sticking his head inside.

“And thank you for reading!!”

With that, the door shuts once more.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 45: Escape from Canterlot (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Halt! In the name of Equestria!!”

“Y’know, I feel like I’ve asked this before, but I’ll ask again! Why in the Nether would anyone actually listen to that?!” Steve yelled back at the guards that currently pursued him and Trench throughout the halls of Canterlot Castle. He gave a small yelp as a bolt of magic flew by him, exploding against the stone wall to their left. Gritting his teeth, Steve turned to the stallion running by his side. “How much further?!”

“The front gates are just down the hall!” Trench responded, ducking as a bolt a dark red magic flew over his head. Steve nodded and continued to run, only for his instincts to flare up, warning him of an incoming projectile. Glancing back, his eyes widened at the sight of a pale blue beam of magic shooting towards him.

Circle + Square: Counter

Gripping the handle of his blade, Steve threw his arm backwards, swinging his sword just in time to deflect the attack away from him. While the force from the beam caused him to stumble slightly, he recovered enough to continue running. He chose to ignore the loud explosion that came from behind him, not wanting to know just what would’ve happened to him if he’d been hit by the beam.

Looking ahead, his eyes lit up when he saw a pair of massive doors in front of him, guarded by two guards, one earth pony and a pegasus. Their weapons were drawn, but Steve could see the fear in their narrowed eyes. He sighed, teeth grit.

“Oi! Unless you want your shit slapped harder than an angry Iron Golem with Strength II, I suggest you get out of the way!!” Steve yelled, pushing himself to run even faster. The two guards looked at each other for a moment, then reaffirmed their stances, leveling their spears at Steve and Trench.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Letting out a small groan, the Minecraftian rolled his eyes before sheathing his sword. Reaching over, he unceremoniously picked up Trench mid-run, eliciting a surprised yelp from him as the Crafter tucked the gray stallion underneath his arm.

“What the hay are you doing?!” Trench yelled, eyebrows furrowed.

“You’ll see in a sec!” Steve responded, giving a small grin as the duo got closer to the front gates of the castle. “Just hang on!” Getting closer by the second, the Crafter waited for the opportune moment to act. It wasn’t until he mere feet from the guards, so close he could see his own reflection bouncing off the front of their helmets, that he moved.

X: Jump

Leaping up, he rotated his body so his feet touched the wall. Taking advantage of his momentum, he ran along the smooth stone wall, easily passing by the guards, who could only stare at the grinning Crafter with expressions of shock.

X: Jump

Triangle: Kick

Leaping off the wall, he brought back his feet before kicking them outward towards the big doors, slamming open the castle gates with a loud, “BOOM!!” Landing in a crouch, Steve took off down the stone steps, accidentally pushing over some poor stallion that happened to be just outside the gates. Upon reaching the end of the stairs, he took a moment to put Trench down, as well as look around. What he saw caused his eyes to widen, and his body to stiffen.

He was utterly surrounded by ponies. Dozens, perhaps a hundred of them stared at him and Trench with fear, confusion and distress in their large eyes. Steve instinctively took a step back, unsure of what would happen, or how to proceed.

“Uhhh…” He muttered.

“There it is!!” Steve jerked slightly when he heard the angry shout from behind him. Glancing back, he saw about a dozen guards storming down the stairs, eyes narrowed at him and Trench.

“And that’s our cue!!” Steve yelled, running into the crowd of ponies, making them scramble to get out of his way. “C’mon Trench!!”

The stallion wasted no time in following, running beside the Minecraftian as they slowly began to leave the guards in the dust.

* * * * *

Steve poked his head out of the alley, quickly glancing back and forth to make sure it was safe. Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned to Trench.

“Alright, looks like we lost them.” He asked.

“Yeah, but probably not for long.” The stallion muttered quietly. Steve gave him a confused look.

“What do you mean?” He asked, a small hint of worry beginning to blossom in his chest. Trench looked up at him with a grim expression.

“Steve, this isn’t Ponyville. This is Canterlot, the Royal guard’s home turf. These aren’t the simple guardspony troops you’re used to facing. Here, we have to worry about the Elite guard.”

Steve gave him an extremely confused look. “The what now?”

Trench gave a shuddering sigh before he spoke. “The Elite guard is a step above the Royal guard. They are tougher, stronger, faster, and frankly speaking, more badass than normal guards. Their ranks are reserved for the best of the best.”

“Okay. Not that I’m complaining, but if they’re so much better, then why weren’t any of those guys sent after me?”

The stallion shrugged his shoulders. “I, I don’t know. I’m only a General in the Royal guard, so there wouldn’t be any reason for me to know about that stuff. Safe to say, you don’t want to mess with them.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” Spoke a feminine-sounding voice from behind them. Both Steve and Trench whirled around, easily spotting the source of the voice.

It was a unicorn mare, with dark red fur and a gray-ish mane. Her armor was similar in form to that of a royal guards, but was dark gray, almost black in color. She had a pair of piercing golden eyes and a smirk on her face that spoke of confidence. She slowly approached the pair in an almost lazy fashion, despite being armed with nothing.

“You really don’t want to mess with the Elite guards.” She continued her statement, stopping a short distance from the duo.

‘Where did she come from?’ Nightmare Steve asked, voice echoing from the back of Steve’s head. “I didn’t even sense her!’

“Who the fuck are you?” Steve asked bluntly. Trench gave him a horrified look, while the mare simply chuckled.

“The reports were correct, it seems. You do have quite a mouth on you. I can respect that.”

“Really?” Steve inquired, sarcasm lacing his voice. “Forgive me if I don’t exactly feel honored by that fact.” Sighing, he face-palmed before giving the mare a small glare. “I’m going to assume that you’re one of those Elite guard fucks that Trench told me about.”

Her smirk fell and her eyes narrowed. “Insult my fellow guards again, and you will pay the price, Steve.”

Steve drew in a breath as he winced. “Wow. That was so edgy, you could cut an apple into slices. Are all of you Elite guards like that, or is it just you?”

She smirked. “Why don’t you ask them?” Not a moment after she’d said that, his ears picked up the sound of movement coming from above him.

‘Steve! Dodge backwards!’ Nightmare Steve cried out from the back of the Crafter’s head.

Circle: Dodge

Not wasting a second, the Crafter heeded the Nightmare's advice, grabbing Trench and throwing themselves backwards. Just in time as well, since half a second later, something crashed into the ground where they had previously been standing only moments before. Landing on his back, Steve attempted to get to his feet, only for something to blast him back, sending him flying head over heels, colliding with the ground and rolling for a few feet before stopping on his stomach.

Damage Received - 6 damage. 14 health remaining.

Groaning, he got to his hands and knees before looking up. Much to his horror, his gaze was met by the sight of Trench, bound by what looked like glowing shackles, being pushed to the floor. Now, four Elite guards stood in the alley. One earth mare, two unicorns, the mare from before and a stallion, and a pegasus mare. They all wore the same dark-gray armor, though only two of them were actually armed, this being the pegasus, armed with an axe, and the earth pony with a lance. Three of them stared at Steve with victorious expressions. The fourth, the unicorn stallion, however, glared at the Crafter with something akin to rage in his eyes. His horn glowed as he slowly stomped towards Steve.

“Oi, Dusty! Remember, the Princess wants him alive.” The mare from before spoke.

The newly named ‘Dusty’ continued to glare at Steve as he responded. “Don’t worry Ellie. I’m just gonna rough him up a bit.” The glow on his horn intensified, and Steve suddenly found himself unable to move, now under the effects of the unicorn’s magical grip. He was brought upwards a few feet before being slammed into the ground with brutal force.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 10 health remaining.

Grunting from the impact, Steve didn’t even have time to get up before he was dragged upwards and a metal-coated hoof punched him across the face, snapping his face to the side.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 8 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve looked forward again, staring straight into the furious eyes of Dusty. The stallion’s teeth were grit, and his eyebrows were furrowed.

“Do you know who I am?” Dusty asked, though his tone gave the impression that the question was rhetorical. Steve decided to answer anyways.

“Not a clue.” The Crafter answered honestly. “Should I?” In response, Dusty lifted a photo with his magic, so that it was at eye level with Steve. On it was two ponies. The first was Dusty, though he looked much happier in the picture than now. The other was an earth pony, with light blue hair and white fur. However, what immediately drew Steve’s gaze was the stallion’s eyes. They were milky white, lacking pupils and iris’. There was only a single pony that Steve had ever seen that was blind, and the last time they had met, Steve had put him in the hospital.

“This is my brother, Sure Shot. Do you recognize him?” Dusty asked sternly.

“Unfortunately, yes.” At this, the unicorn’s horn glowed brighter, and Steve could feel the magical aura around him tighten.

“And do you remember what you did to him?”

Steve glared at Dusty, but answered. “I put that fucker in the hospital.” The stallion didn’t take too kindly to that, roaring in anger as he threw Steve into the nearby wall, making a noticeable impression in it.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 4 health remaining.

Steve slid down the wall, before falling forward onto his hands and knees. Coughing, he spit out a bit of blood. Wiping his mouth, he glared up at Dusty.

“Your poor excuse for a brother deserved it!”

Circle: Dodge

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve was ready for the inevitable blast of magic. Rolling to the side, he narrowly avoided the attack before shooting to his feet, sword already in hand.

Square: Slash

Circle: Block

Triangle: Kick

Rushing forward, he swiped his blade, only for Dusty to duck under the attack. The stallion shot a bolt of magic at him, only for the Crafter to block it with the flat end of his sword while simultaneously kicking the pony across the face, sending him rolling.

“Steve, watch out!” Trench called out from the side, just as Steve’s instincts warned him of an incoming attack. Turning, he saw the pegasus leaping at him, axe lifted overhead for a critical attack.

Circle + Square: Counter

Quickly putting up his sword, Steve feinted a block, making the attack miss by inches. Swiftly releasing his hold on his sword, he grabbed the back of the pegasi’s head and slammed it into the ground twice before grabbing his opponent by the neck and yeeting them across the alley. Quickly grabbing his sword, he whirled around, only for his eyes widened at the sight of a lance flying straight at his chest.

Circle: Dodge

Side-stepping the attack, Steve rushed forward to meet the earth pony that was now charging him, sword raised high.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, causing Steve to cover his eyes and stumble back slightly. Blinking his eyes a few times to clear his vision, he looked to see what had caused the flash. What met his gaze made his eyes widen and his mouth drop open slightly.

“Celestia??!” He asked incredulously.

The stark-white alicorn gave the Crafter a small smile.

“Hello Steve.”

Author's Note

I know, I know. I posted this chapter not one, but two days later than when I said I was going to. Sorry about that, but finding the time to write has been difficult. I'll try and sort out everything when I can.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 46: When Two Suns Meet

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The Mindscape, roughly three days ago (Celestia’s POV)

Steve, last of the Minecraftians, stood with his sword drawn. By his side was General Trench, Abyss the dragoness, Princess Celestia, Aura Blackhoof, Rizworth Ironfeather and Rainbow Dash. In front of them was their opponent, Herobrine, god of the night. The deity chuckled.

“You had an army when you last defeated me, Steve. What do you hope to accomplish with only seven?”

Steve glared at the god as he responded. “Seven people can do miraculous things Herobrine. Seven people can save a town from invasion. Seven people can stop the world from ending. Seven people,” Steve raised his blade as he glared at his opponent. “Can kill you, once and for all.

“Perhaps.” Herobrine spoke, his voice sending chills down everyone’s spine. “But how will your friends have time for me, when they’re so busy fighting you?”

Celestia couldn’t even track the deity’s movement as he rushed at Steve, plunging his now smoke-covered fist into the Crafter’s chest. Steve stumbled back from the attack, seemingly unhurt.

“What did you…?” The Crafter began to ask, only to cry out in pain and fall to one knee.

“Steve!” Abyss yelled as she rushed to his side. Looking him over for a moment, she glared angrily at Herobrine. “What did you do to him?!!”

The god of the night smirked. “I awakened the Nightmare.” Only a few moments later, Steve fell onto his back, twitching for a few seconds, then going still.

Gritting her teeth, Celestia turned her gaze from the fallen Crafter, back to Herobrine. Horn glowing, she shot an ice spell at her opponent, hoping to keep him from moving. The deity easily dodged the attack, leaping towards the alicorn, fist pulled back. Quickly summoning a shield, Celestia blocked the attack, then pushed backwards, sending Herobrine staggering backwards.

Taking advantage of the opening, Rainbow Dash sped forward to attack, only for Herobrine to catch her in mid-air and throw her aside. Trench, rushing forward and spinning, managed to kick the deity in the side with his back-hooves. Unfortunately, the attack barely fazed the god of the night. Glaring down at the gray stallion, he grabbed Trench by the leg before swinging him around and throwing him into a nearby building.

Seeing her chance, Celestia managed to grab Herobrine in her magical grip. Lifting him up, she slammed him into the ground multiple times, creating a deeper and deeper impression in the road with each collision. After the seventh time, she threw him up in the air and swiftly shot him with powerful bolt of magic, causing a giant explosion. The detonation made Herobrine shoot downwards, slamming into the ground with impressive force.

Abyss left the unconscious Crafter’s side as she rushed forward towards Herobrine, claws outstretched. Bringing back her arm, she swung at Herobrine’s head with all her might. Unfortunately, the deity managed to grab her wrist. Gritting her teeth, she swung her other arm, only for this one to be caught as well. Grinning, Herobrine rolled backwards, causing Abyss to slam face-first into the cobblestone road. Using the dragoness as a launch-pad, he leaped off her towards Celestia, fist pulled back.

Horn glowing, she shot a beam of magic at the deity, only for him to twist in mid-air, dodging it. Punching forward, his fist connected with the alicorns cheek, knocking her head to the side. Following up with a heavy kick, sending her rolling. Upon coming to a stop, she gave out a small groan as she charged up her spell.

Suddenly, a cold, fleshy hand gripped her horn, cutting off her magic. She gaze was yanked upwards to look into white, glowing eyes. Herobrine grinned.

“That’s enough out of you.” Bringing back his arm, he punched her horn. The hit connected with all the kindness of a TNT blast at point-blank range. Pain erupted from her forehead, like a hot spike had pierced her skull all the way through. Before she could even hope to recover, another punch connected with her horn. This time, the pain was too much for her, and everything went black.

* * * * *

Princess Celestia woke up on a beach. She wasn’t entirely sure when she had arrived, either. One moment she was unconscious, the next she was standing on an empty beach, the only noise being the soft splashing of waves against the sandy shore. She blinked in confusion, having no memory of how she had arrived in wherever she now found herself.

“Ah. You’ve finally awoken.” Suddenly, a very masculine voice spoke from her left. Snapping her head to the side, Celestia’s eyes widened when she saw what had spoken.

He was bipedal, clothed with gray pants, a dull brown shirt, and black boots, which reminded the alicorn of a certain Crafter. Unlike Steve, however, this being had no hair on his head. He stood with his arms crossed behind his back, gazing over the water and towards the horizon.

“It’s good to see you are alright.” The being continued to speak, interrupting her inner dialogue. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she gave him a puzzled glance.

“I apologize, but I don’t think we have met before.”

The being sighed. “No, we haven’t. The reason most likely being that I am not of your world.”

Celestia’s mind suddenly went blank at the implications the being’s words had brought. “...What?”

The being turned to look at her, deep gray eyes peering into her own. “I am not of your world, your Majesty. I am from a different dimension, an alternate universe. One that is very different from your own.”

Celestia remained silent for a few moments, before she hesitantly walked forward, stopping just beside the being.

“From another world, you say? If I may ask, what is it you want? Why am I here?” Looking around, her gaze wandered over the sandy dunes and clear water. “Where are we, for that matter?”

“You were in a comatose state due to the injuries you received from the battle. Once you were well enough, I brought you here to talk with you.” The being sighed as he took a small look around. “As for this place, we’re in the Void plane.”

Celestia gave the being a questioning look. “Void plane? I’m afraid I don’t know what that is.”

“The Void plane is the thing that connects, well, everything. Every world, every dimension, every person, every creature, we are all connected by it, though few actually know of its existence. It’s how Steve was transported from his world to yours.” The mention of the Crafter’s name made Celestia’s ears perk up.

“You know Steve?”

The being gave a small chuckle. “I would hope so. I am the one that created his species, after all.”

The alicorn’s mouth was open, as if to say something, but no words escaped her lips. After a few moments, she cleared her throat, then spoke.

“So, you are the maker of his species?”

The being nodded. “Yes. My name is Notch. Steve’s kind used to think of me as a god of sorts. I suppose when one thinks about it, they were right.” Letting out a sigh, he shook his head before looking at Celestia with a serious expression on his face. “But that is beside the point. I brought you here because I wanted to talk with you.”

“Alright. What do you wish to talk about?”

Sighing, the being stepped closer to the alicorn until he was right in front of her. Then, much to her surprise, he bowed his head and knelt in front of her. Celestia’s eyes widened and she backed up slightly from the unexpected action.

“What are you…?”

“I’m so terribly, terribly sorry, your Majesty.”

She gave him a confused expression. “What? What for?”

Notch stood up and looked at her with a sorrowful expression. “For all the things Herobrine has done since he arrived in your world.” When Celestia’s confused look didn’t fade, he decided to explain a little. “Let me explain. Since he has arrived here, Herobrine has, directly or otherwise, caused a great number of injuries. He influenced Miss Dash’s increased aggression when Steve first entered town, as well as a few times afterwards. He took control of General Trench in order to torture Miss Derpy, then wiped his memories afterwards, most likely to hide evidence of his existence. While I’m not completely sure, I have strong suspicions that he is behind a lot of strange occurrences revolving around Steve. More often than not, those occurrences has led to your citizens being hurt. For that, I must apologize.”

The alicorn shook her head with a sad expression, looking down. “Please, don’t apologize. Yes, Herobrine may be the reason behind it all, but that doesn’t heal the injuries Steve has received from my guards. It doesn’t make the scars he has fade away. It doesn’t erase the guilt of being the one responsible for his pain. It just doesn’t.” Taking a deep breath, she looked at Notch with damp eyes. “I’m so used to knowing what the right thing is. So to find out just how wrong I was, and how Steve suffered for it…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I should be the one apologizing. Especially to Steve.”

Notch gave the Princess a small smile as he chuckled. “You don’t need to say sorry to me. However, I agree that Steve definitely deserves more than a few apologies.”

Celestia nodded. “Definitely. But,” The alicorn looked Notch straight in the eye. “I can’t do that here. If there is nothing else to discuss, I would like to return, please.”

He smiled. “No problem.” Reaching out his hand, Notch gently tapped the alicorn on her forehead. A few moments later, Celestia’s vision began to fade as everything went white, and she knew no more.

* * * * *

Present Time (Steve’s POV)

To say Steve was shocked was a huge understatement. One second, he was ready to kick the shit out of some Elite guard fucks that had hurt both himself and Trench, the next, the literal Princess of the Sun, who was supposed to be in a coma, appeared in the alley like it was no big deal. Yeah, he was a little startled. So he responded as such.

“How the fuck are you here?!” He asked incredulously. “I thought you were in a coma or something!”

The alicorn gave a small smile as she nodded. “Up until roughly an hour ago, I was. The doctors were absolutely ecstatic when they found out I had awoken and insisted I stay in bed while they took some tests. However, when two of my guards informed me of the situation with you, I decided I needed to help you.”

“Your Highness?” A voice spoke from further back in the alley. Celestia turned around and saw the squad of Elite guards standing there, confused and dumbfounded expressions on their faces. The mare, Ellie or something, stepped forward. “Forgive my vulgarity, but what the buck is going on?”

“Ah, Sergeant Emerald Lilly. I apologize for your confusion. Rest assured, explanations will be given at a later date. I assume you are under orders from my sister, Princess Luna?” They all nodded. “Good. As of now, any orders to capture and/or detain Steve have been revoked. Please return to the barracks. Oh, and please release General Trench from his bindings. Thank you.”

“But, but your Majesty, you can’t be serious!” The sergeant protested. “Surely you haven’t forgotten the crimes that thing,” She pointed a hoof at Steve. “has commited!? You can’t just…!” Any further objections from the red mare were silenced by the harsh glare Princess Celestia sent her way.

“Yes, I am aware of the things he has done. But, due to recent events, I am now also aware that he merely acted in defense of himself and of those he cared about. We don’t punish self-defense. Now return to the barracks, Sergeant.”

While she looked like she wanted to continue to argue, Emerald knew it would be a fruitless endeavor. Letting out a sigh, she gave a small nod to one of her fellow guards, the pegasus. Nodding back, he walked over to Trench and removed his chains.

Sighing, the General rubbed his forehooves and neck. “Ugh, those things suck.”

“Thank you.” Celestia spoke, before her horn began to glow. “Now, if you will excuse us, I must speak with General Trench and Steve.” The next moment, there was a flash of light in the alley. When the light faded, Steve, Trench and Celestia were gone.

Author's Note

Hey, sorry for the late chapter, but mine and my mom's birthday's were last week, so that took a good chunk of time out of my schedule.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 47: Going Home

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve groaned and rubbed his face with one hand, trying to clear his vision. Blinking a few times, he looked around. Much to his surprise, he found himself in a rather unfamiliar room. Just over to his right was a large, fancy fireplace, a few small flames flickering on a charred piece of wood. On his left was a big wooden desk, behind which stood shelves that were packed to the brim with books. Scattered around the room was an assortment of various potted plants.

“Where the fu…?” Steve began to ask, only to be interrupted as a small groan of pain come from behind him. Turning around, he saw Celestia with a hoof pressed against her head, expression twisted in a grimace and eyes squinted shut. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, simultaneously rubbing her head for a few moments before dropping her hoof. Upon making eye-contact with Steve, she winced slightly when she saw the concerned expression on his face.

“You alright?” The Crafter asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

The alicorn nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. My horn was damaged in the battle against Herobrine, and while it’s mostly healed now, teleporting like I did really didn’t do me any favors. Don’t worry though, I’ll be alright.”

Steve gave a small sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking off to the side. “Sorry that you had to do that.” A small feeling of guilt began to well up in his gut, remembering the state the Princess had been in after Herobrine had been defeated.

“No, I’m sorry.” Celestia spoke. Steve gave her a confused look.

“What do you mean?”

The alicorn sighed as she pressed a hoof to her forehead, this time in exasperation. “Steve, I know from experience that you are no fool. You know exactly what I am talking about.”

Steve looked at her, eyes squinted in confusion. “Wait, are you talking about those Elite guards? That wasn’t your fault. That was your sister being a dumba-, I mean, being stupid!” Steve hesitated for a moment. “Actually, you know what, no, she was being a dumbass!”

Celestia shook her head. “I’m not talking about the Elite guards, or my sister, though they are a part of it. I’m talking about everything that has happened to you since you arrived here in Equestria! You’ve been attacked by my guards multiple times, the Black Claw was sent after you! For buck’s sake, even my own sister has attacked you once or twice!”

“It was only once, really.” Steve spoke, shrugging.

The alicorn stared at Steve with an astounded look, remaining silent for a few moments before speaking. “How can you be so, so…”

“Passive? Uncaring?” Trench chimed in.

“...calm, about all of this?” She asked. “Through no fault of your own, you were essentially shunned from Ponyville and pronounced a threat to ponykind as a whole. In fact…” Her horn lit up, causing a manilla folder on the desk to glow and float over her. Opening it, she looked over it’s contents for a for a moment before continuing. “Your file currently has you classified as a Tier 5 threat, which puts you on the same level as Nightmare Moon. All because I let myself be manipulated by Herobrine to…”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Steve interrupted, waving his hands in a dismissive manner. “Look Princess, you can’t blame this all on yourself. Herobrine is, was, a tricky bastard, so I can’t blame you for being fooled. Like with Trench.” Steve gestured to the gray stallion, who nodded in agreement. “I can’t blame him for what happened, because he was being controlled by Herobrine at the time.”

She shook her head. “Steve, I wasn’t being controlled by Herobrine. Trench had his body taken over, hijacked if you will, while I was fully aware of my actions, misguided as they were. Actions that hurt you, that put you in danger. I am supposed to be a wise and just ruler, yet you have only received contempt, hate and prejudice from me and my subjects. There is no way I can ever possibly apologize enough for all that you’ve gone through.” She lowered her head, eyes closed.

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but for the first time in a while, he didn’t know the words to say. Remaining silent for a few moments, he gulped before walking forward, stopping just in front of the alicorn. Reaching out his hand, he gently lifted Celestia’s chin until she was looking him straight in the face. He smiled as he let his arm drop.

“Chin up Princess. Yeah, you made a mistake, and yeah, it ended up hurting more than a few people. But blaming yourself for it won’t help. The only thing you can do is make it up to those who were hurt, learn from your mistakes, and move on.”

The Princess didn’t respond for a few moments, continuing to look at Steve with an expression on her face that Steve didn’t quite recognize. Finally, she sighed.

“I suppose you’re right Steve. There is little to be gained from dwelling on the past.” Her expression suddenly turned conflicted. “But, how can I possibly make it up to you for what you went through?”

Steve gave her a small smirk. “Well, I hope this isn’t too much to ask, but I would really like to go home. All I want to do right now is cook up some food, absolutely gorge myself, then pass out on my bed. I don’t know about you two, but it’s been a long couple of days.” This managed to rouse a laugh from the alicorn, as well as Trench.

“Yes.” Celestia chuckled as her horn began to glow. “I suppose it has been. Not to worry, I will have you back in Ponyville in just a moment…”

She was interrupted when Steve reached out and gently tapped her horn, causing her to give him a confused look.

He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not gonna happen. You said it yourself that your horn is still only mostly healed. Let’s not hurt it any more.”

“Yeah, I got to agree with Steve on this one, your Highness.” Trench spoke up. “How about we just get a chariot or something?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, I suppose you both have a point.” Turning, she began to walk to the door of the room. “Come, let’s get going.”

“You got it.” Steve responded with a smirk as he and Trench followed close behind, the Crafter gently closing the door behind him.

* * * * *

Just over half an hour later, the trio found themselves in a pegasi-powered golden chariot, the city of Canterlot already fading into the distance as they headed to their destination: Ponyville.

Steve sat near the front of the chariot, looking out over the pristine white clouds as they passed by. Stretching, he let out a sigh of relief as he felt his back pop.

“Ah, that felt good.” He murmured quietly to himself. Glancing up, he looked at Celestia. “Hey Princess, how long until we get to Ponyville?”

“Roughly two hours, depending.” The alicorn responded.

“Ah.” Silence reigned among the three of them, (the two pegasi guards pulling the cart didn’t count, for obvious reasons), for a short time before the quiet was inevitably broken by Princess Celestia.

“Steve, if I may, could I ask you something?” She asked, her tone revealing a small amount of nervousness.

The Crafter grinned at her. “You just did, though.” He gave a small chuckle at his joke, as well as the light-hearted glare Celestia gave him. “But seriously, what did you want to ask me?”

“Well, I know this question may seem out of the blue, but what, exactly, is your sword made out of?”

Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “My sword?”

She nodded. “Yes. From what I’ve seen, it appears to be made of some strong, blue material that is slightly translucent. I’ve thought about it, but I can’t think of a metal that fits that description.”

“That’s because it’s not metal. It’s made of diamond, and enhanced with the best enchantments I could get ahold of.” Steve casually explained.

“Diamond?” Trench asked, face displaying his confusion. “You made a sword, out of diamond?” Steve simply nodded in response. “How, exactly? That stuff is supposed to be nearly unbreakable.”

The Crafter shrugged. “I don’t know, just one of my powers, I guess. I never really had the notion to try and figure out how it works. Don’t fix something if it ain’t broken, right?”

“I suppose.” Celestia quietly agreed. Trench nodded, before looking at Steve with a puzzled expression.

“Wait, you said ‘one of’ your powers. What other powers do you have, exactly?”

Steve put hand to his chin as he thought. “Uh, enhanced strength, enhanced speed, enhanced regeneration, enhanced reflexes, as well as the ability to craft items, brew potions, enchant stuff, repair stuff, cook and smelt, etc. But what’s definitely one of the coolest powers I have is my Inventory.”

“Your what?” Trench inquired.

“My Inventory is like a little pocket dimension I have where I store stuff. Uh, think of it like a big, magical, invisible bag I carry with me at all times, only it doesn’t weigh me down at all, no matter what I’m carrying with me.”

“So, like a bag of holding?” Trench asked.

“What’s that?”

“A bag of holding is just a normal saddlebag that has been enchanted to carry things much beyond its physical parameters.” Celestia answered.

Steve nodded. “Okay. Then yeah, kinda like that, I guess.”

“That is, both very interesting and very strange.” The alicorn commented. “Did you alone have these powers?”

“Nah, every Crafter has, had,” Steve quickly corrected himself, wincing. “the same powers as me.” He looked down at his hand with an absent look in his eyes.

Both Celestia and Trench flinched slightly when what he’d said registered fully in their minds. Celestia felt a pang of guilt blossom in her stomach for accidentally bringing up what was clearly a sore subject for the Crafter.

“I’m sorry Steve, I didn’t mean to…”

Steve waved off her worries as he looked up at her with a small smile. “Ah, don’t worry about it. I know you were just curious. And besides, it happened a long time ago. Sure, I haven’t quite gotten over it, not sure if you can get over losing your entire race, but it hurts a lot less than it used to.”

“Still, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

Steve opened his mouth to tell her that it was okay, that the Princess didn’t have to worry, that he’d gotten used to the gnawing, empty feeling in his gut that hadn’t left him for four years, ever since he’d defeated Herobrine and lost everything as a result. But he didn’t say any of this, for obvious reasons.

“It’s fine, really.” Steve spoke. “It was an accident after all. But, your apology is accepted Celestia, er, Princess.” He looked at her, eyebrows furrowed in thought. “Which do I call you? I just realized I never actually asked.”

She let out a small chuckle. “Please, just call me Celestia.”

“You got it Princess.” Steve said, light-hearted smile on his lips. His words brought a small laugh from Trench and Celestia, which quickly died out into silence. Turning away from them, Steve looked out over the clouds once more, letting his gaze wander and his thoughts drift.

Turns out he was more tired than he had thought, because the next thing the Crafter knew, he was out.

* * * * *

“Steve.”

A hoof poked the Crafter in his side.

“Steve.”

Another poke to his side.

“Steve.”

The Crafter let out a small groan as the hoof gently poked his side again. Though his eyelids felt heavy, he willed them to open. Upon doing so, he saw Celestia and Trench looking down at him.

“What happened? Did I pass out?” He asked as he sat up, still slightly groggy from being woken up.

“Yeah.” Trench answered. “I was going to wake you up, but the Princess decided that you deserved the rest, all things considered. Anyways, we’re just coming up to Ponyville.”

Standing up, the Crafter looked over the side of the chariot. Sure enough, there was Ponyville, the town Steve had come to recognize in the months since he’d come to this world. It was also the same town that had a warrant for his capture, the same town where he’d fought multiple platoons of guards, and the same town where he’d nearly died more than a couple times because of said guards and warrant. Speaking of which…

He turned to look at Celestia. “Hey Celestia, you said you’d set the record straight about me not being evil and all, right?”

She nodded, causing him to let out a relieved sigh.

“That’s great. I’m tired of having to brew Invisibility potions all the time before I walk into town.”

“Princess.” One of the pegasi pulling the cart called out as he looked back at the alicorn. “We’re beginning our descent now.”

“Thank you.” Celestia responded, nodding her thanks to the guard. Only a few moments later, Steve felt the chariot shift ever-so-slightly as they began to descend down towards Ponyville.

Author's Note

Yeah, work was a pain. Also, so is writing dialogue. So, yeah, this chapter wasn't easy, and was re-written at least three times. But, I finally got it done!

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to tell me what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 48: Making Amends (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve was, well, he was nervous. And honestly, it was starting to piss him off.

The entire trip down to Ponyville had been spent reassuring himself that Celestia would work everything out. While he hated having to sit back and let her do it, he also knew that very few of the citizens of Ponyville would actually listen to him, not to mention that the guards would probably try to capture him on sight. His fears were proven correct when the chariot landed in the main square, after which roughly three platoons of guards approached the chariot. Just behind them, a crowd began to form.

Almost on instinct, Steve’s hand slowly reached over his shoulder for his sword, only for Celestia’s hoof to stop it. Looking up, his gaze met the alicorn’s. She shook her head softly.

“Please Steve, let me handle this.” Her voice was quiet but confident as she spoke. Her eyes silently implored that the Crafter trust her. At Steve’s subtle nod, she smiled and stepped forward. Raising her head, she stood tall and regal, in the kind of pose that demanded that attention be given to her. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

“Citizens and guards of Ponyville!!” Her voice rang loud and clear. “I come bearing important news!! Over the past few weeks, you may have heard about the strange creature that has been seen here on multiple occasions!! That creature, who now stands behind me, is called Steve!!” At this, many of the ponies began to mutter among themselves, looking at Steve with curious and fearful gazes. “Many of you may think he is dangerous, but that is not the case!! He is…!”

“Bullshit!!!” A voice shouted from the back, causing everyone to snap their heads in the direction the voice had come from. Pushing past the rows of guards, a single stallion stepped forward, the sight of which instantly made Steve narrow his gaze and grit his teeth.

The stallion was an earth pony, with white fur and an azure mane. His eyes, milky and unseeing, glared in Steve’s direction. He steadily approached, an obvious limp hampering his progress. When he got within about ten feet of the carriage, he stopped.

“And who are you?” Celestia asked, returning the glare the stallion was giving Steve. Her words made him look over at her, glare persisting.

“My name is Sure Shot!” He answered loudly, allowing those around to hear him clearly. “And I know for a fact that that, thing,” He pointed a hoof at Steve, “is a beast! A monster!” He turned to face the already large crowd of ponies that had accumulated just behind the guards. “I was there that night! The night that thing attacked the barracks! I was there when he ruthlessly took down an entire squad of guards without even breaking a sweat! He broke seven of my bones and put me in the hospital, along with dozens of others! He attacked without warning or provocation and…!”

At that word, Steve’s patience snapped. “Without provocation!?!?” He roared, stomping towards the blind stallion. “You knew she was going to be raped and didn’t do a damn thing about it!! Not one fucking thing!! That’s more than enough provocation!!”

Silence reigned. No one spoke, keeping silent as they stared at the furious Crafter, the guards with their weapons and horns at the ready. Steve glared down into Sure Shot’s milky white eyes. He wanted nothing more than to forcefully pluck the stallion’s eyes from their sockets and shove them down his throat. To Sure Shot’s credit, despite the obvious fury in the Crafter’s voice, the stallion hadn’t flinched, though Steve could see his body shaking ever-so-slightly.

“Steve.” Celestia spoke from behind him, voice firm and unyielding. Glancing back, he saw Celestia with an unreadable expression on her face as she approached him.

“What?” He asked, one eyebrow lifting in confusion. She didn’t immediately respond, instead stopping directly in front of him, looking deep into his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Her tone, while calm, demanded answers. It was then that Steve remembered that he had never actually informed Celestia what had occurred all that time ago. He’d only said that Derpy was involved and that he had seriously fucked up some guards.

Letting out a groan, he rubbed a hand against his face. “I, well, you see…” Steve tried to think of a subtle way to tell the Princess what happened, but he couldn’t come up with anything. Eventually, he just sighed. “Can we maybe talk about this later? In private?” He asked as he gestured to the murmuring crowd.

Looking at the mass of ponies, Celestia nodded. “Indeed, this seems to be the type of discussion to be had in private. However,” Her horn suddenly glowed, and Sure Shot was unceremoniously lifted in her magical grip, “it will not wait. We will discuss this now.”

Not a second later, Steve’s vision fluttered and darkened as he felt a deep tugging sensation in his gut. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of what appeared to be a literal treehouse. Not the traditional kind either. It looked like someone had taken a giant tree, hollowed out most of the inside, and turned it into a home. Windows were firmly planted at random intervals in the trunk and branches of the tree. There was even a freaking balcony in the upper canopy.

He glanced at Celestia with a confused expression on his face as he gestured to the treehouse. “What’s this?”

She didn’t respond, instead choosing to step forward and knock on the door. Trench, who had apparently also been teleported, answered in her stead.

“This is the Ponyville Public Library. Coincidentally, it’s also where Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon live.”

Steve raised an eyebrow questioningly. “The bookworm lives in a freaking library?” Trench nodded, causing Steve to let out a sigh as he smirked. “Well that must be Aether-on-Earth for her.”

“What?” Trench asked. Before the Crafter could respond, the door to the library was opened by a familiar-looking dragon.

Spike blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting the Princess of the Sun to be at the library door.

“Princess Celestia? What are you doing here?” The drake inquired, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Celestia managed to give him a small smile.

“Hello Spike. I apologize for not giving you or Twilight prior warning before my arrival, but something was brought to my attention that could not be put off. May we come in?”

“Oh, of cour…? Wait, we?” At this, Spike leaned over to look past the Princess, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of Steve, Trench and the still-levitating and silent Sure Shot. After a few moments of silence, the young dragon eventually gave a tired sigh before nodding his head. “Yeah, come on in.” Smiling, Celestia thanked him before stepping inside, Sure Shot and Trench following close behind, the former still in Celestia's magical aura. As Steve walked past Spike, he swore he could hear the drake mutter something along the lines of, “not getting paid enough.” but he ignored it, choosing instead to look around at the library’s interior.

There were a lot of books, which should go without saying. What looked like hundreds of them lined the shelves of the library, from bottom to top. A few tables were scattered around the room, with a few chairs accompanying each. There was a door over to his left that lead off to some unknown room and some stairs that presumably lead to the second floor.

“Spike?” Celestia suddenly asked, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “Where is Twilight?”

“Oh, she’s still asleep, far as I know. She got a new book yesterday, something about pony anatomy or something, and pulled another all-nighter.” He put a clawed hand to his chin in thought. “That makes it, oh, the third night in a row? Something like that. Anyway, should I go get her?” Spike asked.

She shook her head. “No, let her sleep. I will discuss it with her later. In the meantime, if you could, would you please make some tea for us?”

“Uh sure. Be right back.” With that, Spike walked off towards what was presumably the kitchen, going through the doorway that Steve had seen earlier. Moments later, the sound of pots banging and water rushing could be heard.

As soon as Spike had left, Celestia’s smile dropped. “Now, while we’re waiting for the tea, let us discuss the purpose of coming here.” With that, Sure Shot was planted firmly in one of the chairs at the nearest table, the magical aura around him dispersing. He didn’t move or speak, instead looking at Celestia with a blank expression on his face.

Steve nodded, eyebrows furrowed in anger. “Yeah, let’s.” Letting out a sigh, he glared at the stallion. “You know something, Sure Shot? I thought the hospital trip would’ve made it clear that I don’t like you, but apparently, you didn’t get the memo, because at the first chance you get, you try to get the town to turn on me, more than they already have. Not cool. Oh, I should also mention that I met your brother.” At this, Shot’s blank expression formed into shock as he his head snapped to look at Steve. “He may be missing a few teeth the next time you see him.”

“You mother bucker!” Shot snarled. “I’ll end you!!” He tried to leap forward, only for Celestia’s horn to flare and he was forcefully shoved back into his seat. Teeth grit, the stallion looked up at her with a furious glare.

“Sure Shot," Celestia spoke, voice firm. "You are already on thin ice as it is. Please don’t make it worse for yourself.”

The white stallion's expression changed to one of disbelief. “But Princess, why do you trust that thi…?”

He didn’t even have time to finish his question before her hoof slammed down on the table with enough force to make a large crack in it. “He has a name, Sure Shot! I suggest you use it!! And the reason I trust him is because he has saved my life, not once, but twice, along with the lives of seven others!”

The stallion’s sightless eyes grew wide in shock. “What?”

Steve let out a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, didn’t see that one coming, did you? Sorry to burst your bubble, but I actually have something resembling a heart in my chest.”

Any further conversation was stopped when Spike walked back into the room, tea-pot and four cups on a tray, accompanied by a small bowl of sugar.

“Uh, Princess, the tea is ready.” He spoke softly, body visibly tense.

She smiled down at him. “Thank you Spike.”

The young dragon returned the expression. “Heh, no problem. But,” He hesitantly looked around at the other occupants of the room before gesturing to Sure Shot. “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did this guy do?”

No one spoke for a short while, not sure how to answer Spike’s question. Celestia especially, for whatever reason, seemed to be the most uncomfortable, shifting in her chair and refusing to make eye contact with the young dragon. Eventually, Steve let out a silent groan as he opened his mouth to answer. However, before a single word could escape his lips, Trench spoke up.

“Well, you see Spike, when a pony joins the Royal Guard, they have to take an oath. Among other things, all guards must swear to protect every citizen of Equestria, no matter the cost. Sure Shot here, well, he broke his vows.” Trench stared at the blind stallion, with something akin to disappointment in his eyes. “He knew a pony was in danger, but did nothing about it.”

“Wait, are you talking about what happened to Rainbow Dash?” Spike asked, eyes darkening slightly with sadness. At this, they all looked at the young drake with confused expressions.

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry. “What happened to Dash?”

Spike gave a small sigh. “She was found knocked out in a field near Sweet Apple Acres. She was hurt, pretty badly. Last I heard, she’s recovering at the hospital, but she still hasn’t woken up. It’s why Twilight’s been pulling all these all-nighters. She’s been trying to find a way to help her, but so far, her searching has turned up nothing.”

“Oh no.” Celestia spoke in a soft voice, eyes wide in shock. Steve grit his teeth, fists clenching as guilt began to well up in his chest. Without a second thought, he rushed towards the library door.

“I’ll be back later.”

He was outside before they even had the chance to respond, the wooden door slamming shut behind him.

* * * * *

Nurse Red Heart was having a good day. She’d woken up on time, meaning she didn’t have to rush to get ready before heading to work as she usually did. She didn’t have patient duty for the first time in forever, meaning she could finally catch up on the paperwork she’d been lagging behind on. It was boring but peaceful, something Red Heart hadn’t had in a long time. Then, Nurse Gauze had to leave for some reason or other, and Red Heart was called to the Reception desk as a substitute until Clip’s shift started.

Frankly speaking, the mare expected the remaining hours of her shift to be rather bland and unmemorable. So it’s safe to say what happened next caught her off guard.

Sitting on a swivel chair, she had her back turned to the hospital entrance as she looked through a file cabinet for some papers.

“Berry Punch, Berry Punch. P-U-N-C…”

Her ears flickered slightly as she heard the sound of the front doors opening. Sighing, she closed the drawer and put on a smile as she turned around.

“Hello, and welcome to… to…” Her words died in her throat as she saw what, or rather, who exactly had walked inside. It was tall and bipedal, wearing a light blue shirt and blue pants. It looked down at her with a pair of indigo eyes before speaking in a masculine voice.

“Hello. I’m here to see Rainbow Dash, please. Could you tell me what room she is in?”

Her mouth hung open for a few seconds as she stared at the being. Eventually, she realized that it had, in fact, asked her a question.

“O-oh. Um, *ahem* excuse me, but what did you say?”

“I was just wondering what room Rainbow Dash is in. I’m a friend of hers, and when I heard she was hurt, well, I wanted to check up on her. But, if I can’t see her, can you at least tell me how she’s doing?”

Red Heart’s stomach twisted. Rainbow Dash. The prismatic mare had arrived at the hospital a bloody mess, carried there by Big Mac. It had taken multiple hours and more than a few close calls, but Doctor Horse finally managed to get her condition stabilized. Red Heart herself had changed Dash’s bandages a few times, allowing her to see the damage up close. She’d seen many grievous injuries since she’d started working at Ponyville General Hospital, but some of the wounds Rainbow Dash had sported were undoubtedly some of the worst.

The being in front of her must’ve seen the look in her eyes, because his lips contorted into a grimace. “That bad, huh?” His voice… Red Heart wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but the being before her sounded very, well, tired. Tired and sad.

She let out a small sigh. “Yes. When she was brought in, she had several cracked ribs, torn muscles, sprained ligaments, the whole she-bang. But, that wasn’t the worst of it.” Pausing, she rubbed her face with a hoof before continuing. “Whatever did this to her specifically targeted her wings. They were severely mangled, missing over half of their feathers. Most of the bones in her wings are either broken or shattered entirely. If she ever does recover, well,” She gave him a sad look. “She may never fly again.

Author's Note

Whoever said time heals all wounds was a moron.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 49: Making Amends (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Steve stood silently, staring at the mess of bandages and blue fur that lay on the hospital bed in front of him. His eyes, normally deep indigo in color, now appeared to be more gray in color. His arms hung by his sides, fists clenched.

Red Heart glanced over at the silent Crafter for a moment before letting out a small sigh as she walked over to her charge. Lifting up her clipboard, she took a few quick notes about Rainbow Dash’s condition as well as checking her bandages before deeming everything was alright. Leaving the clipboard on a nearby desk, she slowly trotted over to Steve, who’s gaze hadn’t left the pegasus since he’d walked in.

“I, I’ll give you two some time alone.” She spoke, voice soft. Steve merely nodded in response. Sighing, she made her way out of the room, the door creaking slightly as it closed behind her. After that, silence filled the room once more.

Steve wasn’t sure how long he stood there. It felt like hours before he finally steeled his nerves enough to make his way over to Dash. Standing next to the bed she was laying on, he winced as he looked over her comatose form.

While most her was still covered by bandages, what wasn’t sheltered from sight didn’t seem to be faring much better. Fur was missing from some places, revealing the peach-colored skin beneath. A few scars could be seen, crisscrossing here and there. The more Steve looked, the more the guilt made his stomach twist and turn.

“I, I’m sorry Rainbow Dash.” He muttered, voice barely above a whisper. Putting out a hand, he gently patted her head, being careful not to touch or jostle the bandages that covered most of her face. Sighing, he lowered his arm as he turned away, head hanging low. Walking over to the entrance of the room, he opened the door with barely a sound, taking one last glance at his friend before closing the door behind him. Sighing once more, he released the door handle and began walking down the hall, footsteps quietly echoing along the tiled floor.

‘It’s not your fault you know.’ Nightmare Steve spoke in his mind, voice soft. Steve didn’t respond, continuing to look down at the floor as he walked. ‘You did everything you could, Steve. You battled through various Nightmares, you took on Herobrine, the god of the night. For crying out loud, you took a sword to the chest and still managed to get back up.’ At this, the Crafter opened his mouth to speak, but Nightmare Steve beat him to it. ‘And yes, Miss Dash was severely wounded during the battle, I will not deny that. But if it weren’t for you, she most likely would’ve died, or worse.’

Steve rubbed a hand against his face as he sighed. ‘I guess. I still feel terrible, though.’

‘Yeah, I know. Remember, I can feel what you feel.’

The Crafter’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. ‘Wait, what? I thought you could only feel pain, like when I get hurt or something.’

‘Steve, we are connected both in body and soul. What you feel, I feel, whether it be pain, trauma, emotions, anything. It’s how Nightmare beings become stronger after all, by feeding on the emotions of their hosts.’

‘Wait, feeding? You eat emotions?’ Steve questioned.

‘Yes, but not in the way you eat physical food. Beings such as me kind of, absorb it from their hosts. While a whole manner of emotions will suffice, we gain much more from negative ones, such as anger, hate, sadness and fear.’

Steve hesitated for a few moments before responding. ‘...You know what, fuck it. I’m in a world of pastel-colored ponies that reside in a country that’s ruled by two Princess’ that move the fucking sun and moon. I just came back from fighting a literal god in some place called the Mindscape, and now I have a Nightmare sharing my body with me that feeds on emotions because that makes sense. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if some reality altering deity showed up to destroy the world and kill everyone.’

‘Ah, I assume you are referring to Discord?’

The Nightmare’s words made Steve stop cold, hand resting frozen on the handle to the door leading out of the hospital. That single name forced a memory to resurface in his head. He remembered Herobrine, dying in the ground. He had mentioned a few names of, assumedly, villains Steve would have to face in the future. One of those names had been Discord. Closing his eyes, the Crafter let out a small, ragged sigh.

‘Discord? Who exactly is that?’

‘He is the god of chaos, mischief incarnate. Many years ago he ruled over Equestria, making it a place of mayhem and disharmony. After a long and fierce battle with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, he was turned into a stone statue by the Elements of Harmony and placed under guard at Canterlot Castle. As far as I know, he remains there.’

‘Fantastic!’ The Crafter exclaimed in his mind, sarcasm heavy in his tone. ‘Can’t wait for when he inevitably breaks free, since one way or another I’ll more than likely have to fight him.’

‘With all due respect, I do not see us winning that fight. While you are indeed very strong, Discord is far more powerful than you.’

‘So was Herobrine.’ Steve stated firmly. It was a few seconds before the Nightmare responded.

‘Indeed.’

Steve waited for the Nightmare to continue, but after a minute of nothing, he realized his companion wasn’t going to talk. Sighing, he pulled open the door, stepping out into the midday sun. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a kinda choked gasp. He didn’t even have time to look up before something small plowed into him with a cry of “Mr. Steve!!”, knocking him flat on his back.

Groaning, he propped himself up on his elbows to see who exactly had hit him. To his utter shock, there, latched to his chest and sobbing, was Dinky Hooves. Caught off-guard, Steve could only stare at the crying filly with his mouth hanging open.

“Dinky!” A voice cried out, making the Crafter glance upwards to see two other ponies standing only a few feet away.

The first was a young filly, with a dark pink mane and peach colored fur. Her butter-yellow eyes stared at him with a mixture of fear, confusion and wonder.

The second was a mare, with a dark orange mane and a tan coat of fur. On her flank was an image of a bushel of carrots. Her lime green eyes were wide with what looked like surprise and wonder. Steve actually recognized her from the carrot stand he’d seen a few times around Ponyville. If he remembered correctly, her name was Carrot Top.

Steve was brought out of his thoughts when Dinky’s cries died down and she spoke.

“Where w-were y-you?” She asked, voice quiet. Looking down at her, Steve’s breath caught in his throat when he saw her tear stained face looking up at him. “I-I waited, just l-like you wanted. I w-waited, and waited b-but you never came back. I t-thought something h-happ-ppened. W-when I woke up, I, I thought you would come back. You, you would come back and check o-on us. To make sure we were a-alright. But y-you never came.” She buried her face into his chest. “I thought you had died.” That last sentence came out as little more than a whisper, making Steve’s stomach plummet.

“I,” Steve hesitated. “I’m sorry Dinky. I wanted to come back, trust me, I did. But I got hurt pretty bad. Luckily, the doctors and nurses up in Canterlot Hospital took care of me.”

“Huh?” Dinky asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why were you in Canterlot?”

“Long story. Not to worry, I’ll explain later, okay?”

Sniff, Sniff. “Okay.” She agreed, nodding her head with a small smile.

“Um, Dinky honey?” The mare spoke, garnering both Steve and Dinky’s attention. “Would you mind introducing me to your friend?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m kinda confused.” The filly spoke in agreement.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” Climbing down from Steve’s chest, the filly sat down on the ground. “Mr. Steve, this is Ms. Carrot Top, mommy’s friend. Ms. Carrot Top, this is Mr. Steve, both mine and mommy’s friend. Berry Pinch, this is my friend Mr. Steve.”

Carrot Top stared at Dinky for a few moments before looking at Steve, a look of realization on her face. “Wait a minute. You mean you’re Steve, as in the Steve that defeated three dozen Royal Guards without breaking a sweat? All to save a wrongly accused friend that was being threatened with rape?”

Steve looked at her, confusion evident on his face. “How did you…?”

“Derpy told me a few days after it happened. I insisted that she take it to the Crown, but she didn’t, for whatever reason.”

“She was worried that taking the issue to the Princess would only make things worse.” Steve spoke, voice soft. “And honestly, I don’t blame her for thinking that.”

Carrot Top raised an eyebrow, displaying her confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, think about it from her perspective. The Royal Guard is supposed to protect the citizens of Equestria. But instead, they arrest her, hurt her and threaten her with rape in order to get information. It’s totally understandable that she wasn’t too trusting at the time.”

The mare mulled it over for a few moments before sighing and nodding her head. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense.”

“Yeah.” There was silence for a few moments before Steve spoke again. “Hey Dinky?” The filly looked up at him with a curious gaze. “How is your mom doing? I haven’t seen her since, well, you know.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Dinky’s eyes darkened, and she looked away. This single motion made Steve’s insides twist. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a look of apprehension.

“Um, well she’s, uh…” The filly stumbled over her words, each word making his stomach clench more and more.

“She's been acting very strange for a few days.” Carrot Top butted in, seeing that the filly was having trouble. Steve looked up at her, confusion and worry evident on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she's been acting weird. She barely goes outside anymore, except for shopping or for her job. And whenever she sees a Royal Guard, she runs the other direction.” She sighed, putting a hoof to her face as she did so. “I’ve tried asking her what happened, but, unfortunately, no dice.”

“I know what happened.” Steve muttered, shaking his head sadly.

“Wait, you do?” Carrot asked, a hint of eagerness in her tone. The Crafter nodded. “Well, what happened?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story, so listen up, please.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Well, it all started on the day of The Running of the Leaves…”

*Roughly an hour and a half later*

“After that, we went to Ponyville’s library, where I heard from Spike that Rainbow Dash was in the hospital. I decided to visit her, you know, to check up on her. On my way out, I ran into you guys, and well, you know the rest.”

“Whoa.” Carrot Top spoke, eyes wide. “That sounds, intense.”

“And trust me, it was. Very much so. But anyways, that’s why she’s like that. She very nearly died at the hands, er, rather hooves, of someone she feared to her very core. She lived, luckily, but only barely, which probably traumatized her, from what you’ve told me.”

“Yeah. That makes sense.” Carrot Top rubbed the back of her head. “I just, that sounds like the stuff you read about in stories and such, not the kind of stuff that actually happens in real life.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But, after a while, you get used to…”

‘Steve, an unknown magical aura has locked onto our position.’ Nightmare Steve suddenly spoke, causing the Crafter to shoot to his feet as he looked around.

“What’s wrong Steve?” Dinky asked, tone worried. He glanced down to see the two fillies and mare looking at him with concern.

“I don’t know. I think…?” Suddenly, Steve’s vision darkened and he felt a familiar tugging sensation in his gut. There was a big flash, and he suddenly found himself back in the Ponyville Library, bookshelves full of books lining the walls.

“What the…?” He began.

“Hello.” Spoke a dreadingly familiar voice. Whirling around, Steve’s eyes widened in shock.

Princess Luna glared at the Crafter, horn glowing a midnight blue. Next to her stood Princess Celestia, who had a rather irritated look on her face as she glared at her sister. Trench and Sure Shot were nowhere to be found.

“How about thou and I have a chat?”

Author's Note

I'm not sure if you all were aware, but I recently posted a story called "Pick-axe man", because I was bored and was watching Piemations. I didn't think it would do as well as it did, but since it did, expect a sequel within the next week or so.
Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to tell me what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 50: Making Amends (Part 3)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Sorry Princess Moonbutt, but it’ll have to wait. I got a friend to check up on.” Steve spoke in a level voice before turning and walking towards the library entrance. However, he was quickly stopped as a glowing blue wall appeared in front of him.

“Do not turn thou back on us, creature!” She snapped, anger rising in her tone.

“Luna! What did we just discuss!?” Celestia said loudly, garnering the blue alicorn’s attention.

“We are sorry Sister, but we cannot simply ignore such blatant disrespect!” The Lunar Princess exclaimed, pointing a hoof accusingly at Steve.

“Respect?! Why the hell would I respect you?” Steve snarled as he turned to look at the blue alicorn, voice deadly quiet as a heavy frown appeared on his face. “You’ve nearly killed me, both directly and indirectly, more than a few times. In fact, let’s count, shall we?” He put a hand to his chin in mock thought. “The time I fought Nightmare Moon, that one time you tried to kill me in my dreams, all of the guards you’ve sent after me, which counts due to association, the Black Claw for the same reason, the time you worked with the Black Claw, that time when I was in Celestia’s nightmare, even though that wasn’t technically you, and then when you sent the Elite Guards after Trench and I. And that’s just the ones I can think of!”

“That is quite a lot, when you think about it.” Celestia commented.

Steve sent a deadpan expression at the Solar Princess. “No kidding Celestia. But regardless, that’s not the point. The point is…” He spoke, looking back at Luna, “I really don’t have any reason to respect you. And I sure as the Nether don’t have any obligation to stay here and talk with your dumbass, especially since I have two friends here in Ponyville that need my help. So, unless you have any further objections, drop the barrier please, otherwise I will knock you the fuck out.”

Luna glared at him for a little while, an expression Steve readily returned. Eventually, she sighed and her horn lit up for a moment. Looking behind him, Steve saw the barrier fade away. Nodding his head slightly in thanks, he walked over to the library door and opened it. Sighing, he was about to leave when Celestia’s voice stopped him.

“Steve?” She said, hesitation in her voice. He glanced back at her, an expression of confusion on his face.

“Yeah?” He inquired.

“I know this may be a strange thing to ask, but how would you feel about coming up to Canterlot with me in a week?”

At her sisters words, Luna’s head snapped to look at the Solar Princess, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Sister, what are you doing?” She asked. Celestia didn’t respond, instead continuing to look at Steve with a questioning expression.

“Why?” Steve asked.

“I’m going to be making a statement to the public about you soon, and I feel that it would only be right if you were to attend. While Ponyville has been made aware that you aren’t a, well, a monster, the rest of Equestria is still very much in the dark.”

“And you’re hoping that that will be enough to make it so I don’t have to bring my sword and armor with me if I ever want to go to any place other than Ponyville?”

She winced slightly, but nodded. “Yes.”

He thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure, I’ll go. As you said, it makes sense that I should be there. However, it’ll have to wait. Like I was saying, I have some things to take care of here before I go anywhere.”

Celestia smiled. “Of course. If it works for you, I will send a carriage to pick you up in, say, three days?”

He nodded with a smirk. “Works for me. See ya then.” With that, he walked outside, allowing the library door to swing closed. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.

And immediately got sidelined.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

“Waaaaaaah!!”

“Ahhhhhh!!”

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

“Aieeeeee!!”

His surprised and pained yell was dwarfed by three others, all three much higher pitched than his own and much more feminine sounding. Landing roughly on his back, he slid on the ground for a few feet before coming to a stop. Only moments later, three screaming objects landed on his stomach, slightly knocking the wind out of him. Groaning and coughing, he propped himself up on his elbows to see what had hit him, only for his eyes to widen in surprise.

There, sitting on his chest were three fillies. The first was a white unicorn filly with a pink and purple mane. The second was an orange pegasus filly, fuchsia mane wild and unkempt. The last was a red-maned earth filly, with bright yellow fur. It took him a moment, but he eventually remembered their names. They were, in order, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom. All three sat on his chest with wide eyes, seemingly frozen with fear, which was evident from the horror he saw in their eyes.

For a moment, there was silence. Steve stared at the three fillies with a raised eyebrow, lips pulled into a thin line. The fillies, in turn, continued to stare at him in utter terror. After a moment, Steve decided to speak.

“Uh…”

No sooner had he spoken that the three fillies screamed, instantly jumping off his chest as they hugged each other and continued screaming. Steve grit his teeth and put a hand over one ear, trying to keep the ear-piercing shrieks from destroying his hearing.

“Hey!!” He yelled, “Could ya shut it please!!? You’re gonna make my eardrums bleed!!”

It took about half-a-minute, but the screams finally calmed down, replaced by heavy panting. Dropping his hand, he sent a deadpan glare at the trio before getting to his feet.

“Now.” He began, brushing himself off. “If I may ask, what exactly did you three hit me with?”

“I believe it was this.” Steve heard a familiar voice speak. Looking up, he saw Princess Celestia standing a short distance behind the trio of fillies, with the dented remains of some foreign device lying broken on the ground. The three fillies whirled around in shock, each giving an exclamation of surprise.

“Princess Celestia!!” Applebloom shouted, immediately bowing to the Solar Princess.

“Your Majesty!!” Sweetie Belle yelled, doing the same as her country friend and bowing.

“My scooter!!” Scootaloo cried out, rushing past her friends to cradle said scooter, whispering sweet nothings to it as she looked over it broken form. Her two amigos stared at her in abject horror, probably fearing Celestia would smite their friend out of existence. Steve, however, knew that she would never do that, and merely watched the scene play out.

The Solar Princess smiled down at Scootaloo, who only now figured out who exactly had arrived. Looking up, the young filly’s eyes widened.

“Hello my little pony. What’s your name?”

“Uh, Scootaloo. A-and these are my f-friends, Applebloom and S-Sweetie Belle.” She pointed a hoof at the still-bowing fillies behind her.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Please, rise. The whole bowing thing is more of a formality than anything else.” The two bowing fillies nodded and sat up, moving over to join their friend.

“Uh, hello Princess.” Sweetie Belle began nervously. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Well, it was brought to my attention that due to outlying circumstances, Steve here wasn’t what you would call very welcomed by the citizens of Ponyville. I assume from your reactions that you’ve heard about him?” They all nodded simultaneously. “Well, it pleases me to inform you that Steve isn’t some horrible beast. In fact, he is exactly the opposite. He is a hero, one who fought with everything he had to save us all from a terrible threat.”

“Whoa. Really?” Scootaloo asked, a hint of excitement in her voice. The Princess nodded.

“Yes. It was a terrible and hard-fought battle, but in the end, we emerged victorious.”

“Wait, we?” Applebloom asked. “Did ya fight that thang too, Princess?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes. I fought alongside Steve in the battle. We were accompanied by General Trench, Aura, Rizworth, Abyss the dragoness and Rainbow Dash.”

The pegasus filly’s mouth dropped open in awe. “Wait, you mean Rainbow Dash fought in a battle?!” It was after she had said this that a look of realization passed through her eyes and her expression darkened. “But, that’s why she ended up in the hospital, isn’t it?”

“. . .Yes, it is.” Celestia respond after hesitating for a moment.

“It is true, Princess?!” Scootaloo asked frantically. “Is it true what the doctor said, that she won’t be able to fly anymore?!”

This new information caught the Solar Princess off-guard, her eyes widening as she processed what she’d just heard. “Wha..?”

“Apparently,” Steve cut in, drawing everyone's attention to himself. “Herobrine didn’t just hurt Dash, he crippled her. He broke, cracked or otherwise shattered most of the bones in her wings, as well as giving her one heck of a concussion and more than a few broken ribs. Frankly speaking, the fact that she's still alive is a miracle.”

The Solar Diarch stared at the Crafter, sadness and shock evident in her eyes. But, that was quickly replaced by determination as her jaw set. A strange fire danced in her eyes.

“No.” She spoke softly, her words causing Steve’s eyebrow to raise. “No, I will not let that stand. I will not let Rainbow Dash suffer the injuries given to her, not for another moment.” She looked down at Scootaloo. “I promise you Scootaloo, Dash will fly again.” With that, her gaze turned to the Crafter. “Will you accompany me to the hospital, Steve?”

Steve almost immediately accepted. Make no mistake, he really wanted to go with Celestia so he could see Rainbow Dash healed. Truly, he did. But he knew that he had to check on Derpy. So, regretfully, he shook his head. “I want to, but I can’t. I talked with Dinky on my way out of the hospital and from what I heard, Derpy needs my help. Something’s wrong with her. I’m sorry, but I have to help her.”

Celestia smiled. “I understand. And I wish you luck.” With that, her horn glowed, causing a bright flash of light. When it faded, the Princess of the Sun was gone.

* * * * *

Steve sprinted down the street, ignoring the stares from various pony bystanders as he hurried over to Derpy’s house. He’d been there so often that the way was essentially burned into his memory.

Skidding into a turn, the Crafter sent dirt flying as he sped off, feeting pounding as he ran. Eventually, he came to a stop as he finally arrived at his destination. Brushing himself off, he walked up to her front door. Taking a deep breath, he reached up a hand to knock when he noticed something strange.

The front door was ajar.

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, he hesitantly pushed on the door, which swung open with a quiet squeak. Slowly stepping inside, he looked all around him for anything suspicious. He opened his mouth to call out for his friend, but stopped when Nightmare Steve spoke up.

‘Steve, I’m sensing a presence directly above us. It’s magical aura does not match that of Derpy Hooves.’

Steve decided to not question how Nightmare Steve could sense other beings and just rolled with it. ‘Thanks Nightmare. Do you recognize the aura at all?’

‘No, the magical signature is unknown to me.’

The Crafter sighed. ‘Damn it. Thanks for the head-up, though.’

‘You’re welcome.’

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve unsheathed his sword, holding it by his side as he slowly approached the stairs to the attic. Looking up, he saw darkness shrouding the doorway up above him. Step by step he walked up the stairs, eventually arriving at the door. Stopping for a moment, he put his ear up against it and listened. For a moment, there was nothing. And then he heard it. It sounded like mumbling, followed by the sound of shuffling and things being moved around. After a few moments, Steve stepped silently past the door. Whoever was inside didn’t notice, as the mumbling and shuffling didn’t stop.

Reaching over, Steve found the switch that turned on the only light in the attic. Taking a deep breath, he switched it on.

“Okay who the fuck are you?!!”

Author's Note

Chapter 50!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, but I'm just kind of excited. 50 chapters!! Man, it feels great. And I left it on a cliff-hanger!! Awesome!!
No but seriously, thank you all for the support you guys and gals have given this little story over the past, oh, what's it been, like seven months. Seems a lot longer in retrospect. Seriously, thank you all.
I've been thinking of doing a little special chapter to commemorate. I don't know. Tell me what you all think in the comments!! And as always, thank you all for reading.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 51: Introductions

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Reaching over, Steve found the switch that turned on the only light in the attic. Taking a deep breath, he switched it on.

There, standing frozen in the middle of the room, was a mare. Her lavender fur was covered in dirt and her two-toned purple and lilac mane was ruffled and unkempt. She stood a short distance from Steve, staring at him in terror.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Steve yelled. Startled, the mare gave a loud yelp as her horn lit up and a bolt of magic shot out, flying straight towards Steve’s face.

Circle: Dodge

Thinking fast, he rolled forward, ducking underneath the blast, which blew up a portion of the roof behind him. Shooting forward, he tried to grab her by the horn, effectively cutting off her magic, but she threw herself backwards out of his reach. Missing his target, Steve turned his stumble into a spin, rolling across the attic floor, only to crash into a big cardboard box. Getting to his feet, Steve looked around for the mare, barely managing to catch a glimpse of the mystery mare running down the stairs. Shooting to his feet, Steve followed after her.

“Wait!” He called, though he didn’t really expect her to listen. Much like he figured, the mare paid no attention to his words, instead continuing to run down the stairs, somehow managing not to fall.

X: Jump

Going down a few steps, Steve jumped down the rest of the way, landing with a heavy thud. Rushing towards the mare, he lunged forward, his outstretched hand managing to grab her back leg.

She let out a shrill cry of shock and terror before her other back leg shot up and bucked Steve straight in the face.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

“Gah!” Steve yelled, immediately letting go. The mare, losing her balance because of Steve's actions, stumbled forward and slammed straight into a nearby wall, jostling it slightly. Directly above her, a rather large wooden picture frame was hanging on the wall. The movement caused the frame to shake and fall, smacking the mare right on her noggin just as she was getting to her hooves.

Stumbling, she tried to steady herself. However, it proved to be a fruitless effort, as moments later she went cross-eyed and promptly face-planted on the floor, knocked out cold.

Standing up, Steve rubbed his face a bit as he glared at the unconscious mare. After a moment, he sighed and moved over to her, picking her up with one arm. Walking to Derpy’s front room, he tossed the mare onto one of the couches before going to the kitchen. Once there, he opened up the fridge and looked around for a second before spotting his prize. Pulling out the plate of muffins, he set it down on the counter and closed the fridge. Opening up a nearby cupboard, he pulled out some tea bags and a stainless steel pot. Walking over to the sink, he turned on the water and filled it up.

With the tea bags in one hand and the now-full pot of water in the other, he moved over to the stove, quickly turning on the heat and setting the pot down on top of it.

“Okay.” He muttered to himself. “Derpy said to put the bags in first, then wait for it to boil.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Or did she say wait until the water was boiling to..? Ah, fuck it.” Dropping the tea bags into the pot, Steve walked over to the dining room table and sat down to wait.

After a good twenty or so minutes, the tea was ready. After it into a tea-pot, he grabbed two cups, some sugar and cream, then put it all on a tray. Picking it up, he slowly walked back to the front room and placed the tray down on the coffee table before sitting down on the couch opposite from the one he’d thrown the mare on earlier.

And so, after pouring himself a small cup of tea, he sat back and waited.

* * * * *

“Owww.” A voice whined from in front of him. Glanced up, Steve saw the mare slowly beginning to come around. She stumbled slightly, but managed to sit up, rubbing her head with a hoof.

“What hit me?” He heard her mutter quietly.

“A big ass picture frame.” Steve responded, allowing a smirk to make its way onto his face.

“AIIIEEEEE!!!!!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the mare let out a high-pitched scream so loud that Steve swore he could see the windows rattle. Rubbing one ear with a hand, he glared at the mare.

“Could you please st…?”

“AIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!” She screamed again, somehow making this one louder and more ear-piercing that the last. Steve immediately covered both ears with his hands, gritting his teeth as his ears rang.

“Would you shut your mo…?!”

“AIIIEEEEE!!!!!”

Hurriedly grabbing a couch cushion, he threw it at the mare. It biffed her straight in the face, causing her to tumble backwards onto the couch. Shooting to his feet, he picked up the cushion he’d been sitting on and held it by his side as he walked over to stand in front of her, just in case.

Sputtering, the mare pushed the cushion off of herself. Looking up, her eyes widened in fear to see the imposing figure standing above her. She opened her mouth to yell, only to stop when she saw Steve holding his hand out placatingly.

“Look, I get that you’re scared and all, but please, can we just talk for a bit? I made tea.” Steve spoke, gesturing to the tea-pot sitting on the coffee table. “I learned tea helps ponies calm down, so I figured that it would help.

“...” She didn’t respond, continuing to stare at Steve with a fearful and distrustful expression. Sighing, the Crafter stepped away, sitting on the couch across from the mare, (after putting the cushion back on it, of course.)

Picking up his tea-cup, he put a few spoonfuls of sugar in before stirring with one of those small, fancy little spoons ponies bought, apparently with the sole purpose of stirring tea. Taking a sip, he focused back on the mare, who was beginning to look less tense.

“So,” Steve began. “While I have questions myself, I imagine you have some as well?” She nodded. “Yeah, I figured. So, since I did scare the living daylights out of you, why don’t you go first?”

Silence. Then…

“Who, uh, who are you?” She spoke, voice quiet.

Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You mean you’ve never heard of me?”

“Well, yeah, I've heard of you. You’re uh, the Ape of the Everfree. But, you have a name, right?”

Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “That’s what their calling me? Wow. With how strange some pony names are, I assumed you guys would come up with something a bit more creative. And to answer your question, yes, I do have a name. It’s Steve. Steve of Minecraftia.”

“That’s, forgive me for saying, a rather strange name.”

He shrugged. “Depends on how you look, I guess. Anything else?”

“Yeah. What exactly are you doing in my mom’s house?”

Steve’s eyes widened in shock when the mare’s words registered in his mind. He coughed as the tea he’d been drinking accidentally went down the wrong pipe. After a few moments of coughing, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“Uh, sorry. I think I may have misheard you. Who’s house?”

“Uh, my mom’s house.”

“Derpy’s your mom?!” He asked incredulously. The mare stared back at him in shock.

“You know my mom?”

“Yeah I know your mom, she’s one of my best friends.”

Her jaw dropped open in shock. “What?”

“She was the first pony in this Notch-forsaken town to actually give me a chance and not treat me like a monster.” Steve put a hand to his chin in thought. “Which still surprises me to this day, since you ponies seem to be so afraid of anything that isn’t a pony.”

“That’s, sadly, very true. Sure, not all of us are like that, but a majority are.” She agreed, nodding sadly.

“Yeah. On the bright side, you get used to the bigotry after a while. Though you seem to be a bit different from the rest of them, Ms…” Steve hesitated for a moment before face-palming. “You know, I just realized that I never actually got you name.”

“Oh! Of course! Sorry, how about I introduce myself?” She stood up and held out a hoof for a hoof shake, one that Steve readily returned. “The name’s Sparkler. Sparkler Hooves.”

* * * * *

The two talked for a while. Steve learned that about four years ago, Sparkler had moved to Canterlot to pursue a career in jewelry making. Apparently, a stallion by the Topaz Graff had taken her under his metaphorical wing (he was a unicorn), and made her his apprentice. From there, she’d learned much and had actually taken over ownership of the business when he'd decided to retire roughly a year back. When Steve asked why Derpy wouldn’t have ever mentioned Sparkler, she went quiet for a moment before saying that her mom and her hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms. Steve decided it would be best if he didn’t push the topic.

Steve let out a sigh as he out his now-empty teacup down on the coffee table. “So, Sparkler, if I may ask, what exactly were you doing in Derpy’s attic?”

“I got a letter from Carrot Top two days ago that something was going on with my mom. I caught the early morning train and got here at around 9:00 o’clock yesterday. I talked with Carrot Top and told her to convince my mom to see a therapist. She agreed. She set her first appointment for today.”

“Okay, that explains why she isn’t here, but that doesn’t explain why you were rifling through boxes in the attic.”

“I was looking for her box of special muffin recipes, the ones she doesn’t make often for whatever reason. I figured that if I made her some, it would make it easier for her to see me here. Less chance of her throwing me out.” She’d muttered that last part, staring down at her hooves with a sad expression on her face.

Steve stared at the lavender mare, not quite believing what he was hearing. “Um, I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t think you and I are talking about the same mare here.” She looked up at him with a confused expression. “The Derpy I know is a kind and compassionate mare with the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. You make her sound like she’d punch you in the face the moment she saw you.”

She sighed. “Honestly, I’d deserve that punch after what I did.”

Steve furrowed her eyebrows at Sparkler. “What did…?” However, he stopped when he heard the sound of the front door opening. Both him and Sparkler whirled to face the entrance to the room.

There was a slight creaking as the door slowly closed. Then, there was the quiet clopping of hooves on wood flooring. After a few moments, the slouched form of a gray pegasus trotted into view. She soon disappeared from view as she moved to the kitchen, the sound of the fridge opening and closing.

Steve and Sparkler glanced at each other. Shrugging, Steve cleared his throat and spoke.

“Uh, Derpy?”

There was silence for a second. Then, the sound of hoofsteps slowly approaching. Only moments later, Derpy appeared, staring at the Crafter with a look of disbelief on her face.

“Steve?” She asked, voice quiet as she slowly trotted towards him. She was so focused on him that she didn’t even notice the young mare that stood only a few feet to his left.

Steve gave her a warm but hesitant smile. He still wasn’t sure how she was emotionally speaking. “Hey Derpy, I’m back. Sorry for taking so long. I got...”

Whump!

The next thing he knew, he was lying back-first on the carpet of Derpy’s front room with a crying gray mare clinging to his chest, the sound of her gut-wrenching sobs making the Crafter’s heart twist. Letting instinct take over, Steve’s arms immediately wrapped around her, holding her close as she sobbed into his chest.

Author's Note

Hey, sorry that this chapter took so long to get out, but I was busy with another project. However, I think I have my schedule fully fleshed out, and can now get back to my writing.

And hey, if you're bored, go check out a one-shot I wrote, called "The One Thing" and let me know what you all think!

Anyway, thank you all for reading and let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 52: Catching Up

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve calmly threw a hay fry into his mouth, leaning back his head to do so. Chewing it, he took a sip from his drink.

“So let me get this straight.” Trench spoke, crossing his fore hooves and leaning on the table. The two sat at a standard circular table inside the Hay Burger, a rather popular food joint that sold, well, hay burgers. “After Derpy glomped the buck out of you…”

“Still don’t know what the Nether glomping is.” Steve muttered, rubbing his face as he sat back in his chair.

“She saw her daughter and, what?” Trench questioned. “From what you told me, Sparkler was pretty afraid of how Derpy would react. So, how did she react?”

Steve chuckled. “Well, just as I figured, Sparkler’s fears were unfounded. Derpy saw her and immediately hugged her like she was a stuffed animal, followed by even more crying, this time from both parties. After that, Sparkler apologized for what she did, to which Derpy immediately forgave her.”

“What did Sparkler even do?”

Steve hesitated for a moment, hay fry halfway to his mouth. Sighing, he tossed it in and chewed before answering.

“It’s kind of personal thing, so I don’t think it’s my place to say anything.”

“Got it. I understand.” Trench responded.

Steve smiled. “Thanks. Anyways, enough about me. What about you and that fucker, Sure Shot? I noticed you two were gone when I was summoned back to the library by Moonbutt.”

“Well, after you’d left, the Princess talked with Sure Shot for a while. Eventually, she told me to take him to the barracks, but to keep him under guard, so he wouldn’t try to escape or something. After I did that, I was on my way here to get some food when I saw you, and well, you know the rest.”

“Well, I hope that piece of shit gets what he deserves.” Steve muttered before finishing off his plate and tossing the extra papers in the trash. Trench did the same before sitting back on his chair. Not a moment after they had done so, the door to the building opened and two familiar faces stepped inside.

“Thorn? Nog? What are you guys doing here?” Trench asked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the dragon and minotaur. Steve merely glanced up at the duo with a raised eyebrow.

“We got hungry.” Thorn answered gruffly. “Heard from the bar-mare last night that this was a good place for a bite, so me and Nog thought we’d try it out.” The dragon’s gaze flickered over the Crafter. “So, you somehow got the Sun Princess to favor you.”

“Yup.” Steve responded, nodding. He smirked at Thorn. “As unlikely as it may seem, saving someone’s life can actually help you in the long run. Who knew, huh?”

Thorn let out a small growl and turned away, walking over to get in line behind two other ponies. Nog glanced at his companion before turning back to Steve and Trench. “Steve. Please, forgive my companion. He is, irritated.”

“At what?” The Crafter asked, eyebrow raised.

Nog shrugged. “Not know. Dragon emotions mystery to me.”

“Eh, whatever.” Steve spoke with an uncaring tone. “If he wants to hate my guts, that’s on him. I ain’t gonna lose any sleep over it. But, I have to ask.” He glanced up at the minotaur with a questioning expression. “Why don’t you hate me? If I remember correctly, I’ve fought and hurt you just as much as I have Thorn, yet you don’t seem to hold as much of a grudge against me like he does.”

“You…” Nog hesitated. “You had no choice. You never attack us, not once. Never killed. You honorable, more than most.” Then, Nog stood up straight before putting his right arm across his chest and giving a small bow to Steve. Upon righting himself, he walked over to join the dragon, who was now at the front of the line giving his order to the stallion at the counter.

“What was that?” Steve asked, turning to look at Trench with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, I think it’s some sort of sign of respect.” The stallion answered, not entirely sure himself. “I don’t know a lot about minotaurs, but I do know that the whole honor deal means a lot to most of them. They believe more in full-frontal fights rather than espionage and sneak attacks.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense.” At Trench’s questioning expression, the Crafter continued. “Well, he apparently took an order from Princess Celestia before the whole Nightmare event to kill me, even if I was captured. That doesn’t sound very honorable to me.”

“Well, I suppose not. Then again, there are always exceptions to the rule, right?”

Steve narrowed his gaze at Nog, doubt beginning to form. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” After a few moments of silence, he shook his head and looked back at Trench. “Anyways, thanks for the food. Where are you heading after this?”

Trench thought for a moment before responding. “Back to Canterlot, I suppose. While it’s been a stressful few days, I still have responsibilities as a General and all.”

Steve conceded to that. “Oh yeah, I forgot.” He chuckled. “You know, it’s funny. I guess with everything that’s been going on recently, it completely slipped my mind that you actually have a job and all that. But anyways, I’ve been thinking.”

Trench looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah? What about?”

“Celestia is going to be sending down a chariot for me in three days. Why don’t you hang around until then and head up to Canterlot with me?”

Trench thought for a moment before shrugged. “I mean, I don’t see why not. But I have to ask, why do you want me to stay around for the next few days?” He asked before taking a drink from his soda.

Steve sighed and answered. “I want you to talk with Derpy.”

Trench’s eyes widened only a split second before the contents of his mouth spewed out in a perfect spit-take, spraying Steve with a disgusting mixture of Cola and spit. Trench gave a few hardy coughs as Steve wiped his face with a few nearby napkins.

“Okay.” Steve spoke after waiting for the stallion to stop coughing. “Expected a reaction. I did not, however, expect that.”

“Sorry.” Trench croaked before giving another cough and clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, but what!?”

“I want you to talk with Derpy.” Steve calmly repeated. Trench groaned and face-hoofed.

“I know what you said, I just hoped you might’ve changed your mind.” Sighing, he dropped his hoof and deadpanned at the Crafter. “Why exactly do you want me to do that?”

“Look, I know you still feel guilty about what happened to her. Trust me, if I was in your position, I would too. But what you did was not your fault. You were taken over by the asshole, Herobrine.”

Trench rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know that Steve.”

“Then why are you against talking to her?” Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m not, it’s just…” Trench let out a sigh. “Look, Steve, you saw it as well as I. Derpy isn’t just scared of me, she’s downright terrified. Enough so that she has nightmares about me! For bucks sake, I became a Royal Guard to protect others, not make them fear me!” He said loudly. Burying his face in his hooves, he let out a ragged sigh.

Steve, with a pitying expression, reached over and put his hand on the stallion’s shoulder, causing Trench to look up at him. “Look, if you really don’t think it will do any good, then I won’t force you. But I really think it would help both of you in the long run.”

“...You think so?” Trench asked, uncertain.

Steve nodded, smiling reassuringly as he sat back in his chair. “Yeah, I do. But, like I said, I won’t force you to.”

“Okay.” Trench spoke, voice quiet. Taking a deep breath, he sat up straight. “Okay. Look, I’ll, try and talk to her tomorrow, okay? I’m not sure I’m ready to face her today.”

Steve, after a few moments of silence, let out a small chuckle, causing Trench to look at him with a confused expression. “What? What is it?” The stallion asked.

“Nothing. It’s just, I’ve seen you face off against monsters, an evil version of yourself. Hell, you’ve fought Herobrine, who was literally a god. But the prospect of talking to Derpy is what scares you.”

Trench let out a small sigh. “Yeah, I guess. Though I suppose that’s mostly because of you.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the stallion. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. I mean, Derpy was your first friend here in Equestria, and after what happened in the Mindscape, I know how much she means to you, and vice versa. And I hurt her, so badly.” Steve opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when Trench lifted a hoof. “And I know, it’s not technically my fault. Trust me, I get that.” Sighing, the stallion rubbed one shoulder with a hoof. “Doesn’t mean I feel any less guilty, though.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments, neither looking at the other. In the corner of his eye, Steve could see Thorn and Nog sitting nearby, probably trying to listen in, but he didn’t comment on it. Finally, the Crafter cleared his throat, effectively breaking the awkward silence.

“*Ahem* Anyway, while it’s been nice talking with you, I gotta get going.” He spoke, standing up. Trench nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah. See ya tomorrow.”

“You got it. Until then, I bid you adieu” With that, the Crafter walked out of the restaurant, stopping once he was outside. Taking a deep breath, he began his trek down the street towards the Everfree. There was a certain pony, er, zebra he wanted to see.

* * * * *

The grass crunched softly beneath his feet, a good break from the silence that would otherwise be accompanying him. He walked quickly but carefully, not wanting to be caught off-guard by anything that would rather chew on him then talk. His sword glowed by his side, serving as a small source of light when he was under a rather dark canopy of trees.

Something was wrong. Steve could feel it in his gut. The forest had always given him a bad feeling in his stomach, but now it felt different.

It felt dead. Like all of the life had been sucked away.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he continued on, keeping his guard up. The last thing he needed was getting caught off-guard by a Timber-wolf of Manticore or something.

Eventually, he saw Zecora’s hut in the distance. Steve felt a small bit of relief at the sight. Letting a small smile grace his lips, he jogged towards the home of his friend. However, upon getting closer, he saw something that made his stomach drop.

Her door was broken down.

Cold fear shot up his spine like a knife. Rushing forward, he quickly pushed past the broken remains of her door, entering into her living room, which was dimly lit by a few scattered torches.

It was a mess. Her lone table and its accompanying chairs were destroyed. Her shelves, where she kept her many supplies for brewing, were torn down. Her cauldron was knocked on its side, and long-dead embers were scattered around the floor.

Mouth hanging open, Steve took a step forward.

squish.

And immediately stepped in something wet. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back and looked down.

It was green, with an almost imperceptible glow to it. Kneeling down, he hesitantly touched it with one hand before pulling away with a small gasp. Looking at his fingers, which were now coated with the green liquid, he took a deep breath before touching it again.

It felt nearly as strange as it looked. While luke-warm to the touch, it seemed to almost pulse with some strange kind of energy.

‘Nightmare, you know what this stuff is?’ Steve asked. Nightmare Steve remained silent for a few moments before responding.

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know what it is. I’m certain it’s blood of some kind, but the aura signature seems to be constantly changing.’

‘Changing? What the hell…?”

‘Steve, something is approaching your location.’ Nightmare Steve interrupted. Steve shot up, looking towards the open doorway. Moments later, he managed to pick up the sound of whispering. Eyes widening, he hurriedly looked for a hiding place.

* * * * *

Vesper was annoyed. All she wanted was to stay back at base and interrogate the zebra and probably suck every ounce of love from her, but of course, she and Quip had to go back to that dingy hut and see if they could scrounge anything.

Sighing, she and her Quip entered through the open doorway, stepping past the broken bits of door. Quip made a slight gagging sound, causing the changeling to look at her companion, who was stepping in a small pool of green blood. Changeling blood.

“That must be Crag’s blood.” She spoke with a clear hint of anger in her voice. “Damn zebra, knocking him over the head with a chair.”

“Damn.” Quip muttered. “She must’ve hit him pretty hard.”

“Yeah.” She sighed and looked around the room. “C’mon, let’s hurry up and get moving. Sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can get back to base.”

“Got it.” Quip responded.

Fifteen minutes later, the two changelings had found nothing worth taking. After rooting through yet another broken cupboard, Vesper sighed and abandoned her search.

“Hey Quip, you find anything?”

“Nope! Nothing!” The male changeling responded.

“Yeah, looks like the others already cleared this place out. C’mon, let’s get going.” With that, the duo walked towards the empty doorway, only for a soft thumping sound and a voice to stop the two changelings in their tracks.

“Before you go…” The voice began.

Vesper and Quip whirled around to see a tall, ominous figure standing just behind them in the dimly-lit room. It held a strange, glowing blue sword in one of it’s fleshy appendages. Before either changeling could react, it rushed forward, slamming the hilt of its blade into Quip’s head and dropping him like a sack of bricks. The next thing Vesper knew, she felt the sharp blade being pressed against her throat.

“Perhaps you could tell me.”

She stared helplessly up at the creature, which glared down at her with deep indigo eyes, full of righteous anger.

“Where is Zecora?!”

Author's Note

Oh no!! Poor changelings! They really don't know what they've just unleashed!!

Anyway, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!!

A Crafter's Dream: Special Chapter (Endings)

A gray pick-up truck lumbered down the empty road. The truck was old, with both paint and rust covering its exterior. In the twilight hours of dusk, you could see only one headlight actually worked. Inside sat a tall, lean young man, eyes focused on the road ahead of him, occasionally having to brush his brown hair out of his eyes.

Ruthie remained silent for a while, while you look to your right at the large fields passing by. Some are filled with cattle, some with crops, while many more are simply empty.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” The man suddenly speaks, drawing your attention. “I’ve always liked this part of town, out here in the countryside. There’s a strange, well, beauty to it. Whenever I drive around here, I like to let my mind wander a bit, you know, think about things. Life, my friends, my family, all of that. But you don’t care about that. Right now, you’re probably wondering why you’re here, right?”

After a moment, you nod.

He smirks. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Well, simply put, I want to talk. To tell you a few things. About, well, I’ll get to that eventually.”

As he speaks, the fields of yellow slowly begin to turn into neighborhoods as you drive through a more urbanized part of town. It’s not exactly a suburb, it still has a very natural look and feel to it, but it’s close enough.

“Death is something I’ve never really thought about.”

You turn to look at him, confusion on your face.

“Sure, I know it exists, I’m not an idiot, but it’s never been something I’ve really wondered about. Just how permanent of an ending it is. Once you die, that’s it. It’s over, done. Sure, many people believe that there’s something after, depending on what religion you follow, if you follow one, but no one knows with absolute certainty what happens after. And honestly, it scares me a bit.”

Gently pressing on the brake, Ruthie clicked the lever just past his steering wheel to activate his turn signal, despite the fact that there was literally no one in sight. After slowing down enough, he turned down a worn-down road, various potholes littering the sun-beaten asphalt.

“Maybe it scares you too, I don’t know. It should. Anyone who says death doesn’t scare them is either lying or an idiot, because the concept of death is terrifying.” Sighing, Ruthie shook his head. “Or maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. I’m not some philosopher or something.”

A few moments later, the both of you arrive at a house. It doesn’t look all that special. It has a simple black-tiled roof with a yellow paint-job on its wooden exterior. The front door is white, with a big window in the center.

Pulling into the driveway, Ruthie quickly puts the truck in park and turns off the engine. Slipping the keys into his pocket, he swiftly exits the vehicle, prompting you to do the same. Walking across his rather small front yard, he withdraws the keys from his pocket and unlocks the front door, turning the knob and opening it. Stepping inside, he glances back at you and waves for you to follow, which you do.

The inside isn’t much to look at. There’s a few couches around, with a wooden T.V stand against a nearby wall, on which a 45 inch T.V sat. You follow behind Ruthie as he walks past the front room and into his dining room, which was openly connected with the kitchen. He walks over to his fridge, pulling out a two-liter of A & W root beer. Opening the cap, he takes a drink straight from the jug. Setting the bottle down, he looks at you.

“You want anything?”

You shake your head.

He shrugs. “Eh, your loss.” Taking another drink, he capped the bottle and put it back in the fridge. Sighing, he closed the door to the fridge before walking over to the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard. “Do you mind if I tell you a story?” He asks, glancing at you.

After a moment of consideration, you shake your head.

He smiles, though there is little joy in the expression. “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, he turns to look outside again. “This story takes place 16 years ago, at a little house in a far away town, and two people.”

* * * * *

Early May, 2003.

Knock, knock, knock.

A woman, around 60 years of age, answers the door. Outside stands two people. One is a young man, around thirty, with short black hair and a pair of glasses on his face. The other was a young woman, around the same age, carrying a small child in her arms. The baby, who was to be a year old in only two months, barely stirred, content to sleep in his mother's arms.

“Hello. Are you here to see them?”

“Yeah.” The man answered in a deep but gentle voice. The old lady looked behind the trio and looked back at the man in confusion.

“Where are the rest of your children?”

“Left them with a babysitter, since they didn’t want to come. Only little {Name Redacted} came with.” The woman answered. The old lady grinned and gestured for them to come inside.

“Ah I see. Well, I think it’s best they aren’t here. The little ones don’t like a lot of noise, after all.”

Nodding at her, the man stepped inside, the woman following suit. Once inside, the old lady walked over to what was once her garage, opening the door to allow the trio through. As soon as she did so, the sound of loud barking could be heard from within, causing the baby to stir a bit.

Walking inside the garage, the man and woman quickly saw the cause of the barking. It was a large dog kennel, sitting there in the middle of the room. Inside was around a dozen little lab puppies, all ranging in color from golden yellow to deep black.

“Take your time to pick one.” The old lady spoke, to which the man nodded.

“Got it. Thanks.” With that, both he and the woman looked over the puppies. They all yapped loudly, playing with each other, stumbling around. The mother of the litter, a big golden lab, sat lazily in the back, observing her offspring.

After a good five minutes of looking at the puppies, and woman noticed something. There, at the back of the group, sat a small black lab. This one was different than the rest. It didn’t bark, it didn’t play, it just sat there, staring at the pair.

The staring contest continued for a good few minutes before the man spoke up.

“We’ll take that one.” The old lady stepped forward to see which one he was pointing to.

“Ah, good choice. He’s a real good pup.” Reaching into the kennel, she picked up the puppy and gently gave him to the man. “Now, let me get some supplies for him and you’ll be all set to go.” With that, she left the trio and their new puppy alone.

The black lab squirmed and wiggled around in the man’s grasp, not used to its new surroundings. The man chuckled.

“For one so small, he’s got a lot of energy. Anyway, what do you think we should call him?” He asked the woman.

“I don’t know. Something with a B, probably.” Looking down at the baby in her arms, she asked in a cooing voice. “What do you think, {Name Redacted}. What should we call him?”

“Ban- Ban.” The baby responded.

The man put a hand to his chin in thought. “Ban? Band? No, that’s a stupid name. Hmm. What about Bandit?”

“Bandit?” The woman asked.

“Yeah, it’s a cool name, and works with his black color scheme.”

The woman smiled. “Bandit.” She looked down at the small puppy. “Yeah, I like it. Bandit it is.”

Present time

With a sigh, Ruthie finished his tale. “And that’s the story of how my family got one of the best dogs I’ve ever seen. The years following were fun, frustrating, but in the end, some of the most memorable I think I’ll ever have.” Sighing, he slowly unlocked the sliding glass door, opening it and stepping outside. Following close behind, you’re met with a rather large backyard, grass growing abundantly and towering trees of green shading most of the landscape. You remain silent, following Ruthie as he walks towards the left back-corner of the acre-sized yard, where a large cluster of trees blocked the view of whatever lay inside.

“It was about six months ago that we noticed something was wrong.” His tone, once happy and content, was now sad and reserved. “Bandit always loved eating, so much so that he was usually a pretty fat dog. But about half a year ago, he suddenly stopped eating as much. After a few days of this, I got concerned, figured something was wrong with him. But vets are expensive, and at the time, my family couldn’t afford the trip. So we hoped and prayed that it was just a phase.” He sighed. “But it wasn’t. It continued for a long time. He got skinny, got weak. Started losing most of the muscles in his back legs, so much so that he couldn’t get up on his own. Lost his sight and his hearing. Basically, every bad thing you could imagine happening to a dog, happened to him. And we just sat back and watched because getting help was so fucking expensive that doing so was all we could do.”

You both arrive at cluster of trees, where Ruthie pushes some branches out of the way, allowing the both of you access. Inside is dark, with the sunlight having a much harder time getting through the thick canopy of leaves and branches above.

“A few days ago, my parents figured that he was suffering too much or something, because when I get home from school, everyone in my family is already there. One of my sisters is crying. Another is trying hard not to. The rest just sit there with solemn expressions on their faces. I know something is wrong and they know I know.”

“My mom is the first to speak.”

‘“Hey, {Name Redacted}. How was school?” I wasn’t falling for it.”

‘“What happened?” I ask, tone fearful for what I might hear. They deliberate for a few moments before one of my sisters speaks.”

“We’re putting Bandit down.”

“I just stood there for a few moments, staring at them. Then I walked to my room, dropped off my stuff, then I went outside to see him. I sat with him for a while, pet him a bit, then walked back inside before asking what was wrong with him.” After a few moments of walking, Ruthie eventually arrived at what looked like a make-shift headstone, made out of a thin piece of wood. On it was written:

Here lies Bandit.

2003-2019

A beloved pet and part of the family

“Doggy Alzheimers.” Ruthie spoke. “After saving up enough, we finally took him to the vet, only to find out that there was nothing we could do to save him anyway. That was a real punch to the face.” He sighed, rubbing a hand against his face. “I came home from school yesterday and the first thing my mom says to me is that he was gone. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. One moment he was there, the next, he’s gone.”

Sighing, Ruthie sat down in front of the grave. “Look, there’s a reason I’m telling you this. I’ve been considering going on hiatus for a while now, and Bandit dying helped me make my decision. So, for all of next week, I will be going on hiatus. Sorry if you’re disappointed, but I need some time to recuperate and to rejuice or else my writing will most likely suffer. I’d rather take longer to make a good chapter then write garbage. Probably.” Standing up, he stretched, letting out a small sigh.

“Anyway, that’s pretty much all for today, so I’m gonna head back in.” With that, he turns and walks away, only to stop. Chuckling, he glances back at you. “Also, as always, thanks for reading! Be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!”

And then he was gone.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 54: Retribution (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Square: Shield Bash

Triangle: Shield Swipe

Rushing forward, Steve slammed his shield into a changeling’s face before spinning around, simultaneously smacking away a lance that nearly stabbed him in the back.

X (Hold): Shield Dash

Swiftly blocking two bolts of magic, he sprinted forward, using his shield as a battering ram, slamming into two changelings and sending them rolling.

D-Pad Down: Shield

D-Pad Up: Sword

Circle + Square: Counter

Putting away his shield, Steve swiftly withdrew his sword, just in time to stop an iron sword from landing a strike. Parrying the attack, he whirled around and slashed the attacking changeling.

‘Steve, above you!’ Nightmare warned. Looking up, Steve saw the bigger changeling flying towards him, war-hammer lifted up for a devastating strike.

Circle: Dodge

Rolling backwards, Steve felt the ground beneath him shake as the attack missed, crashing into the ground and cracking the stone around it. Gritting his teeth, Steve rushed forward to attack.

‘Watch out!’ Nightmare Steve yelled.

Before the Crafter could react, a beam of dark green magic hit him straight in the chest, sending him flying backwards before slamming into the ground back-first, the force causing him to flip onto his stomach.

Damaged Received - 5 damage. 10 health remaining.

Suppressing a groan, Steve got to his feet, sword at the ready. Much to his confusion, he saw that his opponents had retreated slightly, glaring at him in apprehension and their weapons at the ready. At the front of the group stood a changeling, though this one looked very different from it’s companions.

It had a sleek and narrow figure, suggesting it was most likely a female. Her eyes, instead of a light blue, were orange in color. On her chest was two jagged gray lines, crossing to make the shape of an X. As she approached, she grinned madly at him, showing off dozens of razor-sharp teeth, all ready and waiting to rip him to shreds.

As she passed, the others backed away, almost nervously. Some smirked at Steve, while others looked at him with something akin to pity in their large eyes.

‘Steve, something is wrong with that particular changeling.’ Not a moment after Nightmare had said that, the changeling mare stopped, now only a short distance from Steve. The Crafter eyed her warily.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Her magic aura feels different, almost dark in nature. Be wary, she may be far more of a threat than any of her kin, probably combined. Due to your lack of armor and healing items, I suggest activating your Nightmare Form for this battle.’

‘Got it. I should probably…’ Steve’s eyes widened as he fully registered what Nightmare had said. ‘Wait, my what now?!’

“So, who would you happen to be?” The mare suddenly asked in a drawl, drawing Steve’s attention away from his mental conversation.

“Steve.” He answered bluntly, anger prominent in his voice. “Who are you?” Not that he cared.

“I’m Vask, leader of Squad #371. Now, since you may not be aware, I’m not very fond of random shaved monkeys coming into my base and hurting my drones and soldiers.”

“You started this when you took my friend captive.” Steve replied evenly, struggling to keep the anger blossoming in his chest from showing. “Then, from what I heard from some of your lackeys, you sucked the love out of her, and then.” Steve hesitated, his teeth grit. “You killed her. And from what I can tell, you don’t care in the least bit. So I don’t give two fucks about what you think, you bitch.” He flourished his blade, dropping into a fighting stance. “I was too late to save her, so the very least I can do is avenge her.”

Her eyes narrowed. For a few tense moments, silence reigned in the corridor, both sides waiting with baited breath. Then, Vask grinned and started laughing.

“Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Oh geez!” She wiped an orange eye with a hoof as her laughter began to die down. “You don’t know much about zebras, do you?”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows at her. “The fuck are you talking about?”

She put a hoof to her chin in thought for a few moments before shrugging “Eh, doesn’t matter, since you’re gonna die anyway. Listen genius, zebras aren’t ponies. If a pony were to get all of their love drained, it would be fatal, yeah. But zebras have some kind of resistance to that stuff, something about their biology relying less on magic or something, so getting drained just makes them exhausted.” Steve felt a wave of relief flood through him as he listened to her words. “Pretty sure it’s the same with griffons and minotaurs and the like. It’s why they’re so much better for long-term food sources than ponies are.”

“Wait, then why are we trying to capture ponies then?” One of the changeling bystanders asked, confusion on its face.

Vask shrugged. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask the Queen when we get back?”

The changeling shook his head before shrinking in on himself slightly. “I-I’m fine. She kinda scares me.”

“Well then you’re smarter than you look.” Vask muttered.

Clang! Clang!

Every changeling except Vask jumped slightly as Steve banged his sword twice on the cave wall. “Do I have everyone’s attention?” Silence. “Good. Now, Vask was it? I was originally going to take all of you down for killing my friend, but seeing as how you haven’t, I’d like to propose a deal. You hand Zecora over, and none of you ever even think about kidnapping another pony or otherwise ever again, and in return, I don’t kill each and every one of you and take her myself. How ‘bout it?”

Vask laughed. “Alright, since you seem so confident, how about this instead? When we win, you become our slave and we get to suck every ounce of love out of you for as long as you live. If, by some miracle you happen to win, you get your zebra friend back.”

Steve stared at her with furrowed eyebrows for a few moments before responding. “Alright, deal. You ready to lose?”

“Are you?” Vask responded snarkily. “Because there’s no way you could beat me, let alone all of us at the same time.”

“Alright then, prove it.” Steve spoke, causing the mare to blink in confusion.

“What?”

“You heard me. You say you can beat me in a 1v1 fight, so prove it.” He gave an over-exaggerated shrug. “Unless you’re too worried you might lose, of course.”

Eyes narrowing, Vask grit her teeth and growled at Steve. “You calling me weak?”

“Depends. Are you?”

Snarling, her horn flickered and a beam of dark green magic shot towards Steve.

Circle: Dodge

X (Hold) + Square (Hold): Sword Slam

Rolling to the side, Steve narrowly avoided the attack. Getting to his feet, he leapt high before bringing his sword down with force, cracking the stone beneath him and sending several changelings flying through the air. Vask, unfortunately, managed to dodge the attack, leaping away only to run at him shoot him point blank with an ice spell, not hurting him but freezing him in place. Due to his state, he was unable to dodge the next bolt of magic, which cracked the ice and sent him flying.

Damage Received - 6 damage. 4 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet, albeit a bit shakily. Coughing, he hurriedly scarfed down a loaf of bread he had, letting out a small sigh as the all-too-familiar warmth filled his body.

Regeneration Effect Gained: +1 health every 5 seconds.

Focusing back on his opponents, he grit his teeth and raised his sword.

Square: Slash

Dashing forward, Steve swung his sword at Vask. The mare easily dodged the attack, rolling to the side and pushing off the wall, throwing herself towards Steve with a hoof pulled back.

Circle: Dodge

Square (Hold): Whirlwind

Side-stepping the punch, Steve grabbed his sword with both hands before spinning around, managing to hit Vask hard, as well as clobber a few changelings who’d tried to triple team him. Coming to a stop, Steve looked around, only to see a beam of green magic about to hit him in the face.

Circle: Dodge

Throwing himself backwards, he managed to avoid the attack, which instead hit the cave wall a little ways down the corridor and exploded, making the ground beneath him shake slightly. Shooting to his feet, Steve saw Vask approaching. Suddenly, her horn flickered and she was bathed in a dark green aura. A few moments later, the aura faded, revealing a very different looking Vask.

Her eyes, which were once gray, were now dark green, similar to the color of her magic. Her horn appeared longer and sharper, and her teeth looked more like knives than fangs. A strange glow seemed to emanate from within her barrel, slightly lighting up the ground beneath her.

Steve stared at her with wide eyes. “What the actual fuck?”

She chuckled darkly. “What? Not what you were expecting?”

“You look like you swallowed a torch.” Steve answered bluntly. His response elicited a few hushed chuckles from the surrounding changelings. She grit her teeth angrily.

“Shut up!!” She roared, sending a few drops of spit flying. She whirled to look at her fellow changelings. “And stay out of this!! I’m gonna make this monkey learn his place!!” Turning back around, she flared her wings before launching herself at Steve, horn glowing.

Circle + Square: Counter

Dropping low to avoid the possible magic bolt, Steve grabbed her front hooves before swinging around and throwing her into her comrades, sending the whole lot of them tumbling.

‘Nightmare, what the hell happened to her?’ Steve asked, keeping his guard up and sword at the ready for the next attack.

‘I’m not sure. There was a huge energy spike just before she transformed, but I have no idea how she managed that.’ The Nightmare answered.

Vask pushed a changeling off of her before getting to her hooves. Her eyes narrowed as her horn lit up and a beam of dark green magic shot at Steve

Circle: Block

Steve blocked the attack with the flat end of his blade, but was sent stumbling back, the blast being much more powerful than any others prior.

‘Steve, it appears Vask’s transformation has greatly increased her speed, strength and magic capabilities. I really think you should activate your Nightmare form for this battle.’

‘Yeah, I would love to, once you explain what the hell you mean by Nightmare Form! What is that?’

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Vask rushed forward, throwing two powerful punches. Ready this time, Steve managed to block both before responding with a slash that cut a gash along the changeling mare’s side, causing her to cry out in pain.

‘It’s the form you took in your battle against Herobrine. Remember when you turned all smokey? That was your Nightmare form. It increases your body’s endurance, as well as giving you an increase in strength, speed and resistance to physical and mental trauma.’

Circle: Dodge

Steve rolled to the side as a wave of magical fire shot past him. ‘Cool! How do I activate it?’

‘It is yours to command, all you must do is call it forth.’

‘Got it!’

D-Pad Up: Sword

Sheathing his sword, Steve took one moment to collect himself. Taking a deep breath, he looked up to see Vask looking at him with a slightly confused expression, probably wondering why he had put away his blade. He grinned.

“Nightmare Form!” He shouted, letting his instincts take over as he reached out a hand. “Come forth!!” Clenching his outstretched fist tight, shadows burst out from his hand, traveling all the way down his arm and along his chest, soon covering his entire body. He felt newfound strength fill him, giving the Crafter a slight power rush. His body felt cold, like he’d suddenly been submerged in an icy lake.

Every single one of the changelings in front of him, Vask included, looked scared. Some held their weapons in a shaky grip, while others slowly backed away. Vask, to her credit, stood stock-still, staring at Steve in horror.

“A Nightmare.” She whispered, tone fearful. “You’re, you’re…”

Steve grinned a vicious grin. “What? Not what you were expecting?” He asked, repeating the exact words she’d said to him only a few minutes prior.

Shaking her head, Vask regained her composure, dropping low into a fighting stance. “It doesn’t matter! I can still beat you!”

“Really? Well then.” Steve crouched slightly, gesturing at Vask with a ‘Come at me’ motion. “Let’s see what you got.”

Growling, Vask launched herself at Steve, hoof pulled back. The Crafter responded in kind, rushing forward towards his opponent with his fist pulled back. For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Square (Hold): Punch

Then Steve let a shit-eating grin overtake his features as he suddenly dropped down to one knee, Vask flying overhead. Clenching his fist, he punched upwards, uppercutting Vask’s unprotected belly. The mare made a strange half-choking/half-exhaling sound as the air was forcibly knocked from her lungs. She hit the ground hard, rolling onto her side as she struggled to get her breath back. However, Steve wasn’t about to let that happen.

Grabbing her by the front of her chitin, he lifted her up and slammed her into the cave wall, smokey fist pulled back.

“Yield.” Steve spoke firmly. She coughed a few times, but eventually shook her head.

“N-never!” She rebutted loudly, her horn beginning to glow.

Square: Punch

Steve punched her straight in the face with his Nightmare-enhanced strength, eliciting a cry of pain from the mare and breaking her concentration, the glow around her horn fading.

“Yield.” He spoke again.

“Never.” She repeated, though her voice had lost most of its volume.

Square: Punch

He punched her again, making her cry out in pain once more.

“Yield.”

She coughed up a bit of green blood, spitting it out on the floor. Breathing heavily, she looked up at him, with defiance in her orange eyes. “N-No.”

Steve stared at her in silence, the only sound being Vask’s ragged breathing. He looked deep into her eyes, like he was trying to see into her very soul. Finally, after a few moments, he sighed.

“Fine. Have it your way.”

Square (Hold): Uppercut

He slammed his fist into her chin, hitting it in such a way so that it knocked her out instantly. Releasing his grip, her unconscious body fell limply to the ground. Stepping back, he turned to look at the rest of the changelings, who either stared at Vask in disbelief or looked at him in terror. Walking over, he stood in front of them, glaring down at them with glowing eyes.

“Where is she?” He asked, his tone demanding answers. In response, one changeling shakily pointed towards the corridor behind them. Nodding slightly in response, he trudged past them, the changelings moving to either side to get out of his way.

“If she’s not alive.” Steve spoke, drawing the attention of every changeling in the corridor, Vask excluded. He turned to look at them with an unreadable expression. “You better hope and pray I don’t find you.” And with that, he walked off, leaving them in silence.

Author's Note

Hey guys and gals and everyone else! It's ruthim345, back from my break feeling moderately refreshed but much better! Anyway, thanks for being patient and thanks for reading. Be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 55: Retrieved

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve walked alone, having left the changelings behind a good five minutes prior, accompanied only by the sound of his footsteps echoing off the cave walls. He remained in his Nightmare Form, not only since it served as a means of protection but also because, as an added benefit, it made navigating the dimly lit hall much easier due to his enhanced vision.

‘Steve, I detect a familiar magic aura up ahead.’

‘Is it Zecora?’ Steve asked.

‘Most likely. However, her presence seems muted somehow. Keep your guard up.’

‘Got it. Thanks.’

Moving carefully, he made his way to a nearby doorway. Listening for a moment, he deduced that there was no one inside. Readying himself, he poked his head in.

What immediately met his gaze made his stomach cringe in on itself. The room was filled with these kind of, green egg-like containers. It reminded the Crafter distinctly of the many spider nests he’d cleared out back in the day, only instead of eggs, it was these weird pods. Most were empty. However, in the middle of the room, one container was filled, its sole occupant the very zebra that Steve was looking for.

“Zecora!” Steve exclaimed, immediately rushing over to where she was held.

Upon getting closer, he saw that she was unconscious but alive, evidenced by the faint movement of her chest. Breathing a sigh of relief, Steve ran his shadow-coated fingers over the cold, yet soft surface of the pod.

Square: Punch

Bringing back his fist, he slammed it into the cocoon, easily puncturing the strange, film-like surface. Pulling back his arm, he back-pedaled a bit when a strange green slime poured out of the hole he’d made. Tearing away the rest of the outside layer, he hastily pulled a slime-covered Zecora from her strange prison. Laying her down on the stone floor, away from the green slime pool, he looked her over.

‘Nightmare, how does she look?’ He asked. There was a few moments of silence before Nightmare Steve answered.

‘Vitals are normal. Her unconscious state seems to be a combination of exhaustion and an induced slumber. The slime seems to give an anesthetic-like effect. While your Nightmare Form is blocking most of it, you may still feel a slight numbness in your body.’

Steve looked down at his lower body, which was covered in the stuff. Nightmare Steve was right, he did feel slightly numb, but it was barely noticeable. Shaking it off, he carefully picked up the unconscious zebra bridal-style before walking out of the room, making his way back to where the entrance was.

* * * * *

Steve didn’t encounter any changelings on his way out, which surprised him to be honest. He figured what with him beating the shit out of one of their own, they’d be pissed off. Although, maybe it was because he’d beaten the shit out of one of their own so badly that they were avoiding him.

Now, just because he didn’t see them, per say, didn’t mean they weren't there. Sometimes, when he turned a corner, he’d catch a quick flash of something black disappearing around the bend, unsure if it was a changeling or just him seeing things. He could hear the sound of hushed voices and feel the gaze of who-knew how many changelings on him as he walked by the various entrances to “empty” rooms. It made his skin crawl, but he ignored it. If none of them were going to show themselves, then there wasn’t any point in worrying.

Eventually, he turned down another corridor and saw light at the end of it. Grinning, he reaffirmed his grip on Zecora and started walking faster, wanting to get the hell out of this place. However, he stopped after a couple steps. Glancing back, he saw that the corridor behind him was still empty, from what he could see. But, in his gut, he knew they were still there. He didn’t need Nightmare Steve for him to know that.

Sighing heavily, he looked forward again and continued on, stepping into the light of early morning, where the sun could be seen in the distance barely peeking over the horizon.

“Damn.” Steve muttered to himself. “Must’ve been in there for a while if it’s morning already.”

Sighing once more, Steve was about to carry on his way, only for a memory to resurface in the back of his head. Groaning, he glanced up at the rock ledge way above, with a look of irritation on his face.

Gently laying Zecora down on some nearby grass, he reached over his shoulder and tried to grab his fishing rod.

Only for his hand to grasp nothing.

Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he tried again, only to get the same result.

‘Nightmare, what’s going on?’ He asked, trying to keep the hint of panic he was feeling out of his voice. ‘Why isn’t my Inventory working?’

‘It’s okay Steve.’ The Nightmare reassured, sensing Steve’s panic. ‘Your Nightmare Form just temporarily blocks access to your Inventory. Dispersing the Form will give you access again.’

Steve let out a relieved sigh. ‘That’s good. I was worried for a sec.’

‘I know.’

Rolling his eyes with a grin, Steve closed his eyes and focused, taking a deep breath.

“Nightmare Form.” The Crafter spoke aloud in a commanding voice. “Begone.”

Not a moment later, the feeling of power left him, making him stagger slightly and fall to one knee. Panting slightly, he got back to his feet and looked himself over, satisfied to see that he was back to normal.

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

Reaching over his shoulder, he was elated when his hand grasped the wooden handle of his fishing rod. Pulling it out, he took a moment to inspect the tool before looking back up at the stone ledge.

X (Hold): Rod Zip

Pulling back his arm, he clicked the release on the pole before whipping it forward, sending the hook and the line it was attached to, flying upwards. Luckily, the hook caught on the first try. Pulling hard to make sure it was secure, Steve began reeling himself in, walking up the cliff face with little issue. Upon getting closer to the ledge, he stopped for a moment when he heard talking. Reaffirming his grip, he stopped for a moment and listened in.

“Well, I mean sure, but it could be worse.” Spoke a voice Steve recognized as Quip.

“And how, exactly, could it be worse?” Vesper spoke, tone heavily laced with sarcasm.

“Well, there’s a lot of ways. For example, we could-”

“It was a rhetorical question Quip!” She shouted angrily. “Now will you shut up and help me!?”

“Alright, alright. Geez. No need to be so angry.”

Hoisting himself up onto the overhang, Steve couldn’t help but laugh when he saw that, while still tied together, the two changelings had managed to get themselves stuck in the hole he’d left in the cobblestone hut. At his laughter, both of their gazes shot to look at him, their blue eyes widening in surprise.

“You’re alive!?” Vesper cried out in disbelief. Steve simply nodded.

“Yeah. As you can see,” He spoke, gesturing to his slightly-battered body. “I’m still alive.”

“How?”

Steve shrugged. “Not sure really. Guess I’m just hard to kill.” Reaching over his shoulder, he withdrew his diamond pick-axe. “Anyway, I’m going to be taking that cobblestone back. Hold still.” Hefting the tool high, he slammed it down into the cobblestone, cracking it easily. Repeating the process, he eventually collected every block, leaving the tied-up changelings sitting on the ground.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Putting away the pick, Steve withdrew his sword and approached them. Vesper’s eyes widened and she started scooting away, taking Quip with her.

“W-wait, don’t-!”

Steve raised his blade. Vesper closed her eyes and turned away, preparing for the blow.

Square: Slash

Only, it never came. Instead, she felt a gust of air and the rope tying her fell away. Glancing down, her eyes widened when she saw that her bonds had been cut. She looked up to see Steve looking at her with a level expression.

“Why are you-?”

“Letting you go?” Steve finished, to which both changelings nodded. He sighed, glancing off to his right as he spoke. “Not sure, really. After what you’re colleagues pulled, there’s no reason for me to keep you alive, let alone let you go. But I was never one to punish people for the actions of others.”

Vesper gaped at him in disbelief. “But, but, we hurt her. I was one of the drones that captured her.”

Steve let a small smirk grace his lips. “And in return, you got beaten in a fight, tied up, lugged across the forest and stuck in a cobblestone hut for a while. I think you’re good.” A moment later, his grin fell and he gave both of them a serious look. “That being said, while I won’t hold what you did against you, should we meet again under similar circumstances, I won’t be held responsible for my actions. Understand?”

Vesper and Quip both gulped, then nodded. Steve nodded in return.

“Good.” Walking back to the edge, Steve grabbed his fishing rod, the hook still latched onto the overhang. However, he hesitated. After a few moments, he sighed and glanced back at the duo.

“Look, despite what you may think, I don’t like fighting. I hope that the next time we meet, if we ever do, it’s under much more peaceful circumstances. Until then, goodbye.” And with that, he took a step forward and disappeared from their view.

* * * * *

Steve stepped past the wooden doorway, Zecora cradled in his arms. It was dark, a problem soon fixed as Steve withdrew a torch he’d picked up from the cave and placed it against the wall, leaving it stuck there. Placing the zebra on her bed, he gently walked back into her main room, where he winced slightly at how much of a mess it was.

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head as he looked over the clutter. “Geez, this place is a mess.” His gaze passed over the cauldron, which had been knocked onto its side. Broken glass and scattered herbs littered the floor, along with shards of wood from the destroyed cupboards. Her table and three chairs were broken into bits, along with the small desk drawer, where she kept some of her books, which had been filled with ancient recipes for potions and the like.

Luckily, it seemed like the fight had only taken place in her front room and kitchen. Her bedroom, bathroom and storage room, while thoroughly ransacked, were mostly still intact.

“The last thing she needs to see is her home destroyed when she wakes up.” Steve spoke quietly to himself. “She’s been through enough already.”

‘Shall we get to work then?’ Nightmare Steve asked. Steve nodded, pulling out his crafting table, which he always kept with him.

‘Yup. Let’s do this.’

* * * * *

Steve groaned, laying back against the wall of his friend's home.

“Finally!” He exclaimed in victory. “Done!”

‘Indeed. It looks quite nice, as well.’ Nightmare Steve commented. Nodding, the Crafter took another look at his work.

The windows had been first. To make them, he’d grabbed some sand from nearby and smelted them in a furnace that he’d made from the cobblestone he had.

Next was the cupboards. Now, since he had no idea on how to actually recreate the cupboard, he’d been forced to improvise. He’d made some wooden slabs and a couple trapdoors and placed them against the wall, testing the doors a few times to make sure they worked like they were supposed to.

The table and chairs were easy, just a few fence posts and slabs for the table and a couple stair pieces for the chairs. They’d work until Zecora could find some actual chairs.

He replaced the front door and put a simple chest where her desk drawer had been, placing her recipe books, which luckily hadn’t been damaged, on top. He crafted some of his spare glass into bottles to replace her broken ones and salvaged any herbs he could, which hadn’t been a lot, but it was something.

Getting to his feet, Steve slowly walked over to Zecora’s room to check on her, finding that she was still unconscious. Sighing, he leaned against the doorway.

‘Hey Nightmare, do you know when she’ll wake up?’

‘No. Due to her prolonged exposure, she may be out for a while before the effects wear off.’

‘Damn.’ Steve spoke with a sigh, sliding down the door frame until he was sitting on the ground. ‘May as well wait for her to wake up, then.’ He reasoned, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. ‘It’s not as if I’ve got anything planned for today, anyways.’

‘Actually,’ Nightmare Steve spoke up. ‘If I remember correctly, Trench said he was going to be talking to Derpy today about what happened. Did you not want to help him with that?’

Silence for a moment. Then the Nightmare’s words finally sunk in.

Steve’s eyes shot open. ‘Shit!’

Shooting to his feet, he ran through Zecora’s front room and out the door, slamming it closed behind him. Only to run back in, ripping a piece of paper out of his journal and quickly writing something down on it with his ink-tipped quill. Slipping the paper under the stack of recipe books, he ran out again, the door slamming behind him with a dull thunk.

Soon, silence filled the hut once again.

Author's Note

Thank for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 56: Bugging Out

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve ran along the worn and beaten path, kicking up small plumes of dust with each step. Up ahead, he saw the spot where two paths converged and turned to the left. One, obviously, lead to his home. Steve wasn’t sure where the other path went, he’d never explored it. Upon getting close to the bend, he twisted his lower body and planted his feet, the sudden movement causing him to slide into the turn.

Kicking off the ground, he continued on his way, finding himself at the edge of the forest only a few minutes later. Breaking through the tree line, he maintained his pace, running along the road back to Ponyville.

Upon entering the small town, Steve noticed a shadow pass over him. He looked up to see a squad of pegasi guards flying overhead. One of them glanced down and, upon seeing him, spoke to his comrades, who all looked down at him as well. Circling back around, four guards landed close by.

“You are Steve, correct?” One guard asked as the group slowly approached. The Crafter looked cautiously at the four guards for a moment before giving a single nod. “Good. Princess Celestia has requested that you see her as soon as possible.”

“Why?” Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed slightly in worry. “What happened?”

“We don’t know.” A different guard answered, shrugging. “Haven’t been debriefed yet. After she arrived, she sent us out to look for you almost immediately.”

“Damn it.” Steve groaned in exasperation, rubbing a hand against his face. Sighing, he looked back at the guards. “Alright, where will I find her?”

“Last I checked, she’s still at the barracks talking to the Captain.” The same guard answered, motioning behind them. “If you’ll follow us, we’ll take you to her.”

Steve nodded. “That’d be great, thanks.”

With that, the guards turned and began their walk back to the barracks, Steve following close behind. As they walked, Steve took the time to look around.

‘There were a lot more guards around.’ He thought, glancing up as another squad of pegasi guards flew overhead. Looking to his right, he saw two unicorn guards and an earth pony guard sitting outside a building, talking to a white unicorn mare with light blue hair. She wore these big pink glasses that mostly hid her expression, though from what Steve could tell, she didn’t like what she was hearing. To his left he saw two earth pony guards talking to each other while looking over a paper with some writing on it.

‘Indeed.’ Nightmare Steve spoke, tone confused. ‘But why?’

‘Don’t know.’ Steve responded, continuing to look around. ‘Hey Nightmare, warn me if you notice anything strange, okay?’

‘You got it.’

Continuing to follow the guards, Steve pointedly ignored the stares he was getting from both civilian and guard alike. After all, he figured that it would take a while for them to get used to his presence considering the events of the last few months. At least now, he wasn’t being attacked.

Eventually, the four guards and Steve made it to the other side of town, getting close to the barracks. As they approached, Steve could see that the place was absolutely packed. There was no less than three hundred guards, much more than Steve had ever seen at one time, even back when he’d been a wanted Crafter.

‘What the hell happened that warranted this many guards?’ Steve thought to himself, the worry in his gut only worsening.

‘I don’t know.’ Nightmare Steve responded.

‘Hopefully Celestia will be able to tell us.’

“Steve!” A familiar voice called out. The Crafter’s gaze snapped to the side to see Trench running towards him.

“Hey Trench, how are you doing?” Steve asked, before gesturing with his thumb at the numerous guards that stood nearby. “Also, what’s up with all the guards?”

“I’m doing fine, thanks. As for the guards, well, I‘ll get to that, but first I need to ask you something.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Trench took a moment to look around before leaning in close and speaking in a low voice. “Did you ever activate your Nightmare Form at any time last night?”

Steve, though confused, nodded and whispering back. “Yeah, I did.” Trench gave a sigh of relief. “Why?”

“Come on, follow me. I’ll explain once we find Celestia.” With that, the gray stallion walked off, Steve hastily following after him. After squeezing by a contingent of guards, which was more awkward than Steve could care to mention, they started off towards a wooden building, one that was rather larger than the rest.

“What’s that?” Steve asked, gesturing to the structure.

“That’s the Captain’s quarters. Basically, it’s where the pony that’s furthest up the ‘Royal Guard’ totem pole stays whenever they're in Ponyville. Right now, it’s where Captain Armor is staying.”

“Captain Armor?” Steve inquired, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Trench nodded. “Yeah. The Captain is basically the guy in charge of the Royal Guard, second only to the Princesses.” They arrived at the front of the wooden building. Trench lifted a hoof and gave two sharp knocks on the door.

Silence for a few moments. Trench and Steve glanced at each other for a moment before Trench lifted his hoof and knocked again.

Nothing.

Sighing, Trench went to knock once again...

Triangle: Kick

...only for Steve’s foot to kick the door in with little effort, resulting in a loud crash as the door fell to the floor.

“Whoa!” Trench cried out as he jumped back. He scowled up at Steve. “Dude, what the hay!?”

“I’ll fix it later.” Steve responded as he stepped inside, stepping over the now-cracked door. “Come on.”

Trench sighed, then followed. “Fine. But if anypony complains about the door, I’m blaming you.”

“Fair enough.”

“What in Equestria is going on here!?” A voice, decidedly female, cried out. Both Crafter and stallion whirled around to see a white earth pony mare, with a dark brown mane and hazel eyes, staring at the pair in shock. Clutched in one hoof was a notepad with something written on it.

Trench let out a nervous grin. “O-oh, hey Raven.” The mare glared at Trench.

“That’s Ms. Inkwell to you, General.” The stallion flinched slightly at her harsh tone, but nodded.

“Yeah, sorry. Forgot.”

Inkwell’s expression didn’t change. “Hmph.”

Steve decided to cut in, moving to stand beside the stallion. He’d ask Trench about what had just happened later.

“Hello?” She glanced at him. “Yeah, hi there. So, I’m not sure what your problem is, but Trench here is my friend, so if you could cut the attitude, that’d be great.”

She stared at the Crafter, flabbergasted. “E-excuse me?”

“You’re excused. Now, Celestia is expecting me, so if you could tell us where she is, that’d be great.”

She scowled. “You will refer to her Majesty using her title, you oaf!”

“Really? And if I don’t?”

“Then you’ll have Princess Celestia to answer to!”

Steve looked at her with a deadpan expression. “Celestia was the one that wanted me to call her by her first name. If she didn’t, I’d probably just call her Princess.”

“No you wouldn’t.” Trench spoke, rolling his eyes. Steve looked at the gray stallion for a moment before shrugging.

“Eh, you’re right.”

Raven sighed, frustrated. “Absolutely no respect.” She muttered, before turning to Trench with a frown on her face. “Though if you two are friends, I can see the resemblance.”

Steve glared at the mare. “Now hold the fuck on. What the Nether is your problem?”

“That’s none of your bucking business.” She retorted sharply.

“I beg to differ, you little-”

“Steve.” Trench cut in, putting a hoof on his side. Steve looked down at him with a confused expression. “Please, let it go.”

“Wha-?”

“Hmph.” Raven huffed, before turning away and leaving the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Trench simply sighed and rubbed a hoof against his face while Steve stared at the stallion in confusion.

“Dude, what was that?”

Trench hesitated for a moment, with a conflicted expression on his face. Finally, he sighed again before answering. “We used to date, me and Raven. Safe to say, our relationship didn’t end on the best of terms.”

“What happened?”

“Steve?” A familiar voice asked, prompting them both to whirl around.

The pony to meet their gaze was none other than the Solar Diarch herself, coming out of a nearby room. However, she wasn’t alone. Standing on her right was her slightly-disgruntled looking sister, Luna. On her left was a stallion Steve had only met once, a white unicorn with a two-toned blue mane.

“Oh it’s you.” Steve spoke, with obvious disdain in his voice, deadpanning at Shining Armor. The white unicorn glared at him, teeth grit. “What the Nether are you doing here, White Power?”

“What did you just call me!?” The unicorn snarled. “My name is Shining Armor, you hairless ape!!”

“Oh wow, real original!” Steve drawled sarcastically. “Where’d you get that one, ‘Good clean jokes to tell your parents?!’”

“Enough!!” Celestia shouted, immediately silencing the pair. Huffing, she turned to Shining. “Captain, please inform Commander Ebony of what we discussed.” The unicorn, though he looked ready to argue, swallowed and nodded before turning to leave, only stopping for a moment to glare at Steve before leaving, the door slamming shut behind him.

“We will leave as well, Sister. We require rest for the long night ahead.” Luna spoke, already walking to the door. She glanced at Steve for a moment, but when the Crafter returned the gaze, she quickly left, the door slowly swinging closed.

‘What was that about?’ Steve thought to himself.

‘I’m unsure. I may be wrong, but I sensed a feeling of shame from the Lunar Diarch.’ Nightmare Steve responded. Steve’s eyes widened.

‘What?’

“And as for you.” Celestia interrupted, turning to look at the Crafter. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Steve looked at her with a confused expression.

“What?”

“Steve, I understand that you have many bad experiences with my guards, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t antagonize Captain Armor.”

“Wait, that fucker is the captain?!” Steve cried out in surprise. Celestia blinked in surprise.

“Have you met the captain before?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, one time, right before I threw myself and Trench out a window.”

The Solar Diarch stared at the Crafter with a deadpan expression. “...You, threw yourself, out a window?”

“Yeah. Me and Trench.”

“...Why?”

Steve shrugged. “Your Captain, Shining Armor, and some pink alicorn chick-”

“Princess Cadence.” Trench chimed in.

Steve rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Right. Anyway, those two saw us while we were trying to escape the castle and tried to capture us. Turns out Miss ‘Pretty in Pink’ was pretty pissed at me because she has a few friends in the Guard that I fought at one point or another. I mean, I get why she was mad and all, but still.”

Celestia sighed, pressing a gold-clad hoof to her face. “I will speak to her about this when I return to Canterlot. In the meantime, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

“It’s about the Nightmare, right?”

Celestia blinked in shock. “How did you-?”

“The first thing Trench asked me when I got here was if I’d activated my Nightmare Form at all last night, which I had, so I put two and two together.” He shrugged. “Figured that was most likely it.”

“Your what form?” The Solar Princess inquired, extremely confused.

“My Nightmare Form.” Steve reiterated. When Celestia’s befuddled expression didn’t change, he explained. “Remember that Nightmare that had infected me?” She nodded. “Well, turns out he wasn’t bad. In fact, he helped me take down Herobrine in the Mindscape. And then again, last night, he helped me take on those changelings and rescue Zecora.”

“What?!” Celestia cried out, causing both Steve and Trench to jump slightly from her outburst.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Steve asked in a worried voice.

“Steve.” The Solar Diarch spoke, her voice serious. She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I need you to tell me everything that happened last night. Leave nothing out.”

Steve stared at her, eyebrows furrowed in worry at how panicked she seemed. Taking a deep breath, Steve cooled his nerves and began his tale.

* * * * *

They were already long-gone.

After Steve had recounted what had happened, Celestia had demanded that he take them to the cave. It’d taken less than an hour to get Celestia and the 24 guards she brought along to the cave where Steve had fought the changelings, but by the time they’d arrived, it was too late. Not a single changeling could be found.

Steve sat outside the cave, electing to stay outside while the guards worked. He lay with his back pressed up against the stone wall and his sword held loosely in one hand, the diamond blade glistening slightly in the late morning sun. He was alone, with Celestia and the guards all inside, looking around or whatever it was they were doing. Celestia herself had seemed more, well, keen on finding any changelings that may have remained in the cave.

‘Now that I think about it, she seemed really freaked out on the way over here.’ He thought, putting a hand to his chin as he pondered. ‘You think maybe she’s fought changelings before, Nightmare?’

‘Princess Celestia has lived for many years, Steve. It’s more than possible.’ The Nightmare responded.

‘Yeah, true.’ Steve agreed. ‘I’ll ask her about it when she gets out.’ He decided, taking a deep breath as he leaned back against the rock wall.

“Ow.” An expressly male voice spoke.

The Crafter’s eyes snapped open before he looked to his right, where the voice had come from. As he watched, a changeling slowly stood up from a nearby bush, rubbing his head with a black-cloven hoof, his eyes squinted in pain. Steve’s eyes widened when he remembered the three changelings he knocked out and hidden there the night before. The changeling shook his head for a second before looking around.

His blue eyes widened in horror the moment he spotted Steve, who in turn looked at the changeling in shock. The two stared at each other for a few moments before the Crafter finally spoke.

“Yo.”

The changeling continued to stare for a few moments before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out, collapsing back into the bush he’d risen from.

Steve sighed, before settling back against the wall. He’d deal with that later. It wasn’t like the changeling was going anywhere, after all.

Why did Steve feel like he was forgetting something?

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 57: Meeting the People (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

One Day Later

Steve walked through the empty hall, his footsteps softly echoed as he walked, his quiet breathing helping fill the silence that surrounded him. His gaze lazily drifted around, finding nothing of interest save for a few paintings of ponies, long-since dead, that hung on the wall.

“Clover the Clever. 24 BC - 51 AU.” Steve spoke, reading the small epitaph that hung just below the picture of a pale white mare with a mint-green mane. Her lavender eyes were looking up, a small, confident grin plastered on her muzzle. “She lived over 2,000 years ago, apparently.”

‘Indeed. In fact, she was one of the ponies who unified the three tribes and ended the Great War.’ Nightmare Steve informed his host.

Steve nodded. “Yeah, I remember Derpy telling me something like that a while ago. I gotta say, the mare loves history.”

Steve continued to walk down the hall, soon coming to a turn, where he turned left, only to find more empty hall. Letting out a tired sigh, he rubbed his face with a hand and chuckled.

“You know, for how much the Royal Guard boasts about its security, they do leave a lot of the halls understaffed.” The Crafter commented, looking up and down the corridor. “I haven’t seen a single guard yet today.”

‘Yes, that is strange. Didn’t the Princess say yesterday that she would assign a guard to help you find your way around the castle?’

Steve nodded. “Yeah, but no one ever showed up. Guess whoever it was probably got lost too. Besides, I can find my way around just fine.” He said with a chuckle. “Anyway, Nightmare Steve, could you do that magic sense thing you do and find out where Celestia is?”

‘Sure. Give me a moment.’ It was quiet for a moment as Steve waited patiently for Nightmare Steve to do his work. Finally, after a moment, the Nightmare spoke. ‘She is on the floor below us, to the north-east. I believe there is a set of stairs up ahead and to your right.’

“Got it, thanks.” Steve responded, nodding in appreciation before setting off again down the hall in a slight speed-walk. Approaching the end of the corridor, he glanced to his right and, just like Nightmare Steve had said, there was a set of stairs, one leading up and the other going down. Steve swiftly descended the tiled stone steps down to the landing, before turning to the second set of stairs, which led to the floor below.

Stepping off the last step, he walked into the corridor, looking both ways. Unlike the floor he’d just come from, there was much more activity here, as seen by the trio of maids he saw walking by or the ponies in golden armor that stood guard or patroled about.

They all noticed his arrival immediately, and Steve knew it, from the way the guards all visibly tensed up, or how the maids, after staring at the Crafter with wide, fearful eyes, hurried off the moment he so much as glanced at them. Steve rolled his eyes and let out a sigh before continuing on down the hall.

“Geez, ponies do scare easily, don’t they?” He muttered to himself, ignoring the glare he received from a guard he was passing by. “You’d think that after all the shit that happens in this country they’d be a little less skittish.”

‘These are not the ponies of Ponyville, Steve.’ Nightmare Steve spoke up. ‘Canterlot ponies most likely don’t experience the danger and peculiarity that is the Everfree forest like Ponyville does everyday. That, coupled with the fact that they’ve probably heard about what you can do makes them afraid, which is probably a good thing. After all, it’s better to be feared than to be loved. However, I know that being feared isn’t what you want.’

Steve sighed in exasperation. ‘Of course that isn’t what I want, Nightmare! Villains are the guys that are supposed to be feared! I don’t want to be thought of as a villain!’

‘Then what do you want?’ Nightmare Steve inquired.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, thrown off slightly by the question. ‘What do you mean?’

‘What is it that you want? Out of life, I mean.’ The Nightmare reiterated.

Steve thought for a moment, then shrugged. ‘I’m not sure really. Probably just keep doing what I do best, fighting bad guys and protecting the innocent.’

‘And after that?’

Steve’s footsteps slowed before he came to a stop altogether.

‘Steve?’ The Nightmare inquired, worried about the feeling of sorrow that began to bloom in the Crafter’s chest.

Steve remained silent. Then, after a few moments of silence, he continued walking.

“I don’t know.” He spoke quietly, voice barely audible even though there wasn’t anyone except the two of them around at the moment. “For a while, I thought that I could just keep fighting, and one day I wouldn’t have to any more. That one day I could stop.” His fists were clenched tight and his teeth grit. “But now I’m not so sure. Because I fought, I fought for a long time, and I lost everything as a result. My home. My family. My friends. Everything.” He rubbed his face with one hand. “And then I came here, and I had to fight all over again, be it ponies or manticores, or even Herobrine himself.” He sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop fighting. At some point, something will happen, and I’ll have to pick up my sword again and go off to battle, unsure if I’ll ever return. It seems that, despite my best efforts, I’ll always have to fight.”

He let out a shuddering sigh.

“All I want is a peaceful life. Is that truly too much to ask for?”

The Nightmare didn’t respond.

* * * * *

Celestia was worried, for many different reasons. For one, there was the sudden appearance of changelings in her nation.

She’d only dealt with changelings, as well as their resident queen, twice before. Both times had ended in a terrible battle where many had lost their lives. If the changelings were back, then that meant something bad was going to happen, very soon.

She worried for her citizens, who most of which had only ever lived in relative peace and tranquility their whole lives. They didn’t know what war was, and if she could help it, they never would.

She worried about the various ambassadors that had arrived over the last few days, two minotaurs from Mitural, three ponies from Saddle Arabia, the yak chief and his cohorts from Yakistan, along many others, all arriving to attend the summit she was hosting the next day.

But most of all, she worried about her friend, a certain Crafter who would be staying in the castle for the next couple of days. She worried about how the public would react to him when she finally told them about Steve. It was why she’d invited him to breakfast, so they could talk things over and make a plan. However, almost an hour had passed and Steve still hadn’t arrived.

She sighed, pressing a golden-clad hoof to her forehead. “Steve, where are you?” She muttered to herself.

“Princess?” A familiar voice spoke up from her side. Glancing over, she saw her faithful assistant, Raven Inkwell, standing over to her left. “It’s almost time for Daycourt to begin.”

Hesitating for a moment, Celestia finally nodded, then stood up. “Very well. I’d hoped to meet Steve here this morning, but it seemed he couldn’t make it.” Quickly fitting her crown back onto her head, she nodded to Raven. “Do you have everything you need?”

She nodded.

“Good. Let’s get going then.” With that, they both swiftly left the room, heading towards the throne room so Daycourt could get underway. As they walked, the Solar Diarch glanced over at her assistant, spotting the conflicted look on the young mare’s face.

“Is something wrong Raven?” She asked with a worried tone. Raven hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing your Majesty. Just thinking.”

“About what, if I may ask?” Celestia inquired.

“It’s… about your friend, Mr. Steve.”

The white alicorn’s eyebrow rose. “What about him?”

“It’s just…” Raven sighed before glancing up at Celestia. “Do you really think the public will accept him?”

The Solar Diarch blinked in surprise at the question, then put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“I’m not sure.” She replied after a moment. “I cannot speak for the general public, after all. But it is my hope that they do, for Steve deserves far better than the hoof he’s been dealt.” Sighing, she glanced over at her assistant. “Why do you ask? I thought you didn’t care for him.”

“I don’t.” She responded, shaking her head. “What I do care about is how your friendship with him would affect your public image if they happen to not like him.”

Celestia scowled, already seeing where she was going. “Raven, I trust your opinion on many things, but I will not break my friendship with Steve just to aid my public image, if that is what you’re suggesting.”

Raven sighed. “I figured as much. Just be careful, okay?” She asked, voice soft. “He is pretty well-known, though not for the best reasons.”

The Solar Diarch sighed, then nodded. “I know. But, I hope that the summit today will change that.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Raven inquired.

Celestia didn’t have an answer.

* * * * *

Princess Luna couldn’t sleep.

She tried everything, from fluffing her several pillows to counting imaginary sheep. Nothing worked, which was why she was still awake. Sighing in frustration, she turned over in her bed and sat up, her hind legs hanging off the edge of the mattress. Groaning loudly, she face hoofed.

“Sleep, why dost thou escape us!?” She yelled, before flopping onto her back and sighing. Moments later, there was the slight squeak as her bedroom door slowly opened.

“Uh, your Majesty?” A voice spoke up, prompting the Lunar Diarch to sit back up and glance at the doorway. There was one of her Lunar guards, easily recognizable with his silver-colored armor. His green cat-like eyes and leathery wings informed her that he was a thestral.

“Yes?” Luna spoke, getting onto her hooves. “What is the problem?”

“Um, it’s just…” The guard hesitated. “Well, I heard you yelling just a moment ago, about how you couldn’t sleep. Wanted to know if you needed anything.”

Luna stared at the guard for a few moments as her brain finally registered what he had asked. Then, she shook her head.

“No. There is nothing we need now, thank thee.”

He nodded. “Okay. Just making sure. If you need anything, I’m right outside.” With that, he left the room, the door gently swinging shut behind him. Luna stared at the closed door for a moment, then laid back down on her bed. For a while, she simply stared at the ceiling. Then, she let out a humorless chuckle as she face-hooved.

“Why was I so stupid?” She spoke loudly herself, all traces of her old Equish suddenly gone. “He was never evil, I was just too blind to see it, too eager to win back their affection. He’s done more for our citizens than I ever have. He battled a powerful foe to protect ponies that had hurt him and hunted him. He saved Tia where I was powerless to help her. He tamed a Nightmare whereas I succumbed to its power.” She sighed before rolling over. “What do I do? How can I possibly hope to reconcile my wrongs against him?”

“Well, in my opinion, an apology would be a great start.”

Luna’s eyes widened and she shot up to see a familiar looking stallion standing a short distance away. He walked over and sat next to the bed as Luna sat up.

“Thou art Steve’s companion, the General.”

“Yes.” Trench spoke curtly, expression even. “My name is General Trench Digger, your Highness. And we need to talk.”

Author's Note

Bit of a time skip here, sorry about that, but it was neccessary in order to quickly progress past what would really just be filler. I wanted to include the captured changeling a bit more, but couldn't find a way to properly fit it. Not to worry, you'll see about Kip soon.
Anyway, thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 58: Meeting the People (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve had just missed her.

By the time he’d made it to the dining room, one of the guards had informed him that Celestia had left less than half-an-hour before, though the guard had been given instructions beforehand to make sure Steve was fed, to which the Crafter gratefully accepted. His personal supply of food had slowly been dwindling over the last few days and he hadn’t been able to restock before leaving Ponyville the previous day.

Steve slowly chewed his breakfast sandwich, a small little thing comprised of two slices of bread, a cooked egg which the chef had called a ‘scrambled egg’ and a thin slice of something he’d learned was called cheese. Steve didn’t know what it was, but it sure tasted good.

As he ate, he contemplated the day ahead of him. Celestia had informed him the day before that ambassadors and rulers from various countries would be coming together for some kind of meeting. He’d asked why. She’d informed him that, for one reason or another, they were just as curious about Steve as the ponies of Equestria were. That little tid-bit had really caught him off-guard.

Sighing, Steve tossed the last bite of sandwich into his mouth and chewed, leaning back his head slightly and closing his eyes. After swallowing, he rubbed his face with one hand and groaned.

“What am I gonna do?” He muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the large double doors nearby opened with a slight creak. Immediately afterward, Steve heard the sound of talons clicking on the smooth tiled floor, accompanied by voices, three of them in fact, two of them female while the last was distinctly male. The Crafter looked up.

There, standing a short distance away, were some of the strangest creatures Steve had ever seen, and that was saying something. The first was a tall, white furred, griffon-like creature, with large white wings and a beautiful orchid-colored feather-mane and tail. The sky-blue feathers on her chest matched the three feathers that stood proudly at the front of her golden crown.

The second was much shorter than the first, with a yellow coat of fur and a similarly colored pair of feathered wings. She had a cyan-colored mane and tail, with a strange pink flower behind one ear. Around her neck was a simple necklace with blue and pink gemstones.

The last was undoubtedly a guard of some kind, tall and powerful-looking, only further implied by the golden chestplate and helmet the creature wore. His fur and feathers were blue, while his mane and tail were fuschia colored.

None of them noticed him at first, too busy talking about something as they walked inside the dining room. It wasn’t until they started to approach the table that Steve was sitting at that the guard happened to glance up and see him. Immediately, he froze up, his blue eyes widening at the sight of Steve. His companions noticed this and looked up as well. The yellow one stopped short, freezing on the spot just like the guard. The tall one had a look of surprise on her face.

For a few moments, no one spoke a word, instead continuing to stare in silence. Then, Steve spoke.

“What in the fuck are you?”

All three of the creatures blinked in surprise at his rather blunt question. After a moment, the tall one responded.

“I’m sorry?”

“What the hell are you?” Steve reiterated. “Because I’ve seen a lot of weird things since I came here, but I’ve never seen anything like you guys before. You look a lot like griffons, but different at the same time.”

‘I believe they are hippogriffs, Steve.’ Nightmare Steve quietly informed.

“We are hippogriffs, strange creature.” The tall one spoke, her voice calm and collected despite the confusion and shock she was probably feeling. “I am Queen Nova.” She gestured to the shorter yellow hippogriff, then the guard. “This is my daughter, Princess Skystar, and this is Commander Typhoon, my most trusted guard.”

Skystar smiled and waved. “Hello.”

Typhoon simply gave a nod. “Greetings”

Steve grinned. “Wassup? I’m assuming you’re all here for the summit today?”

Queen Nova nodded. “Yes, we are. Now, if I may ask, who are you, strange creature?”

Steve grinned while gesturing to himself with a thumb. “I’m Steve. Although, I suppose my full title would probably be something like ‘Steve of Minecraftia,’ or something like that but I don’t know. I was never really one for formalities.”

Skystar’s eyes widened in recognition. “Wait, you’re Steve!? You’re the dude who’s been causing so much trouble around here for the last few months!?”

The Crafter groaned before smacking his forehead into the table in front of him. He repeated this action a few times. After the fourth time, he let out a loud sigh. “Well, good to know my reputation precedes me.” Sighing, he turned his head to look at the trio of hippogriffs. “Just so I’m aware, what do you guys know, or rather think you know about me, exactly?”

They all glanced at each other for a moment before Nova responded. “Well, reports first said that you were a mysterious, violent being, able to take out entire squads of guards with little effort.”

Steve thought for a moment, then sighed. “Well, at least they got that right.” He glanced back at them. “What else?”

Queen Nova blinked in surprise, while Commander Typhoon narrowed his gaze.

“You aren’t going to like, I don’t know, deny it?” Skystar asked, sounding confused. Steve shook his head.

“Well, it’s not as if they’re entirely wrong. Given what I’ve had to do to protect myself and my friends, and, given how many people got hurt in the process, they have more than enough reason to think so. I’m not saying it’s right or correct,” He stated, raising one finger to emphasize his point. “I’m just saying it’s at least reasonable. It’s not as if I wanted to fight, after all, but it’s not like they gave me much of a choice.”

“...I must say, you are not at all what I expected.” Queen Nova stated, with a hint of disbelief.

Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “And what exactly did you expect?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I know it wasn’t this.”

“Agreed.” Typhoon confessed. “While I mean this in the best way possible, after hearing about what you’ve done, seeing you here now is kind of, well, underwhelming.

The commander’s comment slightly stung Steve’s pride, but the Crafter let it go. It wasn’t as if the hippogriff had meant it as an insult, anyways. Sighing, Steve rested his chin on one hand. “Well, I’ll admit that I’m usually not this mellow, but I’m still recovering from the shitty couple of weeks I’ve had. Not to mention that I’m a bit stressed about the summit today. Trust me when I say I’m normally not this out of it.”

“Excuse me?” A new voice spoke up, coming from behind the three hippogriffs. They all turned around to see a guard standing a short distance from the door, looking just the tiniest bit nervous. He glanced up at Queen Nova and did a small bow.

“Your Highness. I apologize for having to cut your conversation short, but Mr. Steve’s presence has been requested.”

“Really? By who?” The Crafter asked as he sat up, turning to face the stallion.

“The Black Claw, sir.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What do they want?” The guard shrugged and shook his head.

“I don’t know, sir. They didn’t tell me why, just that they wished to speak with you as soon as possible, preferably before the summit.”

Steve leaned his head back and sighed, glaring at nothing in particular before nodding and getting to his feet. “Alright. It’s not like I had anything else planned, so may as well see what the hit-squad wants.” He turned and gave a small bow, for formality's sake. “See ya around your Highness.”

“Goodbye, Steve of Minecraftia.” Queen Nova spoke, returning the bow.

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Steve.” Princess Skystar chirped.

The Crafter smirked. “You too, Princess.” Glancing over, he smirked and gave Typhoon a two-fingered salute. “See ya around, Commander. Maybe, if you’re up for it later, we can spar a bit, see if you still think I’m underwhelming afterwards.”

The commander examined Steve’s face, looking for any hint of hostile intent. He found none. After concluding that Steve really meant no harm, Typhoon smirked back, then nodded. “You’re on.”

“See ya then.” With that, the Crafter and guard both swiftly left the room, the solid doors closing with a dull thud.

* * * * *

Steve walked through the halls of Canterlot, his echoing footsteps accompanied by the quiet clanking of metal-coated hooves, emanating from the guard by his side. Neither of them spoke as the guard lead Steve through the maze of halls that was Canterlot Castle. Eventually, they came to a set of big wooden doors. Stepping forward, the guard knocked three times.

Nothing for a moment. Steve and the guard stood there for a full minute before they heard the sound of quiet jingling and muffled cursing. Then, a slat on the door opened up and two familiar, glowing draconic eyes stared back.

“Who the… Steve? The fuck are you doing here?” Thorn asked, his gruff tone accompanied with a hint of surprise.

“This guy said that the Black Claw wanted to speak with me.” Steve answered, gesturing to the guard beside him with a thumb.

Thorn looked very confused for a moment before a flash of realization flashed in his eyes and he face-palmed with a groan.

“Oh for fuck’s sakes, Nog.” The dragon muttered, rolling his eyes. The wooden slat slid back in place a moment later, followed by even more jingling and the door swinging open. Thorn stood in the doorway, his face set in a scowl. “I thought you were supposed to be going to that royal meeting the Sun Princess is setting up.”

“The meeting isn’t for another hour.” The guard beside Steve informed.

“Yeah, I got time. Besides, I’m curious as to why the Black Claw wants to speak to me, despite our less-than-ideal past.” Steve spoke, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

Thorn didn’t respond for a moment, continuing to stare at Steve with a level expression before glancing over at the guard. “Wait here.” With that, he walked back in the room, this time leaving the door open. Getting the hint, Steve followed through, the door slamming shut behind him.

Inside, Steve found himself in what looked like a small lobby, with a wooden desk parked over to the right with a large cork board hanging behind it. On it were a few dozen papers with scribblings on them that Steve couldn’t quite make out.

“C’mon, this way.” Thorn spoke. Steve glanced up to see the dragon about to enter a door over on the other side of the room. The Crafter walked over as Thorn, instead of knocking like a normal person, punched the door, slamming it open with a loud bang.

“Nog, you big, brown asshole, where the fuck are you!!” He yelled, stomping into the room.

“The buck are you yelling about, Thorn!?” Steve heard a familiar voice shout back.

Steve walked in, looking around the rather large room he’s just entered. It looked like a military bunk room, only it was much bigger than any he’d ever lived in back home. There was one bed in each corner of the room. One in the far left was entirely covered by thick blankets that hung from the ceiling, blocking sight from whatever lay within. The one directly to his left was covered in a whole slew of weapons and armor, all made for a being who was much taller and stouter than he was. On the far right, a rather large pile of gems and gold sat next to the bed, far more than Steve had ever seen in in place, except for maybe the Stonetop royal treasury. The bed directly to his right was covered in stray feathers and torn blankets. On the wall was a few posters of some armored griffon that Steve didn’t recognize. Who Steve did recognize, however, was the irritated griffon that lay in the make-shift nest that was on the bed.

“Riz?” The Crafter asked with a surprised tone. The griffon, who’d been focused on Thorn, whirled around in shock at the Crafter’s voice.

“Steve!” Riz yelled before he shakily got to his feet and jumping off the bed, though he stumbled slightly upon landing, wincing in pain. Quickly shaking it off, he bounded toward Steve, quickly wrapping his arms around the Crafter, hugging him. “You’re okay!”

Steve swiftly returned the hug, grinning down at the griffon. “Of course I’m okay, man! This is me, we’re talking about! I’m a tough son of a bitch.”

Riz nodded, stepping back from the hug. “I know, but after hearing about what happened while I was out, I was worried. You’re tough, yeah, no doubt about that, but you’re not invincible.”

“True.” Steve agreed. “Anyways, do you happen to know why I got a summons from the Black Claw?” Riz thought for a moment, shook his head.

“I know that Nog wanted to talk to you, but I don’t know why.”

“Steve.” Nog’s familiar voice spoke from behind the pair. Turning around, Steve saw the minotaur standing a short distance away, with Thorn standing next to him.

“Yeah?” Steve inquired, looking between the two with a puzzled expression. “What is it?”

“Riz told us of what happened. In Mindscape.”

“Oh. Okay, cool. Good to know.” Steve looked from minotaur, to dragon, to griffon, then back. “That doesn’t explain why I’m here.”

“Riz wasn’t around for half of the actual fighting, since you apparently got to his Nightmare later than the others, and he wasn’t conscious to see the ending of the fight with you all and that asshole What’s-his-face.” Thorn spoke.

“Herobrine.”

The dragon deadpanned at Steve before continuing. “Anyway, Nog here wanted to hear about what happened from your perspective. Though I can’t imagine why you had to be brought to our private quarters to tell us.”

“This room secure. No listening ears.” Nog replied.

“You’re being paranoid.”

“Better safe than sorry.”

Steve glanced at Thorn. “He’s got a point, you know.” Thorn scoffed. Shrugging, the Crafter focused his gaze back on the minotaur, crossing his arms. “So, what do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“Alright, but I’ll have to summarize a bit since it’s a long story and I have to get ready for the summit soon.”

Nog nodded. “Fair.”

Steve glanced at Riz, who was watching him intently, before looking at Thorn, who appeared to be listening but the Crafter wasn’t sure. Taking a deep breath, Steve sat back against a nearby wall and began his tale.

* * * * *

Steve hurried through the halls of Canterlot Castle, hoping that the guard running beside him knew where he was going. He’d wasted too much time recounting the events of the Nightmare Gauntlet, only managing to finish up ten minutes before the summit was supposed to begin, which explained why the guard had been knocking furiously at the door, yelling for Steve to hurry up.

They turned sharply down a hall, Steve nearly knocking the stallion over. A short distance ahead, Steve spotted Celestia’s assistant, Raven, standing in front of a door. Upon seeing him, she grit her teeth and gestured for him to hurry up.

“Where were you!?” She growled once the pair got close enough. “The meeting’s already started!”

The guard, gasping for breath, merely pointed a hoof at Steve.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Got held up.” He replied, panting slightly as he quickly caught his breath. Near infinite stamina really had its uses. “Are they all in there?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed.

“Well then, best not keep them waiting any longer, eh?” Steve replied, walking over to the set of double doors, hand already reaching out to open them.

“Wait.”

Steve’s hand stopped just inches away from the door handle. He glanced over at Raven with a questioning expression.

“What?”

She looked away for a moment before glancing back at Steve. “Look, leaders and representatives from almost every nation are going to be in there. There’s a lot on the line here, for everypony. Please, for everypony’s sake, be careful.”

Steve stared down at the mare with a serious expression. Sure, he didn’t particularly like her, given how she treated Trench badly, but he could see that she was really worried, and he couldn’t blame her.

He smiled. “Don’t worry, Ms. Inkwell, everything will be fine. This ain’t my first rodeo, after all.”

She gave him a surprised look. “You’ve done this before?”

He nodded and his smile fell into a slightly grimmer expression. “Yeah, twice. Neither was for the best reasons.” Sighing, he turned back to the doors. Stepping forward, he placed his hands on either door.

“Showtime.”

With a firm push, the doors swung open, and Steve stepped inside.

Author's Note

I am so freaking sorry that this chapter was posted so late, you guys. I've always had trouble with dialogue, and the copious amounts that this chapter has really took it out of me, and it's still only moderately good. And next chapter is going to have even more, so yeah, that sucks.
Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 59: Meeting the People (Part 3)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The room was completely silent as Steve walked in, save for his footsteps thumping quietly against the wood flooring beneath his feet. He found himself standing in a small, amphitheatre-like room, with creatures of all kinds sitting in the wooden seats above from which they looked down at him. Some he recognized, like the hippogriffs he’d met that morning sitting over to his left, while some he didn’t, like the two tall, horse-like beings that stared down at him with an unrecognizable gaze. Directly in front of him, at the head of the room, sat Celestia, who gave a silent sigh of relief at the sight of him.

Walking into the center of the room, Steve gave a bow.

“I apologize for being late, but I was held up.” He spoke loudly, ensuring everyone in the room could hear him.

“All is forgiven, Mr. Steve.” Celestia responded. “We were just going over the formalities for the summit before you arrived.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Steve spoke with another bow. “Anything I should be aware of?”

She shook her head. “No, just a few pleasantries and the like.” Clearing her throat, she shuffled a few papers she had and looked around the room. “Now that Steve has arrived, the introductions can begin.

From Steve’s left, a large black minotaur stood. “I am King Stonewall, from the Kingdom of Mitural.”

Next was a ruby-colored thestral stallion. “I am King Ferdus, ruler of the Flugeltes Empire.”

On and on they went, from the griffons from some place called Griffonstone, to Princess Seyfi from Zebrica. All in all, it took around fifteen minutes for introduction to conclude. Once that was over and everyone had settled back down, Celestia cleared her throat and spoke.

“Respected leaders and ambassadors, we have gathered here today to discuss the being who now stands before us all. You may have heard many things about him. I ask that you leave any assumptions you may have at the door. We are here to discuss the facts, as well as talk to the being in question.” She gestured to Steve with one hoof before looking back around the room once again. “Since formalities and introductions have concluded, it is now time for opening statements and questions. If you have anything to say or ask, now is the time.”

For a moment, no one in the assembly moved. Then, over to Steve’s far right, King Ferdus stood, his sharp red eyes centered on Steve. The Crafter met his gaze unflinching.

“I have heard many things about you, Steve, things that even I hesitate to believe. So I must ask, what are you?”

The Crafter quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Did the Princess not tell-?”

“Yes, I know you call yourself a Minecraftian.” The thestral king rudely interrupted. “Princess Celestia has already explained that to all of us. What I mean is, what is a Minecraftian?”

Steve, though slightly put off by the interruption, put a hand to his chin as he thought. “Well,” He began, after a moment of silence. “Put simply, Minecraftians, or Crafters for short, are beings of power, meant to be able to survive a harsh world that was quite literally out to kill us.” Steve continued talking, even as memories of past events appeared in his mind’s eye. His blade, shining in the moonlight, cutting down mob after mob. His friends, surrounded, fighting for their lives. The cries of agony cut painfully short. “Monsters, terrible creatures of the night plagued the land, killing any Crafter they could find. No matter how many of them we killed, they would always come back, stronger than before.”

Shaking his head, he gazed up at the occupants of the room. “You have to understand, most Crafters were made to farm, to forge, to cook, etc. We were meant to be a peaceful race. We weren’t made for war, but,” Steve let out a heavy sigh. “we damn sure had to learn.”

“Most?” A voice spoke up from the left of the room. Glancing over, the Crafter saw it was a rather large, black minotaur that spoke. At Steve’s confused expression, he reiterated. “You said most of your kind weren’t made for war.”

Seeing where the minotaur was going, Steve sighed and nodded. “Yeah, most weren’t. I was a, well, I was a special case. Unlike most Minecraftians, I was made with the capabilities of doing everything a Crafter could do. Sort of a Jack-of-all-trades, type of thing.”

“What made you so special?” The griffon king Pathi spoke with a mocking tone, sneering down at the Crafter below, who glared back up at him.

“My purpose was far different from that of most Crafter’s.” Steve responded, expression level as he looked at the griffon. “Most Crafter’s were born in times of peace. I wasn’t. When I woke up, a threat far greater than anything any of you have ever seen was ravaging the world. Someone had to do something about it.”

“And what was this threat?” Queen Nova inquired, looking just the slightest bit worried.

Steve opened his mouth to answer, but his breath caught in his throat. Memories of his recent fight against Herobrine replayed in his mind. Shaking his head, he took a quick glance around the room and found that every eye was on him, waiting for his answer. He glanced up at Celestia, who gave a small, encouraging smile, nodding as if to say, ‘It’s okay.’

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing.

“His name was Herobrine.” The very name tasted like poison on his lips. “And he was a monster. He created the very creatures that attacked and killed many of my kind. He attacked the Kingdom of Ironwood, my home, where me and thousands of fellow Crafters lived, and burned it to the ground. He massacred hundreds of my kin, all because he was jealous of something that he couldn’t have.” Steve’s fists were clenched so hard, his very bones were creaking with the strain. His eyes were squinted shut, trying to keep the tears from falling as he remembered. He laughed a sad, hollow laugh. “You know, it’s kinda funny. The only thing I’ve ever wanted was a peaceful life. And the only thing I can’t ever seem to get is exactly that. And it’s not for lack of trying, either. I fought in the First Mob War, under the delusion that afterwards, I could live in peace. And then, after the Second Mob War happened, I was stupid enough to hope that it was finally over. Then, that final battle happened and suddenly...” Steve sighed. “Living peacefully didn’t matter anymore.”

“...Why not?” Queen Nova asked, after a few moments of silence. “Why didn’t it matter anymore?” Steve opened his eyes, but didn’t look at her. Tears began slowly leaking down his cheeks, plopping silently onto the wooden floor below.

“Over 6,000 Crafters, all under my command, marched into hell that day to fight against Herobrine and his army of monsters.” Steve spoke quietly, just barely loud enough for those around to hear. “I was the only one to walk out.”

He didn’t elaborate, but then again, he didn’t need to. Only an idiot wouldn’t have figured out what the Crafter was implying. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Steve looked up to King Ferdus, the thestral straightening up slightly at the action. “To answer your question, your majesty, I am many things. A Minecraftian. A friend. A warrior. A ki-” Steve cut himself off. “Well, not anymore.” The Crafter sighed. “But now, after everything I’ve been through, there’s one thing that I know I am, above all else.” A pause. “I’m exhausted.”

He let out a humorless chuckle as he looked up at them all with a tired expression, which was emphasized by his tear-stained cheeks. “I’m tired of fighting. I’m tired of killing. I’m tired of it all. I want to be able to stop, to be able to put my sword down and not have to pick it up again.” Another sigh. “But I know I won’t be able to.”

“Why not?” This time, it was Celestia who asked, looking at Steve with a sorrowful and worried expression.

The Crafter shrugged. “Just a hunch. I’m a soldier after all. If I don’t fight, what good am I?”

Silence hung over the room like a thick blanket. After all, what was one supposed to say after everything Steve had just told them? Celestia herself, despite her thousands of years of experience, struggled and failed to find the proper words to say. A quick glance around the room informed her that everyone else felt the same.

“Do you have proof?”

Except for one, apparently.

Steve looked up to see King Stonewall looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

“What?” The Crafter asked.

“You claim much, Steve. I merely ask if you have any proof to your words.”

“You dare call him a liar!?” Celestia yelled, glaring at the minotaur as she shot to her hooves.

“I barely know this creature! Why should I take his words at face value?!” King Stonewall countered, returning the alicorn’s glare.

“You want proof?” Though he didn’t raise his voice, Steve’s words rang out, causing all to look back down to him. He stared at the floor, fists shaking at his side. “Then I’ll give you proof.” Reaching up, Steve grabbed the collar of his old, worn, blue shirt. With a single tug, the garment came off and was unceremoniously dropped in a heap on the floor.

Celestia’s eyes widened and a hoof flew to her mouth as she gasped, an action which many in the room copied.

Scars.

They were everywhere.

They littered the Crafter’s body, crisscrossing this way and that. Some were small, but those ones were mostly overshadowed by the much larger scars that seemed to cover most of Steve’s body, like the one that stretched from his left shoulder to his right side, crossing over a large, star-like scar on his chest. On the Crafter’s left side, just under his armpit, lay a large patch of scarred skin where there was a slight impression in his torso.

For a few moments, Steve stood there in silence, letting them soak in the sight of his scarred body. Looking up, his hard glare met King Stonewall’s gaze.

“This proof enough for ya?” He asked, tone heavily laced with sarcasm. The minotaur king didn’t move. Sighing, Steve shook his head as he redonned his shirt, the blue cloth once again covering his scars.

“Is there anything else?” Steve asked, looking around the room.

Queen Nova spoke up, holding up a hoof. “I would like to propose a recess. All in favor?”

Every hoof/talon/claw/whatever else shot up.

Celestia let out a silent sigh of relief. “Proposition accepted. We will reconvene in 30 minutes.” Her hoof banged twice against the floor, finalizing her statement.

By the time her hoof came down the second time, Steve was already gone.

* * * * *

Trench sat on the bench, donut in one hoof and newspaper in the other. Taking another bite, he lazily flipped to the next page.

Sighing, he threw the paper aside and sat back, staring up at nothing in particular. While his talk with Luna, (which really just consisted of him calling her stupid and her agreeing) had gone well enough, that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. A summit of all the nations leaders was a big deal, and Steve was at the center of it.

Trench scoffed. He’d seen him stand against a literal god. The stallion was sure that Steve could-.

“Hey Trench.”

Trench’s eyes widened in shock as his head whipped around to see none other than the Crafter himself standing nearby, though he looked absolutely terrible. His eyes were puffy and red. He was slouched, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

Walking over, Steve plopped himself down on the bench beside Trench.

“Steve, what-?”

The Crafter stopped him with a finger. “Trench, buddy, I know you want to help, really, I do. But right now, can we just, like, not talk? I really need some quiet time right now.”

The stallion looked at Steve with obvious worry on his face, but remained silent. Steve sighed and planted his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry Trench. I didn’t-”

“It’s fine.” The stallion interrupted. “I know that if you don’t want to talk, then you must really need some quiet time, so I’ll just leave you-!”

Steve’s arms suddenly wrapped around Trench’s barrel, the Crafter pulling him close.

“Please, don’t. I don’t want to be alone right now.” Steve whispered, pressing his face against Trench’s shoulder.

The stallion nodded and gently returned the hug.

“Don’t worry Steve. I’m not going anywhere.”

Author's Note

Emotions are hard to write. Especially if they aren't mine. If any of you have any pointers on how to improve that, be sure to tell me.

Anyway, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 60: Subdued (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve wasn’t sure how long he sat there, hugging Trench as tears poured down his face. Not that he cared. He was tired, his heart hurt, his head hurt, really, pretty much everything hurt.

Trench, just as Steve had requested, didn’t say anything. He knew that his friend was hurting, so he tried his best to comfort the Crafter, gently rubbing his back as Steve cried into Trench’s fur.

Eventually, the sobs quieted and his grip on Trench loosened ever-so-slightly before he pulled away, sniffling and wiping his nose with the collar of his shirt.

“Sorry dude.” He muttered, looking away. Trench gave a small chuckle and shook his head.

“It’s fine, Steve. You looked like you needed a hug anyway.” At this, the Crafter chuckled.

“Yeah, guess I did. Thanks.”

The pair quickly settled back into silence, with Trench not knowing what to say and Steve not wanting to say anything, really. However, the awkwardness eventually got to Trench, and he spoke.

“Look, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, I get it. But, I have to ask.” Trench let out a heavy sigh before glancing at Steve. “What happened?”

For a little while, Steve didn’t respond, instead continuing to stare down at his worn black boots. His hands wrung together, as if they were trying to strangle one another. One foot tapped quietly against the shiny tiled floor.

“I remembered.” Steve muttered quietly. Trench’s ears shot up, but he didn’t speak, signifying he was listening. “I remembered things that I’d hoped and prayed I’d forgotten about. But I never did.” He let out a shuddering sigh. “I thought I was over it, Trench. I really thought I was. I thought that after enough time, the pain would just, kinda, go away, I guess? Like that old saying from back home. I think it went something like, ‘Time heals all wounds.’” Steve chuckled, the very noise sounding dead and hollow. “What a joke. If it was being honest, it would say, ‘Time heals most wounds,’ because considering how long it’s been, how long I was alone for…” The Crafter sighed. “If time hasn’t already fixed me, then it never will.”

“...How, uh, how long were you alone for?” Trench asked, hesitantly. Steve glanced at the stallion for a moment before sighing and putting a hand to his chin in thought.

“Uh, a couple years.” The Crafter quietly responded, shrugging. “I’m not sure. I stopped keeping track after, well, you know.”

Trench looked away with a grim expression on his face. “Sorry.”

“I know you didn’t mean to, Trench. It’s okay.”

The stallion scoffed and shook his head. “Steve, it doesn’t take a genius to know that what happened to you was the exact opposite of ‘okay.’”

Steve, after a moment, sighed and nodded with a weary expression. “You’re right, it’s not okay. Don’t know why I keep saying it’s okay when it’s really not. Just feels right to say, I suppose. But as fucked up as it is, it happened a long time ago, so I don’t see the purpose of people pitying me for something that happened years ago. Sure, I’m fairly scarred, both physically and mentally, but that’s on me, not you guys. No one should have to go through what I did.”

Trench nodded. “Yeah, they shouldn’t.” After a few moments, the stallion sighed heavily and dragged his hooves over his face.

Steve quirked an eyebrow as he glanced at the stallion. “What’s up?”

“I, well, I want to say something to make you feel better, or something but my brain must’ve decided to stop working because I can’t think of anything to say!” He said loudly, exasperated.

The Crafter let out a small chuckle and patted Trench on the back. “It’s fine. It’s happened to me a few times where I can’t think of anything to say. Especially after coming here. Admittedly, I was out of practice with, you know, talking to someone other than myself.”

Trench winced, but gave a small nod. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

The duo lapsed back into silence, Steve staring at the floor with downcast eyes and Trench copying the action. For a little while, they continued to sit there, letting the quiet settle around them, broken only by the sound of their breathing or the slight shuffle as one of them shifted in their seat.

“...How did you keep going?” Trench quietly asked. Steve glanced at the stallion with a confused expression.

“What?”

“After everything that happened to you, after everything you’ve been through, how did you find the strength to keep going, even after you lost everything?” Trench asked, looking up at the Crafter.

Steve didn’t answer immediately, hand rubbing his chin in thought as he looked at the floor absentmindedly. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and answered.

“I don’t know, honestly. By all rights, I should have given up, but for whatever reason, I didn’t. I just kept on going, pushing forward past the hardships that faced me. Sure, I was alone, and I’d lost everyone I’d ever cared about, but I know for a fact that if I’d just given up and died, then everything my kind fought for would be for nothing. I couldn’t let that happen.” Steve looked away with downhearted expression on his face. “I’d let them down once already, I didn’t want to let them down a second time.”

Trench opened his mouth to say something, anything, but once again, his words failed him. Jaw snapping closed, he turned away.

‘Steve.’ Nightmare Steve spoke, voice soft. The Crafter jerked slightly as the Nightmare caught him off-guard.

‘Yeah? What is it?’ He responded in his head.

‘Princess Celestia is approaching our location. She appears to be worried, which makes sense regarding what happened earlier.’

Steve nodded. ‘Yeah, makes sense. Thanks for the heads up.’

‘No problem.’

Moments later, Steve heard the sound of metal gently clanging against the ground. Looking up, he saw that Princess Celestia was indeed walking down the hall, a worried expression on her face. As soon as their eyes met, Steve gave a half-hearted smile and waved. Celestia let out a small sigh and hurried over, her gold-clad hooves making soft clanging sounds as she trotted over.

“Hey Celestia.”

“Hello Princess.” Trench spoke, giving a quick salute.

“Hello.” The Solar Diarch responded with a nod. Her eyes looked over Steve’s laid-back form, taking in his tired-looking state. She winced. “Steve, I cannot apologize enough for what happened.”

Steve looked at her with a confused expression. “Why are you apologizing? It wasn’t your fault.”

“No, but it was my idea for you to attend the summit.”

Steve scoffed. “Come on, Celestia. You’re powerful, yeah, but you can’t tell the future. It was just bad luck that what happened today happened. Besides, it’s my fault for letting my emotions get out of check.” Glancing up, he saw the look of disbelief Celestia was giving, to which he sighed. “Look, King Ferdus’ question was a legitimate one, and I can’t fault King Stonewall for asking for proof of my past. Honestly, sometimes I have trouble believing it myself, and it happened to me.”

Celestia’s expression morphed into one of understanding as the Crafter explained himself. “I know, Steve, but it hurt me to see you like that. Granted, I haven’t known you for very long, something I hope to rectify in the coming days, but I’ve known you long enough to know that you are a strong and capable being, both physically and mentally. I can only imagine what you have endured in the past if remembering brought you to tears.”

“Yeah. I think it’s safe to say my past isn’t exactly the best, that’s for sure. Anyone else agree?” Steve said with a chuckle, attempting to bring some humor into the conversation. Based on how neither alicorn nor earth pony were giving the barest hints of a laugh, it didn’t work. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, thought a little humor would help. Anyways, considering how long I’ve been sitting here, I guess the whole ‘recess’ time is up?”

Celestia nodded. “It ended about 15 minutes ago. We decided to have another recess while I came to find you.”

Letting out a groan, the Crafter got to his feet. “Damn it. Well, let’s get a move on then.” He made to begin walking, but was stopped by a gold-clad hoof. He looked up to see Celestia, with a sad expression on her face and sympathy in her eyes.

“Steve, I would completely understand if you don’t wish to return to the summit. I can simply inform the other rulers and ambassadors that you-”

The Crafter shook his head. “No, no, I’m going. This summit is really important, and I’m not gonna let my emotions get in the way.” Walking around her hoof, he started off down the hall. Glancing over his shoulder, he gave Celestia and Trench a smirk as he walked away. “And don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” Moments later, he turned into a different hallway and disappeared from view. Sighing, Celestia shook her head and glanced over at Trench.

“I suppose there isn’t any chance that he’ll change his mind?”

The stallion shook his head. “Considering how stubborn he is, not a chance.”

“I figured.” Glancing away for a moment, the Solar Diarch looked back at Trench. “Before I forget, Captain Armor wanted you to find him as soon as you can.”

Trench quirked an eyebrow. “What does the Captain want?”

“He wanted to speak to you about our resident Crafter.” She replied. The stallion’s eyes both widened slightly in understanding.

“Ah. Then I will seek him out immediately. Goodbye, Princess Celestia.” Trench spoke, bowing low before quickly rushing off, going the opposite direction from where Steve had gone, disappearing from view only moments later. Sighing, Celestia’s horn twinkled and in a flash, she was gone.

* * * * *

Ten or so minutes later, Steve found himself back in the summit room. Upon entering, any conversation died and all eyes turned to him. Stopping short, his gaze wandered over the assembly of rulers and ambassadors for the second time that day. He saw Celestia sitting in the same spot she’d been before, looking at him with an expression of pity on her face. Letting out a small sigh, he walked towards the small wooden pedestal in the center of the room, where he’d stood earlier that morning.

“I apologize once again for my tardiness.” He stated, giving a small bow.

“You are forgiven, Steve.” Celestia stated with a nod. “Considering the circumstances of your departure, I do not believe there are any who blame you for being late.” Her words were followed by various nods and murmurs of agreement. “Now Steve, before we begin, I feel that I should again remind you that if you don’t want to, you don’t have to attend the summit from this point on. I have talked with every creature here and they have all agreed with me on this.”

Steve sighed. “I understand, and thank you all for your concern, though it is not needed. As I stated before, it was my fault for letting my emotions get out of check. King Ferdus’ question was fair one, maybe even a necessary one to ask, and I can’t fault King Stonewall for asking for proof considering how unbelievable my story must be. Honestly, I was surprised that more of you didn’t ask for proof.” Taking a deep breath, Steve continued. “That being said, I feel that any business regarding my existence should be held with me in attendance, for obvious reasons. Unless, of course, anyone here is against this.” The Crafter’s gaze wandered over the room. No one objected to his words. Nodding, Steve faced Celestia, a small grin on his face. “Your concern is acknowledged and appreciated. But, I will remain in attendance. After all, I feel that many here still have a few questions for me.”

Celestia stared at the Crafter with an unreadable expression before sighing heavily and nodding. “Very well then. Let the meeting sumit commence once more!” She banged her hoof twice.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere

The forest was silent, save for a few birds chirping and a soft wind blowing through the leaves of trees up above. It was peaceful and serene, the perfect place for a walk or even perhaps a picnic.

Whooooosh!

Or, if you were feeling adventurous enough, a swirling yellow portal, which randomly popped into existence and spit something, or rather someone, onto the ground below before disappearing just as suddenly as it appeared.

“Wah!!”

Thud.

“Owwww.” Came a rather feminine-sounding groan. After a moment, there was a crinkling sound, as though dry grass was being crushed underfoot.

“Ugh, that’s the last time I go through a strange portal, that’s for sure.” Another groan.

Silence for a moment.

“Where in Minecraftia am I?!”

Author's Note

And before any of you say anything, no, it isn't another Minecraftian. With that out of the way, I'll let you speculate what she is.
Anyways, with that out of the way, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comment!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 61: Subdued (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The summit went on for a while. Just as Steve had figured, many of the rulers and leaders had questions to ask. Some were simple, like when Princess Skystar has asked him what his hobbies were. Others were a bit more complicated to explain, like when the king of Griffonia had asked him where he’d learned to fight. He’d given them the truth, that he’d never been formally trained and had to learn to fight on his own against the monsters that plagued his world. This little fact seemed to interest Commander Typhoon for some reason.

Regardless, after maybe an hour or so, the questions stopped coming, and Steve could breathe a sigh of relief. None of the questions asked had been too intrusive and he’d had little trouble answering their inquiries. Taking a quick look around the room, he looked up at Celestia, who then glanced around the room as well.

Seeing that there weren’t anymore questions, the Solar Diarch cleared her throat once, then spoke. “If there are no further inquiries, then now has come the time to deliberate. The first, and only really, item on the docket is…” She glanced down at her paper. “Are there any here who think that Steve, after everything he has told us, is a threat to the lives of our citizens?”

For a moment, nothing happened. It was as if the room and all its occupants had suddenly just frozen in time. Steve’s eyes wandered over everyone else, looking for any sign of movement.

He found it.

Queen Nova stood from her seat, taking a deep, steady breath before clearing her throat. Glancing down at Steve, she spoke in a loud, clear voice. “I will be honest, Steve. When I heard the reports on you, I thought you a monster. I thought you were some terrible creature that plagued the ponies of Ponyville.” She let out a short, humorless laugh. “I judged you before I even knew what you really looked like.” Shaking her head, she continued. “This morning, when you talked to me, my daughter and Commander Typhoon, I was shocked to find out you were the infamous Steve. I thought to myself, ‘This? This is the merciless creature that is so feared by the Equestrians? That can’t be right.’ You weren’t the monster that you were made out to be, in fact, quite the opposite. You were kind and respectful, despite a bit of a vulgar tongue. If not for your appearance, I wouldn’t be able to tell you apart from a normal citizen. And then, when you came here and told us your story, I realized how wrong I truly was. You are no monster, simply a Minecraftian who has been through much and is still pushing through. You are no threat to the innocent.”

“I agree.” Steve’s gaze landed on the new speaker, King Stonewall, as he too stood. “From what I’ve heard, you are certainly dangerous, being not only tough but an extremely capable fighter. But you’ve never once killed. In all of your time here, you’ve never once taken a life, a truly remarkable feat considering everything that has happened to you since you were first ever seen.” At this, the minotaur’s hard gaze landed on Celestia for a few moments before moving back to Steve. “Dangerous as you may be, you are not a threat. Well, not unless somecreature wrongs you, that is.” At this, the smile grin the king had fell, morphing into a more somber look. “With that being said, I cannot apologize enough for anything the Black Claw has done to you in the time since their activation. I assure you, any actions taken against you will not go unpunished.”

Steve shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

“What?” King Stonewall asked, voice displaying his disbelief at the Crafter’s statement.

“Look, as much as I would love to get petty revenge against them, it would be just that. Petty. Besides, they were basically just doing what they were told to, you can’t blame them for that.”

“That is not the point, Steve.” King Ferdus spoke. “All members of the Black Claw are trained to be the absolute best of the best in fighting prowess, mental strategizing, everything. All of them, especially Aura, should’ve figured there was something wrong from the start and worked it out from there.”

“Why Aura especially?” Steve asked, eyebrow quirked.

Ferdus hesitated for a moment, then answered. “All thestral members are trained extra hard with self-control and the like.”

Steve’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh! Is it because of the whole ‘blood-sucking’ thing?”

Everyone's eyes widened at the Crafter’s words, Ferdus’ especially. “What? How did you…!”

Steve leaned his head back and over to reveal two, perfectly circular scars on his neck. “Found out the hard way.” He pointed to dual scars. “Got these a little while back while I was fighting Nightmares in the Mindscape.”

“When you were what?” A new voice spoke out, causing Steve to turn and see a rather tall, thin-looking zebra staring at him in concern. She wore a red and orange colored robe and a golden necklace, similar to the one Zecora wore. A silver, tri-pointed crown sat atop her head. It took a moment, but Steve managed to remember her name, Princess Seyfi. Her and her advisors had mostly remained silent during the summit, not speaking once except for giving her name during introductions.

“When I was in the Mindscape.” Steve answered her. “You know, fighting Nightmares, monsters and a literal god.” Looking around the room, Steve easily deduced from all of their expressions that this was the first time that any of them, save for Celestia, had heard of what had happened in the Mindscape. “Celestia didn’t tell you guys about what happened?”

“No, she didn’t.” Queen Nova responded, narrowing her gaze at Celestia. “Since that is the case, why don’t you fill us all in on what happened, Steve?”

Letting out a small groan at having to retell the same story twice in one day, Steve sighed and cleared his throat. “Alright, but since it’s kind of a long story, I’m going to give you all the shorter version. You all okay with that?” No objections. “Okay, so, when this all started, I was in the Everfree Forest talking to the Black Claw, well, Nod and Thorn, at least, not sure where Riz and Aura were, but anyways. I’m talking to these them, as well as General Trench, who was accompanied by a few dozen guards when, all of the sudden, Princess Celestia appears with barely a sound, landing a little ways away, eyes closed. Me and Trench both begin to approach her when I get this really bad feeling in my gut, yelling at me that something’s wrong. Before I can do anything, her eyes open and there’s this bright flash of light and I pass out or something. When I wake up, I’m in this dark room, alone.” Steve hesitated for a moment. “Alone, except for Herobrine.” He sighed. “Look, I’m not sure how he ended up in your world. But he did. And from what I saw, he was the main reason for everything that’s happened to me, from being attacked at Ponyville to the Black Claw, all of it. It was all him. That’s mainly why I don’t think that Aura and the others should be punished, since I don’t think it was entirely their fault. Anyways, instead of trying to kill me, he told me that he had trapped several others in the Mindscape and that I had to free them or die, basically. So, I fought my way through the first Nightmare and freed General Trench. It was fighting the second Nightmare, Aura’s Nightmare, when I got these.” Steve gestured again to the scars on his neck. “I won’t tell you exactly what her Nightmare was, for privacy reasons, but know that I don’t blame her in the least for what happened. Anyways, after fighting through all seven of the Nightmares, I freed those trapped inside, which included Trench, Aura, Rizworth, Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia, and Derpy and Dinky Hooves, two very close friends of mine. However, the final battle was still to come, where me and the people I’d freed, as well as Abyss, another friend of mine, would have to fight Herobrine.”

“And considering you’re standing here now, I assume you won?” King Stonewall asked.

Steve gave a small nod. “Yeah, we won. But we almost didn’t. If it weren’t for Nightmare Steve, I’m not sure we would’ve been able to defeat him.”

“If not for who?” The griffonian king asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

The Crafter mentally face-palmed. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. Uh, one sec.” Putting two fingers to one ear, he spoke aloud. “Hey Nightmare, can you come on out?”

‘Sure thing.’ The Nightmare responded. A moment later, Steve felt something inside him tug free, the unexpected sensation making him open his mouth in a silent gasp. Putting one hand on his chest, he took a deep breath.

“You okay?” A familiar voice spoke from his side. Looking up. He saw none other than Nightmare Steve standing next to him. He was the same height as the Crafter, seemingly made entirely of a black vapor save for the pair of glowing white eyes.

“Whoa.” Steve remarked, gaze wandering over the Nightmare. "I forgot just how sick you look.”

Nightmare Steve chuckled. “Thanks.” Looking out over the assembled leaders and ambassadors, the Nightmare waved. “Hello everyone. I’m Nightmare Steve.”

No one spoke, too busy staring at the Nightmare with shock. Steve let out a quiet chuckle at their gobsmacked expressions.

“Well look at that, Nightmare Steve.” He spoke with a grin. “You shocked them all into silence.”

“...How?” Queen Nova inquired, being the first to get her voice back. “How did you tame a Nightmare?”

“Well, I didn’t really tame him. He decided to help me out of his own volition.”

“Herobrine put me in Steve in the hopes that once Steve turned into a Nightmare, he’d be able to control him.” Nightmare Steve explained. “Obviously, I didn’t like being used like that, so I teamed up with Steve here and helped him take Herobrine down.”

“So you killed him.” Princess Seyfi spoke. “He is gone, yes?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, he’s gone. But that’s the thing.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’ve killed him before, and he still came back. I’m not sure how gods work, but I don’t think I can kill him, not fully. He’ll come back, maybe in a few months, maybe in a few years, but he’ll come back. Eventually.”

“What can we do, to stop him?” Celestia asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Steve opened his mouth to answer, then closed it as he put a hand to his chin in thought. After a moment, he sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought killing him the first time would be the end of it, but clearly I was wrong. There’s only one person that I know of that could probably kill him, and he can’t leave his world.”

“Who?” King Stonewall asked.

“Notch, the god of Minecraftia and the creator of the Minecraftian race. My race.” Steve answered.

“Your creator?” The griffon king echoed, to which the Crafter nodded.

“Yeah. Created every Crafter, villager, and peaceful mob that lived in my world. Through him, my world stays alive. If he were to leave, say, come to this dimension and fight Herobrine, the world will die. Because of this, he can’t help us.”

“So what you’re saying,” Princess Seyfi began. “Is that this, ‘Herobrine’ is immortal? That he cannot ever be fully and completely defeated?”

“...Yes.” Steve spoke solemnly, giving a small nod.

“...We are doomed.” King Ferdus spoke softly, voice grim.

“No.” The Crafter spoke firmly, shaking his head. “We’re not. Because as long as I live, as long as I draw breath, I will fight him. Whenever he shows his ugly mug, I’ll be there. Everytime, either until he is defeated, once and for all.” A pause, during which Steve took a breath. “Or until I fall. I promise you all this, be it alone,” He looked at Nightmare Steve with a grin. “Or with the help of others, I will fight him. I swear this on the memories of those that have been slain at his hands.” He looked up at those assembled with a smirk. “And you can trust the promise of a Crafter.”

* * * * *

In a mountain cave in the Everfree Forest

Abyss sat alone, the fire burning nearby warming her cool, black scales. In one hand was a large chunk of Manticore meat she’s gotten from hunting.

Chomp

Chewing the lightly-cooked flesh, she swallowed and let out a heavy sigh as she looked at the entrance to her cave.

Nothing.

Maybe you should go find him. Her inner voice said.

No, she responded. He’ll come find me. He’s probably just busy.

You felt his Nightmare activate that night. He could be in danger. It persisted.

He can take care of himself. Abyss argued back.

He isn’t invincible. He could be hurt. Are you really going to abandon those you love a second time?

Abyss didn’t respond this time, instead taking another bite out of the meat in her claw. Letting out another sigh, she tossed it aside, having lost her appetite. Getting up, she walked to the cave entrance and took a look outside.

Nothing. Frowning, she turned and was about to walk back inside when she felt something, something she’d only ever felt once before. She whirled around and looked out over the vast landscape before her.

“No, it can't be.” She muttered to herself as her wings spread wide and she flew off, hoping against hope she wasn’t too late.

Author's Note

This chapter took a little longer to write because I was writing a parody of a song, which took a few days. If you want to check it out, I wrote a blog post called, "A Crafter's War." Read it, tell me what you think.
Anyways, as always thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 62: New Arrival (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Abyss soared through the air, her large wings flapping furiously as she struggled to gain speed. She flew just above the treetops, her purple eyes searching the forest floor beneath her.

What she’d felt, back at her cave. It was something she’d only ever felt once before, back when she had first been transported to Equestria to find and help Steve. It was Notch’s magic signature, there was no doubt about that. But there was no way that Notch himself would come here. So if it wasn’t him, then who..?

Abyss shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She’d have to focus on looking since the source of the magic had disappeared shortly after it had appeared. Now, due to the residue magic, all she had was a general location of where the portal had formed. Hopefully whatever had come through hadn’t gone far.

Sighing, she clenched her claws and carried on.

It wasn’t very long after, perhaps only 15 minutes or so, to finally find the location where the portal had appeared, a small and secluded meadow. Gliding down, Abyss landed softly on the cool green grass, wings folding onto her back. Doing a quick search around the area, she found a spot where the grass had grown ten times taller than anywhere else in the meadow, where the magical signature was strongest.

“Yep.” Abyss spoke, nodding to herself. “Definitely Notch’s magic. Same as the portal he used to bring me here.” Reaching over to the magic-induced grass, she gently plucked one blade from the ground and rolled it around in her black claws. “But what in the world came through?”

* * * * *

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Leaves cracked and crinkled beneath her feet. She let out a tired sigh as she stared down at her brown leather boots. She had been walking for some time now, and her feet were beginning to get sore. She’d never been the biggest on extracurricular activities, and now she was starting to regret it, seeing as she’d walked from one forest to another, though the one she was in now seemed to be some sort of apple-growing forest.

Growl.

She held her stomach with one hand as it released an almost monster-like noise. She grimaced as the unfamiliar ache of hunger made itself known.

“Ugh. Wish I could get some food.” She muttered to herself. Looking up, she saw the delicious-looking apples that were growing on the branches above, just out of reach. Lifting up her arms, she jumped and jumped, but came no closer to actually getting the plump, red fruit. Sighing at her fruitless (heh) efforts, she was forced to carry on.

As she walked, she pondered about she had come to arrive in this strange, new land.

“I was walking through the forest, when I saw that glowing light in that cave.” She muttered to herself. “When I went to check it out, there was that swirling yellow portal, and that weird bald dude. He was standing in front of it, but eventually shook his head and walked away for a moment. I wanted to walk away. I should’ve walked away. But my stupid curiousity just wouldn’t let me. I just had to go look at it up close. Then the man shouted, which startled me, which made me trip, which then made me fall into the portal which brought me here.” She took a quick look around at the apple-growing forest that she found herself in. “Wherever here is, anyways. What is this place, anyways. It’s like a forest, but the trees are too symmetrical. Too orderly. So unless plants are really OCD in this place, I don’t think I’m in a forest. Not a normal one, anyway.” As she gazed up at the hundreds of scrumptious-looking apples, her stomach growled once more. Grimacing, her gaze landed on the firm trunk of a nearby tree. A plan began formulating in her head.

“Oh yeah.” She spoke, a big grin on her face. “It’s all coming together.”

* * * * *

Two minutes later, all she had managed to achieve was falling on her butt about a dozen times after trying and failing to climb the tree in front of her. Getting to her feet, she smoothed out her brown robe.

“I will not be deterred so easily, ye tree of apples!” She cried out, one finger pointing up at the sky. Rushing forward, she jumped onto the tree once more, wrapping her arms around it’s trunk. Boots scrambling for a foothold, she eventually managed to find one, using it to push herself up slightly. Moving her arms up a bit, she pushed up with her other foot, getting near a low-hanging branch. Once there, she’d be able to climb up the rest of the way and finally get the apples she so desired.

Climbing higher and higher, she eventually got to within range of the branch and, with one burst of energy, latched onto the branch with one hand, managing to secure her hold with her other hand a moment later.

Sighing in relief, she took a moment to catch her breath. However, before she could do so, a strange noise caught her attention.

Creeeeeeeeeak

“What the..?” She began, only to be interrupted as the branch she was hanging onto snapped with the strain of supporting her weight, sending her plummeting to the ground below.

Thud!

“Ow!” She cried out as she hit the ground. Groaning, she looked up at the tree, particularly where the branch had once been hanging, which was now a broken stump. Snarling, she shook a fist at the tree.

“Forget you, ya stupid tree! You can keep your stupid apples!!”

The tree didn’t respond. Because, well, it was a tree.

Sighing, she felt the anger in her chest quickly dissipate. Groaning, she got to her feet, mind already working to think of a way to get the apples she wanted.

“Hello!?” A voice called, stopping her brain in its tracks. She stood perfectly still, hoping that it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her.

“Anypony there!?” The voice shouted again, this time much clearer and seemingly male. Springing into action, she ran in the direction she’d heard the voice from.

“Yes, I’m here!” She called back, a big grin on her face. Rushing past tree after tree, she steadily drew closer to the source, until she was practically on top of it. “You have no idea how good it is to… hear…” Her voice gradually faded out as her eyes landed on the source of the voice.

It was a horse. Well, a small-ish horse, so more likely a pony. It had a strikingly yellow coat of fur and a brown mane, upon which sat a little brown hat. It’s green eyes were side as it stared at her. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Dear Notch.” She whispered. “You freaking adorable.”

Before the pony could move, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around it, squeezing it close. It’s fur was soft, which only encouraged her hugging.

“Aw! You’re so cute and soft and cuddly! I could hug you forever and ever!” She cried out gleefully, snuggling the pony closer.

“Uh...” The pony in her arms muttered, sounding very confused.

She gasped and held it out in front of her. “You can talk!?”

“Uh, yeah, we can.” It spoke in a masculine voice, suggesting that it was male.

She stared at him for a moment.

“That’s awesome!” She cried out before hugging him again, rubbing her cheek against his. “I’ve never met a talking animal before! That’s amazing! This land is freaking cool!”

“Well, Ah’m sure it is an’ all, but could ya put me down, please?”

“Oh. Uh, sure.” She responded, gently placing the stallion on the ground. “There you go.”

He responded with a small tip of his hat. “Thank ya kindly, miss…” He trailed off, prompting for her to give him her name.

“Oh. My name is Martha. What’s your name?”

“Braeburn. Braeburn Apple.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Apple.”

He grinned and shook his head. “Mr. Apple is ma Pops. Call me Braeburn.”

Martha nodded. “Okay.”

Braeburn took a deep breath and looked her up and down, from her long, brown robe, to her hazel eyes and long, black hair. He quirked an eyebrow.

“So, Ah suppose the first thing Ah should ask is what ya are, exactly.”

“Oh! I’m a Testificate.” She said with a grin. The stallion blinked in confusion.

“A what?”

“A Testificate. But we’re also called Villagers, for simplicity.”

“Villager’s huh? There’s more of ya?”

Martha nodded eagerly. “Yeah, there’s a whole bunch of us at my village.”

“Ya got a village?” Braeburn asked, sounding just the smallest bit shocked.

“Yeah, but I don’t know where it is. I fell through this portal, you see, and after I came here, the portal disappeared.” Martha’s gaze fell and her once jovial tone turned somber. “And, I don’t know how to get back.”

Braeburn felt a twinge of pain in his heart upon seeing the sad look on her face. Sure, he barely knew who or what she was, but his Apple ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they knew he didn’t even try to help a being who very clearly needed help.

Slowly trotting forward, he gently placed a hoof on her side, causing her gaze to meet his. “It’ll be okay, Ms. Martha. Ah promise.” Racking his brain, the yellow stallion tried to come up with someway to comfort her. His opportunity arrived when her stomach let out a loud groan and she grimaced.

“Ya hungry?” He asked, to which Martha nodded.

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I last ate.” She spoke, hand pressed against her stomach.

“Well that just won’t do.” He stated firmly as he turned back in the direction of his home. “Come on, Ms. Martha. It’s ain’t right that you’re going hungry when Ah have plenty of food to spare at home.”

She hurriedly shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay. It’s fine. I’ll be-” She was interrupted as her stomach growled again, sending a fresh wave of hunger pains through her body. Wincing, she looked up to Braeburn looking at her with a deadpan expression.

“Miss, forgive me if it sounds rude, but you’re the worst liar Ah’ve ever seen, and Ah have seen Applejack try to lie.”

Sighing, she shrugged. “It was worth a try, I guess.” Conceding defeat, the testificate followed after Braeburn, the ache in her gut causing to wince with almost every step.

* * * * *

Martha chowed down on apple pie that Braeburn put down in front of her, disregarding any warning about the temperature. It didn’t seem to matter much anyways, since despite the fact that the pie had just come out of the oven, she scarfed it down with wild abandon. The same goes for the apple fritter, two bowls of apple dumpling soup, the apple crisps, and the four helpings of apple cobbler that Braeburn had been saving.

After polishing off the last bit of food, Martha sighed and laid back in her chair, sighing contentedly while she rubbed her full belly.

“Man, that hit the spot. Thanks Braeburn.”

“...How in Equestria did ya eat all that?” The stallion murmured to himself in shock, staring at the various empty dishes where food had been only moments before. “Ah knew you were hungry, but damn, ya ate more than Big Mac.”

“Hm? What was that?” She asked sleepily, not entirely paying attention to what the stallion was saying.

“Uh, nothing. Jus’ thinking out loud, Ah suppose.” Braeburn responded as he swiftly piled up the dishes and put them in the sink. “Ya sure ate a lot, Ms. Martha.”

“Well, I was really hungry. The last time I ate was like, half a day ago.”

“Yeah, Ah get that, but that don’t explain where ya put it all.”

“Oh! That’s easy! I put it in my stomach!”

The stallion sighed. “That’s not, ya know what, never mind. You’re a strange creature, it makes sense that you'd do strange things.”

Before the villager could respond, someone knocked on the front door. Quirking an eyebrow, Braeburn trotted over and opened the door.

A tall, black dragoness with glowing purple eyes stood menacingly on his doorstep, her sharp clawed hands hanging by her side. She grinned, revealing dozens of sharp teeth.

“Hello. May I come in?” She inquired.

Braeburn stood stock still in front of the dragoness for a few moments before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

Abyss stared at the unconscious stallion for a few moments before sighing and face-palming.

“I suppose I should’ve seen that coming.”

Author's Note

I'm not sure what happened to me today, but I just couldn't stop writing today. And thus, this chapter was written much earlier than expected.
Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 63: New Arrival (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Martha gently laid Braeburn’s unconscious form on the couch, laying an apple-patterned blanket on top of him. Gently petting his mane, she left his sleeping form in the living room and walked into the kitchen, where Abyss sat in a chair much to small for her large size.

“Man, you really scared him.” The villager commented.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t think that he’s pass out the moment he saw me.” Abyss responded with an eye roll.

“Why wouldn’t he? He’s a small, cute, fluffy pony while you’re a big, terrifying dragon.”

The dragoness looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t seem all that scared to me.”

“Well, the way I figure it, if you were here to hurt me, we wouldn’t be sitting in Braeburn’s kitchen talking.” She explained. “If you’re not going to hurt me, then why should I be afraid?”

Abyss thought about it for a moment before shrugging. “That makes sense. Anyways, Martha, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“How exactly did you get here? In this world?”

“Oh! Well, I was walking in the forest when I saw this weird, yellow portal in a nearby cave, with this bald dude standing in front of it. He looked like he was about to go through it, but walked away. My curiosity got the better of me and I walked over to it, but got tripped up and fell through it. Next thing I know, I landed in a forest.”

“The Everfree Forest. That’s what it’s called.” Abyss commented.

Martha nodded in acknowledgement. “Yeah, the Everfree Forest. I started walking and ended up in some strange apple forest, where I met Braeburn, who brought me here.”

“Hm. That makes sense, since it was Notch’s magic that I sensed at the spot where the portal was. But why did he make a portal in the first place?” Abyss spoke aloud, mostly to herself.

“Wait, Notch? Was that the dude I saw at the portal?” Martha asked. The dragoness nodded. “Like, god of light, creator of my species, Notch?” Abyss nodded again. Martha sat back in her chair, letting out an astonished sigh. After a few moments of silence, she glanced at the dragoness. “For a guy who literally brought life to the world, he doesn’t have a lot of hair.”

Abyss laughed out loud, the bluntness with which the statement was delivered catching her off-guard.

“What? It makes sense.” Martha continued. “If he can create life everywhere else, why can’t he create it on his head?”

This only caused the dragoness to laugh harder.

After taking a few moments to catch her breath, Abyss responded. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know why he’s bald, maybe it’s just a personal choice for him.”

The villager shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. Still weird though.”

Knock, knock, knock!

Both of their gazes snapped over to the front door, where the gentle knocking had originated from. Martha and Abyss’ eyes met, before the villager sighed and got up from her chair, walking over to the front door. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the knob and pulled the door open.

On the steps outside stood a indigo-colored pegasus mare with a long velvet-red mane. On her back was a pair of saddle-bags, and one hoof lay on top of a polka-dotted suitcase. Her magenta eyes widened at the sight of Martha, and she instinctively took a step back.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Martha took the first step and spoke.

“Can I help you?”

“U-uh…” Was the only response given as the pony began to slowly walk backwards, suitcase dragging on the ground.

“Are you looking for Braeburn?” Martha asked, trying to garner actual words from the mare. “Because he’s still knocked out from earlier, so you may have to wait a bit before he wakes up.”

At this, the pony’s eyes bugged out slightly and she turned tail and fled, leaving nothing but a trail of dust in her wake, which slowly settled back down after a little while. The villager stared at the spot where the mare had once stood only moments before, a confused look on her face.

“Was it something I said?”

* * * * *

The first thing Braeburn felt when he came to was warm, like he was wrapped in a big, fuzzy blanket. Groaning, he sat himself up and discovered that he was, in fact, wrapped in a big, fuzzy blanket, the one with the red apple patterns on it. Quirking an eyebrow, he shrugged the blanket off of him and climbed off the couch he’d been laying on, his hooves making a quiet thumping sound as he landed on the wooden floor. Letting out a small groan, he stretched a bit, stopping short when he heard the sound of voices coming from his kitchen. Staying as quiet as he could, he slowly trotted over to the doorway connecting the room he was in to his kitchen before poking his head in. What met his gaze made his eyes widen and his jaw drop.

Sitting in one chair was Martha, eating what looked like some leftover food, most likely taken from his fridge. This wasn’t what shocked him. What did shock him was the tall, dark dragoness sitting directly opposite from her, guzzling down a large mug of what was probably the last of his cider. Setting down the glass, she wiped her scaly muzzle and grinned.

“Ah, that’s good stuff. Been a while since I’ve had a good drink of something alcoholic.” Letting out a contented sigh, her gaze lazily wandered around the room before it eventually landed on Braeburn’s shocked face. Maybe it was because she was relaxed, or maybe it was because of the cider, but she didn’t immediately register his presence, which is why she began to look away before her gaze snapped back to him.

“Oh. You’re awake.” She spoke in a surprised tone. Martha, upon hearing Abyss’s words, turned to look at the perturbed stallion.

“Braeburn, you’re up!” She said loudly, jumping out of her seat and rushing over to him. Seeing just how confused and scared he was, she put up her hands in a placating manner and tried to soothe his worries. “Now, Braeburn, before you pass out again, just hear me out.”

His gaze snapped to her for a few moments before he looked back at the reclined dragoness. “O-okay.”

Sighing in relief, Martha explained. “So, this is Abyss.” The dragoness in question waved, to which he gave a small wave in return. “She’s a nice dragon. She came here because she was looking for me.”

Abyss nodded. “Martha here is from a different world, if you didn’t already figure that out. A world which is closely related to mine. I sensed the portal she came through and followed her trail from the Everfree Forest, to here, your home.” Sighing, she looked away. “Sorry about scaring you. I forgot how intimidating I look to ponies.”

“I~t’s-” Braeburn squeaked. Stopping himself, he cleared his throat and tried again. “It’s fine. You just surprised me a bit when I saw you on my doorstep.”

The dragoness chuckled. “I think surprised is a bit of an understatement. You’ve been out for a while.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, someone knocked on the door a little while ago. It was some mare. Didn’t get her name or anything, since she ran off without saying a word.”

Braeburn looked at her with a confused expression for a minute before a look of realization passed over his face. “This mare, she didn’t happen to have purple-ish fur and a red-velvet mane, did she?”

Abyss and Martha glanced at each other before they both looked back at the stallion, confused. “Uh, yeah.” The villager replied. “Why?”

Braeburn released a heavy sigh as he face-hooved. “That was my cousin, Autumn Breeze. I forgot she was supposed to be coming here today.”

“What’s she visiting for?”Abyss asked.

He shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. She said she needed help with something, but she refused to tell me what exactly. I was going to ask her about it when she got here.” Sighing, he dropped his hoof to the floor and looked at the pair. “What happened after she saw you?”

Martha shrugged. “Not sure. The moment she took a look at me, she ran off somewhere. From the look on her face, I don’t think we’ll be seeing her for a while.

CRASH!!!

“Braeburn! I’ve come to rescue you!”

All three of the kitchen’s occupants jumped slightly at the loud crash, followed by the subsequent shout. Whirling around to look at the doorway, they were immediately met with the sight of a familiar purple pegasus mare, wearing some sort of armor made from metal bits and scraps, with a nail-covered plank of wood clutched in one hoof. On the ground around her were the bits and pieces of the door she'd just broken down.

Looking around wildly, she quickly spotted the trio. Her gaze quickly traveled from Braeburn’s not hurt form, to Martha standing beside him, then finally to Abyss, who was still sitting back in her chair. Upon spotting the dragoness, she pointed her make-shift plank weapon at her.

“Worry not, Braeburn, I will save you from the fearsome dragon!!” With that, she leapt forward, swinging her weapon down at Abyss...

...who promptly caught the plank with one clawed hand. Lifting the mare, who still held onto the make-shift weapon, she stared her straight in the face. “What the Nether are you doing?”

“Saving Braeburn.” She responded, not showing any signs of fear despite being literally muzzle-to-muzzle with a dragon. “You know, from you, a dragon.” A moment of silence. “I’m fairly certain there’s stories about this exact situation.”

“There is, but that’s not the point.” Martha responded. “Why did you try to attack Abyss?”

“Who’s Abyss?” Autumn asked.

“Me.” The dragoness replied.

“Oh. Well since Braeburn was in danger, I just thought-”

“Does he look like he’s in any danger to you?” Abyss questioned, causing the mare to look at Braeburn, who gave a small wave.

“Well, no, but when I get told by a strange creature that doesn't have any business being in my cousin’s house that he’s unconscious, what am I supposed to think?”

“...Fair point.” The dragoness conceded, unceremoniously dropping the mare to the floor. Caught off-guard, she fell over on her side, her scrap armor clanking loudly. Moving to her side, Braeburn helped her to her hooves.

“You okay Autumn?” He inquired. Looking herself over, she gave a short nod. Grinning, the stallion’s gaze wandered over her metal form. He gave a sigh of disbelief as he shook his head. “Where in Equestria did you get that stuff?”

“I nabbed it from Hammer’s shop. Figured the old geezer wouldn’t miss it.”

Braeburn chuckled. “It’s Hammer, Autumn. He may be old, but there’s very little that escapes his notice.”

“Heh. I suppose that’s true.” Autumn agreed.

“Ahem!” Abyss cleared her throat, directing everyone’s attention to herself. “Braeburn, do you want to introduce us?”

“Oh, yeah!” The stallion exclaimed. “Autumn, this is Martha.”

“Hi!” The villager responded, waving excitedly.

“And this is Abyss.” He finished.

“Hello.” The dragoness greeted.

“Hello.” Autumn Breeze replied with a grin. “Sorry about trying to hit you with a plank, Abyss.”

She waved away any concerns the mare had. “It’s fine. It’s not like it really would’ve hurt me anyways. Got thick skin, after all.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’ve never actually met a dragon before, but I heard you guys are tough as Tartarus.” Gaze wandering over Abyss’s dark scales, Autumn shook her head. “Anyways, I was wondering something. What are you two doing here, at Braeburn’s house? I mean, it’s a cool place, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not exactly the kind of location that one might expect to find a dragon and a…” She looked over Martha’s robed form. “Whatever you are.”

“I’m a Testificate.” Martha answered. “And the reason why I’m here is because I fell through this portal back in my world and ended up here. Braeburn found me walking through the apple forest and invited me here.”

“Okay. What about you?” Autumn inquired, turning to Abyss.

“It’s uh, kind of a long story.”

“I got time.” Autumn spoke. “What about you, Braeburn?”

“I’m not doing anything right now.” The stallion replied, shrugging.

Sighing, Abyss laid back in her chair, rubbing a scaly hand against her face. After a moment, she looked down to see three expectant faces. She let out a resigned sigh, lips pulling up into a small smile. “Alright, alright. As I said, it’s a bit of a long story, so make yourselves comfortable.” She waited a moment as all three of them took a seat at the table. “Well then, I suppose I should start at the beginning, when Notch first approached me…”

Author's Note

Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, but I was on vacation at the beach. It was cool, but I ended up with sand in places I didn't even know existed.
Anyway, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 64: The King Without a Crown (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Circle: Dodge

Square: Punch

Steve rolled to the side, avoiding the sweep kick that Commander Typhoon nearly hit him with. Shooting to his feet, he pulled back his fist and launched himself at the hippogriff. With a single flap of his wings, Typhoon dodged backwards, making the Crafter’s attack fall short.

X: Jump

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Triangle: Kick

Leaping forward, Steve threw a powerful roundhouse kick that managed to catch the commander in the side, sending him rolling. Pressing his advantage, he threw another kick that knocked the hippogriff’s head to the side.

Pushing past the dizziness from the blow, Typhoon rushed forward, body-slamming Steve hard.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 16 health remaining.

Hitting the ground back-first, Steve brought his knees up to his chest before rolling forward and jumping up onto his feet, just in time to see Typhoon’s incoming punch.

Circle + Square: Tackle

Side-stepping the attack, Steve wrapped his arms around Typhoon’s barrel, clamping his wings to his sides. Lifting him up, Steve slammed him into the ground with enough force to leave a noticeable impression in the dirt.

The commander coughed, having gotten the air knocked out of him. He stumbled backwards, trying to get some distance between him and the Crafter. However, Steve wasn’t going to let this happen.

Square x 4: Punch Combo

Rushing forward, Steve landed a heavy blow against the commander’s cheek, knocking his head to one side. Delivering two more swift punches, both of which landed, the Crafter brought down his elbow, attempting to hit the commander square in the back of the head.

However, before the attack landed, the hippogriff managed to roll to the side. Using his momentum, he whirled around and bucked Steve in the chest, the blow sending the Crafter rolling.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 13 health remaining.

Sliding to a stop, Steve groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, just in time to see Typhoon flying at him, claws outstretched and a determined look on his face.

Circle: Block

X (Hold) + Triangle: Curb Stomp

Reaching forward, Steve grabbed the commander’s outstretched hooves, keeping the attack from landing, though he did slide backwards from the force, his feet digging grooves in the dirt. Throwing the hippogriff to the side, he leapt upwards while simultaneously bringing up one leg for a stomp to his opponent’s ribs. Typhoon, however, managed to evade the blow, pushing off the ground to gain some distance between himself and the Crafter. Instead, Steve’s attack landed on bare dirt, the force creating a deep impression in the earth.

Rushing forward, Typhoon tackled Steve, sending the both of them rolling. They came to a stop with Steve flat on his back, grappling with the hippogriff.

Mash Square!!

Though caught off-guard, Steve’s superior strength made it easy to overpower his opponent and kick him off.

X: Jump

Square: Punch

Rolling backwards onto his feet, Steve leapt forward, fist pulled back before he sent it flying forward, straight into Typhoon’s cheek. The Crafter felt something give way slightly beneath his knuckles as the blow landed, sending the commander flying through the air before hitting the ground, hard.

Coughing, Typhoon struggled to get to his feet. Pressing a claw to his bottom jaw, he winced and let out a pained groan.

“You good?” Steve asked.

“I-” He began, but stopped and winced. He closed his eyes in concentration for a moment before he turned his head and spit out one of his teeth, along with a decent amount of blood. The Crafter’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit! Are you-!?”

Typhoon cut him off. “It’s fine. That last hit you gave me just knocked out a tooth, is all. Could’ve been worse.”

Rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, Steve gave a small shrug. “Yeah, I guess.”

L1 (Hold): Potion of Healing II

Sighing, the Crafter rummaged around in his inventory a bit before finally finding what he was looking for. Withdrawing the potion from his Inventory, he handed it over to Typhoon, who looked at the bottle for a moment before glancing at Steve with a confused look.

“What is that?” He asked.

“It’s a potion of Healing.” Steve responded. “It heals injuries and such. Figured I should give you one since, you know.”

“Oh.” The hippogriff spoke, taking the bottle from Steve’s grasp. Pulling out the cork, he sniffed the contents. “Huh. Smells like watermelon.”

“Well, one of the main ingredients is a glistering melon, so it makes sense.”

“Hmm.”

Taking one last look at the red-ish liquid inside, the hippogriff shrugged before downing the red-ish liquid. Upon finishing off the bottle, a gentle yellow glow overtook the hippogriff, who looked down at himself in surprise. After a moment, the glow faded, revealing that the scrapes and bruises he’d previously sported had disappeared as well.

“Whoa.” He remarked as he looked over his freshly healed body. Testing his jaw a few times, he looked at Steve with a surprised expression. “That thing was powerful. It healed pretty much all my wounds.”

“Well, that’s its job, after all.”

“Yeah.” Putting a claw to his chin in thought, he pondered for a few moments before glancing up at Steve. “Do you happen to have another one?”

Steve shook his head. “No. That was my last one. Why?”

“Well, these potions seem to be very strong. Hippogriffia has more than a few high-tier alchemists, so if they could examine one of those potions, they could probably replicate it.”

“Ah.” Steve nodded, understanding the hippogriff’s reasoning. “Well, if I had the stuff, I could make them here, but unfortunately, I didn’t grab the materials before I left home.”

The hippogriff’s eyes widened. “You made them?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. While the one alchemist that I’ve met can make some pretty good stuff, I find that my simple potions have much stronger effects. Though, at the same time, I couldn’t hope to ever make some of the stuff she makes on a daily basis.”

“Well, no wonder you were able to fight off the guards for as long as you did. You can fight well, you can take a hit, you can brew powerful potions and make strong weapons and armor. You’re basically a one-griff army.”

“One man army.” Steve quietly corrected. “And yeah, I am. I thought I mentioned that during the summit?”

“Oh that’s right, you did.” Typhoon spoke. “I apologize, it’s just with everything I’ve seen and heard today, I’m having a bit of trouble keeping track of everything.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, I imagine today had more than a few eye-opening revelations.”

The hippogriff chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Steve?” A familiar voice spoke up from the side, causing both him and Typhoon to look over. Standing nearby was Princess Celestia, with Queen Nova and her daughter Princess Skystar next to her.

Typhoon stood up straight, giving a small salute. “Your highnesses. How may I assist you?”

Steve, on the other hand, straightened his back and waved to the three royals, a small smirk on his lips. “Hey. What’s going on?”

Celestia answered, a deadpan expression on her face. “Well, I was looking for you after the summit, but found that you seemed to have disappeared. That was, however, when I asked Queen Nova is she had any idea where you might’ve gone. Much to my surprise, she told me that you and Commander Typhoon had gone to the Royal Guard training grounds to spar.”

The Crafter nodded. “Yeah, we did. When we first met this morning, the commander here thought that I was, in his words, ‘underwhelming,’ so I offered to spar him, see if I could change his mind.” He turned to Typhoon. “So, what do you think now?” He asked, a small smirk on his face.

The hippogriff smirked as he rolled his eyes. “I will admit, my first impression of you was dead wrong. You are quite a formidable opponent, Steve.”

“Thank you.” The Crafter thanked, before looking at Celestia. “So, with that over and done with, I assume there was a reason you were looking for me?”

She nodded. “Yes. There is something that I wished to talk with you about.” She glanced at Queen Nova. “Thank you for your assistance.”

The Hippogriff queen smiled and shook her head. “It was nothing. It’s the least I could do, considering…” She glanced at Steve but quickly turned away before Steve could meet her gaze. “Well, nevermind.” She cleared her throat. “Commander, Skystar and I were going to see Canterlot today and would like you to accompany us.”

Typhoon nodded. “Of course your majesty.” Walking over to them, he bowed before Celestia. “Goodbye, Your Highness.” Standing up, he looked at Steve and gave a small smile. “And goodbye to you, Steve. I thank you for the fight.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “Why? I knocked your tooth out.”

He chuckled. “That may be, but regardless, it was one of the toughest fights I’ve fought in a while. It was, well, refreshing, I suppose. So thank you.”

Steve nodded. “No problem. See ya around.”

With that, all three hippogriffs walked off down the hall, soon disappearing from sight, leaving Steve and Celestia alone.

“So,what did you want to talk to me about?” The Crafter inquired.

“Come with me. We’ll walk and talk.” Celestia spoke, already walking away. Jogging a bit to catch up with her, Steve soon walked side by side with the Solar Diarch.

“So, what was it?” He asked again.

“I was thinking a lot about what you said. About your story and such. And I have a few questions that I would like to ask you.”

Steve nodded. “Okay. What do you want to ask?”

“How old are you, Steve?”

Steve quirked an eyebrow at the rather strange question. “Uh.” He put a hand to his chin in thought. “You know, now that I think about it, I’m not entirely sure.”

Celestia gave him a confused look. “What? You don’t remember?”

“Well, I stopped keeping track after, well, after it all went down. Didn’t see the purpose in celebrating my birthdays by myself, I guess.”

Celestia winced.

“Let’s see.” Steve muttered, racking his brain. “I was three when the Diamond Wars happened. It was about a year and a half after that when the First Mob War began, which ended two-ish years later. The Nightbane Massacre happened a year later, which jump started the Second Mob War, which went on for another three years. That war ended about seven or so years ago, which means that I’m about…” He did some quick calculations. “17-ish years old.”

“What!!??” Celestia yelled, the force of her shout nearly sending the Crafter to the floor. “There’s no way you can possibly be 17!!”

“What do you mean? Why not?”

“Because if you were, that means you would’ve been fighting a war when you were 4 and a half years old! That isn’t possible!”

“Why not? I was more than old enough.” Steve responded, not quite sure why she was making such a big deal out of it.

‘Steve.’ Nightmare Steve spoke up. ‘I believe that the Princess is unaware of how you’re species came into existence.’

The Crafter’s eyes widened. ‘That’s right!’

“Oh, wait, I forgot you didn’t know!” Steve exclaimed.

“Know what?” Celestia inquired.

“Well, you see, my kind is different from yours in a lot of ways, obviously. One of those ways is how a Crafter comes into existence. You see, when a Minecraftian is made, we aren’t born in the same sense as ponies. We kinda just, wake up, with no memories and only the most basic knowledge on how to survive. We also never age, so our bodies never change, physically speaking.”

“So, you mean…?”

“I’ve always looked like this, from the moment I woke up, to now. I’ve changed a lot as a person, sure, but my body has always stayed the same. Well, except for the scars, but that’s a different story.”

“Oh.” The Solar Diarch commented. “That is, very strange.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Celestia chuckled. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be all that surprised. You are a very strange being, after all.”

Steve gave an overdramatic shrug as he shot her a grin. “What can I say? Ya got me there.” Chuckling lightly, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, what else did you want to ask me?”

The Princess thought for a moment before responding.

“It was during the summit, when you were describing yourself, you began to call yourself something, but cut yourself off. I think it started with a ‘k’ or something. I was just wondering what it was you said.”

Steve didn’t respond for a little while. Celestia, confused, glanced over at the silent Crafter.

“Steve? What’s..?”

“I gave up that title long ago, Celestia. And I’d rather die than to ever take it up again.”

“What? What title?”

“I told you, during the summit, that I led 6,000 of my kind, the very last of my kind, into what would be their final battle. Tell me, what kind of title would that require, in your opinion?”

“Well, for something like that, it would take a king.” Celestia responded simply, then stopped. Her eyes widened and she stared at the Crafter with shock. “Wait. Steve, were you-?”

“I was, once.” The Crafter interrupted. “Not anymore. Which, I mean, no duh, right?” Steve said with humorless chuckle. “How can I be a king if there isn’t anyone left to rule?”

Celestia didn’t have a response.

Author's Note

Wow, this took forever. Thank you all for being patient with me, this was a doozy of a chapter.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what ya'll think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 65: The King Without a Crown (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Celestia was, well, she was shocked, to say the least.

Everything that she’d once known about the Crafter walking next to her had been blown out of the water by what he’d revealed to her not even ten minutes before. That he had once been a king.

Though, as hard as it was for her to imagine, it actually made a decent amount of sense, given how he’d responded to what had happened over the course of the previous couple of months.

His introduction to pony society, it was safe to say, had not been the best. Through no fault of his own, he’d been declared a monster and a villain, and had been hurt too many times to count. And yet, despite this, he asked for no compensation for his suffering. He’d been angry at first, yes, and he’d had every right to be. But after that, there was nothing. He’d been quick to forgive her and Luna’s horrendous actions, asking for nothing more than that they learn from what happened and ensure that what happened to him never happened to anypony, ever again, which Celestia fully agreed with.

He’d been far too lenient, in Celestia’s opinion. If something like that had happened to her, she’d demand that those responsible be thrown in the dungeons for the rest of their days.

‘But he didn’t respond that way. Because he knows how stressful being a ruler of a kingdom is.’ Celestia realized. ‘He knows that those in power, especially those in power can make mistakes just like anypony.’ Letting out a silent sigh, she glanced at Steve out of the corner of her eye for a moment before turning away. He hadn’t spoken a word since his shocking revelation, choosing instead to stare at the floor as they walked.

She wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the correct words. In all her years as a ruler and a leader, she’d never experienced a situation like the one she currently found herself in. Though, at the same time, she doubted anypony in the world had.

“You okay?” She heard him ask. Turning her head, she saw him looking at her with a concerned expression.

“I, I’m fine.” She answered. “Just thinking. About what you told me.”

“Ah.” Steve responded with an unenthusiastic tone. Sighing, he rubbed his face with one hand. “Celestia, it was a long time ago, and honestly, I’m more than happy to just let sleeping dogs lie.”

She winced and sighed. “I know, and I don’t blame you in the least. It’s just, as I learn more and more about you, I learn just how appalling your past truly is. You’ve been through so much in your life, from fighting in wars to losing your entire race, and yet, by Equestrian Law at least, you’re not even legally an adult yet.”

Steve’s gaze snapped to her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What? What do you mean?”

“Steve, by Equestrian standards, a foal isn’t considered an adult mare or stallion until they reach the age of 18. Though I doubt that will be much of an issue given your physical appearance, you did say you were around 17 years old. That means by law, you’re still a foal.”

Steve stared at the Solar Diarch for a few moments, expression blank, before he turned away, looking straight ahead of him. “Of course. As if there wasn’t enough to worry about as it is.” He muttered.

“Hmm?”

He glanced back over at alicorn for a moment before looking away. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He responded with a shake his head. “Anyways, where are we heading? Do you have a place in mind, or are we just walking aimlessly?”

“Oh. Well, there isn’t anywhere we need to be soon. But there is something you should know.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Your presence here in Canterlot has not gone unnoticed, unfortunately. Ponies from nearly every newspaper company in Equestria are in Canterlot today, and they’re all pressing to know more about who and what you are.”

“Can’t you just, I don’t know, tell them to fuck off?” Steve asked with a wave of his hand. “You’re the ruler, it’s not like they’ll say no to you.”

Celestia gave a small, frustrated sigh. “Trust me, I have heavily considered it. The papers have long since been a source of frustration for me, from their fabricated stories to their baseless theories. However, I fear that sending them away would not help you in the long run. In fact, it could make it worse.”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

“Well, think about it like this.” She spoke. “If I were to send them away, then just as you said, they would leave. However, the action would make them think that the Crown is hiding something, which would technically be true, but regardless. Sending them away could compel them to come up with a whole number of claims and theories.”

“Which could make the situation a lot worse.” Steve finished. “I’m guessing you speak from experience when you say that?” The alicorn nodded. Groaning, he slapped a hand to his face. “Geez, it’s been so long since I’ve had to really deal with politics. It’s the one part of the job I never missed.”

“Hmm.” Celestia hummed in agreed, though she didn’t seem too focused on what the Crafter had said. Glancing over the alicorn, he quirked an eyebrow upon seeing the preoccupied look in her eyes.

“Hey. You there?” He asked as he waved a hand in front of her face, effectively breaking the Solar Diarch out of her internal reverie. Blinking a few times, she shook her head, coughing a bit to clear her throat.

“Sorry about that, Steve. I was just lost in thought.” She quickly changed the subject. “Anyways, ever since you arrived here yesterday, I have had over a dozen newsponies come to Day Court to try and ask me about you. And, from what Lieutenant Cowl told me, quite a few have been caught sneaking around the castle trying to catch a glimpse of you.”

Steve frowned. “Geez. I mean, I knew I was popular and all, but damn.”

Celestia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Steve, you single-hoofedly made the front page news, from multiple outlets, on multiple occasions. It’s really shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.”

“...Ah.” Steve said after a moment. “So, what do you suggest I do? You’ve dealt with newsponies more than I have.”

“Personally speaking, a public conference has always suited me best, though they sometimes can become a bit chaotic.”

Steve shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, I’ve dealt with chaotic situations numerous times before in my life. How bad can it be?”

* * * * *

Steve sneakily poked his head past the curtain, gaze wandering over the three dozen or so newsponies that were gathered inside. They loudly talked amongst each other as they waited for Steve’s inevitable arrival.

“Me and my big mouth.” He muttered to himself as he stared at the ponies with a deadpan expression. Sighing, he glanced back at Celestia, who stood a short distance behind him. “How in the world did you manage to get them together so quick?”

She gave him a raised eyebrow.

He sighed and smacked a hand against his face. “Right. I forgot.” Letting his arm drop to his side, he took another look at the gathered stallions and mares, taking care to avoid being seen. “Geez. Didn’t realize there would be this many. I used to deal with politicians and news people back in the day, sure, but there was never this many at once.”

Celestia’s grin fell at the Crafter’s worried tone. “...Will you be alright?”

He didn’t respond for a moment, continuing to look out over the crowd for a second or two before turning back to the Solar Diarch and nodding. “Yeah, I should be fine. I just need to tell the truth, keep a level head and, if this place is at all like home, avoid strangling any moron who asks stupid questions.”

She let out a chuckle. “Yes, I suppose you may get one or two like that.”

“Where you wonder if they needed help writing their name down?”

She stifled a laugh, less the newsponies nearby hear her. “Yes, I suppose.”

The Crafter rolled his eyes. “Great.” He drawled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Sighing, he looked at Celestia. “So, how is this gonna work?”

“Well, the plan is for me to go out there first. I’ll speak for a few moments before introducing you. Then you’ll enter and the conference will begin.”

Steve nodded. “Got it. How long should I talk for?”

“As long as you want to. There’s nopony stopping you from leaving whenever you wish.”

“Cool.” Steve said with a grin. “When are we going to start?”

“As soon as you’re ready.” Celestia responded. The Crafter nodded, rolling his shoulders as he took a breath.

“Well, I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be. May as well get this whole thing over with.”

“Okay.” The alicorn spoke, nodding her head as she slowly trotted past him and out onto the stage. The moment she appeared, all movement in the room stopped and any talking ceased, every eye now focused solely on the Princess.

She calmly made her way to the podium, which sat in the center of the stage. Sitting behind it, her gaze wandered over the newsponies sitting below and before her. They all stared back.

After a moment, she cleared her throat and spoke.

“My little ponies. You have all heard the story. The story of a creature, from origins unknown, that quickly made a name for itself, not only in the town of Ponyville, but in Equestria itself. Many thought this creature a monster. I, too, thought this for a time. But recent events have proven this to be the exact opposite. I brought him to Canterlot with the intention of showing everypony that save for appearance, he is no different from me and you. I know you may have heard some things about him. I ask that you forget about any bias’ you may have, and that you show him the same respect that you would show your fellow pony.” Taking a deep breath, she turned her head and met Steve’s gaze.

‘That’s your cue.’ Nightmare Steve spoke up.

Steve nodded. ‘I know, thanks Nightmare. Hopefully I don’t fuck this up.’

‘You won’t. Otherwise we’re screwed.’

Rolling his eyes at the Nightmare’s unhelpful comment, he took a deep breath before walking forward. As he did so, Celestia began to walk back off-stage.

“Good luck.” She whispered to him, to which Steve gave a small nod. His footsteps thudded against the wood beneath his feet, echoing throughout the silent room. Coming up behind the podium, he looked up at the crowd of ponies, who all stared back at him.

He swallowed thickly before plastering on a grin.

“Hello there, everyone! My name is Steve. I’m a Minecraftian, or Crafter for short. I’m not sure how I got to your world, but I must say, the welcoming committee did not do their job very well, because I got the distinct impression that I was not very welcome.” This roused a few chuckles from the ponies. Steve’s grin began to feel a little less forced. “So, that’s enough of me talking, so I’ll start taking questions.”

It was like Steve had opened a dam. Immediately, everypony began talking at once, raising hooves in the hope that they would get picked. Wincing a bit from the sudden noise, the Crafter looked over the sea of hooves before picking a small pale green stallion with a brown mane.

“How about you?” Steve said, pointing at the pony in question. Everything went silent as the stallion, looking more than a little shocked that he’d been picked, stood up and spoke.

“Oh, uh, Scrawl, Manehattan Times. Um, Steve, you said that you were a ‘Minecraftian,’ right? So, could you explain what that is, exactly?”

“Uh, well, a Minecraftian is a being of power, really. We’re strong, fast and tough as diamonds. And, a Minecraftian is gifted with a wide array of powers and capabilities, from cooking and brewing, to crafting and smelting. We also have a special regenerative factor that allows our bodies to heal very fast. Overall, my species was very strange.”

More hooves were raised. This time, Steve picked a rather short, pink mare, with a two-toned orange mane.

“Uh, you.”

She stood from her chair and fixed the Crafter with a hard gaze

“Miss S. Records, Trottingham Gazette. What do you have to say about the numerous guard attacks that occured after you were first seen in Ponyville?”

Steve, having been expecting that sort of question, merely gave the mare a level look as he answered. “I never attacked first, Miss Records. I only ever defended myself from the guards that were sent after me. I never sought to seriously hurt and I never sought to ever kill, which is why there has not been a single death since the guards were first sent after me. My one goal when fighting the guards was to keep them from hurting me too much until I could get away. It’s not my fault that they just kept throwing bodies at me, hoping they could take me down.”

“So you admit you were the one who injured so many guards?” The small mare continued.

Steve sighed. “Yes, that was me. Now, did I want to fight and hurt the guards? No. But it’s not like they gave me a choice in the matter.” Looking around, he saw many of the newsponies now wore nervous expressions. He frowned. “Look, I don’t give two fucks if you guys like me or not. I really don’t. But let me ask you this. If I was a bad guy, do you really think that I’d be here, doing this interview with you all? Do you think that your Princess would let me be here, without any form of restraint at all? Fuck no, that’s stupid! She’d have me locked away in the deepest dungeons available before any of you could blink! But I’m not. I explained to her what happened, I saved her life, she saved mine, and here we are.” Sighing, Steve’s gaze fell, his eyes studying the dark wood of the podium.

“I am sorry, though.” He spoke, voice quiet. He glanced up at Record to see that her glare had morphed into a look of surprise. “I never wanted to fight. But,” Steve shook his head. “I couldn’t run the risk of letting myself get captured. I just couldn’t. Because… look, answer me this, Miss Records. If you just suddenly woke up in a world, that wasn’t yours, and the first sign of intelligent life attacks you without reason, what would you do?”

For a moment, she said nothing. Then, her face fell, eyes looking down at her lap, and the note-pad which lay there. Sighing, she scratched out a few sentences with her quill.

“I’d probably fight too.” She spoke softly, still not meeting Steve’s gaze.

“Exactly. That’s why I fought. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Because letting myself get caught just wasn’t an option, not for me.”

There was complete silence for a few moments as everypony in the room took in what the Crafter had said, even Celestia, who stood in the exact spot Steve had been standing only minutes before. Her heart felt heavy. The Crafter’s words had reminded her just how close she had come to killing the last member of an extinct race, one that had done nothing to her citizens. The grin she once wore, fell, and she stared at the Crafter with sadness in her eyes.

Then, in the back, movement. A blue hoof slowly raised out of the crowd. Steve, noticing it immediately, called out the pony who raised it, a sky blue stallion with a mop of brown hair.

“Yes?”

“Um, Clear Shine, The Canterlot Weekly. Steve, what exactly are your plans, going forth from today?”

Steve chuckled. “Plans? Uh, never really been one to plan. Life’s always had a habit of messing them up for me. I kinda just roll with the punches.”

“Well, what is it you want?" The stallion reiterated. "What is your dream?”

“My dream?” Steve echoed, to which Clear Shine gave a nod. “Huh. Never really thought about it, to be honest. Though, if I had to say, I suppose my dream is to live in peace with my friends and family.”

Clear Sight looked at the Crafter with a confused expression. “Really?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. I’ve fought my fair share of battles, and frankly, I’m tired of it. I want to be able to put down my sword and never pick it up again. To be able to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about some dangerous threat on the horizon. To live in peace. That, Clear Shine, is my dream.” Steve sighed and frowned. “But that’s just it, isn’t it? A dream. The stupid, unlikely dream of a tired Minecraftian."

"A Crafter’s dream.”

Author's Note

I worked way too late on this, so excuse any errors. I'll fix them once I get the will to wake up tomorrow.
Thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 66: Playing Catch-Up (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The conference didn’t last too long after that. There were a few ponies after Clear Shine that asked questions, but with the exception of that one stallion who asked about the attack on the guard barracks, they were more general inquires about what he’d been up to since his arrival in Equestria, which he’d had no trouble answering.

Eventually, the questions stopped coming and Steve, taking the lack of raised hooves as a sign to wrap the conference up, thanked everyone for their time and swiftly left the conference room. He walked by Celestia, taking a moment to shoot her a grin before he moved past her to leave the backstage area. The alicorn followed him out the backdoor and into the large hallway. Two nearby guards did an immediate double-take at the duo’s appearance.

“Your highness!” They both called as they simultaneously bowed. Celestia sighed.

“At ease.” She spoke calmly, her smile looking just a little bit forced. The two guards rose. “I’m going to take a guess and assume you two are still new?”

They both nodded.

“Then let me tell you a little secret.” She leaned in close. “The whole ‘bowing whenever I’m around’ really isn’t necessary, unless it’s during an important event or meeting. It’s more of a formality than anything else.”

“O-oh.” One of the guards spoke. “Sorry your Highness.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. Now, if you will excuse us, Steve and I must get going.” Nodding to the Crafter next to her, the two began walking off, leaving the two guards behind.

“That happen a lot?” The Crafter asked once the guards weren’t in sight anymore.

“Oh, you have no idea.” Celestia replied with an exasperated sigh. “Not matter what I say or do, I can never get them to stop. It’s like they’re afraid I’ll smite them if they so much as breathe wrong in my presence.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re one of the most powerful beings currently in existence, with the capabilities of moving the literal fucking sun.” Steve spoke, giving the alicorn a cheeky grin.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, I suppose I understand where they’re coming from, but still. They seem to have this whole mindset that if they upset me, I’ll banish them to the sun or something like that.”

“Nah, you wouldn’t do that.” Steve commented. “You’re too nice.”

“See!?” She exclaimed. “You get it! I just don’t understand why nopony else does.”

“I think I know why.” Steve spoke. Celestia gave him a raised eyebrow, a small look of surprise on her face.

“Really?” She inquired. The Crafter nodded.

“Yeah. It’s because in their minds, you’re kind of like this, untouchable goddess, of sorts. They put you on this figurative pedestal, one that they could never dream of reaching. They see you as some perfect, divine being instead of what you really are.”

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. “And that is?”

“You’re, well, you’re a lot like me, actually.”

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the Crafter’s response. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we’re both beings of power, for one. You control the sun, I’m basically a one-man army. Neither of us are perfect, and we’ve both made our fair share of mistakes. If the history books are anything to go by, then we’ve both fought in numerous wars. We’ve lost loved ones, more than either one of us can count. And, lastly, you and I are both members of a dying or dead race, respectively.”

Celestia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “What are you talking about? There are thousands of ponies living in Canterlot, not to mention the rest of Equestria.”

“True. But how many alicorns are there?”

Celestia’s breath caught in her throat.

“Because when I noticed how you, Luna and Cadence were the only alicorns I’d met, I decided to do a bit of digging, try and find out how many alicorns there were. Turns out, you three are the only alicorns currently alive. Now, I don’t know about you, Celestia, but if there’s only three remaining members of a species, they are at the very least at risk of dying out.”

The alicorn opened her mouth to speak, but Steve quickly stopped her with a raised hand.

“And yes, I know that alicorns are blessed with immortality, but remember, so was my kind, and look what happened to them. Immortality doesn’t make you unkillable, Celestia. I would know this, because I am immortal and I can’t count the times I’ve nearly died in the past few months.”

“Steve, there are so few alicorns for a reason. There can only be six alicorns alive at any given time.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “Why?”

She sighed as she rubbed a hoof against her face. “Steve, have you ever heard anything about the balance of nature?”

“Eh, a little bit. Never thought too hard about it, though. It says something about how ‘nature is in a state of equilibrium,’ or something along those lines, right?”

“Basically speaking, yes. That balance applies to every living thing in the world, most especially alicorns. As such, only six alicorns can ever exist at any given time. If that limit is exceeded, then Harmony would be disrupted and the world would fall into chaos and ruin. In my entire lifetime, such an event has only ever occurred once.”

“What happened?” Steve asked.

A look of pain flashed in Celestia’s eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words passed her lips. Finally, after a few moments, she closed her mouth, lips drawn in a thin line.

“Equestria was never the same afterwards.”

Steve opened his mouth to inquire further, but he was interrupted before he could.

“Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!!” A voice called, accompanied by a hurried clanking. Both Crafter and alicorn whirled around to see a guard running towards them. Upon getting close enough, the pony tried to slide to a stop, but couldn’t keep his footing, resulting in him falling onto his back with a loud clanking sound.

Hurriedly rolling onto his back, he managed to stand up straight and salute.

“What is it?” Celestia asked, confusion and worry on her face.

“There’s a situation, your Highness.” The guard spoke. “A dragon landed in the west gardens, carrying some, uh, rather peculiar company. The dragon hasn’t done anything, but she’s demanding to see you, Princess.”

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean, peculiar company?”

“Well, one of them is a stallion. He said his name is Braeburn Apple, from Appleoosa. The other is a creature that I’ve, well, I’ve never seen anypony like it before, your Highness.”

“What do you mean?” The pale alicorn inquired, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What does this being look like?”

The guard’s eyes trailed over to Steve as he pointed a hoof at the Crafter. “It looks like him, your Majesty.” He responded.

Celestia and Steve looked at each other with wide eyes before looking back at the guard. After a few moments, the Crafter uttered a single word.

“What?”

* * * * *

“So, um, not that I’m complaining, or anything.” Martha began. “But do you guys really have to be doing this?”

In response, the four dozen or so guards surrounding her, Abyss and Braeburn reinforced their stances.

“As annoying as it is, I can’t say I’m surprised.” Abyss commented with a roll of her eyes.

“Why not?” Martha asked, to which the dragoness looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, maybe because I’m a huge, terrifying dragon, and they’re a bunch of little ponies?”

“Ah. So, like how Braeburn passed out when he saw you?”

Abyss nodded as the yellow stallion standing next to them face-hoofed, his cheeks slightly tinted red.

“Please, Ah’m already embarrassed about it. Ya don’t need to keep bringing it up.” Martha knelt down and gave Braeburn a hug.

“Aw, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It happens to everyone at some point.” She cooed as she petted his head with one hand.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a cracking sound, accompanied by a bright flash of light. As Martha rubbed the spots from her vision, she turned to see what had caused the flash.

Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened in shock.

The first thing she saw was another pony, though this one was much taller than any other pony she’d ever seen, though that wasn’t saying much. It’s fur was a pale white color, which contrasted heavily with its pink, green and blue colored mane. It not only had a pair of wings, but also a large white horn.

However, though it was truly a strange sight for the Testificate, it wasn’t the pony that had shocked Martha. It was the being standing next to her. A being that Martha recognized, from her childhood.

Several Years Prior

She stood there on the hard, cold cobblestone. Next to her stood her father, the village Chieftain. All around stood a mix of iron and snow golems, with a few scattered village guards, the only villagers who had the will and training to actually use a sword. They all stared at what lay in front of them.

An empty Nether Portal frame, though this particular one was twice as tall and several times wider than any portal Martha had read about in her books.

The portal had been built only a few days before. Afterwards, several thousand Minecraftians, with King Steve at the front, had marched into the purple portal. After the last Crafter had stepped through, the portal was destroyed, so that nothing could come through until the Minecraftians returned.

Now, three days later, there were signs of activity again. Purple wisps began to form within the cold, black frame. Her father had gathered every golem and villager guard in New Ironwood to stand at the ready, in case it wasn’t the Minecraftians who were returning.

Suddenly, the wisps of purple molded together, and the portal activated, the space inside the frame turning into a swirling wall of purple.

Everyone around her tensed up slightly.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Then, a single person fell through. He stumbled and fell face-first on the ground, his body making a sickening “Thwap!” as he hit the ground, as though he was soaking wet. Which he was, Martha found a moment later. He was soaked, just not with water.

Dark red blood covered him, though she couldn’t tell if it was his blood or not. He wore no armor, save for a pair of cracked diamond boots. The pants and shirt he wore were in tatters, covered in holes and tears, seemingly on the brink of falling apart at any moment.

“Your majesty!” Martha’s father cried out as he and the villager guards all rushed forward, helping pull the Minecraftian to his feet.

Martha’s eyes widened. ‘King Steve?’ She inwardly questioned as she stared at the heavily injured Minecraftian, who despite the aid of her father and others, seemed to be barely standing. It was hard to recognize him with all of the blood covering his features.

“Swefvj sadhdwo, adjgid. Jgqpcnacliy zxcepoif.” King Steve spoke quietly, his softly spoken words garbled. Martha heard her father speak.

“Damn. Knew I should’ve brought a translator.” Shaking his head, her father turned to one of the nearby guards. “Go get some potions and food from Father James! Tell him the Minecraftians have come back!”

The guard nodded. “On it, sir!” With that, he ran off, back towards the village.

“Uh, sir?” Another guard spoke. “Where are the rest of the Minecraftians?”

Martha’s father took a quick glance at the Nether portal. “I… I don’t know. Maybe they fell behind?”

“Wdn acnhdu sdmfje czakhiu.” The Minecraftian spoke, shaking his head. Pushing away from her father, Martha watched as King Steve slowly trudged back towards the portal, falling to his knees before it. He reached over his shoulder and slowly withdrew a diamond pick-axe. Pulling it back, he slammed the crystalline tool into the obsidian base.

“What are you doing?!” Her father cried, despite knowing that the Minecraftian couldn’t understand a word he said. King Steve slammed the pick-axe down once more, the black stone beginning to crack. Before another blow could land, her father grabbed the Minecraftian’s arm. Steve immediately snapped his gaze towards the chieftain, causing the villager to release his grip and take a step back.

Something happened between the two. Some silent conversation occurred between them, spoken not with their words, but with their eyes. Her father stared King Steve straight in the face, then gave a shaky sigh as he nodded his head and stepped away. The Minecraftian resumed his task, his pick-axe slowly chipping away at the obsidian block.

“Sir?” One of the guards spoke. “What happened? Why is he breaking the portal?”

For a moment, her father remained silent. Then, he answered.

“Because I don’t think anyone else is coming.”

There was a loud clunk, and the mass of swirling purple disappeared.

The Present

“It’s you.” She whispered. Steve’s gaze turned into one of confusion.

“What?” Steve asked.

“It’s you. You’re King Steve.” She spoke, louder this time. The Testificate began making her way towards the Crafter. “I lived in New Ironwood. I was there when you lead your army into the Nether, and when you returned.” Her eyes suddenly got even wider as she realized something. “Wait. I can understand you.” She said, quiet at first, but soon she began to shout. “I can actually understand you!” She rushed forward, clamping her arms around his torso in a tight hug.

Steve, still in a state of shock, looked down at the grinning Testificate.

“...I am so lost right now.”

Author's Note

This chapter...... well, just, nevermind. Thank you all for reading and be sure to let me all know what you think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 67: Playing Catch-Up (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve stood beside the table in Celestia’s quarters. The Solar Diarch, Braeburn, and the Testificate he know knew was named Martha sat around the table while Abyss chose to stand nearby.

“Okay,” Steve began. “I got a lot of questions running through my head right now. So, first off.” He turned to the dragoness. “How are you doing, Abyss? Sorry if I haven’t had the opportunity to visit, I’ve been a bit busy lately.”

The dragoness gave him a deadpan look. “Oh me? I’m doing great. Just been worried sick about you getting hurt. Not only that, but a being that shouldn’t be here is now here, so there’s that too. Overall, not too much going on with me, thanks for asking.”

“Why were you worried about me?” The Crafter asked in confusion.

“Because a few nights ago, I felt the Nightmare aura in you suddenly flare up. Given that the last time something like that happened was when we fought Herobrine, I figured you were in trouble.”

Steve shrugged. “Eh, less so me in trouble, and more a friend of mine that was. It’s a long story. Anyways, I’m surprised that you managed to sense my transformation at all.”

Abyss gave him a look of disbelief. “Steve, do you have any idea at all how powerful your aura is when you activate your, whatever it is, Nightmare Form, you called it?”

The Crafter shook his head. “Uh, not really. I mean, I kinda figured that I had a presence of sorts, but I didn’t think it was that powerful.”

Celestia let out a small chuckle. “Clearly, you underestimate your strength, Steve. Luna and I could sense your presence all the way from Canterlot.”

“Ah.” He commented lamely. Shaking his head, he turned to Martha and the stallion beside her, Braeburn. “So, Martha.” The Testificate perked up when her name was spoken. “How in the world are you here?”

“Oh. I fell through the portal, your Majesty.”

Steve stared at her with a blank expression on his face for a few moments before speaking. “Okay, firstly, what? And second, don’t call me your Majesty, please.”

She quickly nodded. “Okay your Highness.”

“That’s,” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sighing, he focused his gaze back on Martha. “That’s not what I meant. Don’t call me your Majesty, or your Highness, or anything like that, okay?”

“Oh, um, okay. What should I call you, then?”

He shrugged. “Just call me Steve. Everyone else does.”

She nodded. “Got it. Anyways, to answer your question, I fell through this portal that was in the middle of the forest. It was only after I talked with Abyss that I found out that it was actually Notch who had made the portal.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “Notch? Why did he make a portal to this world?”

The Testificate shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is that I fell through his portal by accident and was spit out in the forest. After walking for a while, I ended up meeting Braeburn, who was kind enough to take me back to his house. It wasn’t too long afterwards that Abyss found me. We talked for a while, and when she said that she needed to go to some place called Canterlot, me and Braeburn volunteered to go with her. And, well, here we are.”

Steve turned to look at Abyss. “Why did you need to come here?”

The dragoness sighed and pointed to Celestia. “Because I needed to warn her.”

This got the alicorn’s attention. The Solar Diarch immediately stood, her furrowed gaze focused on Abyss. “Warn me of what?”

“That you need to be careful. I’m not sure why Notch opened the portal, but I do know this. If she,” Abyss pointed at Martha. “Can come through, then there’s a chance other things can as well. Things that are far less friendly, and a lot more deadly.”

Steve’s eyes widened in realization. “The mobs.” He breathed, tone horrified.

Abyss nodded. “Yeah. And if enough of them can get through…”

“Then they’ll start to spawn here.” Steve finished.

“What?” Celestia inquired, gaze switching between Steve and Abyss. Her expression made it clear she wanted answers. Steve, being more knowledgeable on the subject, answered.

“Celestia, I’ve fought two terrible, bloody wars against the mobs, during which my forces killed hundreds, perhaps even thousands of them. But despite this, they continue to endure, even to this day, I’m assuming. They are a plague, a virus that can never truly be destroyed. If they come here…” He hesitated for a moment, shaking his head. “Well, let’s hope that never happens. If Notch is half as competent as I know he is, then he’ll make sure that not one single mob comes through.”

“Well, I hope you’re right, Steve.” Abyss spoke. “Because if he doesn’t, and the mobs come here, to Equestria.” The dragoness sighed and shook her head before glancing at Celestia. “Then this world will be lost.”

A heavy silence enveloped the room. No one spoke, the weight of what they’d just heard rendering them speechless. Steve sat back against a nearby wall and sighed before taking a quick look at the other occupants of the room.

The stallion, Braeburn, looked sad, but also confused, and Steve couldn’t help but feel bad for the pony. From what he’d gathered, the stallion was a normal pony, who lived and worked like any other Equestrian. He shouldn’t have been one of the first to know that his world was potentially in mortal danger, and yet, there he was.

Martha fared no better. She had a dejected look on her face as she wrung her hands. She looked like she wanted to say something, but everytime her mouth opened, she hesitated, before shaking her head and closing her mouth again. Her gaze wandered around the room before landing on Braeburn and, upon seeing the expression on his face, carefully wrapped an arm around his barrel. He flinched slightly on the initial contact, but settled into her hug a moment later, nuzzling his head against her side.

Celestia looked, well, she had an expression of calm on her face, implying that the news had barely fazed her, but Steve knew better. He’d worn such a face many times during the wars, and during his time as king. He knew that, whatever it was she was feeling, she didn’t want anyone to see it.

“What can we do?” The Solar Diarch spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Her gaze was on Steve and Abyss, and her voice, despite the calm exterior, shook. “What can we do to prevent this?”

“For now? Nothing.” Abyss answered truthfully, though Steve wanted to slap her upside the head for her lack of tact.

Celestia’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she let out a laugh of disbelief. “What?”

Abyss shrugged. “Nothing. Until I detect another portal open up, there’s nothing Steve or I can do.”

“She’s right.” Steve reluctantly agreed. “Even with Nightmare Steve’s powers, all I can do is kill any mobs that manage to get through. Sure, he has the ability to sense magic or whatever it is Abyss can do, but since I never felt anything like what she’s talking about, I don’t think I have nearly as big a range as she does.”

‘Alas, you are correct, Steve.’ The Nightmare spoke up. ‘At best, I can detect a magical aura from a few dozen yards away, but that’s it.’

‘Got it, thanks.’ Steve responded.

“So, all we can do for now is prepare. If a portal opens up, Abyss will sense it and we’ll both go shut it down.” Seeing from her expression that Celestia wasn’t satisfied with his answer, Steve gave her a small smile. “But hey, that’s only on the off-chance that Notch let's any of those monsters through. He hates mobs as much as I do, so there’s almost no chance of them ever actually getting through.”

“But there is still a chance.” Celestia spoke solemnly, more to herself than to Abyss and Steve.

“Yes.” The Crafter spoke, nodding with a solemn expression on his face. “There is.” Sighing, his gaze fell to the floor, taking a moment to study the clean tiled floor before he glanced back up at the Solar Diarch sitting across the room from him. “Look, Celestia, right now, I don’t know what to do. I wish that there was something, some good, substantial news that I could tell you right now, to reassure you that everything’s gonna be alright. But I don’t. I don’t know.” The Crafter sighed. “All I know is that if those, things, ever show their face in this world, I’ll make them wish that they’d never been born. I will hunt them down, and put every single one of them to the sword.”

Celestia shook her head. “Steve, you service is greatly appreciated. Trust me, it is. But I cannot ask that of anypony, let alone you.”

He smirked. “Well, good thing I’m not a pony.” His words roused a small chuckle from the pale alicorn.

Abyss, on the other hand, groaned as she face-palmed. “Steve, what are you doing?”

“What?” The Crafter inquired, eyebrows furrowed.

The dragoness glared at him. “Look, I know for a fact that you’re tired of fighting, and I completely understand why. So, pray tell, why are you willingly throwing yourself back into the fray?”

“Abyss, you and I are the only ones who really know what the mobs are and how to kill them. As much as I’ve grown tired of fighting, the last thing I’m going to do make it someone else’s problem to fight them.”

“And I get that, I really do. What I don’t get is why you seem so intent on making sure you’re at the front, leading the fight against them. No one is expecting that from you!”

“Those things killed everyone I loved, Abyss!” Steve replied in a loud voice. “My friends, my family, my people! I at least owe it to them to make sure the mobs never harm anyone ever again!” Steve, realizing that he was now nearly yelling, took a few deep breaths to calm himself before continuing. “I made a promise, a long time ago, that I would help everyone I could. And I never break my promises.” He sighed. “Besides, what am I supposed to do otherwise? Just stand back and watch others give their lives to fight monsters they shouldn’t even know exist? No.” The Crafter stated, shaking his head. “I’ve already watched one race die. I’ll be damned before I watch a second one suffer the same fate.”

Abyss’ face had fallen, eyes boring into the tiled floor beneath her feet. After a few moments, she spoke, voice emotionless.

“Well, what if you die, Steve?”

The Crafter flinched as though he’d been struck. “What?”

The dragoness’ gaze met Steve’s. “What if you die? You’re not invincible, Steve. You are strong, and brave, and one of the best fighters I’ve ever met. But you can still be killed. So what if one day, you go off to battle, and you don’t come back? What then? How do you think your friends would feel? Derpy, Dinky, Trench, me? How would we feel?”

“I don’t want to die, Abyss, obviously! I don’t want to make you guys sad!” Steve spoke, his exasperated voice beginning to morph into one of frustration. “But if it comes down to either my friends dying, or me dying, you know what I’ll choose! Enough people have sacrificed themselves for me! I’m tired of it! I’m tired of people giving their lives to save mine when I never deserved it! I tried my best to become worthy of their sacrifice, and look where that’s got me! Where that got them!” Hot tears began to pour down Steve’s cheeks, though he didn’t acknowledge them. “In the end, everyone I loved died, leaving only me, the one they all died for! I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want to have to deal with the pain of losing those I love and care for again! I’d rather die than do that!” He yelled, teeth clenched tight. Sighing, he fell back against the wall behind him, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself as he pressed his hands to his face. “I can’t. I can’t go through that again. If I were to die in battle, I’d at least know that I’d gone out protecting those I care about. But if anyone else were to die facing the mobs, then their death would be on me.”

Abyss shook her head. “Steve, you’re not responsible for the portals, nor the mobs. How in the world would it be your fault?”

The Crafter lifted his head, his gaze meeting hers. “Because when you have what I have, when you can do what I can, but you don’t, and then the bad stuff happens, it happens because of you. And I don’t need that on my conscience, Abyss. I really don’t.” Sighing, he shook his head. “I tried my best to save everyone. I did everything I could, and it wasn’t enough to save my world. I only hope that my best is enough to save this one, if the need arises. Because I’m not sure what I’ll do if it’s not.”

Author's Note

Wow, this was posted a bit earlier than expected. Yay me!
Again, this a bit of a filler chapter. For those of you craving a bit more action, just be patient with me. I'll get there soon.
Also, bit of bad news. My data plan with my phone company went a bit wonky, so my unlimited data, as well as my hotspot, which I use for my computer, is going to be offline for the forseeable future. This means I'll be on a lot less than normal until I can get everything situated, which also means that the next few chapters will probably be delayed. (Which is the main reason I wanted to get this one out so soon.) Sorry for the inconvience.
Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 68: Heading Out

Author's Note

So, this chapter is a little short. Sorry about that, but I wanted to get this one out before I left. Speaking of which, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going an vacation with my family and won't be back for a week. I'll be dropping in on the site every-so-often, but don't expect a new chapter for a while.

Anyways, as always, thank y'all for reading and be sure to drop a comment below, let me know what you think!

See ya!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 68: Heading Out

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve sat there on the stone bench, the slight shifting of his boots causing the grass beneath them to crunch softly. He was hunched over slightly, hands in his lap and gazed focused on the ground in front of him. His trusty diamond sword was by his side, leaning against the leg of the bench.

Sighing, he glanced up at the sun, which was just barely beginning to set far in the distance. His mouth was pursed and his eyebrows were furrowed.

‘Hey Nightmare, you there?’ He called in his mind.

‘Of course Steve. What do you need?’

‘Nothing, it’s just, I haven’t been able to really talk to you due to all the crazy stuff that’s been going on. I just wanted to check up with you, see what you think about all of it.’

It took a few moments for the Nightmare to respond.

‘If I’m being honest, I think you need a break.’

The Nightmare’s blunt response caused the Minecraftian to let out a short laugh.

‘Really?’ He asked.

‘Of course.’ Nightmare Steve responded, tone completely serious. ‘In just the last few days, you’ve fought a literal god, fought those elite guards, fought through numerous changelings to save your friend, been interviewed by world leaders, and have found out that the world you now live in is in danger of being taken over by terrible monsters. Anyone would need a break after going through half of those things.’

Steve grinned. ‘Fair. Hopefully, since there’s no more reason for me to be here, I can get going soon. While this place is nice and all, there isn’t any place like home.’

‘That is true.’ Nightmare Steve responded. “Hopefully, you will not have to do anything too dangerous for a little while, so you can take some time to rest.’

The Crafter chuckled and nodded. ‘Yeah, no kidding. Anyways, talk to ya later.’

‘Talk to you later as well.’ The Nightmare spoke, before he went silent.

Sighing, Steve leaned back a bit on the bench. Glancing down at his sword, he reached over and grabbed it before lifting it up in front of him, his gaze wandering over the crystalline blade. Once, it had been a perfectly smooth sword. But now, as he looked at it, he could see that time had not been kind to it. Cracks lightly decorated its blue surface. Due to its constant use and Steve not having the time to repair it, small bits and pieces of the blue crystal had been broken off, leaving small, rough indents in their place. The wooden handle of the blade was old and worn, and the hilt that it connected to was cracked. Frankly, the entire thing was old and scarred.

“Just like me, I suppose.” Steve muttered to himself as he sheathed the blade over his shoulder.

For a while, the Crafter sat there, staring off into the distance at the setting sun, which now was only halfway visible, the rest having disappeared over the horizon. It wasn’t long after that he heard the sound of hooves gently trotting in the grass.

“Hello Steve.” Spoke a voice that he easily recognized.

“Hey Celestia.” The Crafter responded, not turning to look at her. The pale white alicorn trotted over beside him and sat down. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing much. Just checking on you after you left my quarters so quickly.”

Steve shrugged. “Sorry about that. I just needed to clear my head a bit, I suppose.” He sighed before glancing at the Solar Diarch. “Where’s Abyss and Martha?”

“Abyss left not long after you, saying that she had to return home before nightfall. I’ve given Martha her own personal room for the time being until I can find more permanent accomodations for her.”

“Hmm. And what about that dude, uh, Braeburn?”

“Oh. He is staying in a guest room until the morning, after which he will take the train back to Apploosa. He said that he has to make sure that his cousin hasn’t burned down his house yet, but he promised Martha he’d visit her as soon as he could.”

Steve nodded. “Good. It’s nice to know that she already has a good friend. She’s already had a better start in your world than I did.” At this, the Solar Diarch winced slightly, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by the Crafter. “Sorry.” He muttered.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Celestia responded. “What we did to you, what I did to you was-”

“Not your fault.” Steve cut in. “It was never your fault, not completely. I know you still feel bad about it, and it was wrong for me to bring it up when you’ve already apologized and I’ve already forgiven you for what happened.” He looked at her. I’m sorry.”

The white alicorn stared at the Crafter, mouth open as if to say something, before she eventually simply sighed and looked away. “I accept your apology, just as you accepted mine.”

“Thanks.” Steve responded.

The two sat in silence for a minute or two before Celestia finally spoke.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I understand if you do not answer, for you have every right not to if you wish, but I must ask.” She looked over at him. “What are the mobs?”

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but closed it after a moment, instead putting a hand to his chin as he thought about how best to answer the Princess’ question.

“The mobs are monsters, put in the most basic of terms. They existed long before the first Minecraftian ever woke up, and now, they will exist far after the last Minecraftian, me, falls. At first, we didn’t have any idea where they came from. We thought that maybe they were creatures born from the Nether, or the End.”

“The what?” Celestia asked, confused.

“Oh. Uh, well, the Nether is an alternate version of my world that can be accessed via a Nether portal. It’s full of fire, and lava, and a whole assortment of flame-related mobs that all want to kill you. The End is the home of the Endermen, as well as the old home of the Ender Dragon.”

“Ender Dragon?”

“Abyss, back when she was all crazy and cursed and stuff.”

“Oh, okay.” Celestia spoke, giving a nod of understanding. However, a moment later, her eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

“Anyways, there are a wide variety of mobs in my world. There’s the basic ones, like zombies and giant spiders, and then there’s the more deadly ones, like creepers and endermen. Each one is armed with its own unique way of killing you.”

“How many different mobs are there?”

“Uh, let me think.” Steve said, scratching his head. “There’s zombies, drowned, husks, skeletons, strays, creepers, spiders, cave spiders, endermen, phantoms, the little assholes. There’s also endermites, shulkers, evokers, ravagers, pillagers, vex’s, vindicators, witches, guardians, slimes, silverfish, blazes, zombie pigmen, ghasts, blazes, wither skeletons, magma cubes, and a couple others I’ve probably forgotten about.”

“That is…. Quite an extensive list. How did you learn to deal with them?”

“I got lucky. First mob I met was a zombie. They’re one of the easier mobs to deal with if their alone. I punched him to death pretty quickly. After that, I started being more careful. I learned how to use a sword and bow, training myself constantly until I was good at it. After that it was just a matter of putting my training to good use. Which I did, for a long time.”

“Hmm. I see.” Celestia spoke, putting a hoof to her chin in thought. Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.” The alicorn replied after a moment, shaking her head. “Just a passing thought.” She looked over at him. “If I may ask, what were you doing out here?”

‘She’s changing the subject.’ Steve thought. Staring at her for a moment, he sighed and looked back at the horizon as he answered.

“Well, I’ve been thinking too.”

Celestia gave him a questioning look.

“About what?”

“Well, I was thinking that since I’m pretty much done here in Canterlot for the time being, I thought that it was time for me to head on home.”

“Home?”

The Crafter nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t really had the opportunity to really rest and recuperate after everything that’s happened. Besides, there’s a ton of things I need to do down in Ponyville, like checking up on Derpy, and making sure Zecora is okay after what happened. Also, because of what happened to her, Rainbow Dash hasn’t seen me since the final battle in the Mindscape, so I figured I’d drop in once I got back.”

“I see.” Celestia responded. “Well, if that is what you want, then by all means, you may leave whenever you wish. But before you go, there is something I’d like to give you first.” Her horn began to glow.

One of Steve’s eyebrows raised slightly. “What is it?”

Suddenly, a rather official-looking piece of paper suddenly appeared in a flash, held by Celestia’s magical aura. She gave it to him.

“Just a little something to help repay you for everything you’ve been through, and for your services to Equestria as a whole.”

Steve began to read the paper over. After spending a minute or so going over the documents contents, he looked back up.

“Celestia, this is a receipt. For a…wait.” He looked back down for a moment before glancing back up at her. “Is this a-?”

She nodded. “Yes. You said that your dream was to live in peace. I figured that this would help you with that, even if it’s only a little bit.”

“I, uh, I mean, thank you Celestia.” Steve spoke with a grin.

“There’s no need to thank me.” She responded. “In fact, I should be thanking you. After everything you’ve done for Equestria when you had no reason to, and for asking for nothing in return, this is the very least I could do for you.”

“Still, thank you.” Steve replied, looking down at the paper again. “It’d be nice to finally be out of the Everfree Forest. It’s beautiful, but it gets tiring having to gear up before going for a morning walk everyday.” Taking a deep breath, he looked up at her. “But, don’t you think an entire house is a bit much?”

Celestia grinned. “For you, Steve, not at all.”

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 69: Heading In

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

It was late. Darkness had long since covered the town of Ponyville, the cloud cover overhead blocking out most of the moonlight. Anypony who wished to travel at such a time would have to rely on the lamp-posts, which dimly lit the cobblestone roads at regular intervals.

Steve watched from the window by his seat as the train slowly came to a stop at the station, the doors opening not long after. Getting to his feet, the Crafter took one last glance at the ponies who shared his car.

There were four of them. Three mares and a stallion. It was a far cry from the dozen or so that had been there when he’d first boarded in Canterlot, the others moving to a different train car at some point during the ride. Even now, the four ponies in the car watched him with fear and distrust in their eyes.

He gave them a nod and a wave. “Goodbye. Thank you for all the pleasant company.” His voice carried just the barest hint of sarcasm. With that, he stepped out of the car.

Once outside, he took a deep breath as he glanced around. Along with him, several other ponies had also gotten off. Most noticed him immediately, and those that didn’t quickly did. He gave them a quick wave before he started walking away.

“Um, excuse me?” A voice spoke up, prompting the Crafter to stop and look behind him. A unicorn mare stood a few feet away. She had dark orange fur, with a pure white mane. For a moment, Steve felt like he’d seen the mare before, but he quickly shook the thought away before responding to the mare.

“Yes?” He asked. “What is it?”

Her sky-blue eyes glanced away for a moment before focusing back on him.

“You are the ‘Monkey of the Everfree,’ correct?”

He shrugged. “Not a monkey, but I get what you mean. And yes, I suppose that’s me. What do you need?”

“N-nothing. I was just- I was wondering what you were doing here.”

“Ah.” Steve spoke with an even tone. “Well, you see, I got a house.”

“... A house?”

He nodded. “Yeah, one here in Ponyville. Got it as a gift from Princess Celestia for everything I’ve gone through.”

She quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Oh you know, the usual. The multiple cases of guard assault, being hunted by said guards, having a kill-squad sicced on me, along with a few other things. Honestly, I try not to think too much about it.” He said, shrugging. “Brings up memories I’d much rather forget about.”

The mare’s eyes were wide and her jaw hung open.

“Wh… What?”

Steve inwardly winced. ‘Probably shouldn’t be dumping all this on a pony I met five seconds ago.’

“Uh, nothing. Just ignore me. Sometimes my mouth moves before I want it to.” Steve responded with a wave of his hand. “Anyways, if that’s all, I should be going. It’s getting late and I still don’t know where my house actually is.”

“You don’t know where it is?” The mare asked, seeming confused.

“Well, I know where it is.” Steve responded as he fished through his Inventory for the piece of paper Celestia had given him at the train station in Canterlot, just before he’d left. Upon pulling it out, he quickly looked the document over. “It’s, uh, 3491 Baulk Avenue.” He glanced back up at the mare. “The only problem is, I have no idea where that is.”

“Baulk Avenue? Well, that’s not very far from here. Just take a right off of Alfalfa Boulevard, go on for about a block, then you’ll be there.”

Steve nodded as he looked down the street. “Okay. A right at Alfalfa, then walk for a block. Got it.” Stuffing the paper back into his Inventory, he glanced back at the mare. “Thank you, Miss…?”

“O-oh. I’m Amber Dust.” The mare spoke.

“Got it. Thanks for the help, Amber Dust.” With that, he began walking away.

“You’re welcome.” He heard Amber reply. At this, he glanced back at her, giving her a small wave as he walked away.

* * * * *

‘Steve, forgive me for asking, but why are you going to the house Celestia gave you this late at night?’ Nightmare Steve asked. ‘Would it not have been better to stay in Canterlot until morning and then leave?’

“Yeah, probably. But I didn’t want to stay in Canterlot any longer if I have things to do here in Ponyville. I’ve always hated staying in big, fancy castles anyways.” Looking up at the next street sign, his eyes widened when he saw that it said “Alfalfa Boulevarde.” Upon reaching it, he turned to the right and continued walking.

“Besides, it was best that I left during the night. It hasn’t even been a day since I was interviewed by those newspeo-ponies, which means that the public still doesn’t know anything about me except what they’ve heard in the last few months. Just look at how the ponies on the train acted.” Steve spoke, remembering the fearful looks he’d gotten. Sighing, he shook his head. “There’s a lot of work that needs to happen before the ponies fully trust me. It isn’t gonna happen in a day.”

‘That’s true.’ Nightmare Steve agreed. There was silence for a moment or two afterwards, then the Nightmare spoke again. ‘Up ahead.’

Steve glanced up to see that the road ended in a T formation, Alfalfa Boulevard cutting into Baulk Avenue.

“Great. Now…” He glanced down the road to his left, then did the same to his right. “Which way do I go?”

‘This would’ve been much easier if you had just accepted the Ponyville map Celestia tired to give you.’

“I didn’t think I needed it. I’ve been around long enough to know the basics, so I thought I could find it no problem.” Steve responded. “It’s only know that I realize that may have been a mistake on my part.”

‘Clearly.’

The Crafter deadpanned. “And you’re sarcasm is not appreciated!”

“You keep talking to yourself like that, ponies will start to think you’re crazy!” A old, gruff, crotchety voice spoke up. Steve, caught off-guard, jumped slightly as he whirled around to face whoever had just spoke.

On the porch of a nearby house sat the outline of a pony. The house’s porchlights weren’t on, so Steve couldn’t quite make out any discernable features about the assumed (due to the pony’s voice) stallion.

“Who are you?” The Crafter called as he slowly approached.

“Oh, I’m nopony special. Just an old stallion enjoying the cool night air.” The figure responded. “Who might you be?”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“Do you not know who I am?” He asked. The stallion shook his head.

“Nope. Don’t rightly know. I never forget a voice, you see, and I know I’ve never heard your’s.”

“My voice? What would-?”

‘Steve.’ The Nightmare spoke up. ‘Look at his eyes.’

The Crafter did so, and suddenly, it all came together. The reason why the porchlight’s weren’t on, why the stallion both didn’t mind the darkness, and hadn’t recognized Steve or even made some mention about how strange he looked all made sense.

The pony was blind.

His eyes were white pools of milky white, barely visible in the blackness, but still there. Steve stopped.

“Oh.” He muttered.

“Oh?” The stallion echoed, most likely giving Steve a confused look.

“Nothing.” The Crafter hastily responded. “It’s just, your eyes.”

The old pony chuckled. “Yep. Blind in one eye, can’t see out the other.” He tapped the side of his head with one hoof. “Had an accident back when I served in the Royal Guard. Me and my squad had gotten into a spat with a Manticore mother on accident. I took a hit meant for somepony else. Cost me my sight.” He sighed and shrugged. “Magic wasn’t as advanced back then. Now-a-days, if that happened, they’d just get some unicorn to cast a spell, then you’d be right as rain. For me, however, well it was a different story.”

Steve looked at the stallion, an expression of sympathy on his face. “...I’m sorry.”

The stallion chuckled again. “For what, my friend? It was a long time ago, and I’ve gotten used to it over the years. Really, it’s not so bad anymore.”

“Still, I can’t imagine what it would be like if I just suddenly couldn’t see anymore. I’m not sure what I’d do.”

“Oh, pshaw!” The stallion gave an overdramatic scoff. “Admittedly, my hearing isn’t what it used to be, but you sound like a strong, young pony. I’m sure you’d pull through.”

Steve almost informed the stallion about how he was not, in fact, a pony, but he eventually decided against it. Instead, he gave a shrug as he smirked. “Eh, probably. Just roll with the punches, right?”

The stallion laughed. “Ha, indeed. My old drill instructor, Corporal Digger, she used to say something similar.” He chuckled. “Yes, she sure was tough on us recruits. Expected our best, and nothing less.” Slowly, his smile fell and his white, sightless eyes trailed down to the ground. “Because back then, well, we had to be.”

Steve knew better than to ask what he meant, even though he really wanted to know what the stallion was talking about.

‘Steve, it is getting very late. I suggest you wrap this up and move on. You still do not know where the house actually is.’ The Nightmare spoke.

‘Okay, okay. Got it. Give me a sec.’ Steve responded.

“Anyways, while it’s been real nice talking to you, I still have to find my house before it get’s too late.”

“Oh, of course. Don’t let me keep you, Mr...?”

The Crafter grinned. “Steve. My name’s Steve.”

The stallion’s expression morphed into one of confusion. “Steve? Well, that sure is a strange name for a pony.”

“Well, good thing I’m not a pony then, eh?”

“You’re, not… what?” The stallion inquired, befuddled. Steve chuckled.

“Here, hold out your hoof. I’ll show you.”

After a moment of hesitation, the stallion eventually held out one hoof. Steve knelt down, then gently grasped it as though he was doing a handshake, immediately eliciting a gasp from the stallion as he hastily withdrew his foreleg.

“What?” He muttered. “Who are you? What are you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m no one. Just a guy, living his life as best he can, no different from everyone else.” Steve stood back up once again. “Well, I should be going. It was nice talking to you. See ya around.” With that, the Crafter turned and walked away into the night.

* * * * *

2,880 seconds later

Steve walked up to the iron gate that barred entry from any who sought entrance. He looked part the metal bars and towards the large structure which the fences surrounded. The cloud cover overhead parted for just a moment, long enough for the moon to shine through and reveal what the building looked like. Steve quickly looked down at the paper in his hand, before looking back up at the house in front of him.

“That’s the one.” He muttered to himself.

X (Hold): Power Jump

Crouching low, he leapt up and over the iron fencing, landing in a kneeling position on the other side. Standing up, he quickly crossed the front yard over to the front door. The door itself looked rather simple, with a rectangularish bottom and middle, and a curved top. Steve reached over, grabbing the doorknob and twisting before pushing the door.

It didn’t budge.

He stared at the handle for a moment before he remembered.

“Oh right! The key!” He scoffed and smacked himself in the forehead. Reaching into his Inventory, he quickly withdrew the iron key that Celestia had given him. Putting it into the lock, he twisted it. There was a soft clanking sound. Pulling the key out, he slipped it back into his Inventory as he grabbed the doorknob once again. He pushed, and this time, the door swung open, creaking ever-so-slightly as it did so.

Steve stepped inside, crouching as he did so.

It was dark, forcing him to have to fumble around for the switch that would turn on the lights. Upon finally finding it, he flipped the switch.

Bright light immediately flared up from the ceiling, lighting up the whole room. Steve squinted at first, waiting for his vision to get accustomed to the light. Once he was, he decided to look around.

The house was big. Steve counted several rooms, including a kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a main room at the front of the house, and a basement. Overall, it wasn’t too different from his own home back in his world, surprisingly enough, though it lacked the map room and subbasement that his old house had, as well as the attic loft.

“Well, I gotta say.” He muttered to himself as he walked through the front room of the house towards the dining room. “This place is nice.” He ducked under the doorway into the dining room. “Though it’s pretty clear that this place wasn’t built with someone of my height in mind.”

‘In their defense, I don’t think the builder’s knew that a being from another world was going to end up living in a house that they built.’

“True.” Steve responded as he withdrew his diamond axe, the head of which glowed purple. “Still, I think a bit of remodeling is in order, don’t you?”

The Nightmare sighed. ‘Long night it is, then?’

“Yep!” He spoke, hefting the axe over his shoulder as he grinned. “Let’s get started.”

Author's Note

Hey y'all! I'm back. Vacation was fun. And awesome. And the food was great. And all that.

Anyways, here's another filler chapter. I'm sorry, but I assure you, all of this is necessary before we get to the action. Just bear with me.

Also, I have a question for you guys and gals and everyone else. When Steve meets Amber Dust, he briefly feels like he's seen her before. That's because he has. So the question is, where did he first see her?

If you know, feel free to comment down below where in this story we first see her.

(Hint: We never actually learned her name until this chapter.)

Anyways, that's it for me. As always, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 70: Extreme Makeover Minecraft Edition (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crunch!

Steve sighed as the wood wall he’d been cutting at finally broke away, revealing the same strange yellow wool that he’d been seeing every time he removed a wall. The stuff was everywhere, stuffed into the walls with wild abandon. Normally, he wouldn’t care, but the strange material both one, made him very itchy whenever he touched it, and two, smelled a hell of a lot like rotten zombie flesh.

Grimacing at the sight of the rough yellow wool-like substance, he sighed as he quickly withdrew his shears from his Inventory. With a few clips, it fell free from the wall, and Steve tossed it into the growing pile a short distance away.

Closing his eyes, he wiped his brow with one arm as he groaned. “Geez. At this point, it’d be easier just to build my own home rather than dealing with all of this.” He said as he gestured at the house as a whole.

‘Well, why don’t you?’ Nightmare Steve asked. The Crafter sighed.

“Because it was a gift from Celestia.” Steve explained as he withdrew his axe, looking up the next spot where he’d begin work. The ceiling. “It’s clear that she spent money on this, and it’d be a bit rude if I just tore this place to the ground and built whatever I wanted in its place.” The Crafter hefted the axe and started swinging upwards, the glowing blade crashing into the ceiling with great force upon each impact. “So instead, I’ll just make some modifications to this place so that it’ll both work for me, and leave the house looking similar to how it was when she bought it.”

‘Do you think she’d really even care?’

“No, but better safe than sorry.” Steve said just as he swung, that final hit being the last before a meter-by-meter square of ceiling broke away.

Which caused the pile of yellow wool sitting on top of it to fall, covering the Crafter in it.

For a few moments, there was complete silence. Not even Nightmare Steve spoke.

Then, the Crafter gave an angry sigh as his teeth grit in frustration. “You know what? Change of plans. Time for plan B.”

* * * * *

Steel Guard sat alone on his porch, rocking ever-so-slightly in his rocking chair. His normally cheerful grin was muted, however, as the stallion seemed to be deep in thought, hoof pressed to his chin and eyebrows creased.

“Hmm.” He murmured quietly.

“Hey Dad!” A voice called out from over to the stallion’s right. Steel, having recognized the voice, quickly shook the look of deliberation from his face, instead trading it for a grin.

“Hello there Noble! What are you doing today?”

He heard hoofsteps approach, stopping a short distance away.

“Oh nothing much.” His son answered. “Just heading to work. What about you?”

Steel shrugged. “Much like you, nothing really. Just been thinking about what happened last night.”

“What happened?”

“Well, that’s the thing. I’m still not entirely sure.” Steel responded. “I had a talk with somepony last night, but I’m still not sure if I was just dreaming or not.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, after we talked for a bit, he was about to leave when I asked him for his name. He replied that his name was Steve. I thought that was a bit of a strange name for a pony, and I said as much. Then he told me that he wasn’t a pony. Even proved it by grabbing my hoof with, whatever they were that he had.” He shrugged. “After that, he said goodbye and left, just like that. Said he had to find his house, or something like that.” Steel sighed and leaned on one of his hooves. “Honestly, with how late it was, I’m fairly certain I was just dreaming.”

“Uh, Dad, I don’t think you were.” Noble spoke, voice suddenly a bit nervous.

“Why?” Steel inquired, concerned by the uneasy tone of voice his son now had.

“I know you don’t keep up with the news, but you remember the ‘Monkey of the Everfree,’ right?” Steel gave a single nod. “Well, on my way over here, I heard some ponies talking about how that same being had arrived in Ponyville via train. Some mare talked to him, and he said that his name was Steve.”

Steel’s unseeing eyes widened.

“What?” He asked.

However, before Noble could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of explosions.

BOOM!!!

BOOM!! BOOM!!

BOOM!!

Silence, and then.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!

* * * * *

A few moments before

Square (Hold): Critical Shot

Knocking an arrow to the string of his bow, Steve pulled back, taking a few moments to aim before releasing his hold. The arrow flew from his enchanted bow, flying straight toward the open door of the house in front of him and striking the TNT placed there.

Thanks to the Flame II enchantment on it, the arrow ignited the TNT on impact. The explosive burned for a few moments before exploding, blowing up a majority of the house entrance in the process. A second or two later, the TNT Steve had placed nearby also exploded. And after that, the TNT blocks that he had put near that one. And so on, all the TNT that he had placed throughout the home, (minus the basement) went off in a chain of massive explosions.

Steve was far enough away that he didn’t have to worry about getting blown up, but just to be sure, he’d built a small cobblestone wall to sit behind while he waited for all of the TNT to explode.

Eventually, after about a minute, the explosions stopped, and Steve peered out from behind the wall to survey the damage.

Everything was gone. The only reminder that a two-story Ponyville house had once stood on the property was the blackened concrete foundation that was still visible. Everything else had been blown to bits.

D-Pad-Right: Bow and Arrow

Letting out a sigh, Steve slid the bow over his back, into his Inventory, trading it for a book. Flipping it open, he turned to one particular page, on which was drawn the picture of what his house would look like.

It would be tall, easily two stories, with a loft acting as a partial third story. The first story walls would be cobblestone, with 1 x 3 glass windows on the front and back. There was room if he wanted to put a small garden, but he wasn’t too concerned about that at the moment. The rest of the home would be made of wood, preferably oak wood if he would find. There’d be windows on the upper levels as well. And of course, he’d have a balcony, with wood fences and cobblestone pillars that connected to the ground below.

It was the building plan for his old home back in Minecraftia. Being a king came with quite a few benefits, some of which being given quite a bit of money, and having access to some of the best builders available in New Ironwood. Here, however, it would take a lot more time, seeing as Steve was only moderately good at building as it was. Besides, it would take a lot of resources, which would only make the building process take longer.

Steve sighed and rubbed his temples. “One step at a time, Steve.” He muttered to himself. “One step at a time.”

‘Steve.’ The Nightmare spoke. ‘It appears your demolition has attracted a crowd.’

The Crafter whirled around to see that a small crowd of ponies had, in fact, arrived, staying just outside the iron fence, despite the gate being wide open. He groaned.

“Great. Something else to deal with.” Letting out a frustrated sigh, Steve turned and walked over to the crowd, though he didn’t step off the property.

“So!” He called out. Every pony eye was on him. “What can I do for you all this fine day?!”

For a few moments, the assembled ponies didn’t respond. Then, someone began pushing their way through the crowd. Eventually, the pony was revealed as a light gray pegasus stallion with a dark purple mane. His dark green eyes were narrowed at the Crafter.

“Why in Equestria did you blow that house up!?” He yelled angrily.

Steve shrugged. “Well, I kinda own it now, so I figured I’d do some renovations.”

The pony’s angry gaze faltered slightly at the Crafter’s answer.

“You.. what?”

Steve sighed as he dug through his inventory, pulling out a single piece of paper. Taking a moment to make sure it was the right one, he slipped the page through the iron fence to the stallion.

“Here. See for yourself.”

The pony looked over the paper for a few moments.

“...By order of the, Crown?” He glanced up at Steve with a confused expression. “The Princesses bought you this house?”

“Yeah. But, it wasn’t made with my sort of measurements in mind, so I decided to do some renovations, starting from the ground up.” He said, gesturing to where the house had once stood. “Now that the old house is gone, I can get to work on building the new one.” He sighed. “Which will take a while, probably, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”

“Oh.” The stallion spoke, all traces of emotion gone from his voice.

“What?” Steve asked. “Not what you were expecting?”

He shook his head as he handed the paper back. “No, not really.”

“Eh, happens to the best of us.” Steve replied as he grabbed the paper and slipped it back into his inventory. Looking around, he noticed that the crowd was only getting bigger. He cleared his throat.

“Attention everypony!!!” He called. “If you are here because of the explosions, not to worry!!! I was given this house, and since it was too small, I had to destroy it to make one big enough for me!!! If anyone doesn’t believe me, talk to, uh…” Steve looked back at the stallion he’d been talking to. “What’s your name?”

“Oh. Uh, Noble Deed.”

“Thanks. Uh, talk to Noble Deed here!!! He saw the proof, and if you don’t trust me, at least trust him!!! Now, if any of you are wondering why I am here in the first place, well too bad, I don’t care!!! You’ll all find out eventually!!! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get started on building my home for the foreseeable future!!!” With that, Steve turned and began walking to the charred foundation, pick-axe already in hand. After taking another look at the aged building plans, he set to work on modifying the foundation to suit his needs, breaking away the concrete he didn’t need and placing the concrete powder where he did need it.

As he worked, he checked every so often to see if the ponies were actually leaving. Much to his surprise, they did, slowly at first, then in much larger numbers until not a single one remained.

Steve grinned at the empty street outside his iron fence. “Well, that went a lot better than I expected.”

‘True. With their track record, I expected them to do something rash.’

Steve nodded in agreement. “Me too. Now, we can work in peace.”

And, with his trusty diamond pick-axe in hand, he did just that.

* * * * *

Later

Steve, breathing hard, sat down on the ground as he leaned against the crafting table he’d placed nearby. Wiping his brow with one arm, he took a moment to look over his work.

He’d restored the foundation and modified it so it would fit the house he was going to build. After that, he’d built a one block wall of cobblestone around the foundation, with holes where the doors in the front and back would be.

As much as he hated to admit it, just getting to where he was had taken far more effort than he liked.

“Suppose that’s what I get for always practicing my fighting instead of anything else.” He muttered to himself.

‘Well, you seem quite capable when it comes to brewing potions, from what I’ve seen.’ Nightmare Steve spoke.

“Yeah, because potions help keep me alive in fights.” Steve replied. “In fact, I had a few friends who fought primarily with potions. All of the potion recipes I know are meant to either help me kill, or to help me keep from getting killed.” Steve thought for a moment. “Well, except for Invisibility. The only reason I know that one is because Beth was always paranoid.” He sighed. “Well, I should probably get back to work. This house ain’t gonna build itself.”

The Crafter stood up, dusting himself off as he did so. He moved to grab some cobblestone from his Inventory, but stopped short when he heard someone speak.

“Steve?”

He turned around.

There, standing a short distance away, was Rainbow Dash.

Author's Note

So, if any of you are wondering what his house will look like, here's a picture.

There it is. (Hopefully the image actually loads.)
This is basically the house that I have in my own world, though I've made some modifications to personalize it a bit.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 71: Extreme Makeover Minecraft Edition (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Oh, hey Rainbow Dash.” Steve spoke, giving her a wave as he grinned. “What’s going on?”

The prismatic mare’s surprised expression slowly faded as she looked at him with a blank stare.

“What?” She asked.

“I was just wondering how you were doing. I haven’t really talked with you since before the fight against Herobrine. Well, except for visiting you in the hospital, though I doubt that really counts, seeing as you were completely unconscious at the time.” Steve’s gaze wandered to the Dash’s back, where her wings were folded. “How are your wings doing, by the way?”

She glanced at her wings for a moment before turning back to Steve. “They’re fine. Honestly, I didn’t even know they were broken until Nurse Red Heart told me. According to her, the Princess had to use some strong healing magic to fix them up, otherwise, they most likely wouldn’t have healed.”

The Crafter had to suppress a wince. “Yeah, I know. I visited you not long after I got back to Ponyville.”

Dash quirked an eyebrow. “Got back from where?”

“Canterlot.” He replied. Upon seeing her confused expression, he continued. “After the fight in the Mindscape, I woke up in hospital there, handcuffed to the bed. After I escaped, I met up with Trench, we tried to leave Canterlot, but got chased by these high-tier guard assholes. Luckily for us, Celestia swooped in and called the guards off. After that, we came back here and I checked up on you at the hospital. Not long after that I talked with Luna and Celestia at the library, then I went home to rest up for the night, but found out on the way that Zecora had been kidnapped, er, ponynapped, I suppose.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash cried out in shock, but Steve held out a hand.

“It’s fine. I found out where they were keeping her, and kicked their collective asses. Apparently, they’d captured her for information and to use to use as a food source.”

The mare’s eyes widened further at the mention of a ‘food source.’

“What?” She spoke, almost whispering. Steve continued.

“Yeah, so I beat them up, rescued Zecora and took her back home. Went back to Ponyville, met up with Celestia, we went to Canterlot, I attended a summit with a bunch of world leaders, met with a bunch of newsponies, then came back here last night after Celestia told me that she’d bought me a house. And….” Steve tapped a finger to his chin as he thought. “That’s about it, I think. I’m probably forgetting a few things, but that’s the jist of it.”

Dash stared at him with a look of bewilderment on her face. A few moments later, she let out a sigh as she sat down on the grass.

“That’s… uh, good?” She spoke, rubbing the back of her head with one hoof, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, but most of what you just said went right over my head.”

“Eh, that’s fair.” Steve replied, pocketing the cobblestone in his hand as he walked over to Dash, kneeling down to look her in the eye. “So, how have you been doing?”

“I’ve…” She looked away. “Been better, really. When I woke up in the hospital, I didn’t know what was going on. All I knew was that I was alive and I was sore. Really, really sore. But after that, I was worried about you, and Trench and everypony else because I had no idea what had happened to you guys. I tried asking the doctors, but they didn’t know. Nurse Red Heart told me that you had visited me, and that the Princess had visited me to heal my wings, which apparently, according to Red Heart, if she hadn’t shown up to heal me, then there would’ve been a chance that I wouldn’t have been able to use them anymore.” She sighed. “It’s hard to imagine, actually. Not being to fly. I wouldn’t be able to join the Wonderbolts. I wouldn’t be able to do my job. Hay, I wouldn’t even be able to get back home.” She chuckled. “Though, it’s kinda funny. When I woke up, and Red Heart told me everything, I wasn’t worried about myself at all.” She looked at Steve. “I was worried about you.”

“Me?” He inquired.

Dash nodded. “Yeah, which is stupid because you are by far the toughest mother bucker I’ve ever met. I don’t need to worry about you.” She sighed. “Still, I was worried. I was thinking to myself, ‘If, if Herobrine did this to me, then what did he do to you, somepony that he hates?’”

“He stabbed me in the chest.” Steve bluntly replied, causing the mare’s gaze to widen in shock as her head whipped around to stare the Crafter in the eyes.

“What?!” She cried out in shock. “How are you alive?!”

Steve shrugged. “Eh, I’m a hard bastard to kill. It’ll take more than a sword in the chest to take me down.”

“But… you…” Dash sputtered. Eventually, she simply sighed and looked away. “Never mind.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow, a small feeling of concern blooming in his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She replied.

The Crafter gave her a deadpan look. “Dash, I’d have to be blind or a moron to believe that. What’s wrong?”

She let out a frustrated sigh. “Look, it’s just. I was worried, you know.” She pursed her lips for a moment before glancing up at Steve. “I was so worried that you’d been hurt or something, and yet after everything you’ve been through in the last week or so, you’ve just, I don’t know. You just shrugged it all off and stuff.” She looked away again, a look akin to shame overcoming her features. “I was worried and you aren’t and now I just feel stupid for even being worried and I-!”

Dash was interrupted when Steve wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to his chest.

“Don’t.” He spoke softly. “Don’t ever feel bad for worrying about a friend.” After a moment, he sighed.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Rainbow Dash. It’s just with everything that’s been happening, with how much I’ve been worried about everyone, I forgot that there are people who’ve been worried about me, who are worrying about me.” He sighed. “Guess I’m still not quite used to having friends again.”

After a moment of silence, Dash returned the hug.

“It’s not your fault Steve. You’ve probably just been stressed with everything that’s been going on, right?”

“Yeah. Still, even so, I should be taking everyone’s feelings into account, not just my own.”

“It’s fine Steve. I doubt anypony is going to hold it against you, considering what you’ve done recently. I mean, for crying out loud, you took down a literal god. How many ponies can say they did that?”

“Well, I didn’t do it on my own. It was only thanks to everyone’s help and Nightmare Steve’s aid that I managed to pull through in the end.”

“Who?” The mare questioned, confusion clouding her face.

The Crafter gave Dash a confused expression for a moment before his face lit up in realization. He mentally face-palmed. “Oh, that’s right. Sorry, I keep forgetting.” Steve pulled away from the hug as he stood up. “One sec.” He closed his eyes in concentration.

‘Nightmare Steve?’

‘Already on it.’ The Nightmare replied.

A moment later, Steve felt the same tugging sensation he’d felt the first time, making him put one hand on his chest as he swallowed a gasp. To his left, the black, shadowy form of Nightmare Steve appeared.

The Nightmare’s glowing white eyes focused on the prismatic mare in front of him. “Hello Ms. Dash. It is good to finally meet you. I am Nightmare Steve.”

Dash looked at the Nightmare with an astounded look on her face, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. Seeing her shocked face, Steve explained.

“Do you remember the Nightmare, the one that was causing me all that pain and such when we were traveling from nightmare to nightmare? This is him. Only, long story short, it wasn’t his fault, and he helped me defeat Herobrine and also rescue Zecora.”

“…” Rainbow continued to stare at Nightmare Steve in silence.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “Dash? You good?”

“...That’s so cool.” She whispered.

“Hmm?”

“That’s awesome!” She suddenly cried out, making both Steve and the Nightmare jump slightly. She rushed forward to get a closer look at the shadowy being in front of her. “You look like some ghost or something, but like, 20% cooler!”

“Why only 20%?” Nightmare Steve muttered, sounding a bit miffed, but Dash didn’t notice, too busy poking the Nightmare’s back, drawing it back in surprise when her hoof touched something solid.

“Cool! Even though you look like you’re made of mist, you’re actually, like, solid!” Grinning, she glanced at Steve. “This would make a killer costume for Nightmare Night.”

“For what?” The Crafter inquired.

“Nightmare Night.” Dash responded, still poking the Nightmare. “It’s this holiday where ponies dress up in costumes and eat candy and play games and the like. It’s probably Pinkie’s favorite holiday of the year.”

“Huh.” Steve spoke, thinking about it for a moment before shrugging. “Well, guess I’ll have to check it out when it comes around.” He looked at Rainbow Dash, who had stood on her hind legs and was prodding the Nightmare’s face with a hoof.

“You done?” Nightmare Steve inquired after a moment, voice deadpan. Dash finally seemed to realize what she was doing, and backed off, chuckling as she did so.

“Heh, heh. Sorry.”

Laughing slightly, Steve walked over to the Nightmare and held out one hand. Nightmare Steve gave a small sigh of relief as he grasped the offered limb, dissipating into a cloud of vapor, which disappeared from view. The same cold feeling flared up in Steve’s chest for a moment before fading away.

‘You good?’ The Crafter asked in his head.

‘Considering her track record, I didn’t expect Dash to be so touchy.’ The Nightmare responded bluntly, causing Steve to have to hold back a laugh, though he failed to suppress a grin.

“What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked upon seeing his smile.

He waved her off. “Nothing. Nightmare Steve said something funny.”

“Ah.” She replied, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. “So, do you really call him ‘Nightmare Steve?’”

Steve quirked an eyebrow, but nodded. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

“Oh nothing. Just seems like, well, you could call him anything you want, and you call him that?”

“Well, I don’t really know what else to call him. He hasn’t given me his name. Actually, one sec.” Steve closed his eyes. ‘Nightmare, I suppose I should’ve asked this way earlier, so sorry for taking so long, but do you have a name?’

‘I… do not have a name in that I was never given one when I was created.’

‘Alright. Anything in particular you want to go by? Or is Nightmare Steve okay with you?’

The Nightmare hesitated, taking a few moments to think before he responded.

‘Onyx. Call me Onyx.’

Steve thought about it for a moment before he grinned and nodded. ‘Okay. I like it. Onyx it is.’

“What did he say?” Dash asked.

Steve opened his eyes and looked down at her.

“He told me his name. Said it’s Onyx.”

“Onyx.” She repeated to herself quietly. After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah. He really seems like an Onyx.”

“Is it because of the whole dark ambience he has?”

“...Maybe.”

Steve laughed. “Alright. Well, anyways. I should probably get back to work.” The Crafter spoke, as he gestured to where his house would hopefully soon stand. “This house ain’t gonna build itself.” He glanced at Rainbow Dash. “You’re welcome to stay, if you want, but I’ll probably be too busy to talk.”

“Oh. Well, do you need any help?”

“Eh,” Steve rubbed his chin as he thought. “Probably no- well, actually, now that I think about it, I could.”

“Really?” Dash replied, perking up slightly.

“Yeah. Although, I should warn you, it probably won’t be very easy.”

The prismatic mare scoffed. “So? You think that’ll scare me off? Bring it on!”

The Crafter chuckled. “Alright then!”

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve reached over his shoulder, withdrawing his diamond sword. “How do you feel about going into the Everfree?”

Author's Note

So, uh... Yeah.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 72: A Family Reunion (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Crack!

Crunch!

Steve pulled his axe away, back-pedaling as the tree in front of him began to sway. After a moment, it began to fall directly towards him.

Circle: Dodge

The Crafter rolled to the side, the massive tree slamming into the ground where he’d been standing only moments before. Smirking, he approached the fallen log, ready to cut it down to size.

“Is woodcutting always this dangerous for you?” Dash spoke up from a nearby tree stump where she sat, looking at the Crafter with a concerned expression. “Cause if you made one wrong step, that thing would’ve crushed you flat.”

“True, but what’s life without a little risk?” Steve replied. “Besides, even though I’ve been here for so long, I’m still not used to the trees falling.”

“What do you mean?”

Steve shrugged. “Well, back home, most of the terrain didn’t give two shits about gravity. The only exceptions were sand, red sand, anvils, gravel, and concrete powder. Back then, when I cut down trees they didn’t fall. They just kinda, floated, I guess.”

“...Floated?”

“Yeah. Sure, it’s kinda weird when you think about it, but it made building pretty much anything easy in comparison to how you guys build here, seeing as buildings here require some form of support, while back home, they didn’t, unless you were working with concrete powder or something along those lines.” Steve shrugged as he looked down at the wood log in his hand. “Though for some reason, when I take blocks from this world and modify them by crafting with them, or even just collecting them, they seem to adhere to my world’s rules, which includes them giving gravity the middle finger.” He glanced over at Dash. “Which I’m glad for, because otherwise I’d have no idea how to build my house. Not without some help, at least.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the Crafter with a blank expression. “...No offense Steve, but your world sounds really bucking weird.”

He shrugged. “Well, depends on how you look at it. I thought this world was pretty weird when I first got here, but that was because I was so used to my world. We didn’t have magic like you guys do here, we didn’t have to deal with manticores, or timberwolves, or anything like that. Sure, we had our fair share of monsters, but they were very different from what you guys deal with here. If anyone from this world were to go to my world, it’d be a similar story.”

“True.” Dash agreed. “Still, it’s strange to think about a world where magic doesn’t really exist.”

“Well,I mean, magic existed.” Steve spoke. “We just didn’t use it in the same way that you guys do here.”

“Well, how did you use it then?” She asked, looking at the Crafter with a confused expression on her face.

“Well, enchantments and potions, mostly.” Steve lifted the axe in his hands, looking at the blade as it glowed with a bluish-purple light. “For example, my axe is currently enchanted with Efficiency two, and Unbreaking three. Efficiency means that it will destroy stuff faster, and Unbreaking means it’ll last longer before breaking.”

“Huh. And I’m guessing it’s these, uh, enchantments, that makes it glow, right?”

“Yep.”

“So, are your sword and bow also enchanted? Because from what I remember, I think they glowed too.”

“Yeah. I make sure to keep all of the diamond gear that I use enchanted.”

“Why your diamond gear?” Dash inquired

“Because back home, diamonds were exceptionally rare, rarer than anything else, except for emeralds. In fact, at one point, the mountain kingdom Aetherpeak attacked my home, Ironwood, because of them.”

“They what?!” Dash exclaimed in shock. “Why?”

“Because we had something they wanted. You see, the king at the time, King Norman, had made some kinda shady, but very lucrative deals with some very powerful people. As a result, Ironwood accumulated quite a bit of resources, including diamonds. Aetherpeak saw Ironwood’s increasing wealth, and wanted it for themselves. So they attacked. What followed would later be called “The Diamond Wars,” even though it was only technically one war. It was the first war that I know of where Minecraftians fought one another, and coincidentally, it was also the first war I ever fought in.”

“You fought in it?”

He nodded. “Yeah. When Ironwood asked for volunteers to serve, I was one of the first to sign up.”

“Why?” Dash asked, confused.

Steve put a hand to his chin in thought, mulling over his answer. Eventually, after a few minutes, he spoke. “Well, I suppose it was because of why they attacked Ironwood. Like, they were willing to kill other Crafters to get what they wanted. That didn’t sit right with me, so I signed up.” Steve lifted his axe and walked over to a nearby tree. He went to work, bringing the axe up before slamming it down into the trunk, causing cracks to appear. A couple of swings later, the tree began to sway, managing to stay upright for a few moments before falling opposite to where Steve stood, plummeting to the ground with a loud crash. Steve continued.

“I was assigned to the 23rd platoon. There were about 30 of us, I’d say, and it was only a couple months before we were trained and sent off to combat. Now, the basic training they put us through wasn’t half bad, and it taught us all a lot. However, there’s a few things that they didn’t tell us. For example, they neglected to inform us on just how painful it is to get shot by an Harming-tipped arrow. They didn’t tell us what to do if one of us got their arm or leg blown off. They didn’t tell us how to deal with the screams, the blood. They didn’t tell us about what to do when your best friend dies right next to you. When you see the light leave his eyes, and you see his body go limp. They didn’t tell us about how to deal with the nightmares afterwards, or how to-” Steve stopped himself before he went any further, instead letting out a heavy sigh. “They didn’t tell us, but we learned, the hard way. We had to. Because if we didn’t, well…” The Crafter gave a small shrug. “We died.” He reaffirmed his grip on the axe before lifting it up and slamming it back down into the trunk. Small chunks of wood flew as large cracks once again appeared where he’d struck.

Silence overtook the two, Steve silently cutting the fallen tree into logs while Dash watched from nearby with a downcast expression on her face.

Eventually, the prismatic mare spoke up. “...What happened?”

Steve stopped his work for a moment to look at his companion. “We won, obviously, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be standing here. Eventually, Aetherpeak couldn’t keep up the fight anymore, and they were forced to surrender. When they did, we…” Steve hesitated for a moment, pursing his lips as he grimaced. A small look of shame overcame his features. “We killed their king, King Aaron, and then burned their capital kingdom to the ground. Destroyed pretty much everything and everyone inside.”

Rainbow Dash gaped at him, expression clearly shocked. “You what? Why?”

He shrugged, shaking his head sadly. “We had orders, Dash. Orders we had to follow.”

“But… didn’t you say anything? Do anything? Like, I know that they were bad and all, but they had surrendered. Did they really deserve, that?”

Steve didn’t respond for a few moments. When he did, it was in a low voice. “No Dash. They didn’t.”

“Then why? What did they do that warranted killing them after they’d surrendered?”

At her question, memories immediately began to flash through the Crafter’s head. He was running through the forest. It was dark. His heart was pounding. He cut through the tall grass. There were voices around him. He couldn’t understand what they were saying. His arm hurt, a sharp pain running through it with every step. Suddenly, an explosion, not far away. It was loud and powerful. Shock. Fear. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. Gone. She’s gone. Whywhywhycantbreathewhygonegonewhyshes-

LILLY!!!!!!!!!!!

‘Steve!’

“Steve!”

The Crafter gasped and stumbled back, accidentally tripping over his own feet and sending him to the ground, the landing nearly knocking the air out of him. Coughing, he rolled over onto his side, trying to get his breath back.

“Steve, are you alright?!” Dash yelled, suddenly right by his side. The Crafter cough a few more times, then took in a shaky breath as he nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He coughed once more, then got back to his feet, wiping his mouth with an arm.

“What was that? When I was talking, you suddenly got this far off look in your eyes. Then, you started mumbling really fast. I had to shout your name a couple times before you finally snapped out of it.”

Steve groaned as he shook his head. “It’s, ugh, it’s nothing. Just… Bad memories.”

The mare winced. “Sorry, Steve.” She muttered.

The Crafter shook his head. “No, it wasn’t your fault. You asked a legitimate question. Why didn’t I do anything? Well, the answer is this.” He sighed. “The truth is I didn’t want to help them. I didn’t care about what happened to them. As far as I was concerned at the time, they’d gotten what they deserved.”

“But… but why? What did they do? Because, from what I know about you Steve, you never do anything without good reason. So, what happened?”

For a while, Steve didn’t respond, instead staring at the ground as he thought. Eventually, he did speak.

“Her name was Lilly. And she was the love of my life.”

Taking a deep breath, he looked up to meet Dash’s gaze. “They took her from me. It was because of them that she died. That’s why I didn’t care about what happened to them. Yes, I know it was wrong, and I shouldn’t have blamed an entire kingdom for the actions for a small few, but damn it, at that moment I didn’t give a fuck.” Gritting his teeth, he let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. After taking a few deep breaths, he opened them again. “Look, Dash, I’m not proud of what I did. If I could go back and change it, I would, but I can’t. The only thing I can do is move on, and try to be better.”

Dash looked at the Crafter with a sympathetic gaze. “Steve, I get it. After all, I kinda know what it’s like to make horrible mistakes that caused somepony else to suffer.” She winced slightly, but continued. “So, if you want to talk about it, I’ll be there to listen, if you want.”

There was silence for a moment.

Then, Steve gave a small grin. “Thank you Dash. Though, I think talking about it should wait till after we’re out of the Everfree, hmm?”

The prismatic mare chuckled. “Yeah. Probably.”

Nodding, Steve turned and began walking towards his axe, which he’d accidentally dropped on the ground. However, just as he reached over to pick it up, Onyx spoke up.

‘Steve, there are several strange auras approaching your location.’

The Crafter immediately stood up straight, looking around for any signs of whatever it was the Nightmare was talking about.

‘Do you know what they are?’ Steve inquired.

‘I’m… Not completely sure. But they do appear to be hostile, Steve. Be careful.’

D-Pad Up: Sword

‘Got it.’ He replied as he unsheathed his blade.

“Steve? What’s up?” Dash asked in concern upon seeing Steve with his sword in hand. The Crafter looked at her, expression serious.

“Somethings coming, Dash. Be careful, and don’t-”

Suddenly, Steve’s instincts flared up, warning him of danger from behind.

‘Move!’ Onyx yelled.

Circle: Block

Steve whirled around while simultaneously putting his blade in front of his chest. All he could see was a black shape shooting towards him before slamming into his blade. The force of the blow knocked Steve off of his feet.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 18 health remaining.

Groaning, he got back up, sword at the ready. “Dash, get out of here!!” He yelled as several more of the shadowy forms began flying around. However, instead of doing the smart thing and running, the mare didn’t move.

“No! I can help you!” She argued.

Circle: Dodge

“Dammit Rainbow, now is not the time to be stubborn!” He retorted, hastily dodging another attack. Dash leapt forward, narrowly avoiding one of the shadows. “Leave!”

“I-!”

Before she could finish, all of the shadows suddenly soared upwards before slamming into the ground, creating a huge wall of wispy black that surrounded Steve and Rainbow Dash on all sides, the resulting force knocking them both to the ground.

Damage Received - 1 damage. 17 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet as he looked around, finding that they were trapped.

‘Onyx, you got anything on what the fuck is going on?! What are these things!?’

‘I think, I know what they are.’ Onyx replied, his voice suddenly sounding frightened. As he spoke, several dark figures slowly walked out of the shadows, like they were materializing from it.

Their eyes glowed white.

“Nightmares.” Steve whispered, eyes wide.

Author's Note

So, uh, yeah.

Thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 73: A Family Reunion (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve’s heart was racing, though his expression was like stone. He stood tall with his sword in his right hand, pointed straight at the eight shadowy figures in front of him. His gaze shifted to his friend, Rainbow Dash, who stood a short distance away with a terrified look on her face.

He grit his teeth. ‘Onyx?’

‘Yes?’ The Nightmare responded.

‘Be ready.’

‘Steve, there are several of-’

‘Do you think I care how many of them there are?’ Steve interrupted. ‘I’m not going down without a fight, and if we’re going to have any chance of getting out of here alive, I’ll need your help.’

“There isn’t a need to fight.” One of the Nightmares spoke up, garnering the Crafter’s attention. “If you would simply cooperate, then this can be resolved without bloodshed.”

Steve gulped, but steeled his nerves and responded. “That may be, but my gut is telling me that we’re going to fight no matter what, so may as well be prepared.” His eyes trailed over the figures. “So, what do you want?”

“You have something, Steve.” One of the Nightmares spoke.

“Something that doesn’t belong to you.” A different Nightmare spoke this time.

“And we’d like it back.” They all said at once, slowly approaching the Crafter. In response, Steve took a few steps back.

“And what would that be?” He asked them.

“The Nightmare.” Steve froze. “The one that bonded with you when it shouldn’t have. The one that now resides in you.”

Steve grit his teeth and took a breath. “Why do you want him back?” He asked.

“The Nightmother wishes it, so we will have it done.” They all spoke at once. “Simply release the Nightmare to us, and that will be the end of it. Refusal to do so will force us to remove the Nightmare by force.” They stepped closer. “You may not survive if that should happen.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed as his mind raced to think of a plan.

‘Onyx, tell me, just how powerful is the Nightmother?’

‘Very powerful. She would make Nightmare Moon look like a toddler throwing a tantrum.’

The Crafter groaned internally. ‘Great. So, do you think I could possibly beat her in a one-on-one fight?’

The Nightmare was silent for a moment. ‘Steve… What are you planning?’

‘I’m still working on that part. Do you think I can beat her?’

‘I… Maybe. But Steve, the chance of you actually beating her is-’

‘Low, yes, I know. But it is possible.’

‘But Steve-’

‘No but’s Onyx. Not unless you have a better plan, of course.’

‘You could let me go.’

Suddenly, everything around Steve went silent. All he could hear was his shallow breaths and the blood pumping in his ears. The Nightmares were still approaching, and Steve, to buy himself some time, continued to move backwards. Dash did the same.

He closed his eyes and took a breath. ‘What?’ He asked.

‘You could let me go. Let me go back to the Nightmother. Because frankly speaking Steve, I’m not worth this. I’m not worth risking your life for. Yes, we did make a good team, but, nothing lasts forever. I will not allow you to put yourself in harm’s way just for my sake.’

‘Alright then, answer me this. If I let you go back to them, what happens to you?’

‘I… I would most likely be destroyed.’ Onyx spoke with a tone of finality.

‘... Then that settles it.’ Steve responded quietly, his tone leaving no room for arguments. He stood straight, holding his sword by his side. He looked at the Nightmares in front of him, who now stood only a short distance away.

“Have you made your decision?” They asked.

“Yes, I have.” Steve responded. “But first.” He pointed at Dash. “Let her go. There’s no reason for her to be here since your beef is with me, so let her go.”

“What-” Dash began to argue, but Steve stopped her with a hard look.

“Dash, while your stubbornness is sometimes something to be admired, now is not one of those times. Please, don’t argue.”

The prismatic mare opened her mouth as if to retort, but was interrupted when one of the Nightmares stepped forward and spoke.

“Very well.” A moment later, a hole appeared in the wall of darkness behind Dash. The mare turned to look at the opening, then back at Steve. The Crafter could see the pained expression on her face. She didn’t want to leave him, and if Steve was being honest, he didn’t want her to leave. However, ignoring his gut, he gave her a smile and a nod.

“It’ll be okay.” He reassured her. “I’ll see you later, Dash.”

She looked at him for a few moments longer before gritting her teeth and running out the opening, which immediately closed up behind her. Steve turned back to the Nightmares.

“Due to your decision to have your friend leave, we suspect you both will not be cooperating, and that you yourself know that not cooperating will most likely result in your death.”

Steve responded by dropping into a fighting stance.

“So be it.” The Nightmares all spoke at once. The darkness surrounding them seemed to intensify.

“Nightmare Form!” Steve called, bringing up his blade. “Come forth!” Slamming his sword into the ground, dark shadows exploded out, covering the Crafter. He felt that familiar cold feeling overtake him as raw power flooded his body. His vision became sharper and his muscles felt like they were on fire.

Nightmare Form: +Sword

X: Jump

X+X: Boost Jump

Square: Slash

Square (Hold): Tornado

Circle: Block or Dodge

Triangle: Kick

Pulling his blade out, he took a moment to look it over. It’s normally purple glow had turned dark and gray.

“Huh.” He muttered. “Never used my sword with my this form before.”

“So you wish to fight then.” The lead Nightmare spoke with a tone of finality.

“Yeah. You scared?” Steve asked with a smirk, ignoring his pounding heart as he dropped into a battle stance.

“Hardly. Given your situation, this should be over quickly.”

Steve smirked. “Couldn’t agree more.”

Bringing back his blade, he charged forward to meet the Nightmares and the fight began.

* * * * *

Dash ran along the path, hooves pounding the dirt beneath her. She ducked under a branch, wincing slightly as the sudden movement caused a small burst of pain to shoot through her wings. Keeping her footing, she silently cursed herself for lying to Steve.

You see, unlike what she’d told the well-meaning Crafter, her wings were not entirely okay. From what Red Heart had told her, while Princess Celestia had in fact healed her wings, the Princess could not fully fix them up. The nurse pony had mentioned something about the Princess’ horn being damaged. Red Heart told her that as long as she didn’t do anything strenuous with them, then Dash’s wings would be okay within a week or so.

‘Though I guess running through a forest as fast as I can to get away from literal Nightmares might count as a bit strenuous.’ The mare thought to herself, teeth grit as she fought against the pain. Soon enough, she was past the tree line and on her way to Ponyville, more specifically, the Ponyville library, where her friend Twilight Sparkle lived.

‘I don’t know jack about Nightmares or any of that kind of stuff. But I’m sure Twilight does. Maybe she can help.’ Rainbow Dash reasoned as she entered town, ignoring any confused looks she received from other ponies as she ran by, moving so fast now that she was kicking up dust.

About a minute or two later, the library finally came into view. Upon seeing it, Dash brought herself to a relatively quick stop, being careful not to worsen the pain in her wings. Rushing over to the front door as fast as she could, she pounded on the front door.

“Twi!! Twi, open up!!”

It took a few moments of Dash slamming her hoof against the wooden door before it finally opened to reveal a confused looking Twilight Sparkle.

“Dash? What in the Equestria is going o-?!”

She was interrupted when the prismatic mare grabbed her muzzle with both hooves, shutting her up. It was only then that Twilight saw the terrified look on her friend’s face.

“Twilight, we got a problem! We got to hurry!’’ Whirling around, Dash was about to take off again when Twilight spoke.

“What? What happened?”

Rainbow Dash turned to look at the mare.

“Nightmares.”

* * * * *

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Steve backpedalled, his blade barely blocking a bolt of dark magic. Whirling around, he narrowly blocked an attacking Nightmare from slashing him from behind. In return, he slashed the Nightmare hard in the chest, sending them rolling.

‘Behind you!’ Onyx warned.

Triangle: Kick

Square: Slash

Steve turned and kicked the Nightmare that had been approaching him from behind in the torso, making them stumble away. He quickly followed up with a powerful slash, his sword cutting deep into the Nightmare’s body.

Suddenly, something slammed into Steve's side, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, rolling a bit before coming to a stop.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 13 health remaining.

Groaning, the Crafter shook off the pain as he got back to his feet, sword at the ready. Letting out a mighty yell, he charged back into battle.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Steve raised his blade, blocking a bolt of magic which nearly hit him in the chest. Slamming his blade into the nearest Nightmare, he whirled around to block another Nightmare’s punch. Pushing off of that, he hurriedly slashed his sword twice, catching one Nightmare in the arm, and another across the chest. That Nightmare stumbled back, clutching the spot where the Crafter’s sword had hit. Spotting an opportunity, Steve rushed forward.

Square: Slash

Lifting his blade, he lunged forward.

Slice!

And ran the Nightmare through.

There was a small moment of silence, where the Nightmare looked down in shock at the hilt of the sword that was buried in their chest. Then, it’s glowing white eyes turned to Steve’s hard gaze.

Triangle: Kick

Lifting his leg, Steve kicked the Nightmare off his blade, allowing its body to fall to the floor.

For a moment, a split second, the Crafter looked down at his fallen opponent. But then…

‘Steve, look o-!’

“NOOOOOOO!!!!” Came a shout from his side, just before a bolt of magic slammed into him, making him fly back and hit the ground hard.

Damage Received - 5 damage. 8 health remaining.

“Hold him!! Now!!”

Groaning, Steve pushed himself to his feet. However, before he could ready himself, a Nightmare suddenly latched onto his right arm. Then another one latched onto his other arm. He struggled and fought against them, very nearly winning, but before he could escape, two more Nightmares aided their kin, making escaping next to impossible. Gritting his teeth, Steve continued to struggle, hoping he could maybe weaken their hold.

‘Come on! Come on! Super strength, don’t fail me now!’ He muttered.

Suddenly, he noticed one of the Nightmares approaching him, though this one seemed different from the rest. It’s aura was more powerful, the shadows surrounding it’s form rippling with strength. The Nightmare stopped in front of him.

“You will pay for her death.” The Nightmare spoke in a quiet voice, a stark contrast from the anger Steve felt directed at him through its glowing eyes. “But first, what we came for.” Bringing up, one hand, it pulled it back before plunging it into Steve’s chest, the Crafter grunting from the pain. Then, the Nightmare began to pull.

‘Steve!’ Onyx called. ‘He’s pulling me out! He’s taking me!! Please, fight it! Fight it!’

He did. He fought against it with every ounce of willpower that he had. But it wasn’t enough. Eventually, he stopped hearing Onyx’s desperate cries in his head. The Nightmare jerked his hand free and the Crafter immediately went limp, the pain of having Onyx torn from his body finally getting to him. He panted heavily, though he still found it in him to look up.

There, in the Nightmare’s grasp, was a small dark orb, no bigger than Steve’s palm. The Crafter knew what it was.

Onyx

He tried to move, but his body refused.

“Finally.” The Nightmare spoke. “The Nightmother will be pleased.” With a wave of its hand, the orb disappeared. After that, the Nightmare turned to Steve, who only stood because of the Nightmare’s that still held his arms. “And as for you.”

Steve felt a cold hand grab his chin, lifting his gaze to meet the Nightmare’s.

“You made a grave mistake, Steve. I thought that if you fought back, we could simply take you back to pay for your mistakes, but I see now that there is no reason for that.” Releasing his grip on the Crafter’s chin, the Nightmare took a step back, glancing at the other Nightmares. “I will return home to the Nightmother. Kill him however you see fit.”

“No problem.” One of the Nightmare’s responded with an almost gleeful tone to its voice.

With that, the Nightmare that had Onyx turned away. Muttering a few words in a language Steve didn’t recognize, a swirling pool of darkness suddenly appeared in front of the Nightmare, no doubt a portal leading to wherever it was that the Nightmother was. Just as that happened, the Nightmares holding Steve shifted ever-so-slightly, unknowingly weakening their holds just a tiny bit.

Steve grinned.

With a surge of energy the Nightmares clearly weren’t expecting, Steve tore away from them, rushing towards the Nightmare in front of him, who looked back in confusion.

“Wha-!?”

Before it could react, Steve slammed into it, the impact sending them both tumbling towards the portal.

The next thing Steve knew, everything went black.

Author's Note

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo
What a chapter eh?
Yeah, I really wanted to get this one done today because guess what? Today (February 3rd) is the one year anniversary of "A Crafter's Dream"

Yay!!

So, yeah, I was planning on doing a special chapter to celebrate, but I figured, fuck it, do this instead. At least this was mildly interesting.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 74: A Whole New World (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve gasped suddenly as his eyes shot open and he quickly sat upwards. However, he would come to regret it only a moment later as a sharp, agonizing pain flared up in his chest. Biting his tongue to keep from crying out, Steve instead groaned and rolled onto his side, clutching his chest. Coughing, he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it to see what was causing the pain.

There, in the center of his chest, was a large, dark purple bruise. Immediately, his mind flashed to when the Nightmare had stuck its cold hand into his chest, removing Onyx by force. Steve gingerly touched the wound, wincing slightly as merely poking it caused another spike of pain. Laying his head back on the ground, he took a moment to catch his breath before reaching into his Inventory and withdrawing the first food item he saw. A loaf of bread.

Scarfing it down, Steve let out a sigh as his enhanced regeneration took effect and he saw the bruise beginning to fade.

Regeneration effect gained. + 1 health every 5 seconds

Groaning, he got to his feet and took a look around.

He was in a forest, it looked like, though it didn’t look like any forest Steve had ever seen before. The trees surrounding him were pale in color, and the leaves were dark and gray. The grass beneath his boots felt cold, and dry. Glancing up, Steve saw that there wasn’t any sky, just an empty expanse of blackness, dotted with what looked like stars. Even though there was no sun or moon, it wasn’t dark, at least, not as dark as it should have been.

“Looks familiar.” Steve muttered to himself. He thought about it a bit more, and his eyes widened in realization.

“The Void.” He muttered. “It looks just like the Void.”

The last time Steve had ever seen the Void had been when he’d gone back to the End to revive the previously slain Ender Dragon, though that had been many years ago. Even then, the image of the End’s cold, lifeless landscape and the dark abyss that surrounded it had been burned into his memory.

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as a random thought occurred to him.

“Abyss.” A pause. Then, he grinned. “I get it now.” He let out a small chuckle. “Well played Abyss.”

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he quickly did a look-over of his Inventory. Besides his sword, shield, bow and fishing rod, he also had just under a stack of cobblestone, a bunch of wood, some sticks, a crafting table, a couple lumps of coal, 11 iron ingots, several more loaves of bread, some carrots, and a dozen melon slices.

The Crafter grimaced at the lack of gear and supplies he had.

“Of course.” He muttered. “I’m stuck in wherever the Nether it is that I am, and I don’t have shit.” Taking another look, he sighed and moved the crafting table and iron ingots to his hotbar. Dismissing his Inventory, he placed the crafting table down. Pulling out the iron, he quickly placed eight of them down. After a moment, they glowed white and morphed together, forming an iron chestplate. Picking it up, Steve slipped it on.

Armor equipped - Iron Chestplate. Max Health increased to 26.

Tapping the chestplate a few times, Steve gave a small nod of affirmation. Withdrawing his axe, he swung into the crafting table, breaking it after a few hits. Sliding his axe over his shoulder, he picked up the table and stored it away.

“Now.” He muttered. “Where to go?” He looked all around, but found that there was nothing around him that could possibly give him any hints as to where to go. Rubbing a hand against his face, he sighed.

Boom

Steve immediately looked back up as he heard a distant explosion. He waited, hoping that he wasn’t just imagining things. A few moments later, there was another explosion, coming from his left.

Boom

Turning in the direction the noise was coming from, Steve didn’t waste a second before he started running, grass crunching loudly with each step.

* * * * *

Circle: Dodge

Square: Punch

Circle + Square: Tackle

Steve rolled to the side, quickly dodging the Nightmare’s punch. Rushing forward, Steve punched the Nightmare in the side, then in the face, making them stumble back in pain. Lunging towards his opponent, the Crafter latched onto them, taking them to the ground as he put them in a choke-hold.

Mash Square!

The Nightmare squirmed and fought to break Steve’s grip, but the Crafter wasn’t having any of it. After a minute or two, the Nightmare’s motions slowed, then stopped. After waiting a few moments more, Steve released the out-cold Nightmare, groaning in pain as he got back to his feet. Once he did, he quickly checked the other Nightmares to make sure they were actually unconscious.

He’d come across them only a few minutes before, just past the edge of the forest. As it had turned out, the four Nightmares laying incapacitated on the floor were responsible for the explosions. When Steve had finally come across them, they had been laughing and yelling, with two of them firing off bolts of magic that exploded when they made contact. Before Steve could move on, one of them happened to spot him and, well, they thought it would be a good idea to try and ‘get the fucker!’ Safe to say, it hadn’t turned out well for them.

Sighing, Steve turned and started walking away, ignoring the pain in his side where he’d gotten hit pretty bad. He picked up his sword, which had been knocked from his hands during the battle.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Sheathing it over his shoulder, he walked over to the treeline. Taking a deep breath, he stepped past.

What met his gaze was the sight of what looked like a town. It reminded Steve of Ponyville, just with a much more dark color scheme. That, and Ponyville didn’t have a castle, whereas this town did. It was large, gray and imposing, with a clear ‘no nonsense’ feel to it. Steve clenched his fists, eyebrows furrowed.

“If this Nightmother is gonna be anywhere, she’ll probably be there. And if she’s there, then Onyx probably will be too.” Steve took another look at the town. “I just need to get there without getting killed.” He sighed. “But how?”

After thinking about it for a moment, Steve opened his Inventory again. Looking it over, his gaze eventually landed on his shovel and pick-axe. After thinking for a moment, a grin slowly began to make its way onto his face.

“I got an idea.”

* * * * *

Chur, chur, che. Chur, chur, che.

Steve stepped forward, taking a breath before raising his shovel again.

Chur, chur, che. Chur, chur, che.

Sighing, he wiped his brow, his arm coming back brown from the dirt covering his face.

“Ugh. I hate tunneling.” He muttered to himself. “But this is probably the best way for me to get to the castle.” Quickly scarfing down a melon slice to sate his steadily growing hunger, Steve picked up his shovel once again and got back to work.

Chur, chur, che. Chur, chur che.

He stepped forward again.

Chur, chur, che. Chur, chur, che.

Clack.

Suddenly, the dirt gave way to stone. Steve grinned at his progress and swiftly traded his shovel for his pick-axe. Bringing it back, he slammed it into the hard rock in front of him, breaking it in only a few hits. After traveling a few blocks forward, Steve began mining upwards. He was three blocks up when he destroyed a block of stone and was met by empty space above that, from which a faint light shone through.

Grinning, Steve reached up and grabbed onto the ledge above him before pulling himself up into the room above him. After getting to his feet, he turned and covered the hole he’d made with a spare piece of cobblestone.

“Sure, it doesn’t match, but hopefully no one notices.” He muttered to himself before taking a look around.

It appeared he was in some sort of giant hallway, not too different from the ones he’d walked through back in Canterlot, if Canterlot Castle was dimly lit at all times. Steve looked up and down the halls, but he couldn’t see very far due to the darkness.

“Considering how Nightmares have some sort of inherent night vision effect, I guess they don’t have much need for lights.” Steve muttered to himself. “Guess I’ll have to trust my gut when it comes to navigating this place.”

After taking one final glance around, Steve started walking forward, hoping he was going the right way.

* * * * *

Circle: Dodge

Steve ducked his head as a dark bolt of magic flew over him, blowing up the ground just in front of him.

X: Jump

Leaping over the newly formed hole, he hit the ground running, bolts of magic raining down around him.

“Are you all blind or are you missing on purpose!!?” A voice roared from behind Steve. “One of you should’ve gotten him already!!”

“Maybe they just have bad aim!!” Steve called back at whoever it was that was yelling. A moment later, his instincts flared up, causing Steve to look back and see a black, swirling orb flying straight towards him.

X: Jump

Circle + Square: Counter

Leaping up, Steve whirled around in mid-air, sword at the ready. Right when the orb came into range, he swung hard, smacking it into the wall beside him. Hitting the ground, Steve stumbled slightly but managed to keep his footing.

“Wait, did he-?” Steve heard, followed by a much louder voice.

“Move!!”

Only a few moments later, a massive explosion ripped through the hallway, the force sending Steve flying through the air. Caught off-guard, Steve couldn’t right himself before he slammed into the ground hard.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 21 health remaining.

Coughing, Steve groaned as he got back to his feet. Looking back at where the explosion had come from, he saw that a massive chunk of the floor and wall had been taken out, along with part of the ceiling. His eyes widened.

“Holy shit. If that had hit me…” He trailed off, not wanting to even finish the thought. Shaking his head, he turned around and began running again, his boots thumping against the cold stone floor beneath him.

He continued running for a while, hoping in his gut that he was going the right way. But after a good half-hour, Steve was beginning to think he was lost.

He stood in the middle of an intersection, looking all around for which way to go. Gritting his teeth, he gave a frustrated sigh.

“Where the Nether do I go?” He growled quietly.

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a clatter coming from the hall to his right. Thinking fast, he hid behind a nearby column, pressing his back against it and hoping that he hadn’t been seen.

About a minute later, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Peeking around the column, Steve saw a small group of Nightmares appear from the darkness, though these ones looked different than any other that Steve had ever encountered. They all wielded strange-looking spears, egg-white in color, which contrasted heavily with the Nightmares' more dark appearance. They also wore armor, which appeared to be made of some dark gray metal that Steve didn’t recognize. As they passed by, the Crafter listened in on their conversation.

“...looking where I was going, you can let it go.” One of them spoke.

“Yeah, but seeing you beef it was worth every second of training, Seeo. I’m not letting that go anytime soon.”

“Guys, we gotta get moving.” Yet another Nightmare spoke. “The Nightmother will be judging the traitor soon, and she expects us there soon. We don’t have time to dilly-dally.”

“Wait, weren’t we supposed to check out what that explosion was?” One asked.

“Eh, probably just some recruits fucking around in the armory.” The Nightmare that had spoken first, Seeo, responded. “Wouldn’t be the first time. I’m sure the Captain is taking care of it.”

“Alright then. Let’s get moving.”

With that, the Nightmares pace increased, and they quickly left the intersection, turning down the hall to Steve’s left.

The Crafter waited for them to get far enough away before he followed.

* * * * *

Steve poked his head around the corner. There, not far down the hall, was the door to the room where the group of Nightmares he’d been trailing had disappeared into. After a quick check to make sure he was in fact alone, he slowly crept over to the unguarded door. Grasping the door handle, he took a deep breath before gently opening the door, just enough for him to peek inside.

A bright shined through, temporarily blinding him. Blinking a few times to let his vision adjust, he shook his head and looked inside.

What he saw was a large, open room, with what appeared to be dozens, perhaps even a hundred Nightmares, of various shapes and forms. Some had armor like the Nightmares Steve had followed, others wore dark, fancy suits, surprisingly enough.

On the far end of the room, sitting in a great throne, was a tall, imposing being. The Nightmother. Shadow-like tendrils sprouted from her head like hair, held down by a silvery tiara. In one hand she held a large scepter, while her other hand tapped ominously on one arm of her throne, filling the other-wise silent room. Her glowing white eyes were narrowed in a glare, focused on the Nightmare currently kneeling before her.

Steve’s eyes widened. ‘Onyx.’ He thought.

The Nightmare wasn’t moving, save for a few small movements Steve only barely saw. From what the Crafter could see, Onyx was alright, but Steve couldn’t be sure.

Suddenly, the Nightmother spoke.

“Nightmare.”

After a few moments, Onyx sat up straight and looked down at the Nightmother, who continued.

“You have committed crimes against the Hollow, crimes that have not been committed since the first reign of Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago. As such, I have more than enough reason to smite you where you stand.”

Steve’s eyes widened in shock. Without a second thought, he readied himself to charge into the room, sword at the ready, but what the Nightmother said next made him stop short.

“But I will not.”

All of the sudden, an uneasy murmuring began among the surrounding Nightmares, all of them asking exactly what Steve was currently asking himself.

What?

“But this is not because you deserve mercy, as you do not. However, there is something I require of you.”

“...What would that be, Nightmother?” Onyx hesitantly asked, tone worried.

“It has come to my attention that due to the mistake of a few of my Retrievers, your previous host was transported to our realm.”

Onyx gasped.

“According to them, your host is well-trained and dangerous, capable of taking down a high-ranking Retriever. My offer to you is this. Help us find your previous host, and eliminate him.”

Steve grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes. ‘That bitch!’

“If you do so and succeed, you will receive a lighter punishment. Refuse, and you will die.”

She leaned down towards Onyx, a small grin on her face.

“Choose.”

For a few moments, Onyx didn’t respond. Then, he sighed.

“No.”

The Nightmother’s smile fell. “No?”

“No.” Onyx repeated, shaking his head. “Steve is my friend, and I’d rather die than betray him.”

The Nightmother frowned. “Very well. You have made your choice.” She motioned for two armored Nightmares standing nearby. “Guards. Execute him.” The Nightmares gave a single nod before they began walking towards Onyx.

However, they were interrupted by a loud slam as Steve kicked open the set of double doors. Every eye immediately turned to face his direction, the Nightmares gasping in shock at his sudden appearance. The Crafter stalked forward towards the Nightmother, a fire burning in his eyes.

“How?” The Nightmother asked, looking at the Crafter in shock. “How did you get here?”

“I walked.” Steve replied with a smirk, causing the Nightmother to growl.

“Insolent, little…” She shook her head, before looking at Onyx. “Well, Nightmare, it appears to me your services are no longer required. Now, I can kill two birds with one stone.” With that, the guards began moving towards Steve, who now stood a short distance from Onyx.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve reached over his shoulder and withdrew his sword, the blue blade glowing brightly. Both of the guards stopped and the Nightmother drew back slightly.

“That blade...” She spoke softly. “What are you?”

Steve narrowed his gaze at the Nightmother.

“I’m Steve. Last King of Minecraftia. Slayer of Herobrine.” He pointed the tip of his sword at her. “And you, mother fucker, have pissed me off.”

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 76: A Whole New World (Part 3)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve’s jaw hung open in shock at the sight of the god of creation. Notch, in return, gave the Crafter a warm smile.

“Hello Steve.” He spoke. His voice was soothing somewhat, like a cool ocean breeze on a hot day. Steve hadn’t heard the god speak in many years. He’d almost forgotten what it sounded like.

“How… What… How did..?”

Notch chuckled. “I’m sure you have many questions, and rightfully so, and I will make sure to answer them, but now, I think we have other things to worry about.” The god of creation looked Steve’s injured body up and down. “For example, you seem to be hurt.”

Steve looked himself over as well. “Yeah, I guess. But I’ll be-”

Notch waved a glowing yellow hand over the Crafter, and instantly, Steve felt his injuries mend.

Health Restored - 17 health. 26 health remaining.

Steve let out a sigh of relief as the pain in his body faded away. After giving himself one more look over, he glanced back up at Notch and grinned.

“Thanks.”

“It’s no problem, Steve. It’s the very least I could do.” Notch replied. After a moment, the god’s expression hardened as his gaze shifted back to the Nightmother. “Was she the one who hurt you?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. She was going to execute Onyx for something or other, and since he’s my friend, I had to step in to save his neck. Me and her got into a bit of a fight and, well, here we are.”

Notch chuckled. “It seems no matter where you go, you are always getting into trouble, Steve.”

The Crafter shrugged. “Well, what can I say? Seems like fate has it out for me.”

“What is this!?” The Nightmother roared, interrupting the conversation and causing everyone’s eyes to lock onto her. “What business do the Royal Sisters have in my realm!?”

Celestia stepped forward, eyes hard as stone. “You know exactly why we are here, Nightmother. Do not give us trouble, or I will do worse to you then I did when we last met.”

The Nightmother visibly flinched, but held her ground, meeting the pale alicorn’s glare with her own.

“I was young and inexperienced then, Celestial One. I am much stronger than I was hundreds of years ago. I will not be as easy to defeat as I was then.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Luna spoke, stepping up next to her sister. Aura, though she looked a bit unsure of herself, stepped up as well. Steve, Onyx, Notch and Abyss moved to stand next to them as well.

They stood in a line, side by side. Steve held his sword in one hand. Onyx, who stood next to the Crafter, raised his fists and shifted into a fighting stance. Notch stood tall, hands hanging loosely by his side. Abyss crouched slightly, claws out and teeth bared. Both Celestia’s and Luna’s horns glowed, charging with enough magical energy that their manes whipped and whirled. Aura bared her teeth, growling.

On the other side of the room, the Nightmares that had been watching the fight from before finally jumped into action. Like a wave, they poured forth, a great cloud of black coming to stop just behind the Nightmother. She looked over the forces behind her before glancing back at Steve and the other’s with a smirk.

“It would seem you are heavily outnumbered.” She spoke.

“And I think I speak for everyone when I say we’ve dealt with worse. ” Steve retorted. The Nightmother’s smirk fell into a frown.

“We’ll see.” She responded, eyes narrowed at the Crafter.

Steve turned his head to look at those who stood on either side of him, a small smile on his face. “Guys?”

They all turned their heads to look at him.

“Thanks for coming.”

They each gave him a grin in response, with the exception of Luna, who, after a moment, simply looked back at the horde of Nightmares in front of them all. Steve did the same, his right hand clenching around the handle of his sword. He took a breath.

The Nightmother was the first to act, pointing her spear at Steve and his group and yelling, “Kill them!” The Nightmares surged forward on command. Steve responded in kind, raising his blade as he rushed forward to meet them. As he did so, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that his comrades did the same, charging forward to meet the Nightmares in battle.

Steve’s feet pounded the floor, the dull thumping of his boots on the hard stone floor easily lost among the loud roaring of the Nightmares in front of him, along with the furied yells of his comrades. His heart pounded in his ears as a mixture of blood and adrenaline coursed through his veins.

The horde was getting closer.

Some of the Nightmares threw spells. Bolts of dark magic soared through the air, some hitting the ground, while many more were deflected by either Celestia or Luna’s magic.

Notch responded in kind, firing beams of light into the horde that disintegrated any Nightmare they touched. Abyss sent out a burst of purple flames that sent many more Nightmares to the floor writhing and screaming in pain.

But it seemed that for every Nightmare that fell, another one replaced them, the horde not lessing in size at all. Steve grit his teeth.

The horde was nearly upon them.

Memories of his friends, his old friends from Minecraftia, played in the back of Steve’ mind as he ran.

Butch, covered in his birthday cake, deadpanning at Steve as everyone around him laughed. Eventually, the brutish man did as well.

Rosa, a young dark-skinned girl working hard in her forge while he and two others waited nearby.

Max, drunkenly singing along with the nearby jukebox.

Lilly grinning, her smile so bright Steve swore it could blind a person.

Eventually, the memories shifted to his new friends.

Eating breakfast with Rainbow Dash.

Talking with Trench at the diner.

Baking muffins for Dinky while the filly read to him.

Hugging Derpy.

Steve narrowed his gaze in determination. ‘I’ll see you guys again.’ He swore to himself, even as the inky blackness of the Nightmare horde filled his vision. ‘I promise.’

The crowd of Nightmares were finally upon them. Steve brought back his blade.

Square: Slash

Swinging his blade forward, Steve cut into the chest of a Nightmare, knocking them to the ground. He quickly followed it up with another slash which put his opponent down for good.

Circle + Square: Counter

Looking up, he saw a Nightmare rushing towards him, Umbrine spear at the ready. Raising his blade, he managed to deflect the blow before whirling around and stabbing the Nightmare in the back.

Triangle: Kick

Bringing up his foot, he kicked the Nightmare off his blade before turning around, only to immediately be met by two more Nightmares. The first moved to punch him.

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Steve quickly side-stepped the blow before cutting the Nightmare down. Before he could do anything else, he was sucker-punched in the face, the blow sending him stumbling back.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 23 health remaining.

Gritting his teeth, Steve narrowed his eyes at the Nightmare, who was quickly advancing on him. However, before they could reach him, a beam of light quickly reduced the Nightmare to little more than a memory. Turning his head, Steve saw Notch standing nearby, hands still outstretched.

“Thanks!” Steve called with a grin. Before the god could reply, several Nightmare jumped from the horde to attack. Notch quickly went to work on dispatching them while Steve took a quick look around to see how everyone was faring.

Just to his right, Onyx kicked another one to the ground before jumping on top of them and laying into them with a flurry of punches. Aura held her own against three Nightmares, none of them able to land a hit on the quick-hoofed thestral. Celestia cast spell after spell, destroying Nightmares by the dozens while Luna went up close and personal, choosing to use her hooves more than her magic. Abyss was a bit more ruthless, either burning the Nightmares to death with her purple fire or tearing them apart with her claws. Notch was an absolute powerhouse, easily dodging or blocking blow after blow from numerous Nightmares while still managing to fire off beams of yellow magic from his hands that cut through the horde like a knife through warm butter.

‘Makes sense considering he’s a god.’ Steve briefly thought before focusing back on the fight at hand.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Steve blocked a blow from an attacking Nightmare before whirling around and cutting them down. Not a moment later, another Nightmare, armed with an Umbrine spear, lunged at the Crafter, trying to impale him.

Circle: Block

Steve blocked the attack, only for another Nightmare to rush in, trying to punch him.

Circle: Dodge

Steve ducked down low, making the attack go wide. Coming back up, the Crafter was immediately met by yet another Nightmare, one of the guards this time, trying to cut him in two with an Umbrine axe.

Circle: Dodge

Steve twisted his body just in time, the axe head cutting so close that sparks erupted from his chestplate. Stumbling backwards slightly, the Crafter’s gaze traveled over the three Nightmares he now faced. He grit his teeth before grabbing the handle of his sword with two hands.

Square (Hold): Whirlwind

Rushing forward, Steve brought back his sword before swinging it with such force that he spun in a circle. His blade crashed into all three Nightmares, sending them flying backwards into the horde they came from. Coming to a stop, the Crafter readied his blade as more Nightmares jumped right back in.

Square: Slash

Circle: Dodge

Square: Slash

Steve slashed one of the Nightmares across the chest, sending them to the floor. He leaned his head back, barely avoiding an attack from another Nightmare. Grabbing them by the back of the neck, Steve stabbed them in the chest. He waited a moment for the shadowy body to stop twitching before yanking the Nightmare off his blade and dropping them to the floor in a heap. However, the action cost him as a Nightmare suddenly crashed into him, sending the both of them tumbling to the floor.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 21 health remaining.

Grunting in pain from the impact, Steve tried to get back to his feet, but was tackled by the Nightmare, his back smacking against the ground. Looking up, the Crafter’s eyes widened as the Nightmare brought up their Umbrine spear.

Circle + Square: Counter

Grabbing the spear just past the tip, Steve pushed it away before grabbing the Nightmare by the shoulders and pulling their head towards the ground, the subsequent impact making a loud cracking noise. Pushing them off, the Crafter hastily got back to his feet before jumping right back into the fight.

* * * * *

Steve lost himself in the battle.

Time meant little to the Crafter as he and his team plowed through the horde. Pain was little more than a distant feeling, exhaustion just his mind playing tricks on him. His sword remained ever present in his gaze. But despite the haze of battle clouding his mind, he was still painfully aware of the state his team was in.

Onyx was barely standing, legs shaking beneath him.

Aura was panting heavily, her attacks much slower than they had been before.

Abyss was both tired and hurt, dozens upon dozens of wounds marking her scaly hide. Her flame breath had all but been depleted.

Celestia’s horn sparked and fizzed as she tried to fire off another spell. Her armor was dented and cracked, with much of the gold paint having been scratched off. Luna wasn’t much better off.

Notch, for some strange reason, looked more like an apparition, with Steve clearly being able to see through him with little difficulty, while still being able to see him at all. Despite this, the god still fired off beams of light into the Nightmares, though his attacks had become considerably weaker, now taking two or even three hits to take a Nightmare down.

However, they’re efforts had been far from in vain. What had once been a horde of Nightmares was now reduced to little more than a hundred. All of the rest had either been vaporized, or laid dead or defeated on the cold, stone floor.

The Nightmother stood near the other side of the throne room, a look of anger and horror on her face. She clearly hadn’t been expecting her forces to be beaten as badly as they had been. She’d ditched her spear at some point during the fight, switching to magic-based attacks, or hand-to-hand. She’d been forced to retreat from the battle slightly after taking a bad hit from Abyss, though she still aided her forces with her magic.

Square: Slash

Steve cut down the Nightmare in front of him before looking up. It appeared that all of the remaining forces had retreated as well, now standing just in front of the Nightmother. Despite the obvious state his side was in, it seemed they were reluctant to move too far away from her. Taking a second, Steve looked himself over.

8 Health remaining.

He was hurt, badly. Blood dripped from numerous cuts and lacerations on his body. His chestplate had been broken at some point, but he didn’t think much of it. His vision suddenly darkened slightly as the pain and exhaustion finally caught up with him.

His teeth grit in agony as he fell to one knee, using every ounce of willpower he had to keep from collapsing.

“Steve!” He heard Onyx call, but it sounded distant and muted. He felt a hand on his shoulder, keeping him steady. The Crafter found it in him to look up, immediately seeing Onyx’s concerned face just inches from his.

“Are you alright?” The Nightmare asked in a worried tone. The Crafter hesitated for a moment before responding.

“I’m *pant* fine” He replied, though it was clear from his voice just how much pain the Crafter was truly in. He let out a groan as he pushed himself to his feet. “Just *pant* a bit tired.”

Steve could see in Onyx’s face that the Nightmare didn’t believe him for a second. But before he could retort, the Crafter turned to face the remaining Nightmares. After looking around the battlefield, he shifted his gaze to meet the Nightmother’s. Taking a breath, he stumbled towards her, using his sword as a make-shift crutch.

The moment he did, all of the Nightmares tensed up, readying for battle. His team, though hurt and exhausted, began to do the same, only to be stopped by Steve’s hand.

“Guys, don’t. Not yet. Give me a sec.” With that, he continued to shamble forward, but stopped when Celestia spoke.

“Steve, what are you doing?”

For a moment, he didn’t move. Then, he turned his head to look at the pale white alicorn.

“You’ll see.” He responded, before facing forward once again and continuing to stumble towards the Nightmother.

Once he was half-way across the battle-field, he suddenly stopped.

Neither side moved, both unaware of what it was that the Minecraftian was planning. It was only after a few moments of silence that Steve finally spoke.

“It appears you went with option two.”

The Nightmother looked at him in confusion for a moment before realization filled her gaze and she bared her teeth with a low snarl.

“I told you, before we began to fight, that this would end one of two ways. Either Onyx and I would leave in peace, or every Nightmare in the room would die. And look what happened.”

Steve sighed, rubbing his face with a hand.

“Believe it or not, I really didn’t want to fight. But I also knew more likely than not that there was no way we would leave peacefully and as it turned out, I was right.” He looked at the Nightmother. “Look, let’s be real here. Your side is pretty much on its last legs.” With a sigh, Steve turned to look at his battered team. “And so is mine.” He turned his head to look at the Nightmother. “So, I’m offering you another choice. Let us leave here, with Onyx. We won’t fight, we will simply take ourselves and leave, most likely to never return. Or, we can continue to fight. We can duke it out, right here, and see which side makes it out alive. It’s up to you.” Steve took a step back as he held up a hand. “And, before you make your choice, let me ask you this.” The Crafter’s expression became hard as stone. “Was one Nightmare worth the lives of those who have fallen here today? If you survive, could you one day look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Their lives were worth it?’”

The Nightmother opened her mouth to respond, but she eventually closed it after a moment. She looked around the battle-field, taking in the hundreds of corpses that littered it before her gaze shifted to Steve’s team.

Eventually, she sighed and shook her head. “No. He wasn’t worth it.”

With a wave of her hand, a portal appeared in the room. It looked exactly like the one that had brought Steve to the Hollow in the first place.

The Crafter gave a silent sigh of relief.

“Go, please.” The Nightmother spoke, voice quiet and pleading. She refused to look at them. “Go and never return.”

Steve nodded. “We will. Thank you.” Looking back at his team, he gestured towards the portal. “Come on. Let’s go.”

With a nod, his team walked over to the portal. The first to step through was Aura, the thestral quickly disappearing into the blackness. Luna and Celestia were next, followed closely by Onyx and Abyss. Notch gave the Crafter a smile and a nod before he stepped through as well. Steve moved towards the portal, but stopped just in front of it. He looked around the room at the fallen Nightmares for a minute before glancing at the Nightmother, a small look of sympathy on his face.

‘She’s probably feeling exactly how I felt that day.’ He thought. After a moment, he mentally sighed. ‘Damn my conscience.’

“Hey.” He spoke in a low voice. The Nightmother didn’t look at him, or even respond in any way. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He took another glance at the bodies. “I really, really didn’t want this to happen.”

“...Just go.” She finally spoke, and Steve’s heart lurched a bit from how broken she sounded.

Continuing to look at her for a minute, Steve gave a sigh before turning towards the portal and stepping through.

Author's Note

So, yeah, here's another chapter. Not sure how I managed to get this one out so fast, but I did. So, uh, yay me. :yay:
Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 77: Red Tape

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve grabbed one of the rungs of the iron gate, the hinges squealing slightly as he pushed it open. Closing it behind him, the Crafter walked up the dirt path towards the cobblestone shell that was his house. Or rather, what was the beginning of it. It looked exactly like how he’d left it, a simple cobblestone frame on which he would build the rest of his home. His crafting table sat nearby, next to a furnace which had long since gone cold. On a makeshift table sat his book of building plans.

Plopping down all of the supplies in his Inventory next to the crafting table, Steve sat down on the ground nearby, laying his back against the furnace. Putting his arms up, he stretched his back, groaning slightly when it gave an audible pop.

Sighing, he shifted himself to rest more comfortably against the cobblestone furnace. He looked out at the street in front of him. It was surprisingly empty for mid-day.

Steve closed his eyes and rested his head against the top of the furnace, letting his mind wander to the events just previous to his arriving home. When he’d first stepped through the portal heading back home from the Hollow.

* * * * *

Steve awoke with a gasp, eyes shooting open only to close a second later as a bright light filled his vision.

Groaning, he rubbed his face with a hand as he squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light.

“Steve!” He heard a voice call. Looking around, the Crafter quickly saw Onyx rushing towards him. Upon reaching him, the Nightmare reached out to touch him, but immediately retracted his hand when he saw the Crafter’s injuries. “Oh shit. Steve, are you okay?”

“No, not particularly.” Steve responded with a groan. “Urgh.”

“Steve, are you alright?” He heard Celestia ask, tone displaying her concern. Lifting his head to look, he saw the alicorn standing not far away, with Luna and Aura by her side. Abyss was sitting on a nearby fallen log, Notch standing next to her, hands glowing as several of the dragoness’ wounds glowed as well. As Steve watched, the injuries began to close up, leaving nothing but a memory of their existence.

The Crafter groaned as he let his head fall back to the floor. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He responded. “Just tired, hurt and in pain.” After a moment, he sat back up, grunting in pain as he did so. “How are you guys all doing?”

“I’m exhausted.” Onyx replied, still panting slightly. “But overall, I think I’m okay.”

“Same here.” Aura spoke up.

“Luna and I have burned through much of our magic reserves, and we both received our fair share of injuries.” Celestia responded. “Give us a few days, and we’ll be alright.”

“I’m fine.” Abyss said with a shrug. “I’ve been through worse.”

Notch gave her a deadpan look. “You were heavily injured, Abyss. The only reason you’re okay is because I’ve been healing you for the last few minutes.”

“Okay, fair.” Abyss conceded. “But seriously, you healed Steve just by waving your hand. Why is it taking so long for me?”

“Because I created Steve’s race, Abyss. I know his body in and out. How it functions, how it works. You, on the other hand, are an entirely different story.” The god furrowed his eyebrows. “Now please, stop squirming. Your movements are only making this take longer.” Sighing, the god shook his head before glancing at the Crafter. “I apologize that this is taking so long, Steve. Give me a moment, and I will be right with you.”

“Nah, it’s fine. You take care of her. She needs it more than I do.” As he spoke, Steve withdrew a piece of bread from his Inventory and chomped it down. However, there was no effect. It was only after eating two more loaves that the Crafter felt the familiar warmth of his enhanced regeneration take effect. Looking himself over, he saw his wounds beginning to mend.

Regeneration Effect gained. +1 health every 10 seconds

He gave a sigh of relief. “That’s better.”

“Wait a second.” Aura spoke up. “What in Tartarus?”

The Crafter looked over to see the thestral giving him a confused look.

“What?” He asked. “What is it?”

“...You ate some bread, and now you’re like, healing? Since when has that been a thing?”

“Uh, since I was created? One of my inherent powers is enhanced regeneration. Basically, if I’m not hungry to a certain extent, my body will rapidly heal. The only problem is if my hunger drains past the threshold, I stop healing. But at that point, I just keepeating and,problem solved.”

“Well, then why do you carry around those healing potions or whatever they are?”

“Because while my enhanced regeneration is great, it still takes time to fix me up. So, if I can help it, I try to keep a few healing potions on me, since they heal me pretty much instantly.”

“Huh. That’s, pretty cool, actually.” Aura spoke.

“I know right? Really useful since all I need for it to work is a full belly.”

“And, done!” Notch spoke, drawing everyone’s attention to the god and the newly-healed Abyss. The dragoness looked herself over for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.

“And once again, Notch, you do not disappoint.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He responded, waving his hand. “It’s the least I could do, all things considered.”

Steve watched the interaction for a few seconds before he had a small moment of realization.

“Wait, hold on.” He said as he got to his feet, albeit wincing slightly. “Like, Notch, I know it’s really, really cool that you’re here, because trust me, it is. But I still need to know. How in the fuck are you even here?” Steve took a look around. “In fact, how did any of you guys even get to the Nightmare realm or Hollow or whatever it’s called in the first place? None of you except for maybe Abyss would have any idea of what was happening. How did you guys find out?”

Celestia chuckled. “Well, that’s a bit of a long story, Steve.”

The Crafter crossed his arms, shrugging. “Well, I’ve got time.” His gaze made its way to Luna. “Speaking of which, what the Nether are you even doing here? I thought you hated my guts, or something.”

The lunar princess flinched slightly. “We do not… hate your guts, Steve.”

“Really? Well, that’s good to know. With all of your hostility and refusal to really speak to me, I was starting to get the wrong idea.”

Aura frowned. “Look, I get that you’re still angry with her, but it’s not entirely her fault for what hap-.”

“Yes it is.” Luna spoke up, sighing. She looked down at the thestral. “We thank thee for trying to defend us, Aura, but we have no pony to blame but ourselves.” The alicorn met Steve’s gaze. “We are sorry, Steve, for the pain and suffering we caused you. There is truly no excuse for it. If there is any way we could make it up to you, please, tell us.”

Steve looked at her for a moment, brows furrowed. Finally, he let out a small sigh as his hard expression fell. “There is one thing.”

Luna perked up slightly.

“I want to know why you did it.”

The alicorn flinched back as if she’d been struck. “What?”

He took a step forward. “I want to know why you did what you did. I mean, I think I at least have the right to know, all things considered.”

“No, you do. We, I…” She sighed. “It’s not… We were not in the best of mindsets.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “And that matters how?”

“Because if you heard why we did it, you would think us, er, me evil, or insane.”

“You’re a winged unicorn ex-Nightmare who spent the better part of a few months trying to kill me. You really can’t make yourself look worse in my eyes. And as for the insane part, well, we’ll just have to see, hmm?”

Luna opened her mouth, as if to argue, but after a moment of hesitation, let out a sigh as she shook her head. “We admit, you make much sense. Very well. I will tell you.” Meeting the Crafter’s gaze, she took in a breath before speaking.

Creeeeak

Steve was snapped from his thoughts as he heard his gate opening. Looking up, he spotted a pony he didn’t recognize coming up the path.

It was a mare, with a foliage green coat of fur with a dark blonde mane. She wore what looked like a suit, with a briefcase strapped to her side. She stopped for a moment when she caught sight of Steve, but after taking in a breath, she hesitantly approached.

“Hello.” She spoke.

“Yo.” He swiftly responded.

“Would you happen to be the owner of this establishment?”

He nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, it has come to the attention of the PHA that-”

“The what?”

“The PHA. The Ponyville Home Association.” The mare answered before continuing. “Anyways, it has come to our attention that-”

“Association of what? What exactly is it that you guys do?”

The mare, though a bit put off for the second interruption, answered. “Well, we try our best to ensure that every home in Ponyville is up to standard, and that every pony family is living in peace and safety. As I was saying, it has-”

“Well, you guys must’ve had a lot of work on your hands when I first showed up, considering how much chaos I accidentally caused.” Steve said with a chuckle. “Anyways, you were saying?”

“...Well, it has come to our attention that you were gifted this home and that you are the new owner. I came by yesterday to talk to you, but found that your house was, well, gone, essentially.”

“Yeah, I blew it to kingdom come a few days ago. The house wasn’t really working for me, so I figured I’d just have to build it from scratch.”

“Oh. And who do you intend to have build your new home?”

“Myself. Why?”

The mare gave him a confused look. “...You intend to build the home yourself?”

He nodded. “Yep.”

“...I see. And I trust you already have the required permit to do so?”

Now it was the Crafter’s turn to look confused. He furrowed his eyebrows at the mare. “Permit? For what?”

“For building your home, of course. Before any building can take place, those in charge of its construction must have the proper permit related to what it is they are building. Considering you are simply building a house, you would need a Class H building permit. Could I please see it?”

Steve stared at the mare for a few moments before he responded. “Yeah, I don’t know shit for all about any permits or anything, so I kinda don’t have one.”

“You don’t have one?”

“That’s literally what I just said.”

“Well then, I’m sorry, but you can’t build here.”

“Really.” Steve spoke, deadpanning at the mare. “And why is that?”

“Because you don’t have the required permit.” She responded.

“And why do I need a permit to build?”

“Because it’s the law!” The mare spoke, exasperated.

“Well your law is bad, and you should feel bad.” Sighing, Steve rubbed his face with one hand. “Alright, where can I get one of these stupid permits?”

“They are not stupid.” The mare huffed.

“Yes they are. Now where can I get one?”

The mare sighed. “You can acquire one from the Town Hall for 250 bits.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “Wait a second, 250 bits? I have to pay for a permit?”

“Yes. Why?”

The Crafter leaned in close to the mare, nose only inches from her own. “Let me get this straight. In order to use the materials I myself obtained at my own expense, to build my own home, on the plot of land I legally now own, I have to pay 250 bits for a building permit?”

The mare suddenly looked very nervous. “Um, yes?”

For a few moments, Steve stared into the mare’s dark gray eyes. Then, he let out a sigh. “Alright. Who do I need to talk to at the Town Hall?”

She let out a sigh of relief. “W-well, talk to Time Turner, Mayor Mare’s assistant. He should be able to help you from there.”

“Got it. Thank you, Miss…?”

“Oh. I’m Fine. Fine Print.”

“Well thank you for your assistance, Miss Print. I will go get this sorted out.” With that, the Crafter stepped around the mare and started off down the path towards the front gate. Closing it behind him, he walked down the street, in the direction of the town hall.

‘I take it you don’t have any intention of actually buying one of these permits?’ Onyx spoke up.

Steve grinned. ‘You know me too well, Onyx. No, I’m not going to get one, not if I can help it.’

‘Then what will you do?’

The Crafter shrugged. ‘I’m not really sure. I’ll think of something.’ He looked up to see he was approaching the street corner. ‘Okay, I think I have to turn here.’

‘You do.’ The Nightmare confirmed. ‘Anyways, let me ask you something Steve. Why do you care about the permit? Wouldn’t it just be easier to get the permit and be done with it?’

‘Well yeah, it would be. But you see, there was this place back home. Called Sungale. They restricted a lot of things, like building, brewing, even crafting. The people there lived in constant fear of their leader, this red-haired asshole who called himself ‘The Great Ruler’ or some shit. Back then, I was still working as a soldier in the Ironwood Army’s Elite division. My team was picked to infiltrate the city and take out their ruler.’ Steve sighed and looked down at the ground. ‘But something went wrong.’

‘What w- Steve look out!’

The Crafter didn’t have time to react before his legs ran into something, sending him stumbling. There was a cry of shock, not his own, as he and whatever he had ran into hit the ground.

Steve let out a grunt as his back impacted the floor. Groaning slightly, he sat up to see what he had hit.

He was immediately met by the sight of a familiar orange earth pony.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Applejack?”

Author's Note

So, a little bit of filler, but I think it makes sense considering the action the last couple of chapters have had. Also, don't worry. You'll find out more about what happened after the fight later.
Prepare for lore and explanations.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 78: Reparations

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Steve, realizing that he was still on the ground, got back to his feet as he brushed himself off.

“Sorry about that Ms. Applejack.” Kneeling down, he held out a hand. “Guess I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

The mare looked at the outstretched appendage for a moment before hesitantly accepting it, allowing the Crafter to pull her to her hooves. “It’s no problem.” She responded. “Ah shoulda been looking where I was going too.”

“Maybe. But still, sorry for bumping into you. Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, Ah’m good. You?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Thanks.”

The two stood there for a few moments in an awkward silence.

“So…” Steve finally spoke. “How have you been doing?”

“Good, Ah guess. You?”

“Ah, I’m good. Just got back from the realm of Nightmares this morning. You see, Onyx got kidnapped by some other Nightmares yesterday and I had to go after him. I found him, and their leader, this bitch called the Nightmother. She and I had a bit of a fight, after which Aura, Luna, Celestia, Abyss and Notch showed up and we all ended up having to fight the Nightmother and her army. We took out most of them, and were close to killing all of them, but I managed to talk her, the Nightmother, into making a portal home for us so that we didn’t have to fight to the death.” Steve thought for a second. “Oh yeah, and after getting home, I talked to this mare and found out that if I want to build a new house to replace the old one that I blew up, I have to get a permit. I’m actually on my way there now.” The Crafter glanced down at the mare in front of him to see her looking at him with a shocked and stupefied expression on her face. “What?” He asked.

It was a few seconds more before Applejack responded. “Ah’m sorry, Ah’m just trying to take in everything you told me. You said ya fought who, where?”

“I fought the Nightmother and her army of Nightmares, alongside Onyx, my friend who is also a Nightmare, Aura, an acquaintance of mine, Celestia and Luna, Abyss, another friend of mine, and Notch, a god and literal creator of my species.”

The orange mare’s eyes bugged out. “He’s the what?”

“The creator of my kind, and pretty much every other peaceful species from my world.”

...

“...Huh.” Applejack finally spoke, having stared at Steve for several seconds before responding. She glanced away for a moment before looking back at him. “Ah think you and Ah lead very different lives, Steve.”

The Crafter laughed. “Well, you’re not wrong. But hey, to each their own, right?”

His words roused a small chuckle from the mare. “Yeah, Ah suppose so.” Pushing her hat up a bit with one hoof, she looked the Crafter up and down, an almost imperceptible frown on her face. After a moment, she spoke. “Say, where did ya say you were headed?”

“Town Hall.” Steve responded. “Need a building permit for my house.”

“Ah.” She paused. “Well, Ah wish you luck with that. Ah actually should get going myself. Still got a lotta work to do.”

“Oh. Well then, don’t let me keep you.” He said. “See ya around Ms. Applejack.” He turned as he spoke, waving back at her with one hand, not looking at her. If he had been looking, he wouldn’t have missed the slight expression of hurt that flashed past the mare’s face. Without waiting for a response, Steve turned the street corner and disappeared from her view.

“Yeah. See ya around.” The mare quietly responded. Sighing, she shook her head before turning and trotting off.

* * * * *

Steve stood in front of the Town Hall. His eyes slowly traveled over the wooden structure that he’d become so familiar with over the course of the last couple of months. After a few moments, his gaze fell to the front door. Taking a breath, he walked over, stopping just in front of it. Raising a fist, he knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

There was no response. Steve looked around for a moment before knocking again.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Hello!?” He called.

“Just a moment!” Came a reply from within, though it was slightly muffled. A few seconds later, Steve heard hoofsteps approach the door, followed by the knob turning. As the door opened, a pony Steve didn’t recognize began to speak. “You know, I don’t understand why everypony knocks, it’s a public off-” The stallion who had been opening the door stopped short when he laid eyes on who exactly had been knocking. His jaw dropped open in shock.

“Well, I imagine it’s just polite.” Steve replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. “Though, that’s just me of course.” As he spoke, he looked over the shell-shocked stallion in front of him.

He was a light brown earth pony, with his mane and tail being only a slightly darker shade of brown. He wore a simple white shirt and a red tie. His bright blue eyes were nearly the size of dinner plates as he stared at the Minecraftian in front of him.

“Anyways, I’m here because some mare told me I needed to talk to someone named Time Turner. If you would, could you please direct me to him?”

The stallion didn’t move, continuing to stare at the Crafter in shock. Steve furrowed his eyebrows and waved a hand in front of the stallion’s face.

“Hello? You there?”

He snapped his fingers a few times, but to no avail.

“Hmm.” The Crafter murmured.

“Time Turner!” Came a shout from somewhere within the building. “Is somepony at the door?!”

The stallion in front of Steve finally moved, jerking slightly at the shout. “Uh, um, yeah!” He hesitantly called back. “It’s uh, him, ma’am!”

“Who?! There are a lot of stallions in Ponyville, Turner!”

“No, ma’am, it’s him!”

Silence for a mere second or two.

Then there was a shout of “Oh buck!” followed by the sound of many objects hitting the floor, as well as a heavy thump. After a pained shout, Steve heard the sound of rushing hoofsteps, getting louder by the second.

Time Turner took a step back into the building, only to be knocked out of sight as something, or rather someone slammed into him at high speeds, knocking the poor stallion out of Steve’s sight. The pony who now took his place was an older earth pony mare, with a tan-ish coat of fur and a gray mane and tail. A set of glasses sat on her muzzle, just in front of a pair of gray-ish blue eyes. She wore a grin, though it appeared to be a bit forced.

“Hello, valued citizen, how may I help you today?” The mare asked, sounding slightly out of breath. Steve quirked an eyebrow at the mare for a moment before responding.

“Uh, hello, Miss Mare. I was wondering if I could talk to-”

“Absolutely, come in, come in!” The mare eagerly exclaimed, hurriedly waving the Crafter in. However, despite her excited demeanor, Steve was able to catch the hidden tone of fear in her voice. “My office is just down this way! Follow me!” The mare trotted towards a partially open door at the end of the hall to his left. He made to follow, but stopped for a moment before looking around the room.

His gaze quickly made its way to Time Turner, who laid among what assumedly had once been a stack of boxes. Now, several of the boxes were scattered around the room, and two more were crumpled beneath him.

“Urg.” The stallion groaned, rubbing the side of his head with a hoof.

“Need a hand?” Steve asked, causing Turner to jerk his head up to see the Crafter’s outstretched hand. After staring at the offered appendage for a few moments, the stallion hesitantly accepted, allowing Steve to pull him to his hooves.

“Um, thank you.” Time Turner spoke.

“No problem, Mr. Turner.” The Crafter replied. “You okay? Looks like she hit you pretty hard.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” The stallion reassured him. “I’ve gotten used to the Mayor’s antics at this point. I can take a hit or two.” Shaking his head, Turner looked back up at Steve. “So, if I may ask, what are you doing here, at the Town Hall?”

“Well, I’m actually here to talk to you.” He replied, his response startling the stallion.

“M-me? Why?”

“Cause I got a visit from some dumbass organization called the ‘PHA,’ and they informed me that in order for me to build my home, I need some stupid permit or something. I’m here because when I asked, she told me I could receive said permit here, and that I had to talk to someone named ‘Time Turner.’ So, here I am.”

An expression of confusion appeared on the stallion’s face. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the Mayor, who butted into the conversation. “But the permit is supposed to be purchased by the ponies building the home!”

Steve sighed. “I am the one building my house.”

The mare furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Wait, what?”

The Crafter nodded. “I’m going to be the one building my house. I’m guessing that’s why the mare, Fine Print, I think her name was, directed me here. Because apparently, I need a permit to build my house.” Steve sighed and rubbed his face. “Also, speaking of which, how much does a permit actually cost?”

“Um, Turner?” Mayor Mare inquired, looking at the stallion.

“Uh, well, you want to build a house, right?” Turner inquired.

Steve nodded.

“Well, that would be a Class H private facility permit, so…” He thought for a moment. “around 300 bits, give or take?”

The Crafter let out a sigh. “And how much is 300 bits worth, exactly?”

Time Turner grimaced for a moment before answering. “Uh, more than what I make in a week, and I get paid pretty well.”

Steve stared at Turner for a few moments, expression blank.

“...Over a week’s worth of pay. Lord, that’s quite a bit of money.” He murmured. Shaking his head, Steve looked over at Mayor Mare, who stiffened slightly. “Miss Mayor, is there any legal way for me to not pay and get a permit?”

The mare relaxed slightly as she looked at him with a ‘Are you serious?’ expression. “I-” She stopped herself. Sighing, she glanced to her left before fixing Steve with a serious look. “There is one thing. Please, if you would, follow me to my office. We can talk there.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow at the mare, confused at her sudden change in demeanor. After thinking about it for a moment, he nodded. “Alright then. Let’s go.”

Nodding, Mayor Mare turned and began trotting towards her office, Steve quickly following behind. Walking through the hall, Mayor Mare held open the door for Steve, closing it once he’d stepped through. Walking around the Crafter, the mare settled herself down behind her large wood desk as Steve looked around the room.

It was a mess. Papers were strewn around the room like make-shift confetti, so much so that Steve had to actively watch his step so he didn’t tread on some important document. The smell of old coffee and baked goods filled the air, seemingly seeping from a small pink box sitting on her desk. A nearby desk drawer looked to be in shambles.

“Please pardon the mess.” Mayor Mare spoke, suddenly sounding much more tired than she had been only moments before. “It’s been, well, it’s been a long couple of days.” She rubbed her temples with her hooves.

“What happened?” Steve inquired.

“Speaking frankly? You did.” The mare bluntly responded.

The Crafter furrowed his eyebrows. “Me? What did I do?”

“No, that’s- That not what I meant. What I mean is, I got a surprise visit a week ago, from Princess Celestia.”

“What was Celestia doing here?” He asked.

“She, well, she wanted to talk to me about you, and about helping you get a hoofhold in staying here in Ponyville. I suppose she knew you’d come here at one point or another, because she instructed me to give you this when you did.” Reaching into one of the desk drawers, she withdrew an envelope, with a big, red, official-looking seal on it. Sitting up slightly in her seat, she handed it to the Crafter, who grabbed it. Quickly ripping it open, he took out the folded up piece of paper that was inside. Unfolding it, he began to read.

Dear Steve,

Enclosed with this letter is a check for 25,000 bits. I know it is not nearly enough to try and make up for what you had to go through, but I hope it is at least a start. I realize that you may not entirely know how our currency works, and as such, I have instructed my pupil, Twilight Sparkle, to answer any questions you may have to the best of her ability.

Steve scoffed before continuing.

Regardless, the money is yours to use however you see fit, though I do ask that you spend it wisely. Faust knows how many nobles I’ve had to talk to about their frivolous spending.

There was a slight smudge of ink, covering some of the words.

Oh, I apologize for the smudge. Ms. Inkwell just informed me that I have duties I must attend to, so I must end this letter here. I wish you well, Steve, and I hope we can meet again soon.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

After finishing the letter, Steve gently set it down on Mayor Mare’s desk before picking up the envelope once more and looking inside it. Just as the letter had said, there was a small, blueish slip of paper. Taking it out, He looked at it.

“Oh, a check.” Mayor Mare spoke. “How much is it for?”

“25,000.” Steve replied.

The mare gasped suddenly before coughing for a few moments. After stopping, she cleared her throat and spoke.

“I’m, I’m sorry, but 25,000 bits! That’s a fortune! With that, you could buy almost anything you want!”

“Like a building permit?” He asked, grinning. Mayor Mare opened her mouth to speak, but instead she merely grinned, letting out a small chuckle.

“Yes.” She responded. “Like a building permit. One sec.” She turned her head slightly so that she was looking at the door. “Turner!! Could you come in here please?!”

“One moment!” Came the muffled reply. A few seconds later, Time Turner opened the door. “What is it ma’am?”

“It seems like Mr. Steve has suddenly come into a lot of money, and would like to purchase a building permit. Could you retrieve the required documents from the storage room?”

“I’m on it!” The stallion responded before rushing off, leaving Steve and the mare by themselves once again. Silence filled the room, save for the quiet rustling of Steve’s shirt, or the silent breaths of Mayor Mare.

The quiet was eventually broken when the mare cleared her throat. “Time Turner is usually pretty quick to find things, so he should be coming back shortly.”

“Hm.” Steve grunted in response, focusing on the mare herself more than her words.

Her posture was straight, almost painfully so, and her front hooves were clasped tightly to each other. Her small smile appeared more sincere, but still had a slightly forced look to it. Steve could see small hints of fear and nervousness in her eyes.

‘Hey Onyx, could you do a small check up on Mayor Mare?’

‘On it.’ The Nightmare dutifully replied. After a few seconds of silence, Onyx spoke up again. ‘Her heart is racing Steve, and her veins seem to contain a rather high level of adrenaline, which usually happens when one is scared.’

Steve silently thanked the Nightmare before focusing back on the mare in front of him.

He opened his mouth, the words ready and waiting to be said. ‘Are you scared of me, Miss Mayor?’, he wanted to ask. However, he didn’t. One, because he already knew the answer was yes. And two, because he knew why she was scared.

‘I suppose she has every right to be scared, all things considered. It’ll be a long time before Ponyville as a whole trusts me. All I can do until then is hope that something bad doesn’t happen to fuck it all up.’

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Time Turner with a few papers in his teeth.

“Ah, thank you Time Turner.” Mayor Mare spoke, taking the papers from the stallion. Placing them on her desk, she looked up at the Crafter. “Mr. Steve, if you would, there are a few papers I need you to have a look at and sign.”

Steve sighed, rolling his eyes. “Alright. Let me see them.”

“Of course.” She rifled through the papers before handing three over to him. Taking a seat on a nearby stool that was much too small, Steve got to work.

Author's Note

I had to rush a bit to get this one out, so forgive any minor mistakes you find. I'll be sure to come back and fix them later.

Also, just a minor note I feel I should add: I don't forget about anything. I've been leaving a lot of stuff that seems weird to add, but trust me, it'll all make sense eventually.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 79: Square 1

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve of Minecraftia

Steve looked over the signature he’d written at the bottom of the paper. It felt strange looking at it, like the title almost didn’t belong to him. But it did.

Sighing, he shook his head as he re-read the document, one more time. It was the same boring bureaucratic jargon that he’d read twice before. Nodding, he set it down on top of the other papers, all with his dark signature at the bottom.

“Alright then.” Mayor Mare spoke, collecting the documents. Looking them over, she nodded. “Everything seems to be in order.” Setting the papers aside, the mare withdrew a more official-looking document and picked up a quill in her teeth. Maneuvering it with her teeth, she dipped the tip into a small vial of ink before writing something on it. Setting down the quill, the mare handed the paper to Steve. “Here you go.”

Taking it from her, the Crafter looked it over for a few moments before speaking. “So, this is the permit?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Um, yes. Why?”

“I don’t know. Just feels, kinda underwhelming, I guess.”

“Underwhelming?” Mayor Mare echoed. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, as far as I can remember, nearly every obstacle I’ve faced in your world has led to me being hurt or damn near killed. However, to get this permit, I just had to pay you three hundred bits and sign some papers. It just feels too easy.”

“Oh. I see.” The mare replied, voice low as she looked down at her desk. A look of concern came over Steve’s face.

“Is everything alright, Miss Mayor?”

Sighing, she glanced back up at Steve with a forced smile. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just thinking, I suppose.”

“About what?” He inquired. Her grin fell, as did her gaze.

“It’s, nothing.” She responded. Taking a deep breath, the mare shook her head and looked back up at Steve. “Anyways, is there anything else I can help you with, or will that be all?”

Steve stared back at her, expression conflicted. ‘On one hand, a blind person could tell that she’s lying through her teeth. But on the other hand, I’m not exactly in the position to press for information.’ He sighed, before opening his mouth to speak. “...No, Miss Mayor, that will be all. Thank you for your help.”

“You’re very welcome Mr. Steve.”

“Just Steve, please.” The Crafter replied with a grin. “Calling me 'Mr' makes me feel like I’m old.”

The mare’s lip pulled up slightly, the beginnings of a smile, albeit a small one, but Steve would take what he could get. “Very well Steve. In that case, you can call me Kathleen, if you wish.”

“Thank you, Miss Kathleen. I wish you a good day.” With that, the Crafter turned around, heading for the door. However, he stopped just before leaving, turning his gaze back to the mare. She looked at him with a confused expression.

“...What is it?” She asked. Steve stared at her for a moment before he shook his head.

“It’s nothing. Goodbye, Miss Kathleen.”

Walking out of the room, he shut the door behind him.

* * * * *

Cathleen Mare sat at her desk as Steve shut the door behind him. She waited until his footsteps faded from earshot before letting out a loud sigh of relief, falling back in her chair. She pressed a hoof over her racing heart, willing it to calm down.

After waiting a few moments, she dropped her hoof back to the desk, letting out another sigh as she did so. Groaning, she rubbed her face with both hooves.

“Ugh. What a mess.” She muttered.

“Are you okay?”

Mayor Mare jumped in her seat before looking up to see Time Turner standing in the doorway to her office. Somehow, the stallion had opened her rather creaky door without her hearing it.

“Oh, Turner, it’s just you.” She spoke, smiling nervously. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I was just asking if you were alright. You seemed really tired there for a moment.”

The mare grinned as she waved away the stallion’s concerns. “Oh, I’m fine, Turner. Just didn’t sleep too well last night, I suppose. It happens.”

“Oh, okay.” Time Turner looked away for a moment before hesitantly stepping towards the mare. “Look, I uh, I know I don’t have any right to pry, but are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been acting a bit strange ever since Princess Celestia visited last week. Did something happen?”

Mayor Mare opened her mouth, the words denying what the stallion had said resting on the tip of her tongue. But they didn’t come out.

Eventually, she sighed and rubbed her face. Glancing at Time Turner, she saw his concerned expression. She chuckled, though there was no humor in her voice.

“Welp, guess I can’t get anything past you, huh Turner? Makes sense, since you and I have been working together for so long.” She sighed. “No, Time Turner, I’m not alright. And do you want to know why?”

He gave a hesitant nod.

“Because I bucked up. I bucked up so, so, sooooo badly.” As she spoke, she slowly shook her head. “It’s almost laughable how badly I messed up.”

“...What happened?”

“I…” The mare hesitated, then said something that made Time Turner's eyes widen.

“I nearly caused the extinction of an entire species.”

* * * * *

Steve walked down the street, kicking up small bits of rock as he did so. One hand was shoved into his pocket, while the other held the building permit that he had spent hours getting. Looking up, he saw that while he had been busy, the sun had passed overhead and had begun making its descent back down towards the horizon. Steve grimaced slightly.

“Damn it. Now I’ve lost even more time.” Shaking his head, he continued on, eventually making it to the more residential part of Ponyville, where his soon-to-be house was located. As he walked, many of the ponies he passed by stopped to stare or whisper, some pointing at him when they thought he wasn’t looking. The Crafter didn’t mind. He’d take them gossiping over them trying to kill him any day.

Arriving at his property, he found the gate was still open, probably because that mare, Fine Print, hadn’t closed it when she’d left. Shaking his head, he made sure to close the gate behind him before walking over to where he would soon be building his house. Placing the paper on the crafting table, Steve sighed, internally groaning at the prospect of the work he still had left to do.

“Well, I won’t get anything done just by looking at it.” He muttered to himself.

‘That’s true.’ Onyx spoke up. ‘Shall we get to work then?’

Steve looked over the cobblestone frame that he’d built for a moment before nodding, lips pulled up in a smirk. He withdrew a piece of cobblestone from his Inventory. “You know it. Let’s do this.”

* * * * *

Clack.

Step.

Clack.

Step.

Clack.

Steve sighed, groaning in frustration before he continued on.

Clack.

Step.

Clack.

Step.

Clack.

Step.

Clack.

Step.

“...You know, I think this is why I never practiced my building.” Steve said with a frown. “It’s so freaking boring."

‘I think it’s more the result of building rather than the process.’ Onyc commented

“Well, yeah, I get that.” Steve muttered with a shrug as he placed another block of cobblestone down. He’d built up the second layer of cobblestone wall for the first story and was now working on finishing the third layer. “But still, I don’t get how people could find enjoyment from just placing block after block.” As he spoke, he placed yet another block of cobblestone. “Seems, I don’t know. Kinda menial.” He shrugged. “Then again, I’m not exactly a stranger to doing boring things. Being royalty was cool and all, but it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.”

‘Yes, I imagine having to deal with the threats that you had to deal with was very stressful.’

“Well, that wasn’t exactly the bad part. It was having to deal with the people that sucked.”

‘Why?’ Onyx inquired, sounding confused.

“Because while I loved my people as any king should, sometimes I wanted nothing more than to strangle them because of the stupid or ridiculous questions they asked.” He shook his head as he chuckled. "Frustrating as it was, it's kind of funny to think back on."

‘Hmm.’ Onyx hummed for a moment. ‘...Steve, though I believe I already know the answer, I will ask you anyways. You believe in forgiving others, correct?’

The Crafter quirked an eyebrow but nodded. “Uh, yeah, of course. Why?”

‘Well, I was just wondering, after what happened earlier today between you and Princess Luna-’

“Don’t.” Steve interrupted, stopping the Nightmare short. A sudden feeling of anger welled in his chest, threatening to burst forth. Steve grit his teeth, one hand tightening into a fist. “Don’t Onyx. Please. I’m trying not to think about it, at least for today.”

‘I know, and I’m sorry, Steve. But, I’m just worried.’ Onyx spoke. ‘The only other time I’ve seen you that angry was when you were battling Herobrine.’

“I…” Steve began, but stopped. After a few moments, he sighed and shook his head. The anger in his chest faded to exhaustion. Exhaustion and hunger. Trading the cobblestone in his hand out for an apple, he absentmindedly chomped it down, finishing the plump red fruit in seconds. He felt his enhanced regeneration flare up for a moment, but with no injuries to heal, it quickly dispersed.

Sighing, he sat down on the cobblestone wall. “I know I shouldn’t have gotten as angry as I did, but I just… It caught me off guard, what she said. Of all the reasons, that was why she did what she did.” He growled. “She tried to use me a fucking-” He growled once more, refusing to even say what the Lunar Princess had said.

‘Still.’ Onyx spoke. ‘Did you really have to say all of those things? Granted, what she did was absolutely horrible, but so were some of the things you said Steve.’

The Crafter’s angry visage faded slightly as he winced, remembering some of the things he’d called her. He sighed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said some of those things. Well, I shouldn’t have said most of those things, really.” Leaning back slightly, he looked up at the sky above him, which had begun to darken with the sun slowly setting over the horizon.

For a while, Steve was silent, save for the sound of his breathing, or his clothes rustling everytime his body shifted.

“...I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

‘Yeah. You did.” Onyx replied, not in judgement or condemnation, but as if he was simply stating the facts. ‘But that’s the best part of making mistakes, you get to learn from them. And besides, while you shouldn’t have said what you did, it wasn’t exactly unwarranted.’

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so.” He looked down at his hands for a moment before glancing at the sun, which just barely hung above the horizon. “Well, it looks like it’s almost nightfall.”

‘Indeed. So, back home it is then?’

Steve thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I'll just set up shop here for a few days until the house is built. That's what I did when I was building my first house, back during my early years. Only difference now is that I don't have to worry about murdered while I'm asleep."

'That was dark, but still true.' Onyx spoke. 'If it makes you feel better, I will watch over you while you sleep, just in case danger arises.'

The Crafter smirked. "If that sentence had come from anyone else, I would be been concerned. But thanks Onyx."

'You're welcome Steve.' The Nightmare replied.

Jumping down, Steve withdrew his spare bed from his Inventory, placing it on ground beside the cobblestone structure. After taking a quick look around, the Crafter climbed in, pulling the red blanket up to his chin. It didn't take long before his eyes began to drift close and sleep took him.

* * * * *

When Steve opened his eyes again, he stood in pitch black darkness. He quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Where the Nether...?"

He stopped short when he heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from behind him. Turning around, his confused expression morphed into one of anger. He crossed his arms.

"Okay, what the fuck are you doing here, Luna?"

Author's Note

I literally wrote this in my hotel room, on my shitty tablet that turns off every three seconds, late at night. At the time of posting this, I'm still not entirely sure if what I wrote is legible, but I guess I'll find out in the morning, eh?

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and putting up with me, and let me know what you all thought in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 80: The Truth Comes Out

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve stood in the middle of the darkness, arms crossed and an irritated frown on his face.

Luna stood in front of him, only a few feet away. She wore a look of apprehension, hooves shuffling a bit as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. As Steve looked her over, he noticed a small bruise forming underneath one of her eyes.

‘Huh. Looks like I hit her a bit harder than I’d thought.’ Steve thought, before focusing back on the mare.

“What the fuck do you want?” He asked again, expression unchanging.

“We came here to talk to you.” The alicorn replied.

“Really? Are you sure you want to talk? Because the last time we ‘talked,’ I gave you that.” As he spoke, Steve gestured to the black eye the alicorn now sported. “Celestia isn’t here to separate us now, Luna. You sure you want to risk me getting in more than just a punch?”

The alicorn drew back a bit, but narrowed her gaze at the Crafter. “I did not come here to fight you, Steve.”

“Well, that’s good to know. However, given that most of our previous interactions have ended with us duking it out and the fact that you’re a moron, I’d say we’re probably gonna end up fighting.”

The alicorn’s nostrils flared in anger. “You will speak with-!”

“No, I mother fucking will not.” Steve interrupted. “Either you haven’t been informed yet, or you’ve forgotten, but I was a king once too, Luna, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that you’re full of shit.”

Luna scoffed. “I was informed, yes, that you were once a king. But we believe that a king from your world would be and act very differently than a ruler from this world.”

“And you’d be right. But I believe it’s a universal rule that being a stuck-up bitch doesn’t help anyone, royalty or otherwise.” Sighing, he closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples. “Look, arguing isn’t going to get either of us anywhere.” Dropping his hands, he gave Luna a serious look. “Let’s just get back to why the Nether you’re here in the first place. You said you wanted to talk to me?”

The alicorn’s scowl gradually faded as she nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright. About what, exactly?”

“About what happened while you were in the Nightmare Realm, the Hollow.”

“Hmm.” Steve murmured before giving a shrug. “There’s not much to talk about. I went through a portal after some Nightmare ripped Onyx from my body and took him there. I eventually ended up at the castle, found the throne room where Onyx was, fought the Nightmother, took some hits, and that’s essentially where you, Celestia, Abyss, Aura and Notch came in.” Steve furrowed his brow as he realized something. “Speaking of which, how did you guys even get there in the first place? Notch never really explained that part to me.”

“If you hadn’t run off, you would’ve been informed about how we made it to the Hollow.” Luna commented.

The Crafter gave the alicorn a deadpan glare. She sighed before answering his question.

“Fine. After you and the Nightmare-”

“Onyx.” Steve spoke. Luna gave him a confused look.

“What?”

“Just call him Onyx. It’s easier and it’ll save us both time.”

“We… fine. After you and Onyx were transported to the Hollow, Twilight Sparkle was informed of what had happened by Rainbow Dash, and subsequently sent a letter to our sister detailing what had occured. After that, Celestia, myself and Aura teleported to Ponyville.”

“Why Aura in particular?” Steve asked.

“Because time was of the essence, and she was the closest Black Claw member we had on hoof.” Luna answered, before continuing. “Anyways, it was after arriving at Ponyville that we met Abyss and Notch.”

“Hmm.” Steve murmured. “And how did you get to the Hollow?”

“That was Notch. We are unsure how, but he knew not only where you were, but how to get there. It took him and Abyss a few hours to properly prepare the portal to the Hollow, while it would’ve taken myself and Celestia days to do so.”

“Makes sense. Notch is the one who sent Abyss to Equestria, so it makes sense that he would know how to get to other worlds. Though, I don’t know how he knew where I was. Maybe he has some kind of six sense or something.” Steve shook his head, shrugging. “I don’t know.” Sighing, he focused back on Luna. “What happened after I stormed off?”

“Aura, my sister and I had to return to Canterlot. We know not what happened to Notch and Abyss.”

“Notch went back to my world.” Steve informed the alicorn. “Well, kind of, I suppose. From what he told me afterwards, he was never actually in Equestria in the first place. Apparently, he used some high-tier magic or something to project himself in this world, while his actual body stayed back home. Or, at least that’s what I heard. Honestly, most of what he said went right over my head, since I don’t really know a lot about magic and stuff, except for the basics. As for Abyss, well, I haven’t seen her since we left the Hollow. I’ll have to talk to her later.” He muttered that last part, talking more to himself than to Luna. However, her voice brought him from his thoughts a moment later.

“Steve, can we ask you something?”

The Crafter looked up at the alicorn, who now had a look of apprehension on her face.

“What is it?” He asked, one eyebrow raised.

“How did you tame the Nightmare?”

Steve’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “Oh. Well, simply put, I didn’t.”

She jerked back slightly, giving him a confused look. “W-what? What does thou-” She stopped herself short, taking a moment to clear her throat before continuing. “We mean, what do you mean you didn’t tame it?”

“Him. And I mean exactly that. I didn’t tame him. Onyx offered me his help to defeat Herobrine. We’ve been bonded ever since, recent events excluded.”

“But, was there a fight, a battle for control between you and it- erm, him?”

Steve shook his head. “Nope. All there was was an agreement?”

She gave him a curious look. “What kind of agreement?”

“That I would only bond with him if he agreed to never hurt my friends.”

Luna’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”

“We-” She stopped. “It’s nothing. It’s just, the only interaction we’ve really had with Nightmares was-.”

“Nightmare Moon.” Steve finished. “And I can’t imagine that little experience left you with a good impression of Nightmares.”

She shook her head. “No, it didn’t. So to hear that you so easily bonded with one, a Nightmare, it sounds impossible, yet you did it.”

“Yeah, though I wouldn’t say it was easy. The circumstances under which we bonded were, well, less than ideal, considering, you know, we were fighting a god. But we became allies, and then after that, friends. So, of course, when those Retrievers came to take him away, I fought back, and when they took him to the Nightmare Realm, I followed.”

“Why?”

Steve quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “Why what?”

“You followed Onyx’s captors into the portal with little to no hesitation to your own safety, and from what we heard, you did so with little resources to aid you. It’s almost as if, well, that you didn’t care about what happened to you. We fail to understand why you acted so impulsively, with little regard for yourself.”

“Because I don’t care about myself.” Steve responded simply. Luna’s eyes widened in shock mouth opening to speak only to be interrupted when the Crafter continued. “No, I’m not suicidal or anything. Don’t get the wrong idea. While I don’t really care about my own personal health 90% of the time, I have no interest in dying. I just put my friends' well-being above my own. It’s like I told Onyx, I’ve lost too many friends already, I don’t plan on losing anymore.”

‘I’m not sure I could take it.’

Luna stared at him for a moment before looking away. Letting out a heavy sigh, she faced him again, expression neutral.

“I see. That is good to know, Steve. Now, if we may ask, there is something that we must know before we leave here tonight.”

“What is it?”

The alicorn took a deep breath. “Where do we stand with you?”

Steve looked at the mare with a confused expression on his face. “What do you mean?”

“We mean, what is your opinion on us? Are we enemies, disgruntled acquaintances? WHat are we to you?”

“Why do you care about what I think?”

“We-” She stopped herself, before letting out a sigh. “Our sister recommended that we at least try and make up for our transgressions against you. We simply wanted to-”

“You don’t have to apologize to me, if that’s what you’re going for.” Steve interrupted, looking down at the floor. “The punch was good enough for me.” Sighing, he glanced up to see Luna giving him a confused stare, prompting him to continue. “Now, I’m not saying you didn’t make some mistakes, as you sure as fuck did, and I’m not saying that you don’t need to apologize, as there are quite a few people who you need to apologize to. I’m just not one of them.”

“Then, who is?” Luna asked, hesitantly.

“Well, the numerous guards that were sent after me and subsequently beaten the shit out of comes to mind.” The alicorn’s eyes widened as she registered Steve’s words. “After that, I’d say you apologize to the Black Claw for ever involving them and getting them hurt on multiple occasions. Then, just to be safe, a general apology to Ponyville for having their town become a impromptu battlefield more than a couple times. What do you think?”

The more Steve talked, the more horrified Luna’s expression became. She sat on her haunches, both forehooves covering her mouth.

“Oh stars.” She whispered. “You are right. We, we hurt them. Used them. Squandered the trust given so freely. Why?” She asked, speaking more to herself than Steve. “Why did we do that? Why did we never stop to think about them? Why, why didn’t we care?”

“I don’t really know for sure.” Steve spoke softly, giving the alicorn a pitying look. “But I do have a hunch.”

She gave him a questioning look, hooves dropping back down to the floor. “You do?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Put simply, you were afraid.”

The not-so-subtle flinch his words procured from Luna had more than confirmed his suspicions. “What, what are you talking about?” She spoke, though her voice wavered slightly. “Afraid of what?”

“You were afraid that you would end up exactly where you were before you became Nightmare Moon. Alone.”

Luna froze.

“I mean, it makes sense when I think about it for a second. After being on the moon for a thousand years for doing something or other, you come back, still as Nightmare Moon, but due to the actions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, you are cured. You and Celestia return to Canterlot, with you taking up the title of ‘Princess’ once again. However, not everything is alright. Ponies fear you, as if you could turn back into Nightmare Moon at any second. You are not nearly as popular as your sister, who makes her job look so easy a kid, er, foal could do it. If the book I read was actually true, then you were essentially right back where you’d started, 1000 years ago.”

“But then, you hear about me. You were informed, one way or another, about how I’ve been ‘terrorizing’ the town of Ponyville for a little while, and it’s almost as if you’ve found the Holy fucking Grail. After weeks of hoping and praying for a way to earn your ponies’ trust back, you finally find one. Me.” Glancing at Luna, Steve shook his head as he took in the horrified/guilty look on the Lunar alicorn’s face. “I’m guessing I was pretty close?”

All she could do was nod slightly.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured.” Steve frowned slightly before letting out a sigh. “Look, Princess, let me be brutally honest right now. I don’t trust you. You spent the better part of a few months trying to imprison and/or kill me for no reason other than some stupid, convoluted plan to use my ass as a scapegoat so that your ponies would ‘love you again’ after the whole Nightmare Moon Incident. Which, I think I should mention, is a sketchy ass plan at best.” Steve rubbed his face with a hand as he groaned in frustration. “Overall, I don’t trust you, I don’t like you, fuck, I can barely tolerate you as it is.”

Luna flinched back at his words, the guilt she felt in her chest becoming worse and worse as the Crafter went on. Tears threatened to spill, but she refused to let herself cry.

“We, see.” She spoke, voice unnaturally calm. She refused to meet his gaze, instead looking off to the side as she began to slowly backpedal away. “Very well. We thank you for your honesty. If that is it, we will have to-!”

She jerked to a stop as Steve grabbed her shoulder with a hand.

“I’m not finished.” He spoke, though his voice was much softer and kinder than it had been only moments before. Luna looked up to see that the anger and irritation on the Crafter’s face had faded, replaced with gentleness and warmth.

“Luna, while you have made a lot of mistakes, and all of that, you’re not a bad person, er, pony. Misguided? Perhaps. A bit of a moron? Oh definitely. But you’re not evil. You’ve made some mistakes, but so does everyone at some point. I know I sure have.” He chuckled a bit. “Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a bad pony. It just means you’re mortal, like the rest of us. All you need to do is learn from those mistakes. Do that, and maybe one day, we might even become friends.”

Luna jerked slightly, her expression morphing into one of shock. “W- what?” She asked with a tone of disbelief. “You mean you would forgive us after everything we’ve done?”

Steve grinned as he shrugged. “If you show me that you are actually and legitimately sorry, then yeah. I have this weird habit of forgiving people who’ve tried to kill me.”

“We, er, I don’t know what to say.” Luna shook her head. “I, I promise you, Steve. I will not waste this chance you have given me.”

The Crafter chuckled. “I don’t doubt it. Now, is that everything? Because I’d really love to be able to get some actual sleep now.”

“Oh! Oh, of course.” Luna’s horn glowed as she prepared a spell. The blue glow increased in intensity for a moment before there was a bright flash and everything went dark.

* * * * *

Steve awoke to the light of the early morning sun hitting him directly in the face. Grunting, he put up a hand to block the offending light as he rolled over in bed. Kicking himself free from the blanket, he sat up, groaning a bit as he stretched.

‘Good morning Steve!’ Onyx spoke.

“Morning.” The Crafter replied, scratching his back.

‘How did you sleep?’

“Pretty good, I guess.” Steve said with a shrug. “Luna showed up and we talked for a bit.”

‘Oh!’ Onyx exclaimed in surprise. ‘How did it go?’

Steve hesitated for a moment, putting a hand to his chin as he thought. “It went well. Least, it went better than how I figured it would go.” Sighing, he shook his head before taking a look around. “Well, now that I’m up, we should probably get to work.”

‘So soon?’ Onyx asked.

“Well, the sooner we start, the sooner the house gets done, right?” Steve replied with a grin.

‘...Fair enough.’ Onyx conceded. ‘Let’s get to work.’

Author's Note

This, this was hard to write. For a lot of reasons.

Bleh.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 81: Finishing up

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Three Days Later

The house was nearly done.

Steve had been working for nearly three days straight, stopping only to either eat or sleep, and even then, he rarely did that.

Derpy and Dinky had stopped by as well, the Crafter pausing his work temporarily to talk to them for a bit. He’d made sure not to tell them about what had happened with Onyx and the Nightmother, not wanting Derpy to get worried. The pegasus mare had seemed just the tiniest bit suspicious when he’d told her that ‘he just hadn’t left the Evefree for a few days,’ but Steve would take her suspicion over her worry. Besides, he was technically telling the truth. Kinda. Sorta.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he looked over his home. His hard work had nearly paid off, with the house almost completed, save for a majority of the roof and some of the furnishings.

Steve glanced up to see that the sun was just past the summit, signifying it was the afternoon.

“If I work fast, I should be done before nightfall.” He muttered, looking back down at his home. He stood on a bit of wood scaffolding that he’d placed down to make the job of building the roof easier. Unfortunately, due to the fact that he 1) didn’t have any bamboo and 2) he had no idea where to obtain said bamboo, he’d had to rely on straight wood blocks to act as a replacement of sorts.

The wooden planks creaked slightly as he walked on top of them, but he paid it no mind. While he was no scientist, he’d seen enough to know that while not all of the physics from Minecraftia worked like they did in Equestria, some did. Case in point, the fact that Steve’s house was still standing, where by Equestrian physics, it never would’ve gotten past the first story.

Steve placed down another stair block, making sure it was positioned correctly to look just like the several dozen other stair blocks he’d already placed, trying to create the impression of a slanted roof. It was difficult, sure, but Steve was confident that it would be worth it in the end.

Placing down the last stair block in his hand, he quickly opened up his Inventory to get the other stack, placing it in his Hotbar. Closing his Inventory, he reached into his pocket, where the stack of wood stairs were waiting. Bringing them out, Steve let out a sigh as he started working again.

* * * * *

Four Hours Later Because I Doubt You All Want to Read the Entire Building Process

Steve sat back against his crafting table, panting. A hand wiped his brow, coming back slightly wet with sweat. He let out a sigh.

“I can fight through hordes of enemies with relative ease.” He spoke, tone dripping with irritation. “I can shrug off blows like they were nothing, and go several days with no sleep. And yet it’s building shit,” He yelled, pointing at his home. “that exhausts me!”

The house in question stood at three stories tall. The first story walls were comprised of cobblestone, with two glass windows on either side of the dual sets of double doors, between which two torches were stuck in the wall. The second walls, as well as the balcony that encompassed it, were also made of wood, with oak wood fencing that was separated by regular intervals of cobblestone pillars. The third story was smaller in size, with a giant window on the opposite side from where the chimney stack came through. Though as of then the house was pretty much empty, the various torches Steve had placed inside to light it up gave the building a feeling of liveliness that made the Crafter smile.

‘It looks good.’ Onyx commented.

“Well, I sure as the Nether hope so.” Steve responded. “I did spend half a week building this place, after all.”

‘Indeed. Now, all you need to do is furnish it and it will be good to go.’

“Yeah.” The Crafter muttered, looking up at the sky. In the time he’d spent finishing off the roof, the sun had nearly set, creating a beautiful sunset that stretched over the horizon. “But not tonight. Tonight I think I’ll just pass out. Get to work tomorrow. Besides, I’ve got a furnace, crafting table, and my bed. That’ll be more than enough to survive until tomorrow.”

‘That’s true.’ Onyx agreed.

Getting to his feet, Steve dusted himself off. Using his pickaxe and axe, he picked up his furnace and crafting table, as well as his bed. Opening his front door, he stopped for a moment to look at the wide open room, barren of absolutely everything, save for a few scattered torches. He glanced over to his left, where the cobblestone fireplace sat.

“I can see it now.” He spoke. “A living room, right there in front of the fireplace. A few chairs, maybe one of those couches, like the one Derpy has.” He turned to the middle of the room, grinning as the scene came to life in his vision. “A kitchen would go great right there. I’m thinking stone slabs for the countertop, with some chests for storage and a cauldron or two for washing dishes. And since I’ll be cooking food, a smoker would be better suited here than a regular furnace.” His gaze wandered to the right-most side of the room, where the staircase leading to the second floor was. “And of course, what’s a kitchen without a dining room? I’m thinking something small-ish, but functional, in case I’m having friends over, if I ever do. What do you think, Onyx?”

‘I don’t know, Steve. I’m not really into interior design.’

“Well, neither am I.” The Crafter replied, shrugging. “Anyways, that can wait ‘till morning. In the meantime, sleep.” With that, Steve walked up the staircase to the second floor. At the front of the room were the ladders that lead up to the third story, where Steve’s room was to be.

Climbing up the wooden rungs, he flipped open the trap door and climbed up, shutting the door behind him. He took a look around the room, which was just as empty as the rest. Shrugging to himself, he walked over to the middle of the room and swiftly placed down his crafting table, his furnace and his bed. Sitting down on the slightly bouncy wool bed, he sighed.

“You know, it feels good to finally have a house.” He muttered. “And not that hole in the wall I’ve been living in for the last few months, I mean an actual, brick-and-mortar house. Makes me feel… well, makes me feel like I’m home.”

‘...I take it that’s not a feeling you are used to?’ Onyx hesitantly asked.

“Well, it used to be, but not anymore.” Steve sighed before giving a shrug. “Eh, you get used to it after a while. Anyways, I’m going to sleep. You, uh, do whatever the Nether it is you do whenever I’m asleep.” He thought for a moment, brows furrowed. “Actually, what is it that you do when I’m sleeping?”

‘I guard your body.’

“Yeah, but doesn’t that get boring after a while?”

‘Oh, extremely. But as they say, better safe than sorry, right?’

“...Fair point, Onyx. Goodnight.”

‘Goodnight, Steve.’

Pulling back the red blanket, Steve tucked himself into his bed, pulling the covers up to his shoulders as he turned onto his side. It wasn’t long before his eyelids grew heavy and sleep took him.

* * * * *

Creak, clunk.

Steve shut the door behind him, stepping out into the early morning sunlight. Letting out a sigh of contentment, he started off down the path towards the metal gate that granted access to his property. As he did so, however, his gaze quickly caught sight of a familiar green earth pony mare, with a dark blonde mane. She seemed to be waiting at the gate, though she hadn’t quite caught sight of the Crafter yet.

Steve sighed, taking a moment to check his Inventory to see what was in his Hotbar. He quickly found what he was looking for and closed his Inventory before focusing back on the mare.

It wasn’t until he had opened the gate that Fine Print finally looked up at him.

“Oh! Hello there Mr. Steve! How are-?”

“How long have you been waiting here?” Steve inquired.

“Oh, uh, just a few hours.” She responded, shrugging nonchalantly. The Crafter stared at her for a few moments.

“Huh.” He muttered before shaking his head. “Anyways, you’ll be happy to know that since we last talked, I have acquired a building permit.” He withdrew the parchment from his Inventory, holding it in front of the mare, who looked it over.

“That’s great!” She exclaimed, grinning. “But, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get the bits?”

“Reparations.” The Crafter replied. The mare’s smile fell.

“...What?”

“Yeah. Princess Celestia felt really bad for everything that happened, so on top of the house, she gave me a 25,000 bit check, 300 of which was spent on getting said permit.”

“...Oh.” Fine Print hesitantly responded. “I see.” She was silent for a few moments before she shook her head and looked back at Steve, only to see that he was walking away. “Wha, where are you going?”

The Crafter glanced back at her. “The Everfree forest.”

Her eyes widened. “The Everfree Forest?! Why in Equestria would you want to go there?!”

“I don’t want to, I have to. All of my shit is there. Still gotta transfer it all over, and I’d rather get that part over and done with since as you know, the Everfree isn’t exactly what you would call pleasant.”

“Well, of course, everypony knows that. It’s just, you’re not going by yourself, are you?”

“Yeah, I am.” Steve responded, nodding. However, he chuckled when the mare’s expression morphed into one of horror. “What? I’ve been living there for months now and I’m still kicking. What’s one more trip in and out?”

“I, suppose you have a point.” She spoke with a tone of resignation. “I apologize. I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but be worried.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Thanks for worrying, even though you don’t really know me.” Steve let out a small sigh, looking down the still empty street.

‘Where is everyone?’ He thought to himself before shaking his head.

“Well, anyways, I suppose I should get going.” The Crafter said, glancing back at the mare. “So, I guess I’ll see you around, Miss Fine Print.”

“Very well, Mr. Steve.” She responded, nodding. “I wish you luck in the Everfree.”

Smiling, the Crafter nodded once before turning and walking away, turning at the end of the street and disappearing from Fine Print’s sight. The mare in question continued to look at where she’d last seen the Crafter before letting out a sigh as she turned and began trotting away.

Roughly ten minutes later, she arrived at a rather quaint looking office building. It was one story tall, with a simple brown paint job and a set of double-doors, next to which sat a large glass window. A sign hung over the doors that read, ‘Ponyville Home Association Office.’

Fine Print walked inside and was immediately greeted by the sight of the main lobby, where several ponies sat in chairs, presumably waiting for their name to be called. Of the ponies waiting, Fine Print only recognized a few, like Cream Heart, who was waiting with her introverted son Button Mash, or Sassaflash, who seemed just a tad bit irritated, though for what reason, Print didn’t know.

She walked past the lobby and over past the main desk, where her co-worker Deed, a unicorn stallion with a pale white coat of fur and gray mane, sat.

“Hey Deed, is she in?” Fine Print inquired, to which the stallion nodded.

“Yep. Should I tell her you’re coming?”

She shook her head. “No, no, you don’t have to. She knows I’m coming.”

Deed looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but nodded all the same. “Alright. Go ahead and head on in then.”

“Thanks.” She responded as she trotted by the unicorn. At the far side of the room, past all of the small cubicles where her other coworkers sat talking with ponies about whatever it was they were talking about, was her destination. The office where her boss, Miss Gladys Sharp, was.

Fine Print knocked twice on the door.

“Come in!” Came the swift reply, and Print entered the office.

At the desk sat a unicorn mare, whose navy blue fur was almost entirely covered by the suit she wore. She had a long black mane and a pair of light blue eyes, which were narrowed slightly at Fine Print.

“Ah! Fine Print. It’s good to see you.” She spoke. “What do you need?”

“I need to talk to you about him.”

“Oh? And who is it exactly that you need to talk to me about?” Gladys inquired, though Fine Print knew from the mare’s expression that she knew exactly who Print was talking about.

“I’m talking about Mr. Steve. I talked with him this morning and learned a few things.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The mare leaned forward, a smirk on her face. “Well, tell me what it is you learned. And don’t leave anything out.” Her smirk grew a bit, Fine Prints gut twisting slightly as it did. “I want to know everything.”

Author's Note

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

This chapter was so hard to finish, especially with everything that's been going on. But hey, I got it done! And now, with more plot!

Side note, anyone who knows the movie where Gladys Sharp's name came from deserves a medal. (Hint: It's a cartoon about hedges)

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 83: Cloudsdale (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“Are! You! Bucking! Insane!?” Dash yelled, emphasizing each word with a punch to Steve’s shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, of course, but the mare put just enough force behind her hits to show the Crafter that she was serious.

“What? It was the best idea I could think of at the time.” Steve replied, not reacting to her punches in the slightest. “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take the same way down so I don’t leave a giant pillar of dirt in the middle of nowhere.” As he spoke, Steve looked over the edge of the cloud down at said pillar of dirt. It had taken him the better part of a few hours and two broken diamond shovels to collect enough dirt from the Everfree to reach Cloudsdale via elevatoring. (A technique used by many Minecraftians to get to hard to reach places, elevatoring is the idea of jumping and placing a block beneath you to build a pillar upwards, usually getting the builder of said pillar to the desired location.) “Yikes. That is high.” He muttered to himself upon seeing the ground so far below.

“That’s not the bucking point!” Dash continued to yell. “Do you even realize how dangerous that was!?”

“Well of course I did, especially after the 30 block mark. After that, it was just a matter of not looking down.” Steve remarked, a small smirk on his face. “And in my defense, if I’d known things like that,” He pointed at the hot air balloon resting on the cloud nearby. “existed, I would’ve taken one, rather than the admittedly exhausting alternative.”

“Well, if we’d known you were coming along, we could’ve given you a lift.” Twilight spoke up. The Crafter nodded, though he looked a little confused.

“Thanks. But, if you don’t mind me asking, did none of you see me on your way up?” He asked, looking at the four mares. “I mean, did the giant dirt pillar not catch any of your guys’ eyes?”

“We were, uh, kinda focused on surprising Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.” Applejack responded, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “Ah imagine it was the same with Rarity.”

“Yes. I admit, the idea of shocking Rainbow Dash was at the forefront of my mind, though I can’t fathom how I missed your tower.”

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t exactly be looking for something if you don’t know it’s there to begin with.” Steve reasoned before getting to his feet and shrugging. “Eh. Personally, I don’t particularly care. It’s not like I’m really friends with you five, so there’s no real reason I should’ve expected a ride anyways.” The words were said nonchalantly, with no real bite to them, as if the Crafter had simply been stating a fact. This didn’t stop the mares standing on the cloud around him to flinch slightly. Even Dash, anger momentarily forgotten, winced as well, though more in sympathy for her friends.

Steve mentally kicked himself for his harsh, albeit honest, words. ‘Fuck me, I’m a moron.’

‘Only sometimes Steve.’ Onyx replied.

“I uh, I mean that in the best way possible.” The Crafter spoke, trying to reassure the mares. “I mean, you guys aren’t really bad peo, er, bad ponies, it’s just that, except for Rainbow Dash, I don’t really know you guys. Sure, that’s probably my fault, all things considered, but I still don’t really know, nor have I really talked to any of you guys casually. Again, with the exception of Dash and kind of Ms. Applejack, though that conversation was really awkward. “

“Ah gotta agree with ya there.” Applejack quietly mumbled.

“So, while you guys aren’t my friends per say, that isn’t to say that you guys can’t become my friends. You just, uh, haven’t yet.” Steve furrowed his brow a bit, staring at the ground. “Wait, that’s assuming you guys even want to become my friend in the first place. But why the fuck would you even-?”

“Of course we want to be your friend!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping up suddenly. “Why wouldn’t we?!”

Steve jerked back slightly at her shout, before giving a shrug. “Well, better safe than sorry, I guess. I didn’t just want to assume you guys wanted to be friends. Especially after everything I’m sure you’ve heard about me.”

“But none of that stuff was true. We know that now, right girls?” Pinkie asked, looking back at other mares. Unbeknownst to Steve, when Pinkie turned her head, her happy look had morphed into a ‘agree with me or else’ type of expression, sending a small shudder through all of their spines. Given that none of them wanted to deal with an angry Pinkie, or even worse, a sad/angry Pinkie, they all hastily nodded while Dash had to smother a small chuckle. After affirming that they’d all nodded, Pinkie turned back to look at Steve. “See? We all know that you aren’t evil, or a monster or whatever. Just a pony down on their luck.”

“Not really a pony, but I get what you mean.” Steve replied. “Thanks Ms. Pinkie Pie.”

“No problem!” The pink mare exclaimed. “And you can just call me Pinkie, if you want!” Smirking, the Crafter gave her a nod of affirmation before turning his gaze back to Rainbow Dash.

“Look, I get that you’re angry, and I’m sorry for worrying you, but I knew what I was doing. I’m not suicidal. If I thought that elevatoring like I did would be too dangerous, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Dash sighed. “Well, I know that, Steve. It’s just… I worry about you. Trouble seems to follow you wherever you go. If it’s not one bucking thing, it’s another. Honestly, I don’t get how, no matter what happens, none of it seems to faze you.”

“Oh, it does.” Steve countered. “I just either ignore it until it goes away, or bury it deep deep down to let it fester and die. ‘Course, while ignoring and/or burying my emotions instead of expressing them like a normal person probably isn't healthy mentally speaking, I’m also fairly certain they’re the only reasons I stayed sane for so long.”

The six mares stared at the Crafter, whose expression hadn’t changed throughout the entirety of his rather sad and depressing statement. Even Dash, despite having known Steve for much longer and having gotten to know him very well was caught off guard. After a few moments of shocked silence, Twilight spoke up.

“Steve, that’s…” She trailed off, trying to find the word she was looking for.

“Horrible?” The Crafter finished, to which the purple mare nodded. “Yeah it is, but hey, that’s life, right? Besides, it wasn’t all bad. It was just, uh, mostly bad with some good moments sprinkled in here and there.” Steve shrugged before taking a look around, only to see that every member of the Mane Six now looked at him with a sad or pitying expression on their face.

“That sounds awful.” Fluttershy whispered, looking close to tears. “What was your world even like?”

Steve looked at the yellow pegasus as memories played back in his mind’s eye. Memories of a time long since passed. After a moment, he shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts before finally responding.

“What was my world like? Well, it was a wild, crazy and dangerous place, where most of the creatures around wanted to kill you for no reason other than the fact that you existed. Every single one of my friends died there, usually right in front of me, and essentially my entire race was wiped off the face of the planet. So it was, uh, well, it was pretty fucking horrible, to say the least.” Steve let out a sigh before shaking his head. “But that’s enough about me. After all, we’re all here to support Rainbow Dash in the race, right? Besides, all talking about my past has done is made you guys sad.”

“Well, no duh.” Dash responded. “That’s because your past is bucking sad.”

“And I agree with you.” Steve spoke. “But you guys shouldn’t have to feel sad on my account, especially over events that took place years ago. It’s in the past now, and personally, that’s where I’d like it to stay.”

The six mares shared a look, one that just barely slipped by Steve unnoticed. After a moment, they came to an agreement, ending the silent conversation with a small nod from each of them.

“Of course.” Twilight spoke, nodding to Steve. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then you don’t have to. But, if you want to-”

“I don’t.” Steve calmly but firmly interrupted. “But thank you for the offer, Ms. Sparkle. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.” Taking a breath, Steve shook his head before clapping his hands together, a slightly forced smile plastered on his face. “Anyways, we should probably get moving. Got a whole city to see, right?”

“O-oh, uh, yeah.” The prismatic mare responded, nodding. “Come on girls, and Steve. Follow me.” Turning, she began trotting away, the rest of the group following suit.

* * * * *

“Here it is!” Dash spoke proudly. “The greatest city in the sky!”

All of the other mares let out little ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of awe, while Steve simply had a neutral expression on his face.

“Isn’t it the only city in the sky?” He asked, a small smirk on his lips.

She gave him a deadpan look. “No, there are other sky cities. Not a lot, sure, but there are still some. And Cloudsdale is the best.”

“Says who, exactly? Or is it more hearsay than anything else?”

She gave him a deadpan expression, to which the Crafter laughed. Shaking his head a bit, Steve grinned as he took a look around Cloudsdale. Dozens of pegasi flew overhead, while still more were walked around on the clouds, visiting stores or simply talking with other pegasi. The architecture was, in Steve’s opinion, rather strange. Most, if not all of the buildings that he could see were of clouds. Large, white, fluffy buildings covered the landscape (cloudscape?), like someone had taken Ponyville, and painted it almost completely white.

Steve stared at his surroundings with a furrowed brow when he heard further ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, though this time, they came from Rarity, who stood in front of a nearby mirror and admired her new wings. Steve walked up to her, coming to stand behind her so that she could see his reflection in the mirror as well.

“Oh, Steve.” She spoke, slightly startled by his sudden appearance. She recovered a second later and went back to admiring her wings. “What do you think of them? Absolutely beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Eh, sorta, I guess.” Steve responded, shrugging.

Rarity blinked in surprise. “You guess?”

The Crafter nodded. “Yeah. Like, it’s awesome you have wings and all, but all of the wings I’ve seen attached to ponies are either leather, or feathered. Seeing you with butterfly wings just seems, I don’t know, kind of weird, I guess.” He shrugged, in the process missing the shocked look on the unicorn’s face. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.” Looking around, he saw the rest of the group walking away with Dash at the lead. “Oh, they’re leaving us behind. Come on, we better catch up.” Steve walked after the group, though Rarity didn’t move, staring at nothing for a few moments before the Crafter’s words finally registered in her mind. Shaking her head, she began flying after them.

“Oh! Wait for me!” She called.

As Steve and the Mane Six continued to walk, a few nearby construction pegasi made a few comments about how beautiful Rarity’s wings were. After giving them a polite thank you, the unicorn in question did a small loop as she flew over the group.

“Be careful with those wings Rarity.” Twilight spoke, tone displaying her worry. “They’re made from gossamer and morning dew, and they’re incredibly delicate.”

“Don’t worry Twilight.” Rarity reassured, coming to hover a short distance above them. “I’m sure they can’t get worn out from too much attention.”

“Did you hear a word she just said?” Steve inquired, gaze narrowed slightly at the seemingly careless mare. “If you fu- er, mess around with those too much, then they’ll break, and that means bye bye Rarity.” However, despite the Crafter’s obvious concern, his words fell on deaf ears, as Rarity had already started flying away.

“Don’t worry too much about her, Mr. Steve.” Applejack spoke. “While she can lose herself from time to time, she’s not stupid. She can take care of herself.” Steve looked at the orange mare for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“Alright. I’ll trust you on this.”

Smiling, Applejack nodded before looking back at Dash. “Anyways, since we’re up here, I’d sure like to get a look at where the weather’s made.”

“That’s a great idea!” Dash exclaimed. Taking off in a sprint, she called back at the rest of the group. “Come on girls! To the weather factory!!”

Steve sighed and shook his head, but began to sprint after her, a small smile on his face.

“Hey, wait fer us!” He heard Applejack call from behind him, but he didn’t slow down, or even stop. Instead, he actually gained speed by using the clouds’ spongy nature to his advantage, eventually managing to catch up with the prismatic mare. Dash looked slightly surprised to see him actually match speed with her, but her shock quickly faded as she gave him a grin. He gave a smile in return before focusing back on running as Steve and Dash quickly left their friends in the dust as they raced towards the weather factory.

Author's Note

Hey, it's ya boi, back at ya again with another chapter. One where plot change is vague now, but will be more important later on.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure, if you want, to let me know what you all think in the comments below.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 84: Cloudsdale (Part 3)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The group finally entered the Cloudsdale weather factory, all six of the mares wearing white lab coats and hard hats. Steve didn’t wear either, as after the brief scuffle he’d had with factory security, he was finally allowed inside without having to wear them. (Not that any fit him, anyways.)

The door in front of them lifted open, allowing them access inside.

“This is where they make the snowflakes.” Rainbow Dash informed. “Each one of them is hoof-made. As you can see, it’s a delicate operation.”

Rarity, using her much coveted wings, flew up to get a closer look at some of the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. “Oooh! This one looks even better from up here!” Unbeknownst to the flying unicorn, the flapping of her wings was causing the snowflakes to scatter across the room. Several weather ponies let out cries of anger and irritation as they raced around the room with bowls on their heads, trying to catch the runaway snowflakes.

The Mane Six looked at the chaotic scene with jaws open in shock. Steve, on the other hand, stared with a narrowed, slightly irritated gaze at Rarity.

“We better move on before Rarity ruins winter and causes a drought.” Dash spoke with a worried tone, flinching slightly when one of the snowflakes broke on the ground in front of her.

“No kidding.” Steve muttered. Shaking his head, he followed the group as they made their way past the frantic pegasi and towards the next room. The room in question was large and open, with what looked like a stream of pure rainbow poured from onto several shallow bowls, each one lower than the other. Several pegasi held large spoons that were assumedly used for stirring the strange, multi-colored liquid.

“And here’s where they make the rainbows!” Dash exclaimed. Steve’s gaze snapped from the stream of rainbow to stare incredulously at his friend.

“Where they make the rainbows.” Steve quietly repeated, shaking his head. “You know what? I’m not even surprised. Of course you guys make the rainbows. Why wouldn’t you?”

As he was speaking, Pinkie Pie dipped a leg into a nearby rainbow pool before licking a bit of the multi-colored liquid off of her hoof. After a moment, her cheeks bulged out and her face turned a light shade of blue. The next moment, she grimaced, and her face changed shades again, this time a lime green color. After that, her head turned red as a little spurt of fire flew from her mouth. The impromptu one-mare light show ended when her face turned yellow and her jaw hung open.

Finally, she turned back to her normal pink color, gasping slightly.

“S-spiccyyyyyyy.” She whispered loudly before turning and running off.

“...Scratch that.” Steve spoke, chuckling along with Twilight and Applejack. “You don’t just make rainbows. You make spicy rainbows.”

“Well, rainbows aren’t exactly known for their flavor.” Dash responded, shrugging.

“I can see why.”

“Whoa!” Came a voice from the other side of the room. The group looked over to see none other than Rarity fluttering towards them, followed by three pegasi, (Who, for some reason, were walking instead of flying.) The voice was coming from a stocky, brown-furred pegasus, with a cream-colored mane that just barely hung over his blue eyes. “Where didja get those amazing wings? I want a pair!”

Rarity put a hoof to her chin as she thought for a moment before responding. “Hmm. Yeah, I guess I could see that.”

The brown pegasus looked away from the flying unicorn for a moment, his gaze wandering for a moment before locking onto Dash.

“Oh, hey look! It’s Rainbow Crash again!”

“Heeheehee, yeah!” One of the other pegasi agreed. His fur was malpe-colored, and he had a dark brown mane that seemingly covered his eyes. “Rainbow, uh… um.” He stopped, thinking for a moment. “...Crash!!: The pegasus finally yelled, looking quite proud of himself. The last pegasus, a slightly chubby stallion with gray fur and a black mane, gave him a little pat on the back.

‘Rainbow Crash?’ Steve thought to himself, furrowing his brow a bit as Rarity flew off towards the group, leaving the three stallions standing close by.

‘Indeed.’ Onyx spoke. ‘It seems that these three pegasi are familiar with Dash, and that they aren’t too fond of her.’

“Rarity!?” Dash cried. “What are you doing talking to these guys?”

‘Clearly, there’s a bit of bad blood between Dash and these three.’ Steve thought, frowning slightly at the angry look on the prismatic mare’s face.

“Oh, they were just admiring my wings, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity responded, flaring said wings a bit to emphasize her point.

“Yeah.” The brown pegasus spoke. “You should forget the Sonic Rainboom and just get yourself some wings like these!” All three of the pegasi laughed jeeringly at Dash, who simply stood there and took it, eyes downcast. Steve grit his teeth in anger before stomping forward to give them a piece of his mind.

Unfortunately for them, they were too busy laughing to notice the irate Crafter quickly approaching until he’d grabbed the brown pegasus by the collar of his coat and lifted him to eye level.

“Whoa! Wha-?” The words died in his throat as the stallion looked into Steve’s furious gaze. His two friends let out cries of shock before moving towards them, but one look from Steve stopped them in their tracks. After making sure neither of the two pegasi would move, the Crafter trained his gaze back on the stallion in his grasp.

Steve was silent for a few moments before finally speaking.

“What’s your name?” His question seemed to confuse the pegasus, who found it in him to quirk an eyebrow at the Crafter.

“H-huh?”

“What’s your name?”

“Uh, D- Dumbbell.”

“Hmm. Makes sense. Alright then, Dumbbell, let me ask you this. Do you know who I am?”

The stallion nodded.

“So you’ve heard about what I’ve done, and about what I can do?”

Another nod.

“Good. Now, it’s very clear to me that you know Rainbow Dash. But it’s also clear that you probably didn’t know that she is, in fact, my friend.” At this, Dumbbell’s eyes widened in fear. “Ah, I see you’re getting it. However, let me make sure you and your friends understand me correctly.”

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve threw Dumbbell to the floor before withdrawing his sword and stabbing it into the ground next to him.

“Leave her alone, or I will pluck every feather from your wings and stuff them down your throat. Capisce?”

All three of the stallions hurriedly nodded.

“Uh, y-yeah, we got it.” Dumbbell replied, stuttering a bit.

“Good. Now get the fuck out.”

Without another word, all three of them flew off.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Steve waited until they’d left his sight before nodding to himself and sheathing his blade.

“Assholes.” He muttered, shaking his head. Turning around, he saw that the rest of the group looked at him with shocked expressions. He quirked a brow. “What?”

“Steve, you can’t just threaten somepony like that!” Twilight admonished.

“And what would you rather I’d have done? Steve inquired, one eyebrow raised. “Just sit there and listen to those morons talk shit to Rainbow like you guys?” The rest of the group flinched slightly at Steve’s words. “Besides, I know a bully when I see one. All you gotta do is show that you won’t put up with their shit, and they’ll leave you alone.” Steve thought for a moment. “Well, most of the time.” He shrugged. “Regardless, I’ve never been one to sit and do nothing, so if I see a problem of some kind, at the very least one I can help with, I’ll take action. No one ever got anywhere by doing nothing.”

“True dat!” A random voice yelled. Steve pointed in the direction the shout had come from, though he kept his gaze trained on the mares in front of him.

“See. He gets it.” He narrowed his brows in confusion before looking in the direction he was pointing. “Whoever he is.” Sighing, Steve shook his head as he dropped his arm back down to his side. “Look, I understand that ponies as a whole are kinda adverse to threats and violence, what happened to me notwithstanding. However, as you can probably tell, I’m not like you guys.”

Twilight sighed. “Yes, Steve we know you’re not a pony. However, just because you aren’t one doesn’t mean you have to threaten everypony who slights you in some way. Equestria hasn’t become the nation it has because it fought and defeated other nations, though it has happened a few times. It did so by fostering peace, so that every pony and creature could live in harmony with one another.”

“And that’s all well and good. Honestly, the fact that you guys could talk things over with other nations without coming to blows is awesome. But as you can see, having such a peace as yours doesn’t stop people from being assholes. From my experience, the only thing that puts a stop to people who have nothing better to do than to put others down is a swift kick in the ass. Now sure, talking things out might be the better option, all things considered, but personally, I like to go with what works.”

Twilight huffed, tone sounding mildly irritated. “Steve, I suppose I can understand where you are coming from. Still, violence isn’t the answer.”

“No.” Steve responded, kneeling down slightly so he was at eye level with the mare. “It’s not. Violence is a question. And sometimes, the answer is yes, Twilight. Sometimes it has to be yes. Because sometimes, you don’t get a choice.”

The Crafter kneeled there for a few moments, his hard gaze slightly unfocused, as if he was looking past the mare instead of at her. After a few moments, he blinked a few times and shook his head before standing back up.

“Sorry.” He muttered, turning his back towards the group. He started to walk away, but hesitated for a moment before turning to meet Twilight’s gaze. “Admittedly, I may have been too harsh on them, but, I just, it just pisses me off, you know? I fought so hard and so long for peace, and ended up losing everything as a result. Meanwhile they’ve been living their whole lives in peace, and yet they still choose to be assholes. Just, pisses me off.” He sighed, his brow furrowed in irritation. “Look, we can argue about this all we want when we get back to Ponyville. For right now, can we just agree to disagree and continue? I’m sure Dash still has some stuff for us to see.” Steve glanced over the prismatic mare, who hesitated for a few moments before nodding.

“U-uh, yeah, totally.” She replied, a small, somewhat forced smile making its way onto her face. “You guys still haven’t seen how they make the clouds yet. Come on.” She began walking away, the rest of the group following close behind.

* * * * *

Steve repressed the urge to roll his eyes, trying his best to ignore all of the ponies fawning over Rarity's wings nearby, their jobs making clouds momentarily forgotten.

“Oh, these old things?” She inquired, showing off her wings. Her words made Steve want to hurl, like he’d just eaten some rotten flesh. “Go ahead everypony. Photos are encouraged.”

Fluttershy, Twilight and Applejack stood nearby, glaring at their boastful friend for a moment before glancing at Dash, Steve doing the same. The prismatic mare looked at the gathered pegasi with a look of disbelief on her face.

Twilight started towards the flying unicorn, but Steve got there first.

“Rarity, what the Nether are you doing?” He asked, expression hard as stone. “I was under the impression you came here to help Rainbow Dash in the race and so far, that’s the exact opposite of what you’ve been doing. Just put the damn wings away.”

Rarity scoffed, brushing off the Crafter’s words as she flew upwards a short distance with a few flaps of her wings. “How could you possibly ask me to put away perfection, you who can’t seem to even appreciate their beauty in the first place.” She flared her wings, the light from the sun shining down through them onto the ponies and Crafter below. Many of the ponies cheered with glee, while Steve, Twilight and Applejack did not. Rarity looked down at the cheering ponies before letting out a gleeful laugh.

“Hahahaha!”

Twilight turned to look at Dash, who was laying on the floor with her head in her forehooves.

“Dash, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“O-of course! Why wouldn’t I be okay?” She looked away and scowled. “Everyone’s so in love with Rarity’s wings that they won’t even notice when I totally blow it in the Best Young Flyers Competition.”

A random pegasus mare with light-purple fur and a pink mane gasped. “There’s an idea! You should enter the competition!”

“Yeah!” A rather old, white mare exclaimed. “I could watch you fly all day long!!”

Steve grit his teeth, shaking his head slightly. ‘No. Don’t do it Rarity. Please, don’t do it.’

The unicorn mare thought for a second before responding. “Well, there really isn’t anypony who uses their wings quite like me.” She said, putting a hoof to her chest. “Perhaps I should compete.”

“What!?” Dash cried out, jumping to her hooves. Steve scowled angrily. Rarity began to flutter off, leaving the rest of the group in her wake as all of the pegasi workers followed after her.

Dash looked at the unicorn for a few moments before looking around frantically at her friends. “Girls, what am I gonna do?!”

“...Leave it to me.” Steve quietly responded. All five of the mares glanced at him before taking a step back at the furious gaze on his face.

“Steve?” Rainbow Dash asked, slowly approaching him.

“Let me take care of it.” With that, he began walking away, moving towards the large group of pegasi that were following Rarity.

“Wait, Steve!” Dash called after him, causing him to stop in his tracks. “Look, I know that she’s been bragging a lot, and stuff, but she’s my friend! Don’t-!”

“Really?” Steve interrupted, stopping for a moment to glance back at the mare. “She came here with the purpose of helping you out. However, she hasn’t helped you at all. All she’s done is brag about those stupid wings, and ignore you guys completely. In fact, she’s gone so far as to race in the very same race that she knows is very, very important to you. Maybe it’s just me, maybe my views on friendship are skewed a bit, but she doesn’t sound like a very good friend, does she?”

Steve walked away.

Author's Note

Ugh! I hate authoring conversations. They really aren't my forte.

Still, least I managed to get a half-way decent chapter out!

Thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 85: The Competition

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve approached the group of cheering pegasi, eyes squarely on the one they were following after, who soaked in their shouts and cries of glee with a smile and a laugh. The Crafter’s teeth grit in anger.

He pushed ponies aside as he made his way toward her, pointedly ignoring their exclamations of anger as he finally began to draw near to his target.

“Rarity!” He called upon finally getting close enough. Said unicorn glanced at him, her brows furrowing before she turned away with a scoff.

“And what do you want, Steve?” She asked, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

“I want to know what the fuck your problem is!” At his statement, Rarity whipped back around to face him.

“I beg your pardon!?”

“You heard me! Ever since you got those fancy wings, you’ve been acting like a total bitch!”

This drew a gasp from the surrounding pegasi, Rarity included. One of them, a stocky red stallion, stepped forward, a look of anger on his face.

“Now hold on just a-”

Steve, only a second later, threw out a hand, his outstretched finger nearly poking the stallion’s eye out. “Can it, Dusty Mcgee! This is between me and her!” Dropping his arm back down to his side, Steve focused back on the mare flying just in front of him. “Look, admittedly, I haven’t known you that long, so I’m not exactly all that knowledgeable about how you normally act. But it doesn’t take a genius to know that ever since you got those wings, you haven’t given one thought to your friends!”

She scoffed. “Oh please! Sure, I’ve been giving these wings a lot of attention, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve been ignoring the girls.”

“Oh really?” Steve asked, eyebrow raised. “In that case, tell me this. What are your wings made of?”

The question caught Rarity off-guard, her smile falling slightly as she put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“Erm, well, I don’t quite recall-”

“Gossamer and morning dew, or at least that’s what your friend Twilight said earlier.” Steve answered. “Next question. “Who’s idea was it to visit this place, the Weather Factory?”

Rarity’s smile returned. “Rainbow Dash’s, of course.”

“Wrong. It was Applejack who wanted to see where the weather was made. Dash only agreed with her.”

The mare’s face fell even more, but Steve continued, shaking his head slightly in disappointment.

“For fuck’s sake, do you even remember why you and the others came up here in the first place?” He asked, voice calmer and quieter than it had been only a moment before.

“W-well, of course. We came up here for Rainbow Dash.”

“And why did you come up here to help Rainbow Dash?”

“Because I’m her friend, of course!” Rarity answered, brows knit together in anger. “What exactly are you trying to get at, Steve?”

“I’ll get to that in a second. Firstly, while yes, you did come here because Dash is our friend, there was one other reason, one that involved Dash. What was it?”

“I, there was, I don’t think there was any other reason for-”

“You were supposed to help Dash relax before the competition.” Steve answered. “However, on the contrary, you have made her even more stressed than she was already, especially with you saying you were going to participate today.”

“What are you talking about? I would’ve definitely noticed if something was wrong with Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, apparently not, ‘cause you haven’t noticed a damn thing!” Steve yelled, his furious gaze boring into the mare. “Honestly, Dash has been stressed out all day, probably because she still hasn’t pulled off that stupid Sonic Boom, or whatever the Nether it’s called, and you constantly drawing attention to your stupid wings has only worsened the problem! While I’m not exactly a people, or rather pony person, even I can see that Dash is seriously stressed out over the competition today! For fucks’ sake, I don’t think she was this stressed out when she volunteered to participate in a fight that she knew would probably get her killed! That right there tells me exactly how much today means to her, and, instead of helping her, you’ve just been blowing her and the rest of the girls off all day!”

Rarity gaped at him for a moment before shaking her head furiously. “I, I have not been ‘blowing them off’ Steve. I have simply-”

“Of the four questions I asked you, you only really got one correct! I don’t know how grades work in Equestria, but back home, 25% was considered a failing grade! I’m starting to think you care about those damn wings of yours than your actual friends!”

Rarity gasped in shock. “You… you.” She sputtered, trying to find the right words. “How dare you accuse me of not caring about my friends!”

“No, how dare you for being so blind that, not only can you not see the problem, you refuse to acknowledge it, even when it’s right in front of your damn face! And if you care about your friends so much, tell me this!” Steve spread his arms wide. “Where are they?!”

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but after a moment, shut it again before looking around. As she did so, her expression became more and more panicked.

“I...I.. They were-”

“They’re in the other room, where you left them behind.” The Crafter stated, gesturing a thumb backwards towards the room he’d just left.

Steve could see the mare visibly flinch as she slowly descended, coming to sit on the ground. She stared at the cloudy floor, a look of shock and horror on her face.

“Ah. Seems like I’m finally getting through to you, huh?” Steve spoke, his words laced with the smallest tinges of venom. He knew he was probably being a little cruel, but he sure didn’t give a shit.

“But, but, I mean, I didn’t leave them behind.” Rarity murmured quietly. “I, I thought they were-”

“Thought they were what?!” Steve yelled, causing every pony around him to flinch slightly. “Please, tell me what reason you have for blowing off your ‘best friends’ in favor of flaunting those damn, Notch-forsaken wings all day!”

The white mare stared at the ground, a few scarce tears beginning to trail down her face. Steve’s heart clenched at the sight of the tears he’d caused. Justified as he was, the Crafter couldn’t help but feel bad for what he’d said. The feeling of guilt began to outgrow the satisfaction he felt in his gut. He pursed his lips, his angry expression fading away.

He sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. “Look, Rarity. Like I said before, I’m not your friend. If I was, I’d probably be trying to spare your feelings a little bit more, but the fact of the matter is, I’m not your friend, and you needed to hear it. I’d rather you be sad and/or angry now than have to feel those same feelings ten times over later on because frankly, you will feel like that later on, if you continue with how you’ve been acting. Pride won’t get you anywhere Rarity, except alone with no one giving a shit about you.” Sighing, Steve took a step back from the mare, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“But, I guess in the end, it’s your choice Rarity. I can’t tell you how to live. That’s all on you. However, I can inform you of your two current options, at least from the way I see it. One, You can stay here, flaunting those wings to your heart’s content, with all of the fame and praise you could ask for. Or two, you can go back to the pe-, er, ponies you’ve been friends with for who knows how long, who, as far as I know, are still waiting in the other room.” Steve looked at the mare for a moment, hoping she would answer him. However, she didn’t respond, instead continuing to stare blankly at the ground. The Crafter sighed as he slowly began walking away. “And while you make your choice, I’m going to go ahead and head on back. Got to see how my friend Dash is doing.”

The sound of Steve’s footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent room as he headed toward the exit and, upon reaching it, went through.

* * * * *

Steve let out a sigh as he walked down the rather busy cloud road, shoving the now empty bottle into his Inventory. Shadows passed overhead as the pegasi that didn’t notice him went about their daily lives. Those that did stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.

Steve didn’t mind too much. He’d expected such a reaction, after all.

Shaking his head slightly, he looked down at the floor as he walked.

‘So, we’re going to meet up with the girls at the stadium at 2 o’clock, which is in…’ He looked around before spotting a clock hanging on a wall on a nearby building. ‘little less than an hour. the only problem we seem to have is that I don’t have a clue as to where said stadium is.’

‘That’s why you should’ve asked where the stadium was before leaving like that.’ Onyx replied.

Steve furrowed his brow. ‘Dude, you saw what I saw. Even if they didn’t say anything, I could see how nervous they were. It was best that I give them some space for a little while.’

‘Maybe. Still, I think it would be beneficial if you’d talked things out with them instead.’

‘I will.’ Steve responded. ‘I just, needed to clear my head first.’

‘...Fair enough. Still, we should probably ask for directions to the stadium.’

He sighed. ‘Alright, give me a sec.’

Looking around, Steve quickly spotted a trio of pegasi standing and talking nearby. Considering that they weren’t looking at him, they either didn’t care, or had been too busy talking to notice the Crafter slowly approaching them.

“Uh, excuse me?” Steve inquired once he’d gotten close enough. The three pegasi all turned towards him, eyes widening in fear and shock upon seeing him. “So, I’m a bit lost and could use so-”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” All three of them screamed before taking off, somehow leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

Cough, cough. “Ugh.” Steve grunted, waving the dust away with an arm. “Yeah, not sure what I was expecting.” Sighing, Steve was about to set off again when Onyx spoke up.

‘Steve, a familiar magical aura is approaching. I believe it’s Princess Celestia.’

‘What!?’ The Crafter mentally exclaimed, before he felt someone’s presence land behind him. Turning around, he saw it was indeed none other than Celestia herself, along with four Royal Guard pegasi, two coming to stand on either side of the alicorn.

“Hello there Steve.”

“Sup Celestia.” He replied, waving. “What are ya doing in Cloudsdale?”

“Oh, I’m here to watch ‘The Best Young Flyers’ Competition’” She responded. “And you?”

“Same thing. I’m gonna be rooting Dash on when she flies today.”

“Oh! You’re here with Dash? Where is she?”

Steve pursed his lips, but responded. “As far as I know, she and the rest of her friends are at the stadium. I’m heading there now, actually, but I don’t know where it is exactly.”

“Well, not to worry. I will be more than glad to take you there.” She leaned down slightly, her back level with Steve’s lower torso. “Climb on.”

The Crafter’s brow lifted as his expression became one of surprise. “Uh, are you sure? Granted, I’m not the most knowledgeable about pony society, but this doesn’t seem like something that royalty should be doing.”

Celestia chuckled. “And you would be right. However, while I am royalty, you are my friend. Besides,” She whispered, leaning in towards Steve so that her guards wouldn’t hear. “you are royalty as well, are you not?”

Steve hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh as he climbed onto the alicorn’s back, just behind her neck and in front of her wings. After making sure he was secure, Celestia took off, the four guards following close behind.

They had only been in the air for a few minutes when Steve saw what looked like their destination. It was a large, coliseum-like arena, much like one that Steve had once seen in the desert town of Drysville back in Minecraftia, except that stadium had been made of sandstone, while the one currently in front of him was, of course, made of clouds.

As they neared it, Steve could see dozens, perhaps over a hundred ponies in the stands. On a nearby cloud stood a cerulean-furred pegasus with a white and gray mane. The stallion wore a black shirt and sunglasses, as well as some contraption on his head, with a little gray ball that stood in front of his mouth.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!!” The stallion spoke, though his voice was amplified so that everyone around could easily hear it. “Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia!!!!”

As he spoke, the alicorn, with Steve in tow, lowered onto a fancy-looking cloud balcony, the guards following suit. Tucking her wings in, Celestia began waving at the crowd as Steve slid off her back and onto the ground next to her.

“Please welcome our celebrity judges for ‘The Best Young Flyers’ Competition,’ The Wonderbolts!!!” The stallion cried out as six blue-suited pegasi soured over him, flying so fast they left smoke trails in their wake. The six did some fancy flying theatrics before ending it off with a loud ‘Bang!’ as a firework exploded.

The already loud cheering coming from the stands increased ten-fold.

Steve himself was smirking and clapping as the Wonderbolts flew over to stand on some nearby clouds.

“And now,” The announcer continued. “Let’s find out who will take the prize as this year’s Best Young Flyer!!!”

* * * * *

‘Steve.’

…

‘Steve.’

…

A sigh. ‘Oh for- Steve!’ Onyx yelled.

The Crafter’s eyes shot open as he sat up. ‘What!? What is it?!’ He groggily asked Onyx.

‘You fell asleep Steve.’

‘Oh.’ He replied, rubbing his eyes with a hand as he got to his feet. Looking out into the arena, he saw a purple-ish pegasus mare doing some fancy loopty-loops. ‘Shit, I didn’t miss Rainbow Dash, did I?’

‘No, fortunately. She has yet to make an appearance, and it’s admittedly a bit worrying, considering that it’s this late in the competition.’

‘Yeah, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.’

“And now, for our final competitor of the day, contestant number 15!!” The announcer declared. Only a moment later, Rainbow Dash emerged from behind the cloud curtains, coming to hover in the middle of the arena.

“WOOHOO!!!!!” Steve cheered, throwing his arms up as he grinned. “GO RAINBOW DASH!!!!”

Celestia, though slightly startled by the sudden, loud cheering, grinned at the Crafter before turning back to watch.

Dash looked around at the crowd, visibly nervous. After a moment, she shook her head, expression morphing into one of determination as she took off, heading towards a series of cloud pillars. She swerved around the pillars, going back and forth in a snake-like pattern. Steve grinned as he continued to cheer the pegasus on, confidant that she would be fine.

However, his smile fell when Dash accidentally bounced off of one of the pillars, sending her face planting into the stadium wall, which, despite the fact that it was made of clouds, acted like it was solid ground and stopped her short.

Steve winced, silently pleading for Dash to be okay. Shaking her head, she happened to glance upwards. Steve followed her gaze to see that her friends were actually sitting on one of the cloud benches near to where the mare had crashed. The Crafter’s heart lifted slightly when he saw Rarity sitting among them, her wings folded against her sides. However, while Steve was glad the unicorn had made the right call, he was more worried about his friend.

“Poor Dash.” Steve muttered, watching as the pegasus managed to recover rather quickly. “Not only did she crash, she did it right in front of her friends.”

“Yes, I did notice that Rainbow Dash seemed, well, very nervous when she flew out.” Celestia spoke, tone displaying her concern. Is something going on with her?”

“A little bit.” Steve answered as Dash flew upwards to some nearby clouds, spinning around them which, in turn, caused them to spin as well. “She’s been trying to do this thing called, like a Sonic Rainbow, or something, and she hasn’t managed to pull it off yet.”

“You mean a Sonic Rainboom?” Celestia inquired, to which Steve nodded.

“Yep, that’s the one. She’s been trying to do it all morning, but so far, I don’t think she’s-”

As Dash was spinning around a nearby cloud, she was suddenly sent hurtling head over hooves away from it. The cloud, still spinning, began speeding towards where Celestia and Steve both stood.

D-Pad Down: Shield

Steve’s eyes widened as he withdrew his shield and moved in front of the alicorn.

Circle: Perfect Block

“Look out!” He cried as the cloud hit his shield dead on, the impact, while causing the cloud to disperse, forced him to stumble backwards into the alicorn directly behind him. Luckily, she held her ground, keeping Steve on his feet as he lowered his shield, gaze searching for his friend.

She was hovering in the middle of the arena, an expression of fear etched onto her face. However, after a moment, she shook her head, steeling her nerves for whatever was to come next. She took a deep breath, then prepared to fly upwards to do whatever it was she had planned.

But something happened.

It was hard to tell from such a distance, but Steve was sure he saw one of her wings, her left one, begin to twitch. This happened for a moment, before he saw Dash’s expression morph into one of pain as the twitching suddenly worsened. She began to lose altitude, haphazardly trying to make it to the nearest outcropping of cloud. But, it was too far away.

Her eyes, wide with terror, suddenly met Steve’s horrified gaze. The next moment, her wing seized up, folding up against her side.

And then she was gone.

Author's Note

Sorry this took me so long to post, I was trying so hard to get it out by yesterday, but alas, time waits for no one.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 86: Freefalling

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Time seemed to slow to nearly a standstill.

Steve ran toward the edge of the balcony, hand outstretched as if to catch the plummeting mare in front of him. As Dash fell, Steve noticed that she too was reaching toward him, hoof outstretched in some vain hope that he would be able to reach her in time, even though it was clear to both of them that he wouldn’t.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw Dash’s friends now standing up in their seats, an expression of horror on each of their faces. He couldn’t see Celestia, as she was currently behind him, but he imagined she wore a similar countenance.

As Steve neared the edge, his mind raced to think of a plan.

He had no ender pearls. With all of the Enderman back in Minecraftia, Steve realized that he was working with a limited number of ender pearls and, as such, had stopped carrying them on him.

The only pair of elytra in existence was in Minecraftia, locked in an ender chest.

All he had was the one potion of Slow Fall that he’d had the foresight to pack.

Steve grit his teeth as Dash fell past him, her terrified scream bringing forth a bout of fear in his gut.

He heard Celestia call his name, but he didn’t respond, or even look at her. He couldn’t, because right then, every moment mattered.

X: Jump

Without a word, Steve leapt, his feet leaving the stable ground in favor of empty, open air. He stared downwards, not just at his plummeting friend, but at the ground, which lay so, so, so far beneath him. Steve only had enough time to think ‘Shit, that’s high,’ before time suddenly resumed, gravity took effect and he, too, fell.

* * * * *

Steve tumbled end over end as he fell, the constant switching between up and down doing nothing to help the queasy feeling in his stomach.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, fuck’ Steve thought, desperately trying to stabilize himself.

‘STEVE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK????!!!!’ Onyx yelled, Steve barely able to hear the Nightmare’s voice over the sound of wind rushing past his ears.

‘Not now, Onyx. Gotta focus here.’ Steve replied, finally managing to stop his rolling. Looking down, he saw Rainbow Dash falling a pretty fair distance below him, legs spread eagle and one wing flapping uselessly. He grit his teeth, mind racing to think of a way to get down to her.

‘WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ‘NOT NOW?’’ Onyx shouted back. ‘YOU JUST LEAPT OFF TO OUR CERTAIN DEATH!!!’

‘No I didn’t.’ Steve calmly replied. ‘I brought a potion of Slow Falling, remember? As a precaution.’

‘....Oh.’ Onyx lamely replied. The Nightmare was silent for a moment before he continued. ‘I apologize for yelling. I was freaking out.’

‘Clearly.’ Steve responded, allowing a grin to grace his lips for a moment before focusing back on the task at hand. ‘Now that you’ve calmed down, I need your help. We only have so long before Dash hits the ground, and we need to get to her before that happens.’ As he spoke, Steve noticed just how quickly the ground seemed to be approaching. Swallowing his fear, he continued. ‘Any ideas?’

It took Onyx a moment, but eventually he spoke. ‘Well, with the way Rainbow Dash is falling, she’s creating a larger surface area, which is causing her to fall at a slower speed than us. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough for us to get to her in time. However, if we were to reduce our air resistance enough, then we could probably reach her.’

‘Great!’ Steve responded. ‘Now just word that so I understand what the fuck you’re saying.’

A sigh. ‘Press your arms and legs together, and keep them there.’

Steve nodded before following the Nightmare’s orders, squeezing his arms and legs tightly together. Immediately, he felt himself begin to pick up speed, the distance between Dash and himself beginning to lessen.

‘It’s working!’ He exclaimed with a grin. However, the smile fell when he noticed the ground, growing steadily closer. ‘Fuck. If this works, we’re gonna be cutting pretty damn close!’

‘Steve, something’s approaching!’ Onyx warned.

‘What!?’ The Crafter exclaimed before glancing upwards. Much to his shock, he saw a trio of pegasi, all three of which were wearing those blue suits and goggles, speeding down towards him and Dash.

‘The Wonderbolts!’

One of the pegasi, a pony with a navy blue mane and a pair of light blue wings, went for Steve, quickly getting behind him and hooking his forelegs under his arms. The pegasus managed to slow, then stop Steve’s fall altogether, though the Crafter could hear him straining with the effort.

“Wait!!” He yelled, struggling slightly. “Dash is-!”

“She’s, urk, fine!” The pegasus replied, panting heavily. “Spitfire and Thunder have got her!”

Steve looked down to that the other two pegasi had indeed gotten Rainbow Dash. In the time that he’d been distracted with the pegasus saving him, the other Wonderbolts had already caught up to Dash. The injured mare had been placed on the back of a fiery-maned pegasus, while the other, a black-furred pony with a two-toned grayish mane attended to her.

Steve let out a sigh of relief. ‘She’s okay. She’s fine. Now we just need to get to-’ His train of thought was interrupted when he suddenly slipped a little bit, his heart jumping at the sudden and unexpected movement. Glancing back at the pegasus carrying him, Steve’s eyes widened when he saw the strained look on his face.

‘He can’t carry me out of here.’ He realized. ‘At best, we’ll be able to make it to the ground without turning into a fine paste.’

‘Indeed, but at the rate his strength is depleting, if it continues, he won’t be able to do even that.’

“Hey! You can’t carry me up there!!” Steve yelled. “Not on your own!!”

The pegasus gave a nearly imperceptible nod before he shouted to his fellow Wonderbolts. “Hey, *grunt* Thunderlane!” He panted heavily. “I, need some help over, here!!”

Both Thunderbolts, as well as Dash, looked over at the struggling pegasus, all three of their eyes widening.

“Got it!! Hold on Soarin!” The black-furred pegasus, assumedly named Thunderlane, yelled back before racing towards the pair.

L1 (Potion Select): Potion of Slow Falling

Steve let out yet another sigh of relief before he reached into his Inventory to withdraw his only potion of Slow Falling. Uncorking the bottle, he lifted it to his lips. He had only begun to drink it when several things happened.

Steve slipped from the Soarin's grip, the Wonderbolt’s strength finally spent. Thunderlane, with a sudden, reflexive burst of speed, dashed towards the pair, one hoof grabbing (again, how do they do that?) the back of Steve’s shirt while the other grasped his fellow Wonderbolt by his jumpsuit. Unfortunately, the sudden drop, combined with the even more sudden stop only a moment later, caused the potion of Slow Falling to jump out of his grip, staying suspended for a moment in mid-air, before it fell. Steve stared at the falling bottle until it became too small for him to see.

‘...Shit.’

‘Agreed.’ Onyx spoke.

Steve glanced back at the pegasus holding him. It was hard to see, due to the suit, but he could tell that Thunderlane was not doing well. It wouldn’t be long before he too tired out and ended up in the same state as the pegasus he was holding.

“Thunderlane! Hold on!” The fiery-maned pegasus yelled, flying over to them. However, with Dash on her back, her speed was heavily reduced.

Thinking quickly, Steve assessed the situation.

‘Alright, so there’s two pegasi, and three people in need of rescue.’ He glanced over at Soarin, who was panting heavily, wings hanging limply by his sides. The Wonderbolt with Dash on their back came over and lifted the exhausted pony up, straining slightly as they did so. ‘There’s no way he’ll be able to recover in time, and I can’t risk Dash with her wing the way it is.’ Quickly opening his Inventory, he searched for something to use, something he could use to help resolve the situation. He found it.

‘My emergency water bucket!’ He thought gleefully. ‘If they let me go, then I can use the water to break my fall!’

‘Will that work?’ Onyx inquired, to which Steve nodded.

‘Yeah. It’s a cool trick I learned a while ago for whenever I was exploring ravines. Granted, it’s very dangerous, as you need to be able to place the water at exactly the right time. If you don’t, then there’s nothing to break your fall, and you end up going splat.’

‘Fantastic.’ Onyx sarcastically replied. Grinning, Steve glanced back at the three pegasi who weren’t completely out of it.

“Let me go.”

All three of them jerked back in shock at his words.

“What?” The fiery-maned Wonderbolt asked. Thunderlane looked like he wanted to ask as well, but was too busy trying to keep himself and Steve aloft to do so.

“Steve, what are you doing?!” Dash cried out. The Crafter gave the mare a small grin.

“Dash, there’s only two pegasi here who can fly, and that’s not enough to get us all out of here. If you drop me, then you guys can still get them out of here.”

“What?! No!” Dash cried out, trying and failing to reach for Steve. “Don’t!”

“Don’t worry about me Dash.” The Crafter spoke, giving her a thumbs up. “I’ll be okay.” With that, he jerked his head back, smacking the leg that Thunderlane had been holding him with. The hit, combined with the fact that the pegasus’ hold on him had already been weakened, caused the hoof to let go of the Crafter.

Steve heard Dash shout his name as he fell, but he didn’t look up at her. He imagined that she had some sort of horrified look on her face, probably thinking he was sacrificing himself for her and the Wonderbolts. (Which is technically true, just not in the way she was thinking.) While Steve felt bad about not informing her of his plan, there had been no telling of how much longer Thunderlane could’ve kept them both aloft before his strength gave out as well, so Steve had wasted as little time as possible before knocking himself free.

‘I’ll make sure to apologize and make it up to her later.’ He thought to himself as he faced the swiftly-approaching ground. ‘In the meantime, better get ready.’ He quickly withdrew his bucket of water, gripping it tightly as he continued to fall. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his nerves, preparing himself so that when the time came, he wouldn’t screw up and get himself killed.

Suddenly, Steve heard something akin to a roar, followed closely by a near ear-splitting explosion, bright colors shining across the sky on either side.

‘Steve, I’m picking up on a huge explosion of magic from above us! Something’s heading right for us!!”

Steve’s eyes widened before he glanced upward. Much to his shock and amazement, he saw what looked like a supercharged Dash heading straight for him at incredible speeds, leaving a trail of rainbows in her wake.

“Holy shit.” Steve muttered.

‘That must be the Sonic Rainboom that Rainbow Dash was talking about.’ Onyx spoke, sounding just as awed as Steve was. ‘Looks like she managed to pull it off.’

As she quickly approached, Steve saw the absolutely livid look on her face, causing him to wince.

‘Shit, she doesn’t look happy.’

‘Well, I don’t imagine she would be very happy after watching you throw your life away. Granted, you had a plan, but she doesn’t know that.’

Only a moment later, Rainbow Dash had caught up to the Crafter, quickly scooping him up in her forehooves before turning right back around and heading back towards the arena. The almost instant transition from falling to his (possible) death to flying back up to the Cloudsdale stadium left Steve reeling slightly. In the blink of an eye, they passed the trio Wonderbolts (one of whom was still being carried) on their way back towards the arena.

Upon entering the stadium, Steve was surprised when she didn’t stop, instead continuing on past the crowds of ponies, up over the sides of the arena, and down towards the clouds outside. Upon getting close enough, she dropped Steve, who landed quietly on the floor, before landing herself.

For a few moments she just stood there, facing away from the Crafter. Steve pursed his lips, staying silent for a few moments before attempting to speak.

“Dash-”

“Don’t.” Rainbow Dash spoke, her voice, though quiet, easily displaying the anger she was feeling. “Just, don’t, right now Steve.”

“Look, I understand that you’re mad about what I did down there, but I-”

“I’m not mad Steve.” She spoke. The Crafter blinked in surprise.

“You’re not?”

“No, because mad doesn’t begin to describe how I feel!!!” She cried out, whirling around to glare furiously at the Crafter. “I don’t think there’s a word in all of Equestria that could properly say what I’m feeling, and if there is, I sure as hay have never heard of it!!!” She stalked forward, poking her hoof into Steve’s chest. “Do you have any idea what it felt like, watching you fall!!? And even worse, knowing that it was you who made Thunderlane let go of you!?!? I was terrified, and then I was angry, and then I was both, and then, then….” She faltered a bit, stumbling on her hooves.

“Dash?” Steve asked in concern. “Are you- Shit!” He cut himself off as the mare pitched forward, Steve only barely managing to catch her before she hit the ground. Placing her on the ground, he turned the mare onto her back before he began looking her over.

“Onyx, I need a check up. How’s she looking?”

A moment of silence, then the Nightmare responded. ‘She appears to be mostly fine. However, her left wing is showing signs of internal damage, and her magic reserves are almost entirely depleted.’

“Fuck, okay.” Steve muttered. “Wing damage I could fix,if I had any damn healing potions. Knew I should’ve packed a couple. However, I don’t know how to fix the magic reserves.” Steve pursed his lips as he continued to look over the unconscious mare for a few moments before coming to a decision. “We gotta get her to a hospital. Right now, they’re our best bet for helping her.”

Picking her up, Steve gently cradled the mare in his arms.

“Just hold on Dash.” He murmured to the mare. Taking a quick look around, Steve sighed and ran off.

Author's Note

Wow! Got two chapters done in one week! Been a while since that's happened.

Anyways, if any of you have any questions or complaints about the physics of this chapter, please, for the sake of my sanity, I ask you take it at face value. (For crying out loud, it's a story about a video game character in a magical world filled with technicolor ponies. If you're looking for realism, you're in the wrong place.)

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 87: She won...

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Beep.

Steve glanced over at the monitor standing, eyes tracing over the little green bumps that accompanied each, mildly irritating noise.

He sat in the chair closest to where Rainbow Dash lay, her quiet breathing filling the otherwise silent room. Steve stared at her rather peaceful form, taking a moment to glance at the wing that was stretched out to her side and covered in whatever it was they made casts out of.

Sighing, he turned his gaze back down at his hands, wringing them together in worry.

‘Steve, we both heard what the doctor said.’ Onyx spoke with a quiet voice. ‘Despite her injuries, Dash will be fine.’

“I know.” Steve muttered in reply. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

‘Then what is it that concerns you?’

“You saw how she was, before she passed out. She was, well, she was pretty fucking furious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that angry before.” Steve sighed and shook his head. “I just, she knows I would never think twice about risking my life if I had to. Nether, she’s seen it first-hand. So why was she so angry this time?”

‘I doubt there are any beings on this planet who can understand the mind of a mare.’

Steve chuckled slightly. ‘Yeah, I guess so.” However, only a moment later, the smile on his face fell once more. “Still, it worries me. What was so different this time around that would cause her to get so mad?” He thought about it, but his mind couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. He shook his head. “Guess I’ll just have to ask her when she-” Steve stopped suddenly when he heard the sound of hurried hoofsteps quickly coming closer. He looked up just in time to see five mare burst through the door on the opposite side of the room.

“Rainbow Dash!” They all cried out.

“Shhhh!!!” Steve hushed, giving them a glare. “Quiet down, would ya? Dash is asleep, and based on what the doc said, she needs to stay that way for at least a few hours.”

“Steve!?” Twilight called out, completely ignoring his words. “What are you doing here?!”

“First of all, shut it!” Steve whisper-yelled. “Second of all, the heck do you think I’m doing here? I’m the one who brought Dash here after she pulled off that Sonic Rainboom.”

“Why?” Fluttershy asked, tone displaying her worry. “What’s wrong with Rainbow Dash?”

“Well, besides the fact that just doing the Sonic Rainboom burned through all of her energy, both of her wings were damaged, though the left one was damaged much more than the other. The doc said she’ll be fine, though she won’t be able to use her wings for at least a week.”

“My name…” A voice rang out from behind the group of mares, causing them to turn around, finding a rather short pegasus mare, with an off-white coat of fur and dark gray mane. Her Cutie Mark looked like a small, orange, circular container of some sort. “is Peppin Pills, Mr. Steve. And I would really appreciate it if you started using it.”

“Not a chance. Doc is easier.”

Growling slightly, the mare trudged past the Elements towards the mare lying unconscious on the bed. Pulling out a small clipboard with a few papers on it, she looked over some of the various machines.

“Hmm.” She hummed, writing some things down with a quill as she nodded to herself. “Hmm. Okay.”

“How’s she looking, Doc?” Steve asked, sitting up slightly.

Peppin glanced over at the Crafter with a deadpan look. After staring at him for a moment, she sighed and shook her head. “Miss Rainbow Dash is doing fine, Mr. Steve. Thanks to Zyn’s spell, her wings have already begun the process of healing.”

“So why isn’t the poor dear awake yet?” Rarity inquired.

“Because she’s exhausted.” Steve answered. “According to Onyx, pulling off that Sonic Rainboom really took it out of her. Something about ‘depleted her magic reserves’ or something along those lines.”

“Well, this ‘Onyx’ was correct.” Peppin Pills continued. “Miss Dash here pulled the equivalent of an ‘overcharge.’ While uncommon among unicorns, it is almost unheard of with earth ponies or pegasi.”

“What’s an ‘overcharge?’” Steve asked.

“It’s when a unicorn uses all, or nearly all of their magic in one spell.” Twilight responded. “Generally, it results in an exceptionally powerful spell that leaves the caster unconscious.”

“Hmm. So, Dash will be fine?” Steve assumed, glancing over at Peppin, who nodded.

“Yes. As long as she gets proper rest and doesn’t use her wings for at least a week, preferably two, then she’ll be okay. Though I wouldn’t advise her doing another Sonic Rainboom, especially not with injured wings.”

“No kidding.” Steve chuckled. “I think I speak for everyone when I say we don’t want a repeat of what happened today.”

“Speaking a which, Steve, what exactly was that today?” Applejack spoke up. The Crafter looked up to see the orange mare glaring at him slightly.

“What was what?” Steve replied, confused.

“What was with ya jumping off the balcony afta’ Dash at the competition?”

“She’s my friend. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Maybe not jump to yer certain death!” Applejack exclaimed. “What were ya thinking, doing that!? Ya can’t even fly!”

“No, but I did have this potion that allowed me to fall really slowly.”

“What?” The orange mare asked, a look of confusion on her face.

“Yeah. It’s called a potion of Slow Fall. If I’d drank it, it would cause me to fall at a much slower speed, meaning I could survive any fall as long as the potion effect was active. When I jumped, my plan was to catch up to Dash, drink the potion, and then fall safely to the ground below.”

“...Huh.” Applejack commented after a moment. “So what happened?”

“Well, during the fall, when I’d gotten caught by one of the Wonderbolts, I think his name was Soarin, I was about to drink the potion as a precaution, but I slipped from Soarin’s grip when he got exhausted and dropped, and as a result, dropped the damn potion.”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy yelped. “What happened?!”

“Well, I realized that the two Wonderbolts still standing, or rather flying in this case, wouldn’t be enough to get me, Dash and Soarin to safety. So after finding a water bucket in my Inventory, I decided to make myself fall so that they could get Soarin and Dash to safety, while I used the water bucket to break my fall. Of course, this plan went out the window as well when Dash somehow managed to pull off the Sonic Rainboom, easily catching up to me before bringing us both to safety. After we landed, she passed out, and I brought her here.”

There was a moment of silence as the Elements digested his story. Even though Peppin wasn’t looking, Steve could tell from the ear pointed towards him that she was listening as well.

“How would a bucket of water break your fall?” Twilight inquired.

Steve quirked a brow. “Well, if I placed it down on the ground at the right moment, I would’ve landed in the water. I’m not sure if it works the same way here, but back home, as long as there was a little water between you and the ground, you’ll be okay. Can’t tell you how many times a bucket of water has saved my ass.”

“But… that doesn’t work.” Twilight shook her head. “Even if there was enough water to effectively break your fall, the speed with which you would be falling would make hitting the water feel like hitting concrete.”

“Wait what?” Steve asked. “Why would it be like hitting concrete? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, neither does using a bucket a’ water to break ya fall.” Applejack spoke, one brow raised. Steve opened his mouth to counter, but eventually decided against it. Shaking his head he glanced over at Peppin.

“Fair point. Hey Doc, do you know when Dash should be awake?”

The mare hesitated for a moment before answering. “Not sure. At best, she’ll wake up today. At worst, sometime tomorrow, or the day after. All I know for sure is, when she does wake up, she’s in for one hay of a headache.”

“Well, that's good.” Steve spoke. “Not the headache part, just that she’ll be fine. Given what happened, it definitely could’ve been worse.” His words roused mumbled words of agreement from the other occupants of the room as all eyes turned towards the unconscious mare. After a few moments of silence, Steve spoke again. “By the way, who won?”

“Hmm?” Twilight inquired.

“Who won the competition? I mean, I don’t particularly care, but figuring that it’s essentially the reason we came up here, thought I’d ask.”

“Uh, well,-” Rarity began, only to be interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at the door. Everyone in the room turned just in time to see three ponies enter.

The first two wore blue jumpsuits. It took him a moment, but eventually, Steve recognized them as two of the Wonderbolts who had helped him and Dash. The first, the one with a black coat of fur and two-toned gray mane, Steve recognized as Thunderlane. The other, a yellow mare with an almost flame-like mane, was one of the other Wonderbolts who’d come to assist, but unlike the other two, Steve had never learned her name.

The third pony to enter the room was none other than Princess Celestia herself.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight called out, her and the rest of the ponies (with the exception of Steve and the two Wonderbolts) immediately bowing before the Princess. However, they were stopped a moment later when Celestia waved her hoof.

“Please, rise. There’s no need for bowing.”

“Oh, of course.” The purple unicorn nodded before standing up straight again, the rest of her friends, as well as Peppin, doing the same. “What are you doing here, your majesty?”

Celestia rolled her eyes and shook her head, muttering something under her breath.

“...since she was a filly and she still…”

Sighing, the alicorn shook her head before focusing back on the group in front of her. “Well, I’m just doing a little friendly visit, checking to see how Rainbow Dash is fairing after what happened at the Competition. Sonic Rainbooms aren’t exactly easy to pull off, after all. Speaking of which.” She glanced over at Peppin. “How is Ms. Rainbow Dash?”

“U-um.” Peppin cleared her throat. “Overall, she’s just fine, your Highness. Her wings were damaged, but one of our few unicorn doctors cast a fairly powerful healing spell and they’re now in the process of healing. She won’t be able to use them at all for at least a week until they’re fully healed. Besides that, she’s just exhausted. Pulling off that Sonic Rainboom, especially with damaged wings, took a lot out of her, similar to when a unicorn overcharges.”

“Ah.” The Princess spoke, nodding to herself. “Any lasting damage?”

Peppin Pills shook her head. “Nope. Give her a week like I said, and she’ll be right as rain.”

Celestia let out a sigh of relief. “That’s reassuring to know. I know how much Ms. Dash loves flying. It would be awful if she lost the ability to do what she loved.”

“Agreed.” The fiery-maned Wonderbolt spoke. “The mare’s got skill. To be honest, her flying is better than some Wonderbolts I know.”

“Well, given how much she practices, it’s not really surprising.” Steve replied with a grin, causing all eyes in the room to shift towards him. The Crafter managed to watch as Celestia’s expression morphed from confusion, to happiness, to concern, then finally, to anger.

‘Oh fuck. What is it this time?’ Steve thought as the alicorn quickly approached him.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked, brows knit together in concern. She stared down at him with a narrowed gaze for a second or two before replying.

“Steve, do you have any idea at all how terrified I was when you jumped off the balcony today?”

The Crafter sighed. “Figures.” Rubbing his face with a hand, he glanced back at the alicorn. “Look, Celestia, I’m sorry for doing that, or at the very least, for not saying anything to you, but there wasn’t any time to really explain anything. I knew that if I was going to save Dash, I had to act quickly. Though, if it’s any consolation, I wouldn’t have jumped at all if I’d known that the Wonderbolts were going to intervene.” He glanced over at the two pegasi. “Speaking of which, how’s Soarin doing?”

“He’s fine.” Thunderlane replied. “He was just exhausted from carrying you.”

“Good to know.” Steve said, nodding at the stallion before turning back to Celestia. “Anyways, I’m sorry about scaring you like that, but I have to ask. Why were you worried?”

The alicorn furrowed her brow in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. Figured you wouldn’t be too worried, knowing that I can take care of yourself.”

“Yes, I do know that Steve. However, I also know you have a slight tendency to bite off more than you can chew.”

Steve thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Eh, that’s fair. Still, I ain’t dead yet.”

Celestia sighed. “It’s the yet that worries me.”

“...urg…” Came a quiet groan. Everyone whirled to look at the hospital bed, where Dash lay. As they watched, her closed eyes tightened up slightly before they opened.

Blinking a few times, the prismatic mare’s eyes looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds before they began to look around the room.

“...girls?” She spoke softly as her gaze landed on the other Elements. Her eyes shifted over to Steve, then to the alicorn and Wonderbolts standing nearby.

“Steve? Princess?” A pause. “...Captain Spitfire? What...?”

“How are you feeling Dash?” Steve spoke, coming to kneel next to the hospital bed.

“Like crap.” She quietly replied, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “I feel like death and the headache sure as buck isn’t helping.”

“Yeah, you pulling off the Rainboom really took it out of you. Plus, the fact that your wing was still damaged only made it worse.”

“Hmm.” Dash hummed as she laid her head back. After a moment, she took a breath before sitting up ever-so-slightly, being careful not to jostle her still-bandaged wings. She focused her gaze on Princess Celestia, as well as the two Wonderbolts standing beside her. “Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you three doing here? Like, don’t get me wrong, it’s cool that you’re visiting, but I don’t think you’d visit a random pegasus for no reason.”

Celestia answered first. “I was just visiting to make sure you were alright, Ms. Dash. After all, not only was your wing injured, you also pulled off the third Sonic Rainboom in recorded history. Something like that isn’t easy to achieve.”

Dash grinned. “Nope, but I did!” Her words drew a few laughs from the surrounding ponies. Steve chuckled at her antics. After everything that’d happened, he figured she deserved the chance to boast a little.

“And that wasn’t the only thing you achieved today.” The fiery-maned Wonderbolt, apparently named Spitfire, spoke, stepping towards Dash. The prismatic mare gave her a slightly confused look.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you were right in assuming we don’t normally visit random pegasi. However, if a pegasus were to, say, win the Best Young Flyers Competition…”

Dash squinted at the mare for a moment before realization hit her like a truck. Her eyes shot wide open. “Wait, do, do you mean, did I..?”

Spitfire grinned as she nodded. “Yes. Congratulations, Ms. Rainbow Dash. Due to your amazing flying skills and spectacular display, you have been chosen as this year’s winner of the Best Young Flyers Competition.” Walking forward, Spitfire withdrew some sort of long, golden circlet with a pair of golden pegasus wings on top, and placed it on Dash’s head.

It was only there for a moment before the prismatic mare reached up and gingerly took it off, bringing it down to look at it. After a few moments, she chuckled slightly.

“You know, it’s funny. I was so stressed out today over whether I would be able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom or not. Honestly, I think the worry took a year or two off my life.” She glanced up at Spitfire, agrin on her face. “And yet, just a second ago, when you said I’d won the competition, it took me a moment to figure out what the hay you were talking about. I was so caught up with how I’d nearly died, how Steve had nearly died, that I completely forgot why my friends and I were in Cloudsdale in the first place. Funny how something like that will change your priorities.” With a sigh, Dash placed the crown on a nearby table. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes with a hoof. “Boy, I’m tired.” She mumbled, thought still loud enough for those nearby to hear.

“That would probably be due to the healing spell Doctor Zyn used.” Peppin spoke. “It draws from a pony’s magic in order to heal injuries. That, coupled with what you did today, would make you very tired.” The mare turned towards the rest of the ponies, and Steve. “I’m sorry to have to do this, but Ms. Dash needs to rest. You all can visit later, if you wish, but for now, I need everypony out.”

They all heeded the doctor’s words and, one by one, began to leave the room, each one wishing Rainbow well as they did so. Dash lay on her back, though her head was turned towards the window.

Eventually, the only one left in the room besides Peppin and Dash was Steve. His gaze was narrowed at the mare, feeling very concerned for his friend.

Peppin took notice of his presence and moved to shoo him away. “Sir, I-”

“Hold on.” He muttered. Stepping toward the prismatic mare, he tried to speak hand reaching towards her. “Dash, listen. About earlier-”

“Just go, Steve.” She replied, not looking at him. “Like the Doc said, you and the girls can visit me later.”

The Crafter let his hand drop down to his side. His shocked expression remained for a moment before it turned blank. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Got it. Goodbye.”

Turning around, he quickly walked out of the room, the door closing behind him.

I’ᒲ ᓭ𝙹∷∷||

Author's Note

I must say, it's surprisingly easy to find Standard Galactic Alphabet translators on Google. Makes my job a lot easier.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 88: A Dog's Day

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Two Days Later

Clang!

Clunk!

Steve pulled the diamond pick-axe away from the freshly broken stone, brushing away the stray bits of gray stone to pull out the blue diamond within.

“Ha, another one!” Steve grinned, pocketing the blue gem as he glanced around the cave tunnel he was in, looking for any more resources he could mine. Upon seeing that he’d essentially stripped the tunnel bare, Steve nodded to himself before checking his Inventory to see what he’d gotten.

“Alright, got 14 iron ore, 31 gold ore, a whopping 26 diamonds, a couple emeralds, and some of those blue gems that I probably won’t ever use.”

‘Did Minecraftians not have a use for Sapphires?’ Onyx inquired, to which the Crafter shook his head.

“Not really. Though, to be fair, we didn’t even have anything like sapphires, or rubies or whatever. The only crystals we had were diamonds, emeralds, and technically redstone, and even then, the only one I ever bothered to really use was diamond, since they can be used to make the strongest armor and weapons available. Emeralds were only ever used for trading, and I don’t have the brains to use redstone like the brainiacs at Quiverfall did.” Closing his Inventory, Steve turned and began walking back in the direction he’d come from. “Though, who knows, maybe the sapphires are worth something after all. I’ll probably have to talk to Rarity about it later. She probably knows a thing or two, given that her Cutie Mark is literally three diamonds.”

The Nightmare only responded with a quiet hum of agreement as Steve continued on down the tunnel, eventually coming to a small chamber with three tunnel entrances in front of him.

“Alright, we came out of the middle tunnel, correct?”

‘I believe so.’ Onyx replied.

Nodding, Steve started to walk towards the middle tunnel, but stopped short when he heard something. It sounded like a cry or a wail of some sort, reminiscent of a ghast. His head snapped towards the tunnel to his left, where the shouts seemed to be emanating from.

Armor equipped - Diamond Chestplate (Enchanted). Max Health increased to 28.

Armor equipped - Diamond Leggings (Enchanted). Max Health increased to 34.

Armor equipped - Diamond Boots (Enchanted). Max Health increased to 37.

Protection II Active. Max Health increased to 39.

Protection I Active. Max Health increased to 40.

Protection I Active. Max Health Increased to 41.

Gritting his teeth, Steve quickly slipped on his newly enchanted set of diamond gear, minus the helmet, with barely a sound.

D-Pad Up: Sword

He withdrew his glowing blue blade with a flourish. Letting it fall to his side, Steve quickly took off down the tunnel. As he got closer, he began to make out the sound of different voices accompanying the original voice. Furrowing his brow, he continued to run, eventually making it to what appeared to be an opening, where light poured out from. Coming to a stop, Steve poked his head out to see what was causing the noise. What met his gaze was a very strange sight.

On the far side of the room, was what looked like a small set of jail cell-like cages. In one of the said cell’s was none other than Rarity. The unicorn appeared unharmed, though her white fur was dirty and unkempt. Scattered around the room were a few dozen rather familiar creatures.

‘Diamond Dogs?’ Steve thought in confusion, gaze wandering over the brutish creatures, some of which were lying unconscious on the floor, while many more were shuffling around the room with minecarts full of various types of gems. A rather large Diamond Dog was over in front of the cell, spear in hand. As Steve watched, he banged the iron bars of the cell twice.

“Stop loud noises white pony!!” He roared, though to her credit, Rarity barely flinched. “Stop or Spot do worse than put you in cage!!”

The unicorn’s eyes widened slightly, and she took a step back. After a moment, her gaze narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare put that yoke on me again.”

“Find Diamond dogs gems, and Spot won’t.”

“Let me go, and I will!” Rarity yelled, shaking the bars slightly with her magic. “You can’t keep me here forever!”

The brute shook his head. “No. Spot let white pony go, she run and never come back. And Diamond Dogs keep you here as long as we want.”

‘Oh fuck no.’ Steve thought, reaffirming his grip on his sword as he took a step forward off of the ledge, falling the relatively short distance to the floor and landing with a solid ‘Thud!’ Everyone in the room whipped around at the noise, only to backpedal away at the sight of the heavily armored Crafter.

“Yeah, sorry, but you see, this little slavery thing you got going?” Steve spoke, gesturing to Rarity with his free hand. “Yeah, not going to happen.”

“Steve!?” The mare cried out in happiness and slight confusion.

“I-it you.” Spot spoke, stuttering slightly as he and the rest of the Diamond dogs present retreated away from the Crafter.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Steve replied with a grin. “Man, it’s been a while, haven’t seen you Diamond dogs in, like months. How have you guys been doing? Still can’t find your ass with both hands?”

Spot growled. “What Steve want?”

“Well, funny you should ask. You see, that mare you have in that cell there is actually a friend of mine. Hey Rarity, how are you doing?”

“Um, well, I suppose things are going well.” The mare answered, brows furrowed slightly in confusion. “Of course, excluding the whole being ‘imprisoned and used as a slave’ bit!”

“Yeah, I imagine that would put a bit of a damper on anyone’s mood.” Steve replied, shrugging. “Anyways, Spot, I’ll make you and your pals here a deal. Free Rarity, and swear upon every deity that you worship that you won’t harm or abduct any more free creatures, and I won’t harm any of you in any way, shape or form.” Steve walked up to the Diamond dog and stuck out his hand, grinning all the while. “What do you say?”

For a while, Spot simply stared at the Crafter, brows furrowed in anger, the spear clenched tightly in his fist. He looked ready to fight, but the longer the Diamond dog stared at Steve’s smiling expression, the more the anger he felt faded, morphing into a cold sense of fear. Eventually, he snarled and turned towards Rarity’s cell, pulling out a key that looked like it was made of bone.

‘Where the shit did he get that?’ Steve briefly wondered as Spot swiftly unlocked the door and hastily pulled the unicorn out and haphazardly pushed her towards the Crafter, causing the mare to yelp as she stumbled, but managed to remain upright.

“You alright?” Steve asked, to which Rarity nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Good.” Turning his gaze to Spot, Steve glared at him. “You didn’t have to shove her, asshole.”

“Spot let pony mare go. Now go away.” Spot spoke, ignoring the Crafter’s words. Steve narrowed his gaze ever so slightly, but eventually let out a sigh.

“Well, I suppose a deal’s a deal.” He glanced over at Rarity. “Come on, let’s go.” With a small nod of his head at the Diamond dogs gathered at the other end of the room, Steve turned and began walking away. It was only a few moments later that he realized that Rarity wasn’t following him. Steve turned to look behind him, a look of confusion on his face. “Rarity? You coming?”

The mare in question was looking between the Crafter and the group of Diamond dogs on the other side of the room, looking very confused.

“Rarity?” Steve asked, turning to face her. “What’s up?”

“It’s, it’s nothing.” The mare hesitantly responded, shaking her head. “Just, I was expecting some big fight to break out.”

Steve quirked a brow. “Why?”

“Well, it’s just, whenever you’re around and something happens, a fight usually breaks out, which always somehow results in you winning said fight.”

“Oh come on, I don’t get into fights all that often.”

Rarity gave him a deadpan stare.

“...Okay fair, but still, I don’t start most of them. And as for your previous statement, well, I don’t really want to fight, never have. And I doubt they do either.” Steve gestured to the Diamond dogs, causing quite a few of them to hurriedly shake their heads. “Besides, I said that if they let you go and never kidnapped anyone ever again, then I’d leave them alone, and I’m nothing if not a Crafter of my word.”

“That… is true.” Rarity agreed slowly. “Of all the words I could use to describe you, a liar just doesn’t seem to be one of them.”

“Good to know. Anyways,” Steve, eyes wandering over the half-dozen tunnels that dotted the cavern walls. With a sigh, he turned to look at Spot. “Oi, Hunchback, which tunnel leads us out of here?”

It took a second, but eventually Spot answered.

“That one.” The Diamond dog spoke, pointing towards one of the tunnels. “That tunnel lead out.”

Steve nodded. “Thanks.” Turning around, he took a moment to glance at Rarity. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He spoke, gesturing towards the tunnel Spot had pointed to. With that, he started off towards the tunnel entrance, Rarity following close behind.

* * * * *

“Be careful.” Steve spoke warrily, hand clenched tightly around the handle of his blade. “Diamond dogs aren’t the only thing to lurk in these caves.”

Rarity’s eyes widened slightly as she quickly looked around, no doubt expecting some horrible creature to jump out and attack them. However, after a moment of nothing but creepy, echoey cave sounds, she took a deep breath and continued on.

“Noted.” She muttered.

The pair traveled along the cold and quiet surface of the tunnel, each foot/hoofstep echoing off the stone walls. The passageway was dimly lit, barely allowing for Steve and Rarity to traverse it without running into anything.

“So, tell me.” Steve began, ducking under a bit of low hanging rock. “How did you end up in the clutches of ‘Slobber Tooth’ down there?”

Rarity chuckled slightly at the name before answering. “Well, I was out looking for gems for a large order of dresses that I need to get done. I know a spell that allows me to detect gems when they are nearby.”

“Really? That’s cool.”

“Indeed. Anyways, it wasn’t long after Spike, who was accompanying me at the time, and I began our search that we were approached by a Diamond dog by the name of Rover. He started talking, which I suppose was to distract Spike and I from the two Diamond dogs that had snuck up on us, one of which was Spot. Spike tried to fight them off, but it was frankly a very unfair fight, three against one. They threw him into a tree and took me underground.”

“Which is where I found you.” Steve finished.

She nodded. “Yes, which is where you found me. Speaking of which, while I’m not ungrateful in the least for your help, truly, I appreciate it, I must ask. What were you doing so far underground?”

“I was doing some mining. I didn’t have much else to do today, so I figured I’d get some resources while I had the spare time. I was actually just about to head out when I heard your cries.” Suddenly, Steve’s brow knit together in concern. “Wait, you’re not hurt are you?” The Crafter asked, stopping for a moment to look the mare over. While she still looked dirty and grimy, she didn’t appear to have any injuries, none that he could see at least.

Rarity shook her head. “No, they never hurt me. Though they did try to put that yoke on me when they had me looking for gems.”

“Then why were you yelling so loud?”

Because Diamond dogs don’t like loud noises, at all. Apparently, their hearing is similar to that of an actual dog’s, which I suppose is both a blessing and a curse.”

“Clearly.”

Suddenly, the sound of a low, distant groan echoed from somewhere. Rarity shot up, letting out a small yelp of surprise. Steve whirled around, sword at the ready. After a few moments of nothing, he let out a sigh as he let the blade drop back to his side.

“Fucking Reavers.” Steve muttered as he continued on.

“What?” Rarity inquired as she followed. “What’s a Reaver?”

“Monsters.” Steve replied, quickly glancing behind him. “They look like ponies, but they have no fur, or mane, and their skin is ashen gray. Their teeth are sharp, like a Timberwolf’s, and they can run very fast, almost as fast as me. As far as I know, their only weakness is the sun. Not sure they just don’t like it, or if sunlight directly kills them, but either way, they don’t generally ever go aboveground, and honestly, I’d like it to stay that way.”

Rarity let out an audible gulp, but nodded. “Agreed.”

After that, the rest of the trip was spent in silence. Steve walked in front, sword at the ready and Onyx on the lookout in case anything less than friendly came close. Rarity trotted close behind, the mare constantly looking around for anything out of the ordinary.

‘Steve, look up ahead.’ Onyx spoke, prompting the Crafter to look up. The tunnel appeared to slope upwards, where light shown through. Steve grinned.

“Looks like we’re almost out Rarity!”

The mare let out a big sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought we would be here forever!”

The pair quickly climbed out of the hole and out into the sun. Steve was forced to squint slightly, as his eyes had gotten used to the dim, near non-existent lighting of the caves. After blinking a few times, his vision returned to normal and he took a look around.

Apparently, they had showed up in the rock fields outside of Ponyville. Steve had been there once, to get some stone for the base and basement of his new house. Shaking his head, Steve took a look at the nearby town, only to blink in surprise when he saw a couple familiar forms quickly approaching.

Letting out a sigh, Steve quickly took off his enchanted armor, piece by piece, before storing it away in his Inventory.

Armor unequipped - Diamond Chestplate (Enchanted). Max Health decreased to 33.

Armor unequipped - Diamond Leggings (Enchanted). Max Health decreased to 27.

Armor unequipped - Diamond Boots (Enchanted). Max Health decreased to 24.

Protection II Inactive. Max Health decreased to 22.

Protection I Inactive. Max Health decreased to 21.

Protection I Inactive. Max Health decreased to 20.

“Looks like your friends are on their way here.” Steve spoke, taking a moment to see who was approaching.

‘There’s Twilight, and Spike. There’s Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie.’ Steve squinted, trying and failing to find any trace of the sky blue mare he was looking for. But no matter how hard he looked, she wasn’t there.

‘Dash is still healing, Steve.’ Onyx spoke. ‘It’s only logical that she wouldn’t be with her friends.

‘I know. I know she’s still not completely alright.’ Steve replied. ‘It’s just…’ He let out a sigh, then glanced back at the group of ponies (and a dragon) that were getting closer by the second.

‘I hope she’s doing okay.’

* * * * *

Far away, in the mountain city of Canterlot, stone cracked.

Author's Note

I don't care anymore, this took way to damn long, and I don't care, see me at the next chapter, because this took forever and I'm tired.

Thanks, and all that shit, comment, or don't, it don't matter.
Next chapter should be up as per schedule.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 89: Talking it Out (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

“So how have you been Steve?” Derpy inquired. “You haven’t been over in a while.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Steve replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve just been really busy with stuff, you know?”

The pair were walking down the main road on their way to Sugarcube Corner. There was a special brunch going on, with Princess Celestia in attendance. The whole town had been invited, and although Steve had originally not been planning on going, both Derpy’s prompting and the fact that going would provide him the chance to talk with Celestia again had convinced the Crafter to attend.

“What kind of stuff?” She asked, expression morphing into one of slight confusion.

“Uh, that’s, a bit of a long story.” Steve spoke, averting his gaze for a moment as memories of recent events flashed through his mind. Shaking his head, he focused back on Derpy. “Safe to say, everything’s fine now.”

The mare stopped, causing Steve to stop as well. She looked up at him with a concerned look on her face. “Steve, what happened?”

The Crafter opened his mouth to answer, but eventually closed it. Letting out a sigh, he shook his head. “I… I’ll tell you later.” He answered.

“Steve-”

“Look, it’s, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you. Well, I mean, I don’t, but that’s not the point.” Steve sighed again, trying to find the right words to say to the concerned mare. “I’ll tell you later, after this whole brunch thing, okay?”

Though she looked unsure, Derpy eventually nodded, albeit hesitantly. With that, the pair continued on their way to Sugarcube Corner, though neither said a word. It wasn’t until their destination was in sight that Steve spoke.

“I don’t want you to worry, Derpy.”

She glanced at the Crafter. “Huh?”

Steve sighed. “I don’t want to worry you. That’s why I don’t want to tell you. You shouldn’t have to be worried about me because some BBEG is trying to kill me for the third time in a week.”

“BBEG?”

Steve waved a hand. “Big Bad Evil Guy, but that doesn’t ma-. Look, my point is, I don’t want to worry you and burden you with my problems. And honestly speaking, that’s the last thing I want either. Besides, you got enough to deal with as it is, what with you working two jobs, and having to raise Dinky, the last thing you need is to worry about some dude who’s always getting into trouble.”

Derpy let out a sigh of resignation. “Steve, what exactly happened?”

The Crafter glanced at her for a moment, considering whether or not to inform her of what had happened in the last few weeks. Eventually, he sighed. “...Dash hasn’t spoken to me ever since we both nearly died in Cloudsdale. Also, I revealed a lot about myself to some foreign rulers, who see me as some sort of super soldier now. And I may have garnered the wrath of some magical queen from another dimension.” Steve thought for a moment. “Also, I have a Nightmare living inside me, don’t know if I ever mentioned that bit.”

Derpy stared at him with wide eyes, mouth hanging open slightly.

“Oh, and Zecora was captured by these creatures called changelings, and I had to free her by myself. And someone from my world came through a portal by accident, and had been living in Canterlot with the Princesses for the last couple of weeks.” Steve put a hand to his chin in thought. “And, I think that’s about it. Granted, I’m probably forgetting a few things, but that’s the jist of it.”

Steve glanced down at the mare beside him, who stared back up at him with an open jaw.

The two stared at each other for a short time, neither speaking, at least until Derpy broke the silence.

“Steve, what the buck have you been doing?”

The Crafter blinked in surprise, having never heard Derpy curse before. Shaking his head, he hesitated for a moment before responding.

“Uh, well, that’s a bit difficult to answer. I really haven’t been doing anything out of the ordinary. It’s life that seems determined to try and kill me. All I’ve been trying to do is live my life. Everything else just kinda happened.”

Derpy continued to stare at Steve for a few seconds before she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but what? When did this all happen? It’s only been three weeks since you came back from Canterlot.”

“Zecora’s capture, and subsequent rescue, happened the night I got back from Canterlot, you know, after the whole ‘Mindscape Incident.’ The summit with the foreign leaders happened the day after that. It wasn’t long after that I found out a Testificate from my world, a girl named Martha, had accidentally arrived in this world. Some stuff happened, after which, I went back to Ponyville. I was collecting wood from the Everfree with Dash when these Nightmares showed up to take Onyx away.”

“Onyx?” Derpy asked. “Who’s Onyx?”

“Oh, he’s the Nightmare that helped us defeat Herobrine in the Mindscape. He’s been living inside me ever since. I’ll introduce you two later. Anyways, I followed after the other Nightmares through this portal to a place called ‘The Hollow,’ or something like that that’s ruled by this lady named the Nightmother. We fought, then Celestia, Luna, Notch, Abyss and Aura showed up, we destroyed her army, after which I made a deal with the Nightmother where if she let us go, then we would leave and never come back. She agreed, and made a portal back here. It was a few days later that Dash came by my house and asked me to accompany her and her friends to Cloudsdale to cheer her on for the competition.”

“You mean the Best Young Flyers Competition?” Derpy asked, to which Steve nodded.

“Yeah, that one. Anyways, we were watching Dash perform, when all of the sudden, I saw her wing seize up. Before anyone can do anything, she’s falling, and I’m jumping after her.”

“You what?!” Derpy cried out. Steve held up his hands, doing his best to quell her worry.

“Don’t worry, I had a plan. I had this potion, a potion of Slow Fall. My plan was to grab Dash, then drink the potion, which would allow us both to fall gently to the ground.”

The mare let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Celestia. So you both managed to float safely to the ground?”

“Uh, no, not really.” Steve replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll keep it short, as we should probably get a move on, but after a bunch of bullcrap that shouldn’t have happened did happen, Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom, rescued me, and dropped the both of us outside of the stadium. I guess she was pretty mad at me because of what I did, because she decided to yell at me for a minute before she passed out. Apparently, not only was her wing still damaged, but performing the Sonic Rainboom actually depleted her magic reserves, to the point of making her pass out. When she woke up in the hospital, she seemed, well, she seemed angry. I-I mean, a different type of angry.” Steve explained. “Like, the hurt type of angry.” His brows knitted together for a moment, before he shook his head with a sigh. “I wanted to talk to her, but I got kicked out of the hospital room before I had the chance. And, since she’s been resting in her house, and the fact that just getting to her house is a trip and a half, I haven’t seen her since.” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “I feel like I’m missing something, but no matter how long I think about it, I can’t figure out what I did to make her so damn angry at me.”

“Well, what did she say?” Derpy inquired. “Before she passed out, I mean.”

Steve put a hand to his chin as he recalled what the mare had said not long after she’d rescued him.

“I’m not mad Steve.” She spoke. The Crafter blinked in surprise.

“You’re not?”

“Well, she started off by saying she wasn’t mad, only that she was feeling a feeling she didn’t know the word for. Then she asked me if I had any idea what it was like, watching me fall. Which, the answer is yes, of course. I kind of do know what that feels like.”

“You do?” Derpy hesitantly asked. Steve nodded.

“Yeah. Back during the first Mob War. Me and a group of, uh, something like 20 or so others were in a Flying Machine, battling against another Flying Machine, which was being piloted by a group of Proditors, these psychotic assholes who fought alongside mobs against other Minecraftians. During the battle, I saw at least half of my men get thrown or blown off the Machine, straight to their deaths.” The Crafter let out a sigh, pushing back the images that appeared in his mind’s eye. “I did my best to save them, but in the end, I couldn’t. I could only try my best to make sure the rest of my men didn’t suffer the same fate.”

“How did you feel?” Derpy suddenly asked.

“Hmm?” Steve grunted, giving her a confused look.

“When, well, when that happened, how did you feel? Or, sorry, what were you feeling?”

“I, well, I guess felt angry, for one. At both myself, and at the Proditors.”

“Well, why were you angry at yourself?”

“Because I couldn’t do anything. Because all I could do was stand there, and watch as they fell. Because I felt…” Steve stopped suddenly as he realized what it was Derpy must’ve been getting at. “Wait.” Steve put a hand to his chin, deep in thought. After a moment, his eyes widened in realization.

“Derpy, go on ahead to the brunch.” He spoke suddenly. “There’s something I’ve got to do.”

Derpy looked confused for a moment, but a second later, her expression morphed into one of understanding. She nodded.

“No problem Steve. I’ll see you after, okay?”

The Crafter gave a single nod before turning and running off. Derpy looked after his gradually fading form with a small grin before she turned to continue on her way to Sugar Cube Corner. However, she hadn’t been walking long when she heard somepony call out her name.

“Ms. Hooves?”

She froze when she heard the words, spoken by a vaguely familiar voice. Slowly, Derpy turned around to find a dark gray, almost black stallion standing only a short distance away. Her eyes widened, and her heart began to quicken.

Bump bump.

Suddenly, the scene around her changed. One second, she’d been standing in the middle of the street, the next, she found herself in a dimly lit tent, with the same stallion standing over her, a furious frown on his face. His hoof was raised, poised to strike.

Bump bump.

The scene shifted to a dark alley, but now, the pony before her held a spear in his hoof, the point aimed straight at her heart.

Derpy’s breathing sped up, heart hammering in her chest as she slowly backed away from the stallion, who continued to advance towards her. Her gaze was locked on him, and she couldn’t think, couldn’t think, couldn’t move, run, run, can’t think, runrunrunru-

Suddenly, Trench shouted as he leapt towards her. With a shriek, Derpy lunged backwards.

She felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, then everything went black.

Author's Note

This took way too long to finish, so Imma edit later. Hope what's here is good enough.

Anyway, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 90: Talking it Out (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Trench was having a good day.

He was back in Ponyville as part of a guard detail that was supposed to keep watch over the town, in case some big baddie decided to show up to disrupt Princess Celestia’s brunch. He’d been stuck at a lookout post at the southern side of town for most of the morning, but was granted a little break when two guards had come to trade him and his partner (and close friend) Ever Gleam out for their shift.

With nothing to do for a just over an hour, Trench took to wandering around the Ponyville marketplace, looking at what the various vendors had for sale. After a bit of wandering, he’d eventually bought a couple of knick-knacks, a pocket watch from Time Turner’s stand, and two bottles of Old-Ponish whiskey from Berry Punch for game nights with his bunkmates. He’d been looking at a smithy’s shop, run by a stocky blue mare with a dark golden mane named Idle Tinker, when he heard somepony call his name.

“Trench!”

The stallion jumped, the sudden yell from behind startling him a bit. Turning around, he saw it was none other than his shift partner, Ever Gleam.

“Oh, hey Gleam. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, dude. What about you? What’ve you been doing?”

Trench shrugged. “Eh, nothing much. Just buying a few things before we head back to Canterlot. Stuff’s a lot cheaper here than it is back home.”

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s kinda like that old saying. ‘Big city, big prices,’ am I right?”

Trench chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, no kidding. That’s why I always try to get at least a few things while we’re on trips like these, granted if I can find the time. Luckily you and I got our break, so I’ve got the chance to buy some things.”

“What’ve you gotten?” Gleam inquired.

“Oh, just some stuff. A little figurine, a paperweight, a watch, and some whiskey.”

“Figurine?” Gleam muttered, sounding confused for a moment before a look of realization appeared on his face. “Oooooh, for your O & O campaign, right?”

Trench nodded. “Yeah. And I know you don’t care for it, but I think if you tried it, you’d probably really like playing.”

Ever Gleam chuckled. “Eh, thanks, but no thanks. I never found that type of ‘quill-and-paper’ thing enjoyable, or exciting.”

Trench Digger shrugged. “Well, guess O & O isn’t for everyone. Anyways, what are you going to be doing?”

“Probably just look around a bit more, though I do want to hit Sugarcube Corner after Princess Celestia’s brunch. I heard they’ve got some of the best desserts in Equestria.”

Trench chuckled, giving a nod. “That they do. I’ve been a couple times, and I gotta say, they really are the best I’ve ever had.”

“Even better than your mom’s Double Choco brownies?” Gleam asked with a smirk, to which Trench laughed.

“Oh, come on dude. You know nothing can beat those things. I’m pretty sure Faust herself couldn’t make those brownies the way my mom does.”

“That’s true.” Gleam replied with a laugh. “What’re you gonna be doing for the rest of your break?”

Trench thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Not sure. Probably just look around a bit more, see if anything catches my eye.”

“Well, I’ll leave ya to it. In the mean-time, there are some desserts at Sugarcube Corner that are calling my name.”

Trench laughed, nodding. “Alright dude. See ya back at the post.”

“See ya!” Gleam called back, already galloping away. Trench waved after him, stopping after a moment to take a look at his watch.

10:38. He still had 22 minutes of break left.

“Hmm. Well, still got some time before my breaks over. What should I-?” Trench was interrupted as his stomach let out a rumble, reminding the stallion he’d skipped breakfast and had yet to eat anything all day. “Damn it. Knew I shouldn’t have just had coffee for breakfast.” The stallion muttered, rubbing his stomach absentmindedly. Sighing, he stood up and continued walking, looking around in case any of the stalls had some food that caught his eye.

He walked for a little while, eventually ending up in the more stationary, commercial shops were set up, like Beds and Quills, Beck’s Hoofball Goods, and even Sugarcube corner in the distance. Trench sat on a nearby bench, eating the last few bites of his hayburger. After chucking the empty wrappers away, he checked his watch again.

10:52.

“Perfect. Got just enough time to get back to my post.”

Trench stepped down from the bench and was about to start his journey when he looked around and happened to spot a familiar mare walking on the road nearby. The sight of this mare, this gray-furred, golden-maned mare caused Trench to stop.

‘Derpy Hooves.’

Her eyes were looking straight ahead (as much as they could, anyhow), so she probably hadn’t seen him. A small smile graced her lips, and she walked with an ever-so-slight pep in her step.

Suddenly, Trench’s conversation with a certain Crafter sprung back to mind, back when he and Steve had been eating at the Hay Burger diner a week before. *

“I mean, I don’t see why not. But I have to ask, why do you want me to stay around for the next few days?” He asked before taking a drink from his soda.

Steve sighed and answered. “I want you to talk with Derpy.”

“Okay.” Steve spoke after waiting for the stallion to stop coughing. “Expected a reaction. I did not, however, expect that.”

“Sorry.” Trench croaked before giving another cough and clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, but what!?”

“I want you to talk with Derpy.” Steve calmly repeated. Trench groaned and face-hoofed.

“I know what you said, I just hoped you might’ve changed your mind.” Sighing, he dropped his hoof and deadpanned at the Crafter. “Why exactly do you want me to do that?”

“Look, I know you still feel guilty about what happened to her. Trust me, if I was in your position, I would too. But what you did was not your fault. You were taken over by the asshole, Herobrine.”

Trench rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know that Steve.”

“Then why are you against talking to her?” Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“...You think so?” Trench asked, uncertain.

Steve nodded, smiling reassuringly as he sat back in his chair. “Yeah, I do.”

Trench shook his head a bit as the memory faded. Looking up, he saw Derpy had trotted up the street, now quite a good distance away from him. Steve’s words repeated in his mind, prompting the stallion to trot after the mare. He waited until he’d gotten a bit closer before calling out her name.

“Ms Hooves?” She stopped, and so did Trench.

Suddenly, he was regretting calling out to her. But he already had, and there was no going back.

He stepped forward, but stopped short once again as Derpy began turning around, albeit very slowly. The moment her eyes met his, she flinched backwards, causing Trench to wince.

“Ms. Hooves, I’m very sorry to bother you right now, but I…” Trench trailed off when he noticed the gray mare didn’t appear to be listening to him at all.

Her pale, yellow eyes were wide, and she was slowly but surely shuffling away from him. It took Trench a moment, but eventually he noticed that she wasn’t really looking at him. Sure, her gaze was directed towards him, but she wasn’t really looking at him. She was also breathing really hard, as if all the air had been stolen from her lungs, and she was trying to get it back.

‘Wait, is she…’

Trench took a hesitant step forward. The moment he did so, Derpy let out a loud, terrified yell as she launched herself backwards with a flap of her wings. Unfortunately for the mare, she was too focused on Trench to notice the building directly behind her, and so her hasty retreat caused the back of her head to smack into the wall with a hearty “Whack!” that made Trench flinch ever-so-slightly. The stallion watched as Derpy collapsed to the floor.

‘Oh buck!’ Trench thought as he rushed towards the fallen mare, rolling her over onto her back. He looked her over, but besides the comically large bump on her head, he saw no other injuries.

‘Good. Now, what the buck do I-?’

“General Trench?” Spoke a familiar, regal voice, and Trench felt his heart skip a beat. He looked up to see none other than Princess Celestia standing a short distance away, with several guards around (two of whom he recognized), all staring at him and the unconscious mare.

“What’s going on here?”

“.....fuck.” Trench muttered.

* * * * *

Square: Hook

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz, thunk.

Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak.

Steve groaned as he pulled himself up onto the front porch of Rainbow Dash’s home flopping down onto his back once he was sure he wasn’t going to fall. Taking a few deep breaths, he pushed himself into a sitting position as he pulled the hook of his fishing rod out of the porch, where it had caught.

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

Reeling it in, he slipped the wooden tool back into his Inventory as he stood, turning to face the door. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

Silence for a moment.

Steve raised his fist to try again, but stopped when the familiar sound of Dash’s voice rang out from within.

“Who ‘s it?” The Crafter furrowed his brow a bit as he heard the words. Something was up with her voice. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Steve responded.

“It’s me! It’s Steve!”

Silence.

The Crafter waited for a minute more before sighing and knocking again.

Knock, knock, knock!

“C’mon, Dash, open the door please! We need to talk!” Steve responded. “I know why you’re mad at me!”

There was silence for a second or two, followed closely by the sound of hoofsteps slowly approaching. After a moment, Steve heard the sound of a lock clicking, and the door swung open to reveal Rainbow Dash.

She was a bit of a mess. Her fur was a bit matted and unkempt. One eye was squinted slightly, and the bandage on her left wing had a large, brown stain on it. Steve, confused, opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped short when he detected a very familiar stench coming from the mare in front of him.

“...Have, have you been drinking? Are you drunk?”

Dash blinked at him, one eye closing at a time. It took a second, but eventually, his words registered with the mare.

“O~h, uh, yeah, I guess I, have,” She burped. “Ah, a, a drink or two. Why? What do ya want?”

Steve pursed his lips. “Can I come in?”

Dash hesitated, but eventually nodded. “Yeah, don’t se~e why not.” The mare turned around and trotted back into the house, stumbling every so often. Steve followed behind. Once inside, he took a look around the living room to see it was also a mess. Bottles, about a dozen or so, were strewn around the room. One of the couches was turned upside down, with the cushions thrown about. Most of the pictures that had once been hanging on the walls were now lying on the floor in random locations, at least half of them with the glass cracked.

“Sorry, the place issa bit of a mess.” Dash spoke, sitting down on the one remaining couch that seemingly hadn’t been touched. “Been, uh, meaning to clean up a bit, but got, busy.”

“Dash, what happened?”

The mare shrugged. “Jus’ hadda few drinks, thas all.”

“No, I mean, why are you drunk? Why does your house look like a freaking pig-sty, why…” Steve stopped, then sighed. “Nevermind. I think I already have an idea why.”

Dash squinted at him. “Really? And was’sat?”

Steve took a deep breath, praying to Notch that he was right. “Because you’re angry. You’re angry at me, but more importantly, you’re angry at yourself.” No response. Steve waited a few moments before continuing, making sure to keep his voice soft. “You’re angry because back at Cloudsdale, when I was falling, you felt powerless, because I was falling to my death, and you couldn’t do anything, right?”

Dash stared at him. “...How, how would you, know…?”

“Because I know what that feels like. I, won’t explain now, at least, not until you’re sober, but I know the feeling, all too well, and…” Steve let out a sigh as he glanced down. “I can’t possibly apologize enough for having to put you through that. No one deserves that, especially not-” plop. “...you?”

Steve glanced up to see the mare hunched over, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

“Dash?” He asked, hesitantly.

“I’m sor~ry.” The mare spoke, words slurring slightly. “I, I was jus’, so scared, I was so scared, and you, you didn’t care! You didn’t care if you died, and I wus angry that you didn’t care, cause I don’t want you to die! I wouldn’t be able to live if you died!” She sobbed into her hooves as she spoke. “You’ve been through so much, I put you through so much, but you don’t care. You’re, you’re so kind, and you care about everypony but yourself, and I don't want you to die cause you’re the best pony I’ve ever met and I don’t want you to di~e!”

Steve wrapped his arms around her. Dash made no notion that she noticed, save for the fact that she started crying into his shirt instead of her hooves.

The Crafter held the crying mare for a while, not saying a word. He just held her comfortingly, gently rocking her as the sobs slowly turned into quiet weeping, then to sniffles. Eventually, the mare went quiet altogether. Steve glanced down to see that Dash had fallen asleep. Sighing, the Crafter gently laid the mare down on the couch and covered her with a nearby blanket. Standing up, he continued to look down at the sleeping mare, a regretful look on his face.

“I’m sorry Dash.” He quietly spoke. “I suppose, after all this time, I’m still not used to having people care about me.” Letting out a sigh, he knelt down slightly and rubbed the top of her head slightly. Dash let out a nearly silent murmur of happiness at the action.

Steve smirked ever so slightly before he turned to walk away, only for his heart and body to freeze upon hearing the sleeping mare mutter two words.

“...love you.”

Author's Note

So, uh, yeah.

In my defense, I don't know how to write drunk, and I hate dialogue as it is.

So uh, yeah, I'm back. Sorry about the wait. Having a job sucks ass.

Also, Narcotics tag added for soon-to-be excessive alcohol use.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what y'all think in the comments.

* See chapter 52 for Steve and Trench’s conversation.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 91: History

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Step, step, step.

Creak.

Thump.

“Hey Steve.” Spoke a quiet, familiar voice. Steve grinned slightly, but didn’t turn around. Instead he focused his gaze on the surrounding cityscape, of the buildings, some darkened, most lit up, creating a quite beautiful patchwork of lights that reminded Steve of the night sky above.

‘Forgot how beautiful Ironwood is at night.’ Steve thought before responding.

“Hey Lilly. What are you doing up here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” She replied. “Figured you would be downstairs, enjoying the party.”

Steve shrugged. “I was. Just came up here to think a little. I’ll be back down in a bit.”

A sigh, followed by the footsteps softly approaching. The Crafter felt a hand on his shoulder, and he glanced back. His indigo eyes met her pale gray gaze.

“Steve.” Her voice was soft, and her eyes were full of understanding, as if she knew exactly what he was feeling. “It’s alright. We’ve been friends for years, and we’ve been through thick and thin together. You can talk to me about anything.”

Steve opened his mouth to speak, the words right on the tip of his tongue. But the longer he hesitated, the harder it was to say the words. Eventually, he just sighed and looked away. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t have to look to know she was giving him a look of disbelief. “Steve, I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you, but you’re a horrible liar. What’s wrong?”

Steve shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong, Lilly.”

He heard her let out an exasperated sigh before she spoke. “Alright fine, Mr. I-keep-everything-to-myself, how about a deal?”

Steve glanced at her, brow furrowed in confusion as he turned to look at her once more. “A deal?”

Lilly nodded. “Uh-huh. A deal. If I tell you a secret of mine, you have to tell me what’s bothering you.”

“I, what? Why would you…?”

“Because I know something’s bothering you, and you have a nasty habit of keeping your problems locked away.” Lilly responded with a deadpan expression.

“No I don’t. I mean, sure, there have been a few instances where I…” Steve trailed off when he noticed her gaze harden.

“A few instances? Really?” She raised one finger. “The destruction of Mush Isle, your home village, which caused you to go on a miniature, one-man campaign against any and all mobs you came across, which nearly got you, me and Miranda killed.” She raised another finger. “The Ember Mines collapse, where you took it upon yourself to free the trapped miners and take on those fuckers that were responsible.” She raised a third finger. “Alex’s death.”

That last one made Steve flinch slightly, memories of the fiery Crafter resurfacing after months of being pushed down and repressed. The female Crafter sighed and put a hand on his shoulder again. “Please Steve. I just want to help you. All of us do. I can’t think of a single person downstairs that doesn’t owe you in some way, or rather, they would owe you if you actually expected payment for saving them. We want to help you, but we can’t if you don’t let us.”

“This, it isn’t something they can help with. It’s, personal.” Steve replied.

“Well, is it something I can help with?” She inquired.

‘Yes.’ “No, probably not.” He spoke, pushing the lie to the back of his head.

“...Are you sure?”

Steve was ready to lie. He was ready to look her straight in the eye and say yes. And yet, when he did look her in the eye, he found he couldn’t. Maybe it was her small, kind smile, or the genuine sincerity in her voice, but either way, Steve couldn’t bring himself to lie to her. Not again.

Slowly, he shook his head. “No… No, I’m not sure at all.”

She nodded, ever-so-slightly. “Do you want to tell me?”

Steve was silent for a while. In reality, he really didn’t want to. Oh, by Notch he didn’t want to. But then, he remembered a conversation he and a friend of his, Roland, had a few weeks prior.

‘You never know a good thing till it’s gone Steve.’ The gray-haired Crafter spoke, a sad look in his eyes. ‘I waited too long, and I lost my chance. Don’t make the same mistake I did. If you’re given the chance, take it. You won’t get another one.’

He sighed. ‘Roland, I really hope you’re right about this.’

Steve gave a quick nod before taking a deep breath and lifting his gaze up to meet hers.

“Lilly, I-”

“...love you.”

Steve was frozen, in both body and mind. His legs refused to move, and his brain was shocked into silence at the words that had just left the pegasi’s mouth.

‘...what?’ He thought. Eventually, after an indeterminate amount of time, Steve managed to force his body to turn around.

Dash was still smiling in her sleep, completely unaware of the words she’d just said.

‘Onyx, did-’ Steve took a deep breath. ‘Did I just hear that? Did I just hear her say-?’

‘That she loves you?’ The Nightmare replied. ‘Indeed you did, and I must say, it’s about time too.’

‘What?’

‘Yes. I know you never put the pieces together, because despite everything, you are quite oblivious, but I discovered a little while back that Miss Dash here harbors feelings for you.’

‘Wait, you did? How long have you known?’

‘Since the events in Cloudsdale.’ Onyx responded. Steve narrowed his gaze.

‘You’ve known for a week, and you didn’t think to tell me?!’

‘Would you have believed me?’

Steve was about to respond, but after thinking for a moment, slowly shook his head. ‘No, probably not. I probably would’ve just thought you were messing with me.’

‘Exactly. I knew telling you wouldn’t have done anything, so I resolved to wait until you’d found out yourself, like you just did today.’

Steve nodded slightly as he slowly approached the sleeping mare. With a sigh, he sat down on the floor a foot or two away, staring at the peaceful pegasus with a blank expression on his face.

‘...Steve? Are you alright?’ Onyx hesitantly asked.

“I, I don’t know.” The Crafter replied. “I’m just, I don’t know, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do now.”

‘What do you mean?’

“Well, I just figured out that one of my arguably best friends is apparently in love with me. Onyx, I’m still not quite used to having friends again, so how am I supposed to deal with, well, this?” Steve gestured at Dash.

‘Well, do you return her feelings?’ The Nightmare inquired.

“I…” Steve stopped. He thought about Onyx’s question.

Did he?

He definitely cared a lot about her, but he also cared about a lot of people. But did he feel something more about her? Did he love her?

Steve wasn’t very experienced with love. In his 17 years of existence, there was only one girl who’d ever caught his eye. Lillian Bloodleaf, or Lilly for short. She’d been one of Steve’s first friends, and had been through thick and thin with him. The two had grown close, and eventually after Steve confessed his love to her, (and her’s to him) the two had started dating. However, it wasn’t meant to be. During the Diamond Wars, Lilly, a general in Ironwood’s army, was killed in battle when her and her platoon were defending a few of Ironwood’s mining villages. When Steve had found her, well, there was no blow he’d ever taken that pained him as much as learning of Lilly’s death had.

Steve closed his eyes as a dull ache filled his chest. It had been nearly a decade and a half since her death, but it still affected him. Shaking his head, Steve focused back on the matter at hand, the question of whether or not he loved Rainbow Dash.

And if Steve was being honest with himself, he didn’t know.

“I, don’t know.” Steve spoke, hesitantly.

‘You don’t know?’ Onyx reiterated.

The Crafter shook his head. “No. Maybe I do, and I’m just subconsciously hiding those feelings, but what I feel for Dash doesn’t feel like love love. It’s more like, the love I feel for my friends, and family. The love I feel for Trench, for Celestia, for you.” Steve sighed. “Maybe, over time, we could be something more, but right now, I can’t imagine Dash as anything other than a good friend.”

‘I see.’ Onyx spoke. ‘Well, if that is your answer, and you feel it is the truth, then I suppose I have no argument. However, what do you intend to do, now that you know about Miss Dash’s feelings?’

Steve thought for a moment before answering.

“First, I’ll see if she remembers saying what she did when she wakes up, since she was drunk, and could very well forget about saying anything. If she does remember, we’ll talk. If she doesn’t I’ll pretend she never said anything. If she wants to tell me, then I’ll have it be on her own terms, not told to me when she’s drunk off her ass.”

‘So, will we be waiting for her to wake up then?’ Onyx inquired.

“Yeah.” Steve replied, nodding. “If she does remember, then it would be best to talk about this in an environment that’s more comfortable for her.” The Crafter took a bit of a look around. “In the meantime, I think this place could do with a bit of clean up, don’t you think?”

‘That it does.’

Without another word, Steve got to work, being careful that his cleaning did not disturb the mare sleeping nearby.

* * * * *

Trench let out a loud sigh as he rubbed his face with two hooves.

‘Buck me sideways.’ He thought as he glanced up at Princess Celestia, who was sitting opposite him. The alicorn in question merely gave him a hard, but calm look. The pair were sitting in the Captain’s Quarters at the Ponyville Barracks. Derpy, as far as Trench knew, had been taken to the hospital to check her out after ramming into that wall.

“General Trench.” She eventually spoke.

Trench took a deep breath before responding. “Yes Your Majesty?”

“Do you know why you’re here?”

“Yeah. It’s because of what happened earlier today with Miss Derpy.”

“Indeed. However, I am still quite lost as to what exactly happened today with Miss Hooves. So please General, tell me what happened.”

“I… It’s a long story, your majesty, and to be honest, Princess Celestia, it’d probably be better for Steve to tell you the whole thing.”

“We have time, General, not to worry. But why would it be better for Steve to tell me?”

Trench let out a humorless chuckle. “Cause he actually remembers what happened.” The alicorn gave him a confused look, prompting the stallion to explain. “Your Majesty, do you remember a few months, when Steve attacked the Ponyville Barracks?”

She nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly. “Yes, I doubt anypony in Ponyville has forgotten about that.”

“You remember why he attacked?”

She nodded again. “Yes, because Miss Hooves had been detained illegally and was being threatened for information.”

“And you know who did it, right? The threatening?” At this, Celestia shook her head sadly.

“Unfortunately, I do not. I tried finding out from those who were at the barracks that night, but for some reason, not a single one knew who had been interrogating Miss Hooves that night. Even Sure Shot, despite somehow having inside knowledge of the event, told me he did not know, while under a Truth spell. Nopony knows who did that to poor Derpy.”

“I do.” Trench spoke. The alicorn straightened up at his words.

“You do?”

The stallion nodded. “Yeah. I don’t remember either, but this was what Steve told me.” He took a deep breath. “He said that I was the one who interrogated her. He said that I was the one that threatened her, and hit her. He told me that that night, he was going to kill me. He was going to kill me right then and there, and to be honest Princess, I wouldn’t have blamed him.” Trench shook his head, tears springing up in the corners of his eyes. “The only reason why I’m still alive is because Derpy begged Steve to let me live. She begged him to not kill her captor. Me.”

Trench let his gaze fall in shame. “I don’t remember doing it Princess. I don’t remember any of it, and I think that’s worse. Because Steve was only there for a few minutes, when I think we’d had her in custody for a few hours. I don’t want to think about what I did to her during that time. I really don’t. I just, the reason I wanted to talk to her today was because Steve suggested I do so last week. He said that maybe it might help, I don’t know, like help her not to be utterly terrified of me.” Trench sighed. “But we both saw what happened today. There’s no way it’ll happen. Not now, not in a million years.”

The pair sat in silence for a while, neither so much as speaking. Eventually Trench, confused by the alicorn’s silence, looked up to see her looking at him with a blank expression. Trench furrowed his brow slightly.

“Uh, Princess?”

“There is something I must do, Trench Digger.” Celestia spoke suddenly, with a voice akin to steel. “I will return later, and until I do, you are not to leave this room. Is that understood?”

Trench silently nodded, gaze falling back to the floor. “Yes, your Majesty.”

Without another word, the alicorn left the room, leaving the sorrowful stallion by himself. And in the solitude of that room, Trench let a few scarce tears fall.

Author's Note

So, uh yeah. Sorry if any of you wanted Steve to love her back, but I just don't feel like he would yet. Dunno about later on though.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what y'all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 92: Who he was...

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

‘...ugh.’

Dash silently groaned as she slowly came around, only for her head to pound. She grit her teeth as she pressed a hoof to her head and groaned once more.

“Ow. Buck headaches” She mumbled irritably. Letting out a silent groan, she managed to sit up. Rubber the side of her head, Dash took a quick look at her surroundings.

She was in her living room, sitting on her couch. She blinked, confused.

“...did I pass out again?” She muttered as she rubbed her chin, headache momentarily forgotten.

“Dash?” Spoke a very familiar voice. The prismatic mare’s eyes shot open and turned towards where the voice had come from.

There, much to her surprise, was Steve. The Crafter stood in the doorway to her kitchen, a half-empty bag of assumedly garbage in one hand. The front of his clothes was spattered with drops of water, and his jeans were covered in dirt and stains.

“Steve?” Dash spoke, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s… a bit of a long story.” The Crafter replied, putting the bag of garbage down as he walked over to her. “How are you feeling?”

Suddenly, Dash’s headache reared its ugly head, causing her to groan and press a hoof against her temple. “Ugh… I’ve got a headache the size of Canterlot, but besides that, I feel fine.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Steve responded, reaching into his Inventory and withdrawing a sizable, metal bucket. “Here. Drink this.”

Brow raised, Dash took the bucket and peered inside to see it was nearly filled to the brim with milk. The pegasus gave Steve a confused look, prompting the Crafter to explain.

“Buckets of milk always make me feel better. Figured it would maybe work for you too.”

“Steve, eating food makes your body heal wounds that would cripple normal ponies, buck, maybe even the Princesses.”

“Granted.” Steve conceded. “Still, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Dash, after a moment, shrugged, then gulped down the bucket’s contents. After she was finished, she let out a sigh as she handed the bucket back to Steve, who stored it away in his Inventory.

“How do you feel now?” The Crafter inquired.

Dash wiped her mouth clean of the white liquid. “I…” She hesitated for a moment when she realized that, much to her shock, the headache she’d been suffering with for the past couple of minutes, had suddenly disappeared altogether.

“I feel, better.” She spoke, sounding surprised. “My headache is gone, at least.”

“See?” Steve spoke, grinning. “Told ya it would make you feel better.”

“Yeah.” Dash replied, still pondering how drinking the milk had made her feel better. After a moment, she shook her head, resolving to ask Twilight about it later. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Steve replied as he turned away, presumably to go back to her kitchen, where he’d come from.

‘Wait, I still don’t know why he’s here in the first place.’ Rainbow realized.

“Anyways, while I’m glad for your help, what exactly are you doing here?”

The Crafter stopped, let out a small sigh, then turned back around, his brow furrowed slightly.

“Dash, what’s the last thing you remember before waking up?”

“I… Why?” Dash asked, now more confused and a little worried.

“Just, humor me.”

Dash, after a moment, put a hoof to her chin in thought. “I, remember waking up this morning.”

“Yeah?”

“I had breakfast, brushed my teeth, all that jazz. Picked up the mail from my porch. I wanted to go back into town for some things, but, well…” She gestured to her still bandaged wing, to which Steve nodded.

“Got it. Continue.”

“Well, I passed the time, can’t remember what exactly I did. And then…”

She stopped.

Memories of what had happened earlier in the day sprung to the forefront of Dash’s mind. She remembered the bitter taste of alcohol in her mouth, the haze that had overtaken her mind, blurring her memories of what happened. She remembered why-

Dash shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, just got lost in thought. To be honest, I don’t remember what happened afterwards. It’s all kinda hazy.”

Steve gave a small sigh as he sat down on a nearby couch. “Yeah, I figured. Well, to answer your question, I came here to talk to you after Derpy helped me realize why you were avoiding me.”

Dash’s eyes widened. “I… I wasn’t, I mean, I wasn’t trying to, avoid…” She trailed off when she saw the look of disbelief on his face.

“Yes you were Dash. I don’t blame you, all things considered, but you were still trying to avoid me.”

Dash let her face fall. “You… You’re right. I was trying to avoid you.” She turned her gaze upwards to meet Steve’s again. “But it wasn’t your fault!” She spoke hurriedly. She took a breath, then looked away. “It was mine.”

Steve quirked a brow. “What?”

Dash let out a sigh. “I…” She stopped. “I keep forgetting who you are.”

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Steve, I keep forgetting who you are. You’re not some stallion, you’re not even a pony. You’re a guy who’s been through so much. You’ve fought in wars, lost friends and allies. You lost the…” She hesitated, but pushed past the stab of pain in her chest. “Love of your life. And when you came here, you were hurt by many ponies, me included. But despite this, you managed to not only fight every single one of them off, but you managed to make peace and even become friends with ponies like me, Derpy and Dinky.” A small smile appeared on Dash’s face. “You took on Herobrine, a literal god, and managed to beat him. You’re almost the picture perfect definition of a superhero. Strong, tough, forgiving, kind.” She sighed as the smile on her face faded.. “And yet, despite me knowing all of this, when I saw you falling, I just, it’s as if all of that information went right out the window. In that moment, all I thought was about you-” She stopped when Steve put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see the Crafter looking at her with an expression of understanding.

“I know.” He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. “And I’m sorry.”

‘He’s… sorry?’ Dash thought. She shook her head.

“No, Steve, you shouldn’t be the one to apologize. I-”

“You’re wrong.” Steve softly interrupted. “I do have something to apologize for. I shouldn’t have put you through what I did.” He sighed. “I suppose, even after all this time, I don’t remember who I am either.”

‘What?’ Dash thought.

“What?” Her voice echoed her thoughts.

The Crafter chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose that’s a bit confusing, right?” At her slow nod, he elaborated. “Dash, do you know what I did after, well, after I finally defeated Herobrine? Back in my world?”

Dash thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“Well, the long and short of it was that even though my race was dead, there were still people for me to help?”

“Really? Who?”

“My creator, Notch, had first created a race of peaceable, hard-working people, called the Testificates, although everyone just called them Villagers for short. These people would live in villages of varying sizes and any passing Crafter could stop for a night or two, and trade, eat, and rest. Though the trading bit was a little difficult, since Testificates and Crafter’s didn’t speak the same language. Regardless, while my race was gone, their kind was still alive and relatively well. So I spent most of my seven years alone wandering from village to village, fending off pillagers and doing what I could to help the Testificates. I eventually got into a rhythm of sorts, but that’s besides the point. The point is… that in all that time, I stopped caring about myself.”

Dash flinched ever-so-slightly in shock. “What? Why?”

Steve shrugged. “I suppose it was a combination of feeling lost, my incessant altruism, and the crushing reality of my status as the last of my kind. After a while, my own life just, I don’t know, stopped mattering to me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t really want to die, but at the same time, I…” Steve thought for a moment. “Well, I guess at the same time I kind of did.” Looking at Dash, the Crafter saw the horrified expression the mare wore. He sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but can ya blame me? After everything that happened, I just wanted the pain to stop. I just wanted- look, my point is I still haven’t entirely worked myself out of the mindset that I don’t have anyone who cares about me, that if I die, then so what? I have friends now. You, Derpy, Dinky, Trench, Celestia. You guys care about me, and the last thing I want is to hurt you guys.” Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “But at the same time, I’d much rather lose my own life than lose one of you guys. If I’m ever in a situation where it’s my life, or one of your guys’, then I would gladly give up my life if it meant just one of you would be okay. Because if I’m being honest, I don’t want to lose another friend. I’d rather die than lose another friend. Mostly because I care about you all. But also because…” Steve hesitated, then looked down. “I’m not sure I could take losing one of you.”

Dash stared at the Crafter, who’s gaze was focused entirely on her floor. After a moment, she slowly scooted towards Steve. Then, when she was right beside him, she wrapped her hooves around him. She heard a small, almost inaudible gasp and felt Steve tense slightly as she did so, but eventually, he relaxed and returned the hug.

“Thanks.” He whispered after a moment.

She smiled. “No problem Steve.”

* * * * *

They sat like that for a while, arms/hooves wrapped around each other until Steve finally decided that they’d hugged for a rather long time, and he pulled away.

“Sorry about that.” He muttered, scooting away. “I usually don’t hug people that long.”

“Oh no, it’s fine.” Dash reassured with a chuckle. Steve mentally face-palmed.

‘Of course she’s fine with it, you complete idiot.’ He chided himself. ‘She apparently has a big crush on you. Speaking of which…’

“Hey Dash?” Steve spoke.

“Yeah?” The mare responded.

“I was just wondering something. Do you, well, remember saying anything to me after I got here, if you remember me coming here at all?”

Dash thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, not really. I can kinda recall you showing up at some point, but it’s mostly just a blur.” She shook her head, then glanced back at Steve. “Why? Did I say something?”

“Uh, no, not really. Well, nothing I didn’t already know.” Steve lied. Dash squinted at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I-” Steve began, but stopped when Onyx spoke up.

‘Steve, a familiar magic aura has locked onto our position. It is Princess Celestia.’

Steve shot to his feet, surprising Dash. “Steve? What’s-”

Before the mare could finish, Steve felt a familiar tugging sensation in his gut. There was a bright flash of light, and when he could see again, Steve knew he was no longer at Dash’s home.

He was in a rather simple wooden room, with a large, plain table, at which sat a few chairs. In the room with him was the familiar form of Celestia. The alicorn sat on the side of the table opposite him. The mare was smiling at him, though Steve saw her eyes, narrowed ever-so-slightly, and her fore-hooves, which were crossed on the table, were tensed up.

Steve was immediately on guard. Something wasn’t right.

“Celestia.” He spoke, cordial. The mare nodded.

“Steve. Thank you for joining me.”

“Not like I had much of a choice in the matter.” He responded. “Why am I here?”

“Ah. Well, you see Steve, the answer to that is rather simple.” Celestia responded, leaning back ever-so-slightly. “I have many questions regarding an event that took place a few months ago. An event involving an unlawful arrest, a couple dozen guards, one strange, bipedal being, and a mare, named Derpy Hooves.”

Steve’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh. That. Well, that’s a bit of a long story, but as I’m sure you know most of it, I’ll skip the unimportant bits. Though, if I may ask, this was months ago. What brought this up now?”

“Because I know it was Trench.”

‘...Fuck.’

“I know it was him that did that to Miss Hooves, Steve, but I still don’t know the full picture. Only you do.” The alicorn leaned forward, her head hanging slightly as she let out a tired sigh. For a moment, her facade dropped, and Steve could see that she was tired, and very tense. Her once flawless magical mane was a little droopy, and slightly unkempt. Her wings fluttered slightly every-so-often. Her posture was slack.

“While I do not know you as well as I’d like, I can tell you have a strong sense of justice. Of right and wrong. And I know that if you let Trench go unpunished this long, there must be a reason. So please, Steve. Tell me why Trench shouldn’t be imprisoned for his crimes right now.”

Steve stared at her for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “....Alright. I suppose, of all people you should know what happened that night. But please, let me get to the end before you ask any questions because you’ll have some. I know you'll have some because I still do myself, if I’m being honest.”

“Alright.” Celestia agreed. With a nod of affirmation, Steve took a breath, then began his tale.

Author's Note

There are undoubtedly a few mistakes, but it's late, and I'm just getting this out there, so I'll fix them later.

Anyways, thanks for reading!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 93: Premonition

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve opened his eyes.

A castle stood in front of him, tall, dark and imposing. The wind howled as it blew through the nearby treetops. Suddenly he was rushing forward, albeit without his legs actually moving. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a rather large-ish room. There was a dilapidated stone staircase to his left and a massive hole in the wall to his right, the kinda hole that made it look like there had never been a wall there in the first place. In front of him, much to Steve's surprise, were a few familiar faces.

The first was Nightmare Moon. The alicorn stood with her back towards the previously mentioned hole in the wall, facing off against six mares. Those mares were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. All six of them floated in the air, each wearing their respective Element of Harmony. * Their eyes glowed as white at their respective element.

They seemed to be frozen in time, one moment away from purging Princess Luna of the Nightmare that had taken her over.

‘But, this was months ago.’ Steve remembered. ‘What am I-?’

“We see you, Steve.”

The Crafter’s eyes widened in shock as a mysterious voice suddenly spoke. It was deep and ominous, and seemed to be coming from nowhere at all.

‘Who…?’

“We know who you are.”

Suddenly the scene shifted again, and Steve found himself in the middle of Ponyville. He looked around to see none other than himself, running through down the cobblestone street. Dash was following after him, a furious look on her face.

‘My first day in Ponyville.’ Steve realized, just before the scene shifted again. And again. And again.

Each time it did, Steve recognized the scene. The night he’d fought to find and free Derpy from the Ponyville Guards.

Talking with Dash and her friends at Sugarcube Corner.

Facing off against Herobrine.

Standing his ground against the Nightmother.

Walking with Dash and her friends through Cloudsdale.

‘How-?’

“His power grows.” The voice spoke again, just as the scene shifted to something that Steve did not recognize. It was a large and nearly empty castle courtyard. Empty, save for the rather strange-looking statue in front of him.

It was tall draconequus, similar to the ones Steve had read about in some history book at Derpy’s house. This particular one stood atop a pedestal, one which his tail coiled around. One bear-like arm was crossed against his chest, while the other, which looked similar to a chicken leg, was flailed out to the side. His mouth was open wide, as if he was in the middle of shouting.

Steve took a step back, brow furrowed. ‘What the Nether?’

“The day draws near.”

Suddenly, all at once, the statue cracked, sending out a spray of stone fragments. The next moment, Steve found himself back in the first room he’d been in, with the six mares facing off against Nightmare Moon. However, this time, the six Elements of Harmony suddenly came off their bearer’s shoulders (and head), coming to float directly in front of Steve. One by one, each Element glowed, and the voice spoke with each one.

The first glowed orange. “Honesty.”

The second lit up pink. “Kindness.”

The third, red. “Loyalty.”

The fourth flared blue. “Laughter.”

The fifth, purple. “Generosity.”

And lastly, the crown, lit up magenta. “And Magic.”

“Seek them out.” The Elements slowly began to fade out of sight. “It is your only hope.”

Steve opened his mouth to speak, to say anything, but there was a sudden bright flash of light, and then everything went black.

* * * * *

Steve’s eyes shot open and he sat up, breathing heavily. Panting, he wiped his brow, which was soaked with sweat.

‘Steve? Are you alright?’ Onyx inquired, sounding worried. Steve took a deep breath, then nodded.

‘Yeah. Yeah, I’m-’

“Mr. Steve?” Came a small, worried voice from the Crafter’s right. Looking up, Steve saw Dinky watching him from the living room doorway. It was at that moment that Steve remembered where he was.

He was at Derpy’s house. After he’d given Celestia the full story, the Princess had thought for a little while before deciding that given what he’d told her, Trench would suffer no consequences for what had happened. However, when she asked Steve if she’d received help, and when the Crafter had shook his head, she had requested that Derpy seek help, which Steve agreed with. After arriving at Derpy’s house to talk to the mare about seeking help, Derpy had requested that he stay for a while. They talked for a while, Derpy agreed to try and find help, and Steve ate dinner with Derpy and Dinky. One thing led to another, and Steve found himself staying the night on Derpy’s couch. He’d slept fine, at least until…

‘The nightmare.’ Steve thought, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow. ‘What the Nether was that?’

“Mr. Steve? Are you okay?” Dinky asked, sounding even more worried due to the Crafter’s silence. Steve shook his head to clear his thoughts before looking at Dinky.

“Sorry Dinky. Just got lost in thought.” He responded. “Yeah, I’m good. Just had a nightmare.”

‘Wait.’ He thought.

“What are you doing up, Dinky?” The Crafter asked.

“Oh. I was gonna get some water, but I heard you making noises and talking in your sleep.”

Steve furrowed his brow in confusion. “Did I say anything, or was it just mumbles and stuff?”

“Uh, it was mostly just mumbling, but you also said things like, uh…” She thought for a moment. “Elements, rainbow and who are you? That last one you said a couple times.”

“Hmm.” Steve murmured, thinking back to the dream (or nightmare, depending on your perspective) that he’d had.

“What was it about?” Dinky asked. Steve hesitated for a moment, then responded.

“You know, I’m still not entirely sure myself. I think I got visited by some other-worldly being that told me that I need to ‘seek out’ the Elements of Harmony, since it’ll be my only chance to take on this probably powerful draconequus that was stone? For some reason.”

“You mean Discord?” Dinky spoke up.

Steve quirked a brow. “Discord? As in, ‘Lord of Chaos’, Discord?” The filly nodded.

“Yeah! Ms. Cheerilee taught us about him a little while ago, though I don’t remember a lot of what she told us. What I do remember is that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used the Elements of Harmony to turn him to stone, and his statue has been in the Canterlot Castle gardens ever since.”

“That makes sense, then.” Steve muttered, more to himself than to Dinky. “Discord is pretty powerful from what Onyx told me, and if I have to face off against someone as powerful as Discord is, then I should probably use what worked against him last time.”

“Wait, what!?” Dinky exclaimed. Steve blinked in confusion.

“What?”

“What do you mean you have to fight him, Mr. Steve?! He’s Discord! I mean, you’re pretty strong and stuff too, Mr. Steve, but Discord, he’s…” She trailed off.

“Powerful?” Steve finished. She nodded. “Well, you’re right. He is. But I’ve fought my fair share of powerful enemies. And, don’t forget, this time, said powerful enemy has an explicit weakness, one that just-so-happens to live here in Ponyville! Well, their bearers do, I mean.” Steve corrected. “Besides, given my luck and record, I’ll end up fighting him no matter what, so I should prepare while I have time.” Despite Steve trying his best to sound encouraging, Dinky still looked worried. The Crafter sighed, then put a hand on her shoulder. “Dinky.”

She looked up at him, and Steve put on his best smile.

“Don’t worry. It’ll all be okay in the end. I guarantee it!”

Dinky, after a moment, grinned back at him, and nodded. “Okay Mr. Steve.”

“Alright, good. Now, if I didn’t know any better, I would believe that it is way past someone’s bed time.”

Dinky’s eyes widened, then shot around to look at the grandfather clock on the wall to their right.

“Oh shoot, it’s late!” She exclaimed, then quickly ran out of the room with a quick “Goodnight Mr. Steve!” before she was gone. A moment later, Steve heard the quiet creak of her door closing. After a few moments, Steve’s smile faded and he laid back on the couch he’d been sleeping on with a sigh.

“Shit.” He muttered, rubbing his face with one hand.

‘Indeed.’ Onyx agreed.

Steve laid there for a while, thinking, pondering over what he should do with the information the dream/vision/message/whatever-the-fuck-that-was had given him. Eventually, Steve, seeing no better option, instead chose to go back to sleep.

“Hmm.” He murmured as sleep began to take him. “Maybe it’s about time I take Celestia up on her offer and pay her protege a visit.” *

* * * * *

Celestia sat upon her throne, looking down at the lime green earth pony before her.

“...is a good one.” She spoke warmly. “I shall send a letter to Mr. Keeper, and he shall see it done.”

The stallion bowed low. “T-thank you, your Majesty.” With that, the pony walked out of the throne room, the door shutting behind him with a heavy thud. The pale alicorn let out a small sigh, then glanced over at her assistant, who sat nearby.

“Is that the last one for today Raven?”

The earth pony mare looked down at her clipboard, then nodded. “Yes, you Highness. There was one more meeting, but it was canceled.”

“Alright.” Celestia responded, nodding as she began to get down off her throne. “In that case, send a request to Chef Baked Bean for a pot of tea to be brought to-”

The alicorn was cut off as she suddenly felt a wave of a dreadingly familiar kind of magic wash over her. It only lasted a moment, but it figuratively knocked her off her hooves. She caught her breath, one hoof gently pressed against her chest.

“Your Majesty?” Raven inquired, curious as to why she had stopped talking so suddenly. However, one look at her expression, which was filled with dread, and the mare understood.

“Did it happen again?” She quietly inquired. The alicorn, after a moment, nodded.

“Yes, it did. Have there been any updates from the guards?”

Raven shook her head. “No. Save for the initial cracking of it’s foundations, Discord’s statue has otherwise remained unchanged.”

“Good.” Celestia nodded. “That’s good. Though it is probably unnecessary, be sure to remind them to not let their guard drop for a moment. If there are any changes, I need to know.”

“Consider it done, Princess. Shall I send a summons for the Elements?”

The alicorn thought for a moment, but eventually shook her head. “No, not yet. Have the guards maintain their watch, and if the situation worsens, then the Element bearers will be summoned.”

Raven nodded. “Very well. It will be done.” With that, the mare turned and swiftly left the room, the heavy doors closing behind her with a resounding thud. Celestia sat down, pressing a hoof against her forehead.

A million thoughts raced through the alicorn’s head, though at the forefront of her mind was Discord’s inevitable return. But along with that was the thought of a certain Crafter. A Crafter who would, if his record was anything to go by, going to end up battling the Lord of Chaos. A Crafter who’d expressed a keen belief that he would die at the hands of his enemies.

And for the first time, Celestia found herself thinking he was right.

Author's Note

* Steve learned about the Elements of Harmony from Rainbow Dash.

*See Chapter 78 for Celestia's letter

Believe me, the time skip was necessary.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what y'all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 94: A Three-sided Coin (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Splish.

Splash.

She sighed, kicking up a bit of the metaphysical sand with her foot, the sand disappearing after a moment of air time. With another heavy sigh, she crossed her arms and tucked her knees up to her chest.

Splish

The small waves continued to break gently against the shore of the Astral plane.

Splash

Whoooooooooosh!

She didn’t move at the sudden noise, having grown accustomed to it over time. She just listened to the sound of footsteps slowly approaching until they stopped just beside her.

“Abyss?” Notch spoke, sounding both confused and concerned.

“Yeah?”

“......Are you alright?”

“Not really, no.”

“Hmm.” The god murmured. “Would it have anything to do with why you called me here?”

The dragoness gave the barest of nods.

“Ah.” Notch waited a moment, then sat down. “Knowing who you are, I’m going to assume it involves a certain Crafter?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“I….” Abyss hesitated for a moment, then continued. “I don’t think Steve should stay in Equestria.”

“What? Why?” Notch inquired.

“Because something’s coming.” The sky darkened ever-so-slightly. “I’ve been to Canterlot a few times in the past weeks, to keep up with that villager girl that ended up here, Martha I think her name was, ever since you’d asked me to watch over her until you gathered enough strength to create a portal back to Minecraftia. And, I talked with Princess Celestia. Apparently, a threat known as Discord, this weird, mis-matched being that can apparently alter the world with a snap of his fingers, is coming back.

Notch furrowed his brow. “Alter the world?”

Abyss nodded. “Yeah. From what I can tell, some big event happened way back when, something to do with Celestia and Luna’s parents, and the result was Discord. Anyway, he’s been trapped in stone for a millenia, but he’s starting to break free.”

“Hmm.” Notch murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. “Okay, I understand why you’re concerned, but would it not be better for Steve to remain in Equestria, to help his new friends combat this Discord? After all, with his experience fighting against my brother-”

“That experience nearly cost us our lives!!!” Abyss roared, startling Notch with the sudden noise. “We all nearly died facing your brother!! Steve nearly died!! Your brother stabbed him in the damn chest while I just stood there and watched, unable to do a damn thing!!! I thought he’d... he’d…” Abyss drooped down, letting out a shuddering sigh. Notch hesitantly reached out a hand, rubbing her shoulder in a comforting manner.

The two stayed like that for a little while, neither speaking until Abyss finally broke the silence.

“I don’t know what to do, Notch. On one hand, Steve has made some good friends in Equestria, which I think we knew he needed after, well, you know. On the other, in the few month’s that Steve has been in Equestria, he has faced off against the local population, your brother, the Nightmother, and if he stays, he’ll probably end up fighting Discord too. He’s nearly died more times that I can count, and I know that one day, maybe soon, maybe not, but one day, his luck is gonna run out. And he won’t come home.” Abyss sighed, burying her head in her hands. “I just don’t know what to do.”

Notch continued to rub her shoulder, hesitating for a moment before responding. “I think that if Steve wanted to leave Equestria, he would’ve at least asked about it by now. He assuredly would’ve asked me after we all defeated the Nightmother, and yet, he never did. I think he is happy in Equestria, happier then he could’ve ever been in Minecraftia, and after everything he’s been through, everything he’s sacrificed, he deserves a little bit of happiness in his life.”

Abyss, after a moment, nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, he does.” She took a deep breath, sniffling slightly.

“Are you alright?” Notch asked.

The dragoness nodded. “I’m alright. Just thought about something.”

“Care to share?”

She let out a short laugh. “I uh, I don’t think I should, all things considered. It’ll just make things awkward.”

“Awkward? Why would-?”

“Why aren’t you worried?” The dragoness suddenly asked, startling the god with the interruption.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“When I told you about Discord and all that, you didn’t really seem worried. Why?”

Notch stared at her for a few moments before letting out a sigh, his confused expression morphing into one of resignment. He rubbed one side of his face as he responded.

“I am worried, Abyss, though I may not show it. However, I know what happened, and with that, I know what Steve is, and what must one day happen.”

Abyss furrowed her brow in confusion. “What? What do you mean? What happened?”

Notch was silent for a time, seemingly mulling over what to say. Eventually, he let out a sigh. “I suppose it would be easier to just show you.” Lifting a hand, Notch murmured a word and a magical screen appeared in front of them both.

“It all started a long time ago, at the end of the battle that would become known as ‘The Battle of Night and Day...’”

* * * * *

Steve walked down the streets of Ponyville, almost alone save for a few scattered ponies that dotted the cobblestone road in the early hours of the day. The Crafter walked with purpose, one destination in mind.

The Ponyville Public Library, home to one Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant/brother Spike.

If Celestia’s letter* was telling the truth, then Twilight had been told by her mentor to help Steve should he have any questions that needed answering. He was going to take advantage of that and get some much needed information about a certain draconequus.

Soon enough, the giant tree came into view. Out front, Steve saw Spike watering some red-ish flowers out front with a watering can that was almost as tall as he was. The baby dragon had finished up and was about head back inside the library when Steve approached.

“Hello!” The Crafter called out, his voice startling the drake, who whirled around.

“Oh!” Spike spoke, one clawed hand on his chest. “It’s you Steve. You startled me.”

“Sorry.” The Crafter apologized.

“It’s no problem.” Spike responded, shaking his head. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I’m actually here to speak with Miss Twilight. I have a few questions, and Celestia said she could help me.”

Spike’s brow furrowed in confusion, but after a moment, his expression morphed into one of realization. “Oh! Oh yeah, I forgot. Uh, sure, come on in. Twilight’s inside.” The baby dragon turned around and opened the door to the tree before walking inside, with Steve following close behind.

Closing the door behind him, Steve took a quick look around the room. It looked almost the same from the last time he’d been there, though quite a few of the books were sitting in neatly stacked piles on the floor rather than on the shelves.

‘Hmm.’ Steve thought. ‘Probably reorganizing or something.’

“Twilight!” Spike called. “We got a visitor!”

“One moment!” The vaguely familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle called back from somewhere else in the library. Spike nodded, before glancing at Steve.

“Sorry about that. She had a bit of a late night last night.”

Steve dismissed the drake’s apology with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. I’ll just browse a bit until she’s ready.”

“Got it.” With that, Spike walked away, passing through a nearby doorway into a different room, leaving the Crafter alone for the time being. Now by his lonesome, Steve took to looking over the nearby bookshelves, gaze skimming over dozens of titles.

“Clear Vial’s All-Purpose Guide to Potions and Tonics. Herbs and their uses. Equestria: Flora and Fauna.” Steve quietly read as he walked between the shelves. While there were a few potionology books that caught his eye, he ignored them for the time being, making a mental note to come back to them at a later date, given he survived his inevitable bout with Discord. After coming to the end of the row, Steve moved to the next, continuing to read the titles of the books as he passed by, looking for anything that caught his eye.

“Arcana Lore and Myths. Magic and the Great Beyond. Arc-core, and its uses. The Lost Art of Soul Magic?”

That last one had caught his eye. Stooping down, he pulled the old book from it’s spot on the shelf. Looking at the cover, he saw a picture of an old, brown, bearded stallion, wearing a cloak. His horn and eyes both glowed white, lighting up the gray, barren rock around him. He was staring forward, a fierce expression on his face, as if he was facing down some terrible enemy and refused to lose.

“Soul Magic.” Steve muttered. “Ever hear of something like that, Onyx?”

‘I have not.’ The Nightmare replied. ‘Then again, I myself am not very knowledgeable about magic as a whole, so perhaps I am not the best person to ask.’

“Mr. Steve?”

Steve looked up to see Twilight Sparkle standing at the end of the row, a few books held in her magical grip.

“Ah, Miss Sparkle.” The Crafter replied as he turned to face her, book still in hand. “Hello again. It’s been a while.”

“That it has.” She replied. Her gaze wandered over the Crafter, coming to a stop on the book he held. “Oh. What book do you have there?”

“Uh, some book about…” He glanced at the cover again. “Soul magic. It caught my eye, so I figured I’d check it out.” Steve knelt down and returned the book to its proper place. Upon standing back up, he saw the books Twilight had been holding were gone as well, probably magically returned to their respective places.

“Soul magic?” She spoke, sounding curious.

“Yeah. You know anything about it?” Steve inquired, to which she shrugged.

“Well, only what books have told me. Apparently, soul magic is, well, was, a powerful form of magic that only a select few ponies could use back in the day. Unlike how most magic works, the power source of soul magic is the user’s will. It was powerful, but highly dangerous to use, which is probably why it fell out of practice more and more until, one day, the art was lost.”

“What was so dangerous about it?” Steve asked.

“Uh, well, do you remember what happened to Rainbow Dash? When she overcharged?”

Steve nodded, and Twilight continued.

“Well, when that happens to a unicorn using common or standard magic, at best they fall unconscious, and at worse they experience what is commonly called ‘sputtering.’ Basically, they can’t use their magic at all for a few days, but eventually, they go back to normal. However, when a unicorn using soul magic overcharges, well…” Twilight hesitated for a moment, but continued. “They would become Hollow.”

“Hollow?” Steve inquired.

She nodded. “A Hollow pony had no soul. Their coat and mane would lose all its color. They wouldn’t talk or look around, they would just sit there. Of the few pony’s who ever became Hollow, none survived more than a week afterward.” Her face fell, ever-so-slightly. “No matter how much care other ponies tried giving them, eventually the Hollow’s body just, gave up, I suppose.”

“Hmm. Well, I suppose I can see why soul magic fell out of practice.” Steve commented. Twilight nodded.

“Yes. I suppose the high cost wasn’t worth the great power soul magic was capable of. I believe the last known user of soul magic died sometime around the Unification of the Three Pony Tribes, though that is still disputed among historians today.” She took a deep breath, then shook her head. “But anyways, you said you were here for me?”

‘Right. Back on track.’ Steve thought.

“Yes.” The Crafter replied. “I’m going to assume Ce, er, Princess Celestia already told you to help me if I had any questions.”

“Oh! Yes, I remember.” She straightened up a bit. “How can I help you?”

Steve grinned. “What do you know about a draconequus named Discord?”

Author's Note

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Alright, I'm good.

Thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what y'all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 95: A Three-sided Coin (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The question visibly shocked the mare, as seen from her taking a step back.

“Wh- what?” She asked, her smile now replaced with a hesitant frown.. “Why do you want to learn about Discord?”

“Well, that’s a bit of a long story, so to make it short and sweet, I had a weird ass dream, and now I’m pretty sure I’m gonna end up fighting him, so I figured I should get as much info on the bastard as possible before said fight.”

Twilight stood there for a few more moments, donning an expression of complete and utter bewilderment.

“.........WHAT!!!!????” She yelled, the force of the shout blowing Steve’s hair back. He blinked.

“Wow, that was loud.” He muttered as he brushed his hair a bit to get it back to its usual messy look.

“Sorry.” The unicorn muttered. “It’s just, I, I have so many questions.”

“Like what?”

“Um, uh, well, firstly, what do you mean you’ll fight Discord?” She let out a chuckle, shaking her head. “Mr. Steve, while I know you are strong, Discord is, well…”

“I know he’s powerful, Twilight.” Steve responded, expression turning serious. “Far more powerful than I am. However, I have defeated beings far more powerful than myself a few times, and I’ve come out on top each time. Granted, each time has nearly killed me, but regardless.” He sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. “I don’t want to fight him, but fate seems to have it out for me, and I’m probably going to end up duking it out with him anyways, so I want to be prepared. Now,” He kneeled down, evening his gaze with the mare. “What do you know about Discord?”

She stared at him for a moment, her small grin falling as she did so, as if finally realizing just how serious he was. This was proven a moment later when she spoke.

“You’re serious.” It wasn’t a question.

He nodded. “Yeah. I had a dream, a vision, if you will, and whoever was talking to me told me two things.” He put up one finger. “One, that I would be fighting Discord.” He put up a second finger. “Two, that the Elements of Harmony are my only hope to make it out of the fight alive. I know that you, Dash and the rest of your friends are capable of using the Elements, and all of you just so happen to live in Ponyville. With that side of things covered, I want to figure out as much as I can about the bastard so I can be prepared. And that, Miss Sparkle, is where you come in.”

“Me?” She squeaked slightly in shock. Steve nodded.

“You. From what Celestia has told me, you know a ton, about a lot of things. And even if you don’t, you have the resources and drive to figure out more about the things you don’t know. Am I correct on that?”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Spike called from the other room.

“Just about!”

“Thanks!” Steve yelled back before continuing the conversation. “Now, I am facing probably one of the most difficult battles I’ve ever fought, so any and all info about Discord that you have is invaluable to me, Twilight Sparkle.” He took a breath. “So, I will ask again. What do you know about a draconequus named Discord?”

She stood there for a second or two, mouth hanging open in what was probably shock. After a moment, her jaw clicked shut as she shook her head.

“Um, u-uh, well, i-is there anything in particular you would like to know first?” She asked. “The whole history might take-”

“The whole thing.” Steve interrupted. “I want to know everything. Where he came from, what he did, what his powers are, everything. You never know what might help.”

She hesitated, but conceded the point. “Alright then.” She cleared her throat. “It all started a long time ago, before the Unification of the Three Tribes, before the Ruling of the Two Sisters, way back, in the year 173 BC…”

* * * * *

She was scared.

Ponies were shouting and rushing about. The sky was, yellow? Why was the sky yellow? And where was the sun? It was supposed to be noon, and yet the sun was nowhere to be found.

She stumbled as a pony rushed by, clipping her shoulder. Upon righting herself, she looked around, desperate to find a familiar face. Where was-?

“Celly!” A familiar voice cried. Whirling around, she saw a large silver-colored alicorn rushing towards her, a scared look on her face.

“Mommy!” Celestia cried, running to meet her. The larger alicorn swept her into a hug.

“Oh sweetie. I thought I’d lost you.” She murmured, nuzzling Celestia’s face.

“I’m sorry.” She replied. “I, there was so much noise and I got-”

Her mother shushed her. “It’s okay, dearest. I understand.”

The two stayed like that for a few moments, hugging each other, before Celestia broke the silence between them.

“Mom, what’s going on?” She asked, taking a moment to look at the chaos going on around her. “Why is everypony so scared? And where’s Daddy?”

The larger alicorn hesitated for a few moments before responding. “Daddy, is busy. He’s, not going to be coming home for a while.” Her voice sounded pained, causing a feeling of worry to sprout in Celestia’s gut.

“Why? Where is he?”

“He...He’s-”

“Your Majesty!! Queen Starshine!!”

Both Starshine and Celestia glanced over to see a Royal Guard rushing towards, coming to a stop mere hooves from them.

“What is it, Colonel?” The stallion took a moment to catch his breath before responding.

“He’s coming.”

The alicorn’s breath stopped. Celestia looked up at her mother, confused.

“Who’s coming?”

Starshine didn’t respond for a few moments. Eventually, she took a deep breath, then hoofed Celestia to the guard.

“Mommy?”

“Colonel, take care of my daughter. I will see to this, Discord.” She turned and began walking down the hall.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” The guard replied, depositing Celestia onto his back.

“Mommy!? Mommy!!” Celestia cried out, one hoof outstretched, as if to reach out and grab her mother. Her hoof continued to reach out, even as the guard carrying her turned the corner, causing her mother to disappear from sight.

She would never see her mother again.

* * * * *

Celestia stared out of the window, thoughts drifting back to reality. She blinked, then looked around, as if just remembering where she was.

She was in her personal quarters, sitting on a very comfortable chair, with a simple, but elegant wood-carved table in front of her. A cup of tea, long gone cold, sat on top of a pale, white saucer.

She sighed, then looked back out the window.

‘That happened so long ago.’ She thought. ‘And yet, I can remember what happened clear as day.’ She pushed the tea away, her appetite for it gone.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Yes?” She called.

“Your Majesty?” Came the familiar voice of her assistant, Raven Inkwell. “It’s 10:00. You have a meeting with Cookie Crumb and Green Hoof regarding the produce dispute in fifteen minutes, then another meeting with Mr. Cruncher regarding that tax relief bill at 11:00.”

Celestia sighed. It seemed her free time was up. “One moment!” She called back as she stood up from her chair. Trotting over to the door, she opened it with a flick on her magic, revealing the white unicorn mare standing on the other side.

“Are Cookie Crumb and Green Hoof already waiting?” Celestia asked, closing the door behind her as her and Raven began walking.

“Cookie Crumb arrived 30 minutes ago. Green Hoof hadn’t shown up when I’d left, so I don’t know.”

“Well, hopefully, she found the time. I know how busy she can get with the gardens and greenhouses.”

Raven gave a small hum in reply, nodding ever-so-slightly as she looked down at the clipboard in her magical grip. Celestia furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Is something the matter Raven?”

The unicorn hesitated, but shook her head. “No, nothing’s the matter, Princess. I’m just thinking.”

“About what, if I may ask?”

“Nothing much. What I’m going to have for lunch, about my bills, which are due in a week, about the possible end of the world. You know, just the normal stuff.”

Celestia closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “Raven-”

“I’m scared, Your Majesty.”

The alicorn’s eyes shot open in shock at the other mare’s statement. Raven met her gaze, a firm expression on her face.

“What?”

“Discord is breaking free, Your Highness. Discord, one of the most powerful beings in recorded history, who has been trapped in stone for thousands of years, is now breaking free. And the one thing that we know for a fact can stop him can only be wielded by ponies that live in a town that’s a three hour train ride away. The very fate of Equestria is in the hooves of a librarian, a farmer, a caretaker, a baker, a fashionista and a weatherpony. Forgive me, but I can’t help but think something will go wrong.”

Celestia winced. “I understand where you’re coming from Raven, but give the mares some credit. They did purge my sister of the Nightmare that had taken her over, something that I myself had failed to do.”

Raven sighed, conceding the point. “That they did. Still, I don’t feel well with leaving it all up to chance. Perhaps if we-”

“No.” Celestia interrupted, gaze narrowing at the mare. “I already know where you’re going with this, and my answer remains the same. I will not bring Steve into this.”

“Why not?” Raven replied, sounding confused. “Mr Steve is tough, strong, a great fighter, and extremely resourceful. If you were to bring him in, along with the Elements, then-”

“Raven.”

The unicorn stopped. “Yes?”

“I will be honest, from a completely logic-based point of view, I see your point. With all of Steve’s strengths and capabilities, along with his want to help others, bringing him into this fight would not only make sense, it would be easy to do so. All I would have to do is ask, and he would probably say yes, simply because of his desire to save lives.”

“....I’m sensing a but.” Raven slowly interjected, to which Celestia nodded.

“You’re right, because I will not. I will not ask him to continue fighting when the one desire he really seeks is to live in peace. He has suffered enough in his short life. He has done things that I could never dream of, faced down opponents without fear where I would’ve been terrified. When he told me of his past…” She sighed, shaking her head as she glanced down. “It, well, it shocked me that such awful things could happen to one so young. That somepo- someone could go through that and still make it out with any amount of their sanity intact. Because if I’m being honest, I’m not so sure I could.” She glanced up to see Raven looking at her with a confused expression.

“...Your majesty, if I may ask. What exactly did happen to Steve?” She asked.

Celestia hesitated for a moment before answering. “That… is for Steve to tell you himself, if he is willing. Safe to say, his past is one full of unspeakable tragedies. And it is for that exact reason why I refuse to ask for his aid. Because I refuse to ask that he fight any longer, when it’s clear fighting is the last thing he wants.”

“And I...I understand that, Princess, truly, I do.” Raven responded, voice displaying her concern. “But what about Equestria?”

Celestia’s breath hitched ever-so-slightly.

“Because, I know you consider Mr Steve your friend, and I understand that you want the best for him, but what about your citizens?” She sounded hesitant and almost, apologetic. “Discord isn’t just a threat to you and Princess Luna, but to Equestria as a whole.” She sighed, waiting a moment before speaking again. “Should one life be the reason to put tens of thousands of lives at risk?

….

The two stood there for a good couple of minutes, neither saying anything. However, Celestia eventually let out a heavy sigh as she hung her head.

“Raven.”

The unicorn mare perked up. “Yes?”

“Take a letter.”

Author's Note

I got this chapter done much earlier than I figured, so here ya go!! I think I'm finally getting back into the groove of things.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what y'all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 96: Transit

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

TOOT TOOOOOOOOOT!!!!

There was a loud blowing of a horn as a colorful train pulled into Ponyville station. Steve sat up slightly from his seat on a nearby bench, watching as the locomotive came to stop. A moment later, four sets of doors on four different train cars opened outward, allowing the ponies waiting inside to leave.

Steve’s gaze wandered over the mares and stallions exiting the train, but found nothing worth really noting. He saw a few vaguely familiar faces, probably having seen them around town, and that was it.

Soon enough, everyone had departed, and Steve stood up from his seat just as he heard the conductor shout from the front of the train.

“All aboard!!!”

Nearby waiting ponies began making their way towards the train, but stopped short when they saw the taller, much more imposing Minecraftian doing the same. Steve was the first to arrive at the doors, being met with a rose-gold colored earth pony stallion with a scruffy white mane that was covered by a conductor’s hat. He wore a dark blue vest with a white collar and a red tie. The pony was fiddling with some sort of pamphlet, so he failed to notice the approaching Crafter until he was mere feet away.

“Hello?” Steve asked, one eyebrow raised. The stallion glanced up, his confused expression swiftly morphing into one of shock.

“Sweet Celestia!!” He cried, falling backwards onto his rear.

“I suppose so.” Steve deftly responded. The stallion looked up, brow furrowed in confusion.

“I-huh?”

Steve shook his head. “Nothing. Bad joke. Anyways, I guess you’re supposed to take my ticket?”

“Uh, I, yes?”

“You don’t sound too sure of that.”

“No, I-” The earth pony stopped, took a breath, then continued. “Sorry sir, you just caught me off-guard. Yes, I’m the pony who’s taking your ticket.”

“Alright then.” Steve responded, nodding as he withdrew the small piece of paper from his Inventory before handing it to the stallion. He looked it over for a moment, nodding to himself all the while, before ripping off a small piece from the bottom and handing it back.

“Okay, everything looks good. Have a good ride sir.”

“Thanks.” The Crafter replied, walking past the doors and into the train car, taking a look around as he did so.

The interior of the car was simple. There were five large cushioned benches on either side with a large piece of beautifully crafted green glass in the middle, making two seats, one on either side. In the middle was a long stretch of green carpet that ran down the aisle, stopping just before a door on the opposite side of the car. Lamps were stationed at regular intervals, hanging from the amber-colored wood, though they weren’t in use, given that it was late morning.

Steve walked down the aisle, choosing a seat on the other end of the car, away from the entrance. He sat down heavily, the wooden legs of the bench creaking ever-so-slightly from his weight. Glancing up, he saw other ponies enter the car, though he could tell from the looks they were giving him that they didn’t feel comfortable.

‘Well, tough luck.’ Steve thought as he closed his eyes, leaning his head back until it gently tapped the glass backing of the seat. ‘My ticket was paid for, so I got every right to be here. I mean, I didn’t pay for it, but Celestia did, so-’

Steve’s train of thought was interrupted by the distinct sound of something landing on the seat next to him. Opening his eyes, he glanced over to his right, curious to see what it was. A pair of big, golden eyes looked back at him. They just so happened to be connected to a mint green colored unicorn mare with a light cyan and white colored mane. Steve’s gaze flickered to her flank, spotting the mare’s Cutie Mark, which looked like a golden lyre. She was sitting right beside him, much too close for comfort, and grinning up at him with a big, almost creepy smile.

“Uhhhhhhh, can I help you?” Steve asked, scooting away from the mare.

“Lyra! What are you doing?” Said a voice from the front of the car. The mint green unicorn’s smile lessened ever-so-slightly as both she and Steve looked up to find the voice’s owner. Coming towards them, with an annoyed expression on her face, was a beige-colored earth pony mare, with pink and blue mane. Her sky blue eyes were narrowed at the mare beside him (apparently named Lyra).

“Oh, hey Bon Bon!” Lyra responded, waving a hoof before pointing at Steve. “Check it out!”

Steve looked down at the mare, brow furrowed in both confusion and irritation, before glancing back at Bon Bon.

“I’m sorry, what the Nether is going on?” The Crafter asked. He looked at Lyra. “Why were you smiling at me like I’m your prized possession? Because if I’m being honest, it’s a little off-putting, and by a little, I mean it’s really freaking off-putting.”

Lyra opened her mouth to respond, but was swiftly interrupted by Bon Bon, who shoved a hoof in the unicorn’s mouth. “Oh, don’t mind her!” Bon Bon exclaimed, waving her other hoof. “She just gets really excited when she sees something or someone new and interesting.

“Mmff, mfff!” Lyra tried to say, only for Bon Bon to take her by the shoulder.

“Very sorry to bother you. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to find our seats.”

Before Steve could say or do anything, Bon Bon had pulled Lyra through the door just behind him, which led to the next car. The door shut with a heavy thunk.

The Crafter sat there for a moment, staring at the door.

‘....Onyx?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Was just wondering if you sensed anything off about those two.’

‘I couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary.’ The Nightmare replied. ‘From what I could tell, they’re just weird.’

‘......huh.’

“Last call!! The train will depart in one minute!”

Steve’s gaze whipped towards the other side of the train car at the sudden shout, only to see the stallion who’d taken his ticket to be waving at something. After the minute had expired, and no new ponies had entered, the stallion grabbed the handle of the train door and closed it. Steve heard the familiar call of the train’s horn, accompanied by a dull but steady rumble, only a few moments before the car jolted ever-so-slightly, and began to move. He looked out the window and saw that Ponyville was moving, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed. Of course, he knew that Ponyville wasn’t actually moving, but from his perspective, that’s what it looked like.

Soon enough, Ponyville was no longer in sight, and Steve’s gaze was met with nothing but long stretches of rolling green hills and open plains, as well as the occasional river. With nothing to really look at, Steve pulled his gaze from the window and instead took a look at the other occupants of the train car.

Only to find that there were none. Steve was the sole occupant of the train car.

Steve let out a sigh. “Well, not sure what I was expecting.”

‘Me neither.’ Onyx spoke. ‘Though I thought at the very least that ponies would know not to fear you, especially after what you said at the press conference was published.’

“People fear what they don’t understand.” Steve replied sadly. “Doesn’t matter what’s true, it’s what they think is true that matters. At least to them, the public. I try to determine what’s true before making any decisions, but as you know, sometimes even I fall short.”

‘But at least you try.’

Steve smirked, nodding. “Yeah. At least I try.”

* * * * *

Dear Steve,

It has been some time since I was last in Ponyville, or since you have been in Canterlot. I hope that everything has gone well for you in that time, and that you are doing alright.

Unfortunately, as you have probably already figured, the purpose of this letter isn’t so we can catch up. I need your help. Equestria needs your help.

There is a threat coming. A threat that puts all of Equestria, even the whole world, at risk. His name is Discord.

Enclosed with this letter is a roundtrip train ticket. Come to Canterlot, please. There is much we must talk about.

Sincerely,

Her Majesty, Princess Celestia.

(q. Raven Inkwell)

Steve stared down at the letter in his hand. He’d read it more than a few times ever since he’d received it via mail earlier that morning. And each time he read it, he got more and more worried, and for a number of reasons.

For one, Celestia was telling him about a coming threat, Discord, just two days after he’d had a dream/vision about Discord coming back. Secondly, she’d said in the letter that he was a threat not just against Equestria, but against the whole world. Steve wouldn’t describe Celestia as the type of person to really exaggerate, so if she was saying Discord was a huge threat, then he was.

Sighing, he slipped the letter back into his Inventory before looking back out the window, hoping the scenery rushing by the window would help to quell the uneasy feeling in his gut.

“Another big fight, and once fucking again I find myself mixed up in it all.” Steve whispered. Letting out a heavy sigh, he let his forehead rest on the cold glass of the window.

Creak.

Steve turned his head upon hearing the sound of the door opening just behind him. Much to his surprise, the first thing to make its way through the doorway was a cart. Said cart was full of various (hopefully) food items, most of which Steve didn’t recognize. The next thing to come through the door was the pony pushing the cart. It was an older mare, with a faded cyan blue mane and off-white fur. Her eyes, golden in color, were partially closed. That changed when she fully stepped into the train car and took a look around.

“What in the…” She murmured, her gaze wandering around the room. Once she saw Steve, she gasped slightly and took a step back. “Oh!”

“You okay?” He asked, though he knew she was fine. She nodded.

“U-um, yes, I’m okay. You just, surprised me, is all.”

“What, got something on my face?” Steve inquired, a joking smile informing the mare he was joking. She chuckled.

“No, you just, surprised me, is all.”

“Understandable.” Steve replied, nodding. “I doubt you see people like me every day. Or ever, for that matter.”

“That’s true.” The mare laughed. “Don’t believe I’ve ever seen somepony like you before.” She cleared her throat, then gestured to the food-laden cart she was pushing. “Would you like anything from the trolley?”

“I….” His gaze once again wandered over the cart. “...don’t know. What would you recommend?”

“Well, I have some muffins of various varieties, I have soda pop, gummy Princesses, some-”

“Wait, hold on.” Steve interrupted. “I’m sorry, ‘Gummy Princesses?’”

The mare nodded. “Uh-huh. I have Princess Celestia, who’s white-cherry flavored, Princess Cadence, she’s strawberry flavored, and the newest addition, Princess Luna, who’s blue raspberry flavored.” She held out one of each of the gummies. “Would you like one? They’re three bits each.”

Steve grinned, laughing a bit as he nodded. “Yeah, I‘ll take two Princess Celestia’s.” He fished six bits out of his Inventory before handing them to the mare and taking the two small packaged gummies. He slipped them into his Inventory.

“Anything else?” The mare inquired. Steve thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“No, I think that’s about it. Thank you, Miss…?”

“Oh, my name is Sweet Scent.”

“Fitting.” Steve commented, bringing a small laugh from the mare.

“Yes, I suppose it is.” A moment later, there was a faint beeping noise. The mare jolted ever-so-slightly before pulling out a small watch. “Oh, bother.” She muttered before glancing at Steve. “Well, I hate to cut this short, but I must be going. We will be arriving at Canterlot soon.”

“No problem.” Steve replied, waving a hand. “Don’t let me keep you.”

Nodding, the mare pushed her cart along, moving out the door on the other side of the room before disappearing from sight. Steve smiled, even as the door closed.

“Nice mare.” He muttered. “Good to know not every pony that sees me is going to run scared.”

‘Indeed.’ Onyx agreed. He was silent for a moment, then spoke again. ‘Steve, may I ask you something?’

“Sure. What is it?”

‘Why did you buy two gummies?’

Steve quirked a brow, but answered the Nightmare. “One for myself, and one for Celestia. Why?”

‘Oh. No reason. Was just curious.’

Steve furrowed his brow in confusion, but decided to leave it. If it was really important, Onyx would tell him. Instead, the Crafter laid back in his seat and closed his eyes, resolving the take a moment to rest before the train arrived at Canterlot, knowing that if things went as bad as they usually did, he’d need all the sleep he could get.

He was right, of course.

Author's Note

Welp, here you go. Another chapter, another day of Mac n' Cheese for lunch.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 97: Dark Interlude

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Abyss couldn’t breathe.

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration. She could breathe, it just felt like she couldn’t.

She stared at Notch, a look of complete and utter shock on her face. The god simply looked at his own lap in shame and resignation.

“How… how could you?” She asked, voice barely a whisper. Notch sighed.

“Abyss-”

“No!!” The dragoness roared, shooting to her feet with claws bared. “You, you, you don’t get to pull that shit when you did, did, that to Steve!!” Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. “You, you, condemned him to death the moment he was made!!”

“What would you have had me do!?” The god yelled back, getting to his feet. “I knew that my brother would have one day come back!! I knew that if he was to be defeated, and my creation was to be preserved, then I had to make a weapon capable of defeating him!! Steve is that weapon!!”

“He is a person!! Not a weapon!!” Abyss shouted, the force of which actually causing Notch to take a step back. “How do you not see that!? What happened to you!? Did you become so removed from the races you made, that you created, that you stopped seeing them as people?! Steve has suffered his entire life, and apparently, that suffering will continue for the rest of his life because of what you did!!”

“What I did!?” Notch responded. “I made him capable of defeating a god!! I made it so he was able to exact vengeance for those Herobrine killed!!”

“And in doing so, made your brother unable to truly die.” Abyss said with a note of finality. Notch’s breath caught, something that didn’t escape the dragoness’ notice. “You know that, don’t you? That if Herobrine is to ever truly be defeated, then…” She trailed off, letting out a shuddering sigh. She ran a clawed hand down her face, teeth grit.

“I know.” Notch muttered.

“Then why-?”

“Because maybe I was hoping that I was wrong. Maybe I was hoping that Steve would be able to overcome it. That maybe, it wasn’t strong enough to be a threat, or even to have any real power.” He sighed. “But I was wrong.”

“Yes you were.” Abyss agreed. For a little while, she stared at the god in silence before shaking her head and walking away. However, after only a few steps, she stopped and looked back at him.

“Does he know?” She asked. Notch hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

“No. Up until I told you, I was the only one who knew. I don’t think even Herobrine knows.”

“....Then I’m telling him then.”

Notch jolted in shock, glancing at the dragoness. “Are you sure that’s wise? Knowing Steve-”

“With all due respect, Notch.” Abyss interrupted, glaring at the god. “I think I know more about Steve than you do.” With that, she put out a hand, which was glowing with a radiant purple energy. There was a flash, and then she was gone.

Notch stared at the place where she had been standing for a while before burying his face in his hands.

“What have I done?”

* * * * *

FWOOOOSH!!

A swirling pool of light appeared suddenly, and out stepped Notch. The god was bruised and battered, clutching his side with one arm as he stumbled through the portal. Golden ichor dripped down from the numerous wounds scattered around his body.

He glanced around at the gray stone walls surrounding him. The room was filled with various machines and redstone constructs, many of which glowed and beeped occasionally. In the middle was a 3x2 stone slab table, with several books laying on its top. Notch stumbled over, propping himself up on the table when he almost fell. With a sigh, he withdrew a healing potion and drank it, the effects immediately healing some of his wounds. Tossing the empty bottle aside, Notch let out a sigh of relief as some of the pain faded from his wounded body. His body gradually slid down the side of the table, Notch turning himself so his back was against it as he finally came to a sitting position against it.

He sat there for a while, breathing heavily as if he was exhausted, because he was. He’d just finished fighting his brother, Herobrine, an encounter that’d taken several hours to finish, and even then, Notch had simply forced his brother to retreat. He had not destroyed him, nor even defeated him. He’d merely bought time.

...Though, his efforts hadn’t been in vain.

Notch reached into his Inventory and withdrew his prize. It was a glass bottle. Inside, was a dark, swirling mass of violent energy. Even as he watched it, the mass writhed and shook, as if trying and failing to escape its containment.

“But what will I do with you?” He muttered, continuing to watch the caged darkness. He could not destroy it, as much as he wanted to. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure it was possible. He could contain it, but doing so would only draw Herobrine’s attention, as he would no doubt want it back.

As Notch contemplated what to do, an idea suddenly sprung to mind. Slowly getting to his feet, he turned back to the table. He picked up one of the closed books, taking a moment to read the title to make sure he had the right one.

Minecraftians, it read.

He flipped it open, reading hastily through its pages before coming to a stop. On the page was a carefully drawn figure. A diagram of a Minecraftian.

Notch read the note scrawled at the bottom of the page. His eyes widened before his gaze landed back on the bottle containing the dark mass. He chuckled.

“This…” He set the book down before picking up the bottle again, grinning at its contents. “This just might work.”

And he got to work.

Author's Note

So, lore, eh!?? Sorry that this chapter's a bit shorter, just figured I should get it out to you all.

Anyway thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what y'all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 98: Working Together (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Celestia met Steve at the station, which did nothing to do away with the bad feeling in his gut. She was not smiling, her face instead cast with a slightly grim expression, which only made the bad feeling grow stronger. The final nail in the ‘making his bad feeling worse’ coffin was that Luna was standing beside her. The Lunar princess looked tired, and she was holding an overly large mug of probably coffee in her magical grip, but she was present. If both Princesses were meeting him, then Steve knew something was up.

The Crafter stepped off the train, the doors closing behind him a few moments later. His confused and concerned gaze traveled from Celestia, then to Luna, and then back.

“Hello Celestia. Luna.” He spoke, greeting them with a nod of his head.

“Hello Steve.” The Solar diarch replied, returning the nod. Luna, after a moment, did the same.

“Greetings Steve. Forgive us- er, me if I seem out of it. We usually are not awake this time of day.”

“Okay.” Steve responded, nodding his head in affirmation. His gaze landed back on Celestia. “So, what’s going on?”

“That...is a rather long story. We will tell you at the palace.” She held out a hoof. “If you would, please?”

Though a bit hesitant, Steve walked forward and took the alicorn’s hoof. A moment later, Steve felt the familiar tugging sensation in his gut and his sight went dark as Celestia teleported, taking him with her.

When Steve could see again, he found himself in a room he didn’t recognize. It was relatively large, with two windows on the far side wall and a fireplace sitting between them, fire still burning. A large violet-colored bed sat against the adjacent wall, accompanied by a large, round, golden pillow and a small table that sat beside it, which was dotted with books, papers and an ink well. Several bookshelves lined the walls, most filled with books, while one held only three or four. There were two doors, one on the wall behind Steve, and another on the wall adjoined to that.

“What the-?”

“These are my personal quarters.” Celestia spoke, reminding him of her presence.

“Huh.” Steve responded. “And, why are we here?”

“Because a great threat is coming Steve.” Luna suddenly spoke up, startling the Crafter. She took a long sip from her mug before continuing. “And my sister has deemed it that you should be prepared for when he inevitably comes.”

“Well, I figured something was up when you both met me at the station.” Steve commented, gaze focused on the navy blue alicorn. “Especially considering our uh, history.”

Luna winced slightly. “Yes. While our past isn’t the best, I fear we must look past that for the foreseeable future.”

“Because of the threat?” He inquired, to which both sisters nodded. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And would this threat happen to be Discord?”

Both alicorns stared at him in shock.

“Ho-how did you-?” Celestia started, only for Steve to interrupt.

“Because I had a dream a few nights ago, where some unknown, mystical being said ‘Hey, Steve, just wanted to let you know that Discord is coming back. Make sure you have the Elements of Harmony on hand, or else you’re fucked. Okay bye!’ I don’t know who or what it was, but all I know is that it doesn’t want Discord free.

“I, a dream?” Celestia murmured before turning to her sister. “Luna, did you-?”

“We… did not sense anything.” She responded, shaking her head as she stared at the ground in thought. “Due to our, relationship, we saw fit to never enter Steve’s mind, save for if he was suffering from a nightmare, but he has had no such afflictions in recent memory.” The alicorn hesitated, then glanced up at Steve. “Th-you haven’t, have you?”

“Uh, no.” Steve replied. “Haven’t had any nightmares, or even any dreams recently, except for the uh, vision, whatever that was.”

“Yes, speaking of that.” Celestia spoke. “What exactly happened in this dream/vision?”

Steve quickly retold the two sisters what had happened, and what had been shown to him, in the dream. After he was finished, both alicorns were silent for a little while, before Celestia spoke.

“So, whoever showed you this, Steve, we can count as most likely being on our side.”

“Most likely.” The Crafter agreed.

“But we don’t know who they are, what they are, what their reasons for aiding us are, anything.” Luna commented.

“Correct.” Steve spoke, nodding. “All we know about this unknown third party is that they want to keep Discord contained as much as I think everyone else does, since they told me just how to beat Discord. Speaking of which, have Rainbow and her friends been notified of what’s going on?”

“Not...yet.” Celestia slowly replied.

Steve affixed the mare with a confused gaze. “Why not? They’re the only ones who can wield the very weapon that can defeat Discord, so why don’t they know about the situation yet?”

“It’s...because of Twilight.”

“Twilight?”

Celestia nodded, though her eyes were downcast. “I...do not wish to burden her with such things. She is a young mare. She shouldn’t have to worry about fighting beasts or monsters or the Lord of Chaos. She should be doing things normal ponies are doing. Going to Pinkie Pie’s parties or hanging out with her friends or finding a nice stallion or mare to go on a date with. She shouldn’t have to worry about these taking on Nightmares or fighting the Lord of Chaos.”

“You just want the best for her.” Steve said with a tone of understanding. “You want her to live free from the darkness of life, to keep shining like the bright star you see her as. Because that’s what she is to you. A star. A light in your life that keeps the darkness at bay.”

Both Celestia and Luna looked at him with mildly shocked expressions. “How did you-?” The Solar alicorn began, only to be interrupted.

“It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.” Steve interrupted, shaking his head. “But I will warn you, Celestia.” His gaze met hers with a level of seriousness that rooted both mares to the spot in shock. “Keeping her away from the darkness will only make it easier for her to be consumed later on. Keeping her away from the dangers of the world won’t do anyone any favors. Trust me.”

Steve blinked, then shook his head, as if shaking away his thoughts. “Sorry, bad memories.”

Celestia stepped forward. “Steve, if you-”

“I don’t.” The Crafter quickly cut in. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not remember right now. Right now, I’d rather focus on the looming problem of Discord. Now, we know that the Elements of Harmony can take him on, but they’re a glass cannon. Take just one Bearer out, and the whole thing becomes useless, correct?”

Celestia hesitated, wondering briefly if she should press the Minecraftian, but quickly thought better of it before nodding. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“And the reason I’m part of this is so I can be a front line fighter, right? Someone to battle Discord, and keep his attention off of the Bearers?”

Both alicorns winced this time. Celestia immediately began to apologize. “Steve, I’m sorry, I di-”

“It’s okay.”

The pale alicorn’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

The Crafter smiled. “It’s okay. I’ll be your fighter. When the time comes, I’ll try my best to keep the bastard focused on me.”

Celestia shook her head. “No, Steve, it’s not that simple. Discord can-”

“I know what his powers are, in full. He can warp reality with a snap of his fingers, right? Change just about anything to suit what he fancies at the time?” Seeing the once again shocked looks on their faces, Steve explained. “After I had that dream, I figured I’d better find out more on who Discord was, what he can do, etc. Went to Twilight for answers.” He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, but she kinda already knows he’s coming.”

They all stood there quietly for a little while. Eventually, Luna broke the silence.

“You are, quite proactive Steve.”

He shrugged. “Eh, as they say, sleeping is for the dead.”

The Lunar alicorn blinked. “Who says that?”

“Usually? Workaholics.”

“True.” Celestia spoke, grinning a bit, though her smile didn’t last long. She sighed. “Well, I suppose I should bring Twilight and her friends to Canterlot as soon as possible to explain the situation. I don’t imagine she took Discord’s return well?”

“Actually, aside from an initial minor freak out, she kept a relatively level head when she was teaching me about him. I don’t know if she just didn’t believe me, or maybe she’s more level-headed than I first figured, but regardless.”

“Really? That is good to know.” Celestia spoke, then stopped, putting a hoof to her chin in thought. “Perhaps I should schedule more visits to see her. Perhaps she has matured more while in Ponyville than I thought.”

“Maybe.” Steve replied. “Anyways, we’re getting off track. What has been done to prepare for his return? Does Canterlot know?”

“No.” Celestia replied. “I know my ponies, and if they were to learn of his return, there would be wide-spread panic.”

“True.” The Crafter replied, nodding. “However, better to let them panic now, when there’s no danger yet, then when he’s returned, right? Because from what I’ve learned about this asshole, no matter what we do, there’s gonna be chaos when he’s free. There’s no way to prevent his return?”

“No.” Luna replied.

“Then the best course of action is to warn Equestria, or fuck, even the whole world, since he could affect them, that Discord is coming back. After all, fore-warned is fore-armed.”

“...That is wise and sound advice.” Celestia commented.

“Thanks. Heard it from an old friend of mine.”

“Hmm.” The pale alicorn hummed, closing her eyes. After a moment, she sighed and nodded. “Very well, Steve. As I said, your reasoning and advice is sound, I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. Perhaps I have been doing things one way for so long, I forgot there are other ways to do things.” She looked to her sister. “Luna, I will leave to you to prepare a letter for King Ferdus and King Stonewall. Also, call forth the Black Claw. It seems it was good to not have terminated their services quite yet.”

The Lunar alicorn nodded. “It will be done, sister.” Then with a blink of her horn, she was gone, leaving Steve and Celestia by themselves.

“Alright.” The Crafter spoke, facing the alicorn. “So, with that out of the way, what do you have done in terms of preparation?”

“I have tasked my best mages with creating powerful spells, designed so they will keep Discord trapped to a relatively small area.”

“Will they work?” Steve inquired.

“We have no way of knowing. The study of Chaos magic has always been a difficult one. Discord is the only being known who is capable of wielding it, and since releasing him to study it is out of the question, the best we can do is study what we already know, and theorize. We will not know if the spells will work until they are tested, and the only one capable of testing them is Discord.”

“Got it.” The Crafter replied. “So we’re shit out of luck in that regard.” He thought for a moment, then sighed. “Well, I suppose with that, there’s only really one thing for me to do.”

Celestia perked up. “And that is?”

“The Royal Guard, they’re trained here in Canterlot, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. Here in Canterlot Castle, in fact. Why?”

The Crafter grinned. “You think the Guard would mind if I used their training grounds for a little while?”

Celestia’s mouth opened slightly in understanding. After a moment, she chuckled, then nodded. “I believe something can be arranged. Though, if I may..?”

Steve quirked a brow in confusion. “Yeah?”

“What do you hope to do? I have seen you fight, and you are far more capable than my very best guards.”

The Crafter chuckled. “True, but believe it or not, I’ve been out of practice. I used to be stronger, faster, better. I suppose with how long it's been, I’ve gotten a bit soft.”

“Soft?” The alicorn spoke, grinning. “I’m sorry, but one of the last words I’d ever use to describe you is ‘soft.’ Kind? Yes. Forgiving? Absolutely. But soft?” She shook her head. “Never.”

“Well good to know that even after so long I can still impress.” Steve replied, grinning for a moment before the smile faded slightly. “Still, I’d rather not leave anything to chance. And to do that, I’ll have to be in tip-top shape.”

“Very well.” Celestia replied, horn twinkling slightly. “Let me show you the training grounds.”

Getting the idea, Steve grabbed her shoulder, and with a blink of light, they were gone.

Author's Note

This, took far too long. Sorry about that.

Still more filler, unfortunately. I want to get to the action too, but I still have some time before the fighting commences once again.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, be sure to like and comment down below what you thought!

A Crafter's Christmas

Author's Note

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic Christmas season (what with COVID and all that). This here chapter is my gift to you, dear readers. (Here's hoping it's not absolute shit.)

NOTE: ALL RIGHTS TO THE SONG USED GOES TO THE OWNER Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

God, I hope I'm not breaking any rules.

A Crafter's Christmas

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Christmas”

Steve didn’t celebrate holidays anymore.

The last time he’d celebrated any sort of event was one of his friend’s birthdays, which had been only a few days before that final fight against Herobrine and his army, and the subsequent death of his race. Sure, during his travels thereafter, he’d occasionally visited villages during some celebration, but he’d never really participated. The festivities had always reminded him of what had once been, and so he’d always move on.

Steve didn’t want to remember the past too much. Now, he swore he’d never forget his friends and family, as well as the people who’d fought and died in the battle against Herobrine and his army. If he forgot them, he’d be spitting in the face of their sacrifice. However, he didn’t dwell on the past too much, fearing if he did, then he’d fall into a swirling pit of despair and sorrow that he wouldn’t be able to escape from. He remembered their names, their faces-

bloody…

broken...

-and other stuff, but he didn’t dwell on it. It was in the past for him, and that was where it belonged.

That being said, as the snow slowly fell from the gray, cloud-stricken sky, Steve couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. The Equestrian holiday of Hearth’s Warming sounded suspiciously like a holiday that Minecraftians used to celebrate, Christmas, what with the snowy theme, generally merry atmosphere, and exchanging of gifts on Hearth’s Warming Day. Luckily, Steve had already bought his gifts, a muffin-themed apron for Derpy, a stencil-and-coloring set for Dinky and a few cases of apple cider for Dash and Trench, though Steve had to send Trench’s gift to Canterlot, since the stallion was stuck in Canterlot for the holidays.

Now, it was simply a matter of waiting.

If Steve was being honest, the days leading up to Hearth’s Warming passed just like any other day. While he understood his friends excitement over the coming holiday, he himself didn’t care all that much about it. Sure, he enjoyed the festive air, the snow, the food, the decor, all of it, but overall, the Crafter just wasn’t a ‘Hearth’s Warming’ kind of guy. He was certainly no Pinkie Pie, who’d been celebrating each day of the past week like it was Hearth’s Warming. Steve had briefly wondered how the mare could have so much energy, but quickly dismissed the thought. The mare was strange, simple as that. He wasn’t going to question it.

Regardless, while Steve would’ve been just fine without celebrating, he knew how much the holiday meant to Ponyville, and more importantly, his friends. It wouldn’t be right to not celebrate with them. It was this same reason that the Crafter had offered to host a Hearth’s Warming party at his house. The original idea was to just have his friends over, but after a bit of discussing (and no short amount of puppy-dog eyes from Derpy and Dinky) he’d allowed Dash’s friends, the Apple family, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, some colt named Button Mash that Rarity insisted was a family friend, and a few others that Steve didn’t remember to come as well. Of course, Steve wasn’t entirely comfortable with hosting such an event, but he’d figured that out of everything he’d managed to ever accomplish, hosting a party wouldn’t even be close to the top of that list.

Now, while he wasn’t exactly ecstatic at the rather large increase of guests that had been invited to his formerly small gathering, Steve knew it was probably for the best that he do so. While he’d been declared a friend of Equestria by Celestia, that hadn’t meant the town necessarily liked him. Besides Derpy, Dinky and Dash (and technically Pinkie Pie, but she was pretty much friends with everyone in town), Steve didn’t have any friends in Ponyville.

And he was fine with that. He liked the friends he had, and failed to see the need to have anymore.

However Pinkie, being herself, disagreed whole-heartedly with his opinion, which was the main cause behind the ‘Friends’ incident that had occurred a few weeks before. It was afterwards that Steve sat the hyper-active mare down and told her that while he appreciated her efforts, he just wasn’t ready to have a lot of friends again. Not yet.

She understood and backed off a bit, still talking to Steve every time she saw him and inviting him to whatever party she was planning that week, but stopping in her attempts to ‘make him friends,’ which the Crafter appreciated. However, upon hearing that Steve was planning a party, the pink mare had immediately sought him out and demanded he let her help, which Steve instantly agreed to. After all, it’d been years-

years…

alone…

-since he’d last held such an event, so he’d take any help he could get.

Knock knock knock!

“Steve!” Pinkie Pie’s voice rang out from the other side of his front door. “I’m here! And I’ve got stuff for the party!”

Steve jolted slightly as he was swiftly brought out of his thoughts by the mare’s knocking and shouting.

“One sec!” He called back before standing up from his seat and walking over. Upon opening his door, he was greeted by the sight of the bubbly pink mare, along with several bags and packages which were filled to the brim with (assumedly) party supplies and food. “Hey Pinkie.”

“Hey Stevie!” She replied with a grin before gesturing to the bags. “I brought the stuff!”

“That you did.” The Crafter spoke, nodding as he looked at the supplies. Walking over, he picked up a few of them. “Here. Let’s bring ‘em inside and then we’ll get started on-”

“Done!” The mare called from behind. Steve whipped around to see that not only had Pinkie grabbed the rest of the bags without his notice, she had also moved them all into his front room, in the time it’d taken for him to just pick up what bags he had. Without him realizing.

Steve suddenly remembered his journal entries on the mare, about how she could do things that made no sense, even to him. About how she could do those things, just because she wanted to. It boggled the Crafter’s mind, but he quickly shook away any thoughts about figuring out how the mare worked. As he had learned from Twilight Sparkle’s experience, trying to figure out Pinkie Pie would only drive one crazy.

“Well that was quick.” Steve spoke, causing the mare to giggle.

“Well, the party’s tonight, silly. And, it’s your first party in Ponyville, so I figured we should make every second count!”

The Crafter chuckled. “Alright then. Let’s get started.”

* * * * *

Steve placed the platter of brightly-colored cupcakes down on the kitchen counter.

“And that’s number three.” He spoke, checking the number off in his head. He glanced at Pinkie, who stood dutifully in front of his double ovens, wearing an apron and chef’s hat, which somehow managed to contain most of the poofy mess that was her mane. “How many more you got?”

“Just one more.” She responded, gaze landing on Steve before shifting around the room. “Though I think we might need another table with how much food there is.”

At her words, the Crafter glanced around the room as well.

His front room was, well, it looked different, and not just because of the decorations Steve and Pinkie had set up, or because of the Hearth’s Warming tree that the mare had stored away in one of the packages somehow. It was just how…. not-empty it was.

Steve, having been living by himself for some time, was used to having lots of empty space in his house. He himself was something of a minimalist, not seeing the point in having a bunch of stuff around that he wouldn’t use anyway. But with everything Pinkie had brought, as well as stuff Steve had gotten in preparation for the party, made his home feel different. Whether that was a good different or a bad different, he didn’t quite know yet.

“Kinda reminds me of-.” Steve muttered absentmindedly.

home

“What was that?”

The Crafter shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Oh. Uh, nothing. Just saying you’re right. One sec.”

Walking over to his front room, Steve picked what he thought was a good spot before pulling some wooden slabs. Placing three down in a line, he placed three more on top of them, then built off of that, making a rectangular 5 x 3 table.

“How about this?” Steve asked. “We can put a lot of the food here, and clear up some room on the dinner table.”

“Alright, sounds good!” Pinkie replied. “I’m almost finished up with this last batch!”

“Cool. Now, I just need to-”

Knock knock knock knock!

Both Steve and Pinkie’s eyes shot toward the front door.

“Steve!” The Crafter heard the familiar voice of Derpy hooves call from the other side of the door. “We’re here!”

“Oh! One sec!” He called back. Jogging over, he quickly opened the door to reveal Derpy, as well as Dinky. Derpy was carrying a covered tin with a saddlebag on one side, while Dinky wore a pair of saddlebags that looked stuffed to the brim.

“Hey Derpy! Hey Dinky!” Steve greeted with a smile. “You guys are just in time for me to be totally not prepared for guests!”

Both ponies laughed. “Well, I suppose we’re a little early, but that just means we can help you out! Right Dinky?”

The filly grinned and nodded. “Yeah!”

“Well, that’s great!” Steve replied before standing aside, allowing them both entry before closing the door.

“Hey there Derpy! Hey Dinky!” Pinkie Pie called from the kitchen.

“Hello Pinkie!” Derpy replied.

“Hey Miss Pinkie!” Dinky exclaimed.

“Helping Steve with the party?” The gray pegasus inquired, to which Pinkie Pie nodded.

“Yupperooni! Since it’s his first official party in Ponyville, I figured the least I could do was help him with preparation and everything!”

“And how’s everything going?”

“Well, the last of the cupcakes are almost done, and then Steve has to make the salad, and then that should be it!” No sooner had she spoken that Pinkie suddenly perked up and rushed over to the furnace. Opening it, she swiftly slid the cupcake tin out of the furnace and set it down on the countertop.

“There we go!” The bubbly mare spoke, grinning. “Just gotta let these cool, then we can frost them! Derpy, Dinky, do you wanna help me with that?”

“Of course!” They immediately replied.

“Alright.” Steve affirmed. “In that case, let me get the salad made, and then we’ll be good.”

Walking over to his food chest, the Crafter opened it and pulled out a head of lettuce, a tomato, a beet, a carrot and three bowls. Closing the chest, Steve went to his crafting table and got to work.

Steve placed the head of lettuce on the grid. After a moment, the head shook slightly, then morphed into nine pieces of lettuce. (While weird and new, seeing as how lettuce didn’t exist in Minecraftia, it made sense to Steve. It was similar to how nine melon slices made a whole melon.) Placing the three bowls on the bottom of the grid, Steve put three pieces of lettuce above the bowls, then put the carrot, tomato and beet above that. After a moment, the items placed shook slightly then morphed together into a large bowl of salad. Grabbing it, Steve placed it on the countertop.

“Will one bowl be enough, or should I make more?” Steve asked, still looking at the crafting table. After a moment of no response, he glanced up to see the other occupants of the room looking at him in surprise. “What?”

“That’s so cool!” Dinky and Pinkie both said in awe.

“Is that how your ‘crafting’ works?” The filly asked, to which the Crafter nodded.

“Yep. Just put the right materials in the right place on a crafting table, and you can make just about anything. Though, finding the right order is difficult.” He tapped the bowl of salad. “It took me a few hours of guessing and checking just to figure out how to make this thing.”

“Still, the fact that you can make perfectly edible food in seconds just baffles me.” Derpy spoke, shaking her head with a grin.

“Well, that’s understandable, all things considered.” Steve replied, shrugging his shoulders. “After all, what am I, except weird?”

This roused a laugh from everyone in the room, which was interrupted by yet another knock at the door.

Knock knock knock knock!

“Hello?” It took Steve a moment, but he eventually remembered the owner of the voice to be Applejack. A second later, he managed to make out other voices, but they were too muffled to make out what they were saying.

‘Looks like people are starting to arrive.’ Steve thought. Taking a breath, he steeled himself. ‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

With a grin, the Crafter walked over and opened the door to greet his guests.

* * * * *

It took about an hour or so for everyone to arrive and for the party to get up to full swing. Just about everyone that had been invited had come, except for that colt Button Mash. Rarity had said his mother had refused to let him go, something about him being grounded.

Regardless, everyone else had shown up. Even Fluttershy, shy as she was, came, although that had probably been no small amount of effort on Dash’s part. Speaking of the prismatic mare, she had been talking to Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy about something, which made Steve feel better. After everything that had happened, he was glad to see that she was doing better and that she had made up with her friends.

Steve grabbed a cupcake off the nearby table and chomped it down.

“Hmm. Things are pretty damn good.” The Crafter muttered to himself. “Pinkie definitely knows her stuff.”

“Hey Steve!”

‘Speak of the devil.’ Steve thought as said pink mare suddenly appeared. “Hey Pinkie. Enjoying yourself?”

“Of course! How could I not!?” She replied, throwing her hooves up to emphasize her words. “But, more importantly, are you enjoying yourself!?”

Steve chuckled, nodding. “Well, I would hope so, since it’s the party you and I both planned, and one that I’m hosting at my house. Food’s great, thanks for that by the way.”

“No problemo. After all, it’s the least I could do.”

“Still, thank you. Not sure this party would be going half as well if it weren’t for you.”

The mare waved a hoof. “Oh, I’m sure you would’ve been able to figure something out. You always do.”

crack

Steve’s smile faded.

“...Yeah.” He murmured, gaze moving away from the pink mare, instead looking back out at the guests. Pinkie noticed the sudden change immediately.

“Steve?”

“Hmm?” He replied, not moving.

“Are you alright?” She asked, brows furrowed slightly in concern. Steve hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

“Oh, I’m fine.” He replied, waving away her concerns. “Just thinking.”

“...About what?” Her voice was more hesitant now.

“Stuff. Nothing really important.” Glancing at the mare, he saw her face, her expression telling him she didn’t believe him. He gave her a grin, forced though it was. “Hey, it’s fine. I’m okay. Trust me.”

The pink mare didn’t look fully convinced, but she eventually left his side to mingle with the other guests. Steve remained at his spot near the food table, taking and eating the occasional food item when he felt hungry enough.

It was strange to him, to be eating when he didn’t really have to. Back home, and even for most of his time in Equestria, he’d only ever eaten when he’d needed to heal, or when he’d gotten hungry enough. He’d never really eaten just to eat, there was always a reason why he ate every piece of food. But in Equestria, they had the luxury of being able to eat just because. Not just because they were hungry, but because they could and they wanted to. It was strange to him, but in the end, he could understand why. Saying his world was different would be like saying that diamond is kinda tough. In Minecraftia, especially during the wars, things like food and housing weren’t always easy to come by. Sure, there were times when there was plenty, but even then, people didn’t eat unless they had to, always choosing to save up what food they had ‘just in case.’ Steve couldn’t count the nights he’d gone hungry in the early years, before he became a soldier and everything else that happened afterwards.

‘Back then, the only reason I survived was because of Alex.’ He thought, eyes downcast slightly. ‘If it weren’t for her, I’d probably have ended up dead in a gutter somewhere.’

The Crafter’s thoughts began to drift, as did his gaze. He saw the other party-goers. They were eating, talking, laughing, just overall enjoying themselves. He saw Big Mac and some gray pegasus stallion chatting near the fireplace, the fire inside said fireplace gently crackling just behind them. He saw Derpy and Pinkie eating cupcakes. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been playing some form of tag with Dinky, the four fillies laughing all the while.

Everything was good, lively, peaceful. Steve should’ve been happy that the party had been going fine, and he was, but he wasn’t thinking about that. All the Crafter could think about was how the scene before him reminded him of-

‘No! I can’t think about that.’ He thought, quickly shaking his head. Sighing, he rubbed his face with one hand. ‘Geez, what is wrong with me? I thought I was finally getting better, damn it, so why does it keep coming back now, after-?’

“Steve?”

He stopped, body tensing up. The noise of the party faded, becoming barely noticeable. A chill ran down his spine as his gut suddenly felt like it’d been filled with obsidian. The voice had come from behind him, but he didn’t dare turn around. Because he knew that voice, despite the fact he hadn’t heard it in years. He knew that voice, because there was no way he would forget it.

It was Lilly’s voice.

“Steve? Are you okay?”

The voice of Lilly spoke again. But it couldn’t have been her. Steve knew it couldn’t have been her, because she had died years ago, in the Battle of Ascension. He’d found her body there, amidst her fellow soldiers.

“Steve?” This voice was different, but no less memorable. It was the voice of Clara, a happy-go-lucky blacksmith that Steve had met shortly before his enlistment into the Ironwood army. She’d died at the beginning of the First Mob War, when Herobrine had burned Ironwood to the ground.

He shook his head. ‘I’m just hearing things.’

‘Steve, what’s going on?’ He heard Onyx ask, the Nightmare speaking up for the first time that day. The Crafter didn’t respond. ‘Steve, your heart rate is drastically rising, and your beginning to hyperventilate.

‘I’m fine.” Steve insisted, closing his eyes. ‘J-just hearing things.’

“Steve?” A different voice again. Rough, gravelly. Butch. He was part of Steve’s platoon. Had an arrow take his head off in the Battle of Daybreak.

‘That’s- you are? How...I can’t hear anything. Steve, I need you to take a deep breath, you’re starting to panic.’

‘I know, I know, I know. Just give me a s-’

A hoof touched his shoulder.

“Steve?”

He snapped.

“GAAAH!!”

X: Jump

D-pad Up: Sword

It took all of about five seconds, but in that time, Steve screamed, leapt over the table he’d been standing next to, unsheathing his sword in mid-air, then landed back on the ground, glowing blade at the ready.

Everyone stared back at him, eyes wide at the seemingly random outburst from the Crafter. Derpy, Dinky and Dash, in particular, looked extra frightened. Not of him, of course, they knew he would never hurt them. They did not fear him, they were afraid of what had caused him to act like he was being attacked.

Steve panted like a dog, sweat dripping down his face. Each breath he took was shaky, like he was about to collapse. Even his sword wavered as he held it, the tip pointed at his guests.

D-pad Up: Sword

He quickly sheathed the diamond blade.

“Steve?” Derpy asked, taking a step forward.

“I’m…” He took a step toward his front door, stumbling slightly as he did so. “I’m, just gonna go, uh, get some air.” He smiled thinly, knowing no one was gonna buy it. “I’ll be right back.”

He staggered over towards the door, throwing it open as he made it outside. He pitched over to the side, quickly collapsing against the side of his house, only a short distance from the door.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Thought the Crafter, head buried in his hands. ‘What the fuck was that!? What the actual fuck was that Steve!? You fucking moron!’ He berated himself. ‘You just had to suck it up for one damn night and you fucking blew it and pulled a damn sword on your guests!’

‘Steve.’Onyx spoke, gently breaking the Crafter free from his thoughts. ‘That was not your fault.’

‘Oh please, Onyx. Who else’s fault could it have been?!’ He shook his head, arms dropping back down to his sides. ‘I’ve been dealing with this for years, I should’ve been able to get a handle on it before anything happened, but instead I blew it like a moron!’ He slapped his face with both hands. ‘I thought, I was, I just-’

“Gah!” Steve cried out, slamming his fist into the ground. The chunk of dirt cracked slightly, but was otherwise fine. Burying his face in his hands once again, Steve continued to take deep, shaky breaths as he tried his best to calm down.

Creak

The door a little ways away slowly opened.

Steve didn’t move.

He heard the sound of hooves on grass, moving towards him, only to stop a short distance away.

“Hey.” Spoke a deep, masculine voice. Confused, the Crafter looked up to see Big Macintosh standing there. The red-furred, broad-shouldered stallion looked a tad uncomfortable, but his expression was determined.

Sighing, Steve let his head drop again. “Hey.”

“How are ya doing?”

Steve hesitated, then replied. “....Could be better. Just ruined the first party I’ve attended/hosted here in Equestria, so there’s that.”

“Ya didn’t ruin the party.” Big Mac responded, shaking his head.

“I drew a sword on my guests.”

“...Granted, however, Ah think it was clear to anypony with eyes that something was wrong.”

Steve nodded slightly. “Yeah, well…” He glanced up at the stallion. “Anyways, why are you out here?”

“Because Ah wanted to help ya.” Big Mac replied, earnestly.

“Why you?” Steve asked, his question causing the stallion to take a step back. “Like, I’m thankful you want to help, really I am, but why do you want to help me?”

The stallion was quiet for a moment or two, seemingly thinking over how to respond. Eventually, he did.

“When you had your sword drawn and pointed at us, I saw your face. I saw just how terrified you were in that moment, and I also realized…”

Steve perked up slightly when Big Mac trailed off.

“Realized what?”

“...That Ah used to see that same expression on mah own face, a long time ago.”

Steve turned to face the stallion. “What do you mean?”

Big Mac hesitated, then sighed before sitting down. “My… parents died when I was very young. House fire. Happened just a few months after Applebloom was born.”

“I’m sorry.” Steve spoke, softly. “I’m sure they were good ponies.”

“The best.” Big Mac agreed. “My pa, Bright Macintosh, taught me almost everything Ah know. And my ma, Buttercup, made the best damn apple pies you’d ever had.”

“It must’ve been hard.” Steve said, though internally kicking himself for saying something so obvious. Big Mac, to his credit, only nodded.

“It was. I was only thirteen at the time, and AJ was only eight. Luckily, we still had Granny Smith, so we didn’t end up in no orphanage, but still. Having to be the stallion of the house that young was difficult, and the nightmares sure didn’t help.”

“Nightmares?”

The stallion nodded. “Yeah. Almost every night. Nightmares of mah house burning down, and mah folks still trapped inside. Ah was terrified that since it happened once, it could happen again, and the next time, we wouldn’t be able to get out.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Those damned nightmares plagued me for months.”

“How did they stop?”

“Believe it or not, it was because of my Granny. She sat me down, and told me Ah wasn’t fooling anypony. She saw the bags under mah eyes and the stumble in mah step. She knew something was wrong. It took a bit, because Ah was stubborn as a mule back then, but eventually, Ah broke. Started crying my eyes out on her chest, blubbering like a foal about how Ah missed my parents and how unfair the world was to take ‘em from us. She just held me while Ah cried, telling me it was okay, that feeling sad was natural, but that what Ah had been doing wasn’t okay. Ah shouldn’t have been forcing my emotions away, repressing them would only end up hurting myself and others. And she was right, Mr. Steve, she was damn right. Which is why Ah’m here, talking to you. Pinkie, Dash and Derpy wanted to come, but I told them to wait. Figured you would want to talk to somepony who kind of understood.” Big Mac made eye-contact with the Crafter.

Steve said nothing, so the stallion continued.

“Granted, Ah don’t know what happened to ya, and Ah don’t know you lost. Derpy hasn’t said much, only that you’ve been through a lot, more than we could ever know.”

“I lost my race.” Steve spoke, stopping the stallion short. “Everyone. My friends, my family. Everyone. I’m the last of my kind, in this world, and my home world. Once I’m dead, the Minecraftian race dies as well. I’ve been suppressing that pain for years now, because there was no other option. I would’ve gone crazy or killed myself or even both, and I couldn’t allow that to happen, because if I did, I’d be spitting in the face of those who’d died to defeat Herobrine, those who’d made the ultimate sacrifice so that the Minecraftian race could live on, through me.” He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “But now, after so long, it’s all coming back, all those years of repressed pain are suddenly coming back and I don’t-” He took a breath. “I-I…I don’t know. I feel like I’m floundering in an ocean, slowly being dragged under and I’m….I’m terrified. Kinda, heh.” He let out a humorless chuckle. “Kinda like you, actually. I’m terrified because if I lost everything once, what’s stopping that from happening again?”

plop

Steve wiped his eyes, his forearm coming back wet with tears. Wiping his arm on his shirt, Steve sniffled, trying to push back the tears that threatened to pour forth.

Suddenly, there was a hoof over his shoulder. Confused, he looked over to see Big Mac sitting next to him, looking forlornly out at the street.

“What-?”

“Ah know this doesn’t really help…. but Ah’m sorry.”

Steve hesitated for a moment, then nodded before following the stallion’s gaze towards the street. “Thanks.”

The two sat there for a while, not doing anything. The air was cold, causing Big Mac to shiver every-so-often, but besides that, the pair hardly moved.

Overall, the situation wasn’t foreign to Steve. The cold winter night and the silence surrounding him reminded him of Nitebane, back before it’d been destroyed. Of course, he couldn’t think of Nitebane without being reminded of what happened there. He remembered the Minecraftians that had died there, the reactions of his men when they’d come upon it. But then… he remembered something else. The song that had been sung that day, in remembrance of the once proud kingdom. It’d been sung by Billy, a young Colonel who once lived there before he’d moved to New Ironwood, as a eulogy to those that had lost their lives.

"..."

“I saw the light...fade from the sky.”

Steve began to sing. He saw Big Mac look over at him in confusion, but didn’t respond, instead choosing to continue.

“On the wind I heard a sigh.

As the snow-flakes covered, my fallen brothers

I will say this last goodbye.

Night is now falling

So ends this day

The road is now calling and I must away

Over hill and under tree

Through lands where never light has shone

By silver streams that run down to the Sea

Under cloud, beneath the stars

Over snow and winter's morn

I turn at last to paths that lead home

And though where the road then takes me

I cannot tell

We came all this way

But now comes the day

To bid you farewell

I bid you all a very fond farewell”

Steve finished his piece, tears trailing down his face, but for the first time in a long time, he didn’t try to stop them. For the first time since he could remember, he let them flow freely.

And it felt freeing.

He cried for a while, until the tears were finally spent and the front of his shirt was practically soaked. Wiping his eyes and nose, Steve sniffled one last time before glancing at Big Mac.

“Thanks.”

The stallion smiled. “It’s no problem. Mah folks would be ashamed of me if Ah didn’t help somepony in need.”

The Crafter chuckled, shaking his head. “Maybe.”

“Ya want to go back inside now?” Big Mac asked. “Everypony else is waiting. Of course, there's no rush, so if ya don’t feel ready to go in yet, Ah understand. But everypony else is waiting for you.”

“They are?”

Mac nodded. “Yep. Ah imagine it didn’t feel right to celebrate a party without the host there as well.”

The Crafter chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.” He sat there for a moment longer before taking a deep breath and standing up, the stallion following suit. Steve walked over and opened the door before stepping inside, Big Mac right behind him.

Upon entering, Steve was immediately met by the sight of everyone staring at him. Some seemed nervous, most looked concerned, but all of them were looking at him. He took a breath.

“Hey everyone. Sorry about what happened. Long story short, it’s just some stuff I’m working through. I’m better now, thanks to Big Macintosh, and I know it’d be too much to ask that everyone just carry on, so I won’t. All I’ll say is that it’s over, and with any luck, it won’t happen again.”

“Steve?” Derpy asked, slowly approaching the Crafter. He made eye contact with the mare as she did so. “Are you okay.”

“...”

Steve thought for a moment. Then, he sighed.

“If I’m being honest, no. I haven’t been okay in a long, long time, and I think talking to Mac helped me realize that.” His response caused Derpy’s face to fall. However, before she could say anything, he quickly knelt down and swept the mare into a hug, causing her to squeak and look up at him. “But I think I’m getting better. Of course, I know I have a long, long way to go before I’ll be okay, but I’m willing to try and get better. Would you be willing to help me?”

Derpy stared at him for a moment, then she grinned and laughed. “Yes, of course. I’ll be there to help you, just like you were there to help me.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Steve.” She nuzzled deeper into his chest. “Happy Hearth’s Warming.”

* * * * *

He felt it. It was distant, but still very much there.

He grinned.

“We’ll see each other soon, Steve. Then we’ll see who’s really stronger.”

Bye

This story started with a dream.

The dream of a young, stupid boy, who just wanted to write about Minecraft and My Little Pony.

A Crafter’s Dream, was my crutch.

A way for me to get past every dreary day of school. I would look forward to the comments, good or bad, that my story would rouse others to say.

But that time has passed.

This story isn’t what it used to be, just as I’m not who I used to be.

And I don’t

I looked forlornly at the computer screen as I wrote. I didn’t like what I was writing, but I knew it had to be said. I rub a tear from my eye.

“Now’s not the time.” I muttered, to no one in particular. I put my fingers to the computer keys, but they don’t move. Eventually, I grit my teeth then sighed, leaning back. “How?” I muttered. “How do I tell them I’m giving up.”

“You’re not.”

I sigh again, then turn around. There, sitting on my bed, is Steve. He’s not real, of course, just a figment of my imagination, but he sure looks real. His jeans look rough, and I can see the pale, scarred, flesh barely visible from his shirt sleeves and collars.

“Oh really? How do ya figure?” I ask, shoving my frustration down.

He shrugged. “Well, like ya said.” He spoke, standing up. “This story’s been dead for a while, right?”

I nod, hesitantly.

“Well, then you’re not giving up. A doctor stops working on a body when it’s dead, because what’s the use? You’re doing the same thing. You’re not giving up, you’re just putting your story, my story, to rest.”

“But, what about the few people who still read it?” I ask. “There are still people-”

“What do you want?” Steve asks, cutting me off.

“Huh?”

“What do you want?” He reiterates. “Because you’re the author. It should be your call whether to continue this story or not, not someone else's. What do you want?”

I turn away from him, turning back to stare at the words on the computer screen. For a while, I don’t answer, mulling over my words before finally responding.

“I don’t get any enjoyment from writing this anymore. I just don’t.” I run a hand through my hair. “So, I guess to answer your question, I don’t want to continue this anymore.”

“Well then, that’s your answer.” Steve replied, grinning.

“But it’s not that simple!” I argue.

“Isn’t it?” The Crafter responds, stopping me short. “Because to me, it seems rather simple. All you gotta do, if you truly want to, is to end it on your terms.”

“But, but, but what about all of the stuff I had planned. Onyx’s death, you fighting Discord, you finally realizing why you and Herobrine look so similar, all of it? What do I do about that?”

Steve put a hand on my shoulder, though I couldn’t feel it. He grinned down at me, a sincere look on his face. “You put that to rest to.”

I look at him for a moment before sighing and closing my eyes. When I open them again, he’s gone.

I sit there for another moment before getting up from my seat. Putting on my hat, I make my way to the door. Upon opening it, I take a step forward, but stop and glance back at you.

I smile.

“Thanks. This is Ruthim345, signing off for the last time.”

I go to leave, but stop once again. I glance back at you one last time.

“But you can call me Alex.”

And I’m gone.

A Crafter's Dream Synopsis: Part 2

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Old Times Sake

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A Crafter's Dream Ch. 1: In and Out Again (Part 1) [Revised]

Author's Note

Ch. 1
This is my first story, so my writing skills are and will be a bit rusty. As for more info about the story, this is going to be a MLP/Minecraft crossover, but the only big references to Minecraft is when Steve refers to “back home” or to the past, as well as various dreams he will have and the fact that Steve is a Minecraftian, so he has all the perks of that (e.g. super strength, fast speeds, fast reflexes, regeneration after eating food, crafting, brewing, etc.) Also, I should mention, I’ve been playing a lot of “Marvel Spiderman” and had an idea about writing action scenes. Basically speaking, he will perform moves and combos like from the previously mentioned game whenever he’s in an action scene. It’ll make more sense when it happens. The basics will be typed down below, but will grow as Steve learns attacks and defenses. (Note: Buttons are based off PS4 Controller, since that’s what I always play with.)

D-pad: Weapon Select (None = Unarmed, Up = Sword, Down = Shield, Left = Fishing Rod, Right = Bow and Arrow)
L1 (Hold): Potion Select
R1 (Hold): Arrow Select
L3: Sprint
R3: Instincts
L2 and R2: Special (Varies)
Unarmed (No effect)
X: Jump
X (Hold): Power Jump
Square: Punch
Square x 4: Punch Combo
Square (Hold): Uppercut
Circle + Square: Tackle
Circle: Dodge or Block
Triangle: Kick
Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Sword (Increased attack damage)
X: Jump
X (Hold): Power Jump
Square: Slash
Square x 4: Slash Combo
Square (Hold): Whirlwind
Circle: Block or Dodge
Circle + Square: Counter
Triangle: Kick
Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Shield (Automatically blocks)
X: Jump
X (Hold): Shield Dash
Square: Shield Smash
Square (Hold): Shield Charge
Circle: Perfect Block
Triangle: Shield Swipe

Fishing Rod (Can latch enemies)
X: Jump
X (Hold): Rod Zip
Square: Hook
Square + Square (Repeatedly): Flail
Circle: Dodge
Triangle: Bobber
X + Square (Repeatedly): Rod Slam

Bow and Arrow (Can hit long-range targets)
X: Jump
X (Hold): Power Jump
Square: Shoot
Square (Hold): Critical Shot
Circle: Dodge
Triangle: Kick
Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

(More will be added as time goes on)

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 1: In and Out Again (Part 1) [Revised]

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

To say Steve was a bit confused to wake up in the middle of a forest was an understatement. While it was nostalgic, since this wasn’t the first time this had happened, the unexpected was never and would never be a welcome thing in his life.

His instincts immediately kicked in and he shot to his feet, his senses on high alert for any enemies around. To his relief, he appeared to be alone, accompanied only by the chirping of birds and the wind blowing through the grass beneath his feet. With no immediate threat present, Steve took a quick look around.

It appeared as though he’d woken up in a small meadow, with trees lining the edges. Past that was too dark and covered in foliage to make out. Steve finished with his look around and then immediately began checking his Inventory to see what he had, knowing from past experiences that time was not on his side. After opening his Inventory, Steve gave a sigh of relief at what lay inside.

He immediately saw his enchanted diamond sword, enchanted bow, shield and the rest of his tools

“Good”, he muttered to himself, “that would’ve sucked if I had lost them. Took me a long time to make them.”
As for the rest of his inventory, there were a few random items, like some cobblestone or dirt, as well as some melon slices, carrots and a few bits of chicken. Besides that, there were 4 shulker chests, each colored-coded. A blue one, a red one, a black one and purple one. He automatically knew which ones were which, having had. Blue was for armor, weapons and materials, Red held the brewing stands and various brewing supplies, Black contained any and all excess food, and Purple had random miscellaneous items like snowballs, ender pearls, seeds, saplings, the like.

Letting out a small sigh, he pulled his sword, bow, pickaxe, axe, shovel, and compass into his hotbar and dispersed his inventory. Pulling out his compass, he looked down, turning his body in the direction of the red arrow, north, and began his trek, eager to get out of this forest.

* * * * *

Steve panted slightly, his feet pounding the floor, any tiredness not already overcome by his nearly infinite stamina being put off by the loud barking of multiple creatures behind him. He ducked under a low branch and slid under a large log that had fallen against another tree, putting everything into getting as far away from those stupid and slightly terrifying wooden wolves.

He’d just been walking through the forest when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Only moments later, he heard the sound of growling to his left. His head snapped to the side, his gaze focusing on the source of the noise, the sight of the creature causing Steve’s eyes to widen.

It was large, it’s shoulder lay a good block’s length above his head, around the same height as an Enderman. Physically, it looked almost exactly like the wolves he’d seen when traversing the taiga biomes, but that was where the similarities ended. Unlike flesh and blood like the wolves back home, these creatures were composed of wood, twigs and leaves, with lime-yellow, glowing eyes. Steve began to reach over his right shoulder to pull out his sword when a second growl came from his right, signaling the presence of another one of these “wooden wolves”. That particular one then let out a loud bark.

“A signal!”, Steve quickly realized, as he saw two more of the wolves appear in a square formation around him, effectively boxing him in.

“Well.”, Steve thought, as his gaze slowly fell over the four wolves, his hand grasping the handle of his fishing rod.

“Shit.”

And that just about lead up to what the hell was going on right now. Steve was being chased down by four persistent demon dogs from the Nether that really must’ve thought he looked pretty tasty. He’d been running for a few minutes know, desperate for any type of clearing or way to get those things off his ass. He dodged under a fallen log and tripped over a large root. Turning his fall into a roll to keep his momentum, he was back on his feet in an instant, the strange wolves nipping at his heels. He groaned, not in pain, but in frustration, and looked behind him at the wolves, eager for a way to get these things off his back. Fortunately, such an opportunity presented itself, in the form of the ground beneath Steve’s feet to very suddenly disappear.

The next thing he knew, he was falling, the sound of air rushing past his ears and the surprised yelps of the wolves enveloping him as he fell. He didn’t even have time to look down at his fate, before he hit something very cold and everything went black.

* * * * *

When his senses came to him, he felt dirty, very cold and very, very sore. Groaning, he sat up and looked around, taking in his surroundings. He had ended up on the bank of a river, the lower half of his body still laying underwater. He slowly dragged himself free of the cold river, pushing past the soreness in his muscles. Getting to his feet, he brushed any sand off his person and looked up at the sun to gauge how much time he’d lost.

The sun lay at right about at it’s crest, roughly midday. Pulling out his compass and turned himself back in the right direction, which luckily, was pointed away from the river, put his compass away and began his journey again, with only a faint limp to show for what he had just survived.

* * * * *

Steve didn’t quite know how long he’d been walking for. His body had gone into autopilot, any weariness of his body not registering in his brain, only ever stopping when his stomach demanded sustenance and he was forced to stop and have a loaf of bread or piece of chicken before continuing onward. No thoughts about taking up residence in the forest ever surfaced, and if they did, they were quickly squashed. Something about this place made his stomach churn and his senses constantly screamed “Danger!”. So he continued on.

It’d been a while, two days, maybe three days. Steve couldn’t be sure. The only thing he knew was that he suddenly was met by the bright light of the late morning sun. Putting up a hand to block the sun, he looked around. A smile was brought to his lips as he looked around, the grassy plains stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Steve wandering gaze was brought to a halt, however, when he saw what appeared to be a village. No, that wasn’t the right word for it, a town was more like it. While massive wasn’t exactly the best word to describe it, it certainly was large, made up of various buildings. But Steve didn’t focus on that. For he knew that if a town existed, than that meant villagers, civilization. Hopefully a place where he could get his bearings.

He had a pep in his step as he walked, his body not bothering to hide the joy he was feeling, the thought of being able to talk to someone after so long making him ecstatic. It'd been a while since he'd visited a village, so his Villagese was a bit rusty, but that hopefully wouldn't be a problem. However, as he walked silently into town, the joy he had previously been feeling slowly fell away as he looked around, his smile turning into a frown.

The town looked deserted. All the buildings doors were shut, their windows locked tight. To add insult to injury, a tumbleweed blew by, despite there being no wind blowing. And to top it all off, there was some annoying whistling sound that seemed to be getting louder, coming from behind him.

Wait...

X (Hold): Power Jump

Steve didn’t have any time to finish that thought before he jumped high, the source of the noise slamming into the ground beneath him.

Left D-Pad: Fishing Rod

X (Hold): Rod Zip

Left D-Pad: Fishing Rod

Pulling out his fishing rod, he hooked into the ground, pulling himself to the floor a few feet from where the crash site was. Putting away his rod, his gaze hardened as he waited with baited breath for the creature that had attacked him to get up. He heard a groan, some unintelligible muttering, then the creature stood. Steve’s gaze softened in awe at the strange thing.

It was, strangely enough, a rather short horse, probably a pony. It was coated in blue fur and a pair of blue, feathered wings were attached to its sides. It’s mane was rainbow colored. It seemed to have a strange, white mist surrounding it, barely even there. However, what really caught his attention, though, was it’s eyes. They were magenta in color, with a furious anger lay inside them, which informed Steve of two very important things. This pegasus, thing, was sentient, and it was pissed.

“What the Nether/buck are you?!” They both yelled simultaneously, Steve taking a step back in shock while the pony lowered into a defensive position. The Crafter's gaze quickly flickered over the pony. "You look like some kinda strange mutated horse!"

"Like you're one to talk, you bald monkey!!" The pegasus snarled in a raspy, seemingly masculine tone, inferring it was a male. "What even are you anyways?!"

"I'm Steve, and I'm a, well, that's a long story." Steve answered with a narrowed gaze, hands out in a placating manner as he slowly beginning to back-pedal. The last thing he wanted right now was a confrontation. "Now, I'm not sure why, but you seem pretty tense, so I'll just leave you be and skedaddle on out of here."

For a brief moment, nothing happened. The pegasus stared at the slowly retreating Crafter, not moving a muscle. Then, Steve saw something. A strange light filled the pegasus' eyes, and the strange white mist that surrounded his body intensified. The pony shuddered before shaking his head violently. "No! No you're lying!! I'm not gonna let you go and hurt somepony!!" The pony yelled, getting into a fighting stance.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What was that? “Whoa, what the Nether are you-!"

Circle: Dodge

Steve wasn’t given a chance to finish before he leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the pony’s charge. “Hey, wait, I don't wanna fight, I just…”

Circle: Dodge

Steve was interrupted once again as the blue pegasus tired to hit him again, making him roll to the side. Realizing that words would probably wouldn't do much, Steve dropped into a fighting stance, pulling back his right arm and putting up his left in a slight defensive stance.

X: Jump

Square x 4: Punch Combo

Steve leapt forward, his fist flying forward and slamming home into the off-guard pegasus' nose. Not letting him regain his sense’s, the Crafter swung his left fist forward, snapping it’s muzzle to the side while pulling back his right fist. Punching upward, he jumped, putting more force into the blow, snapping his head back. Using his airtime to his favor, he cupped his hands together, bringing them above his head, before bring them down with brutal force, slamming the pegasus into the floor. Jumping back, Steve stood straight, hoping the fight was over.

“Please, stop. You can't beat me." Steve spoke in a pleading tone. However, the pegasus simply got back on its feet (hooves?), before giving him a hard glare and a snarl.

“Oh really? Let's find out, monkey boy.” He (probably, Steve couldn’t tell) responded, before getting ready to charge again. Letting out a sigh, Steve got back into a stance, readying himself for a fight.

Circle: Dodge

The pegasus leapt at him again, and again, Steve rolled to the side, however, it seemed the pony had learned from it’s previous mistake, because in mid-air, he swerved around till his flank was pointed directly in Steve’s direction, then kicked both back hooves into Steve’s chest with all the kindness of a TNT blast.

Damage Received: - 5 damage. 15 health remaining.

Steve rolled back, skidding along the ground before coming to a stop a short distance from his opponent.

X: Jump

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Getting to his feet, Steve leapt high, swinging his leg around in a roundhouse kick that caught the attacking pony in the wing, making him tumble to the floor with a cry of pain. Landing on his feet, Steve slowly walked to the crippled pegasus, ready to finish the fight. However, he was caught off-guard, when he felt something wooden slam into his side, sending him airborne for a few moments before crashing into a stand or something, that subsequently crashed down on top of him.

Damage Received: - 5 damage. 10 health remaining.

“Take that, you ruffian!” A very female sounding voice shouted from somewhere. Steve groaned and shook the rubble off of him, getting to his feet, his gaze landing on his attacker and the new addition.
She (definitely a she), was a white pony, with a rather elegant purple mane and tail. Her blue eyes withdrew from the pegasus and landed on him, her gaze turning into a scowl. Then, to his surprise, her pale white horn glowed a light-blue color, before a plank of wood, surrounded by a similarly blue colored aura, was lifted from out of Steve’s line of sight, coming to hover in front of the unicorn, her eyes narrowed in his direction. She spoke as Steve got to his feet.
“I will not allow you to hurt Rainbow Dash anymore.”

D-Pad Down: Shield

Steve simply responded by getting into a fighting stance and withdrawing his shield, the heavy object thudding into the ground. Silence reigned for a short time, both sides eyeing the other. Then, the silence was broken by Steve.

“Your parents must’ve hated you.” Both ponies blinked in response, confusion spreading across their faces. Steve continued.

“I mean, c’mon, what kinda parents name their son Rainbow Dash. Either they have a weird sense of humor, or they really wanted a girl.” His statement drew two varying reactions. The white unicorn’s eyes grew wide in shock as her mouth fell open. The cyan blue pegasus, on the other hand, looked absolutely furious. If looks could kill, Steve would be six feet under.

“I. Am. A. Mare.”, he, well apparently she, said, with enough poison in her words to kill a witch on sight. Steve gawked at the mare, not quite believing the pony, but also not seeing how lying would benefit the situation.

“Heh, sorry about that, with the raspy voice and heavy testosterone, it was hard to tell.”

That was all the incentive required by the pegasus, as she launched himself forward, speeding directly at Steve. Steve only reinforced his hold on his shield, and waited for the right moment.

Square: Shield Smash

When his attacker was right upon him, with only seconds until it was too late, Steve moved. Stepping forward, he pulled his shield back slightly, then rammed it forward, right into her outstretched hooves. The result was a small shockwave, as an unstoppable force met an immovable object. Unfortunately for the pegasus, Steve had a stronger will.

Throwing his back into it, he pushed right past the opposing force, sending his attacker flying back, colliding with the ground. Not even seconds later, the unicorn was there, swinging her wooden plank with all of her magical might. Which wasn’t enough. The blows bounced harmlessly off of Steve’s shield, rendering her attacks void.

Triangle: Shield Swipe

Square (Hold): Shield Charge

Stepping forward, he swiped hard, knocking the plank out of the unicorns magical grip. Rushing forward, he leveled his shield, intent on full-on slamming his aggressor. Unfortunately, she managed to jump out of the way in time, forcing Steve to slide to a stop, turning back around to charge again, only to abandon that plan in order to avoid the pegasus that had tried to hit him from behind.

X: Jump

Leaping back, Steve dug his feet into the ground, halting his momentum.

L1 (Hold): Potion Select: Health Potion (Level 2)

Health Restored - 8 health. 18 health remaining

Taking a moment, he pulled a Potion of Healing, gulping down the bright red liquid. He let out a silent sigh as the familiar warmth spread through his body and healed his wounds. Readying his shield again, he was only nanoseconds too late. The pegasus, seeing an opening, had managed to get past his defenses. She swung her hoof into his cheek, knocking his head to the side before tucking and bucking him straight in the chest, sending him back.

Damage Received: - 4 damage. 14 health remaining.

Steve slid backwards on his feet, coming to a stop only a short distance from his attacker. His gaze fell on his two attackers as they closed in, step by step.

He wasn’t willing to kill them. He only killed those that were evil and while these psychotic ponies were very stupid and brash, they weren’t evil. Something was wrong with the pegasus as well, he could tell easily enough from what he'd seen. And since they were far too nimble and tough for him to knock out, that only left one option. To get the heck out of Dodge.

D-Pad Down: Shield

Putting away his shield, he allowed a sly grin to make its way onto his face, one that caused the advancing ponies to stop.

“I’ll admit, you ponies certainly are tough, but you best prepare yourselves for my next daring move.” This statement caused his aggressors to gain looks of apprehension and their bodies to tense. Steve took a slow, deep breath, and then….

He turned and ran.

TO BE CONTINUED

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 2: In and Out Again (Part 2) [Revised]

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve's feet pounded the dirt road beneath him, kicking up dirt with each step. Behind him, he could hear the furious beating of wings and angry shouting as the pegasus chased him.

"Geez, she's relentless." Steve muttered to himself, glancing back at the irate blue pegasus. However, as he looked, he noticed that the white unicorn was nowhere in sight. "Wait, where did she...?"

Circle B: Dodge

Steve was forced to roll to the side as Rainbow Dash rushed at him, missing him by mere inches. Ignoring the string of curses that she started spouting, Steve crouched, readying himself for her next attack, which came only moments later.

Circle + Square: Tackle

Grabbing her in mid-air, Steve spun himself around before throwing her into a nearby building, causing whoever was inside to cry out in surprise. Seeing his opportunity, Steve was about to run off, but hesitated for a moment. And in that moment, the pegasus managed to climb out of the building, stomping over to the Crafter. He gave a nervous smile, to which she flared her wings and growled. He sighed before taking off down the road, Rainbow Dash giving chase once again.

* * * * *

“Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, run away from the tornado.”, Steve sung quietly under his breath, the crazy pegasus yelling at him from behind to stop and “Take it like a stallion!”, which he had no intention of actually doing.

Circle: Dodge

Steve felt his instincts flare, practically screaming, “DANGER!!! DANGER!!!” He immediately rolled to the side. Just in time as well turns out, because he felt the rush of air just inches away. Back on his feet, he continued on, planning on making use of his seemingly infinite stamina. However, as soon he was on his feet, he was unceremoniously pulled off them again by what seemed to be a binding around his ankles, sending him face-down in the dirt.

“Rainbow Dash! What in tarnation is going on here!”, a new voice yelled. It sounded feminine, with a distinct country accent to it. Groaning, Steve attempted to push himself up, only for two hooves to slam into his back, sending his face to the floor once again.

“Thanks for the help! This thing attacked me and Rarity!”

“What! This thing attacked you!?” The new arrival, apparently named 'AJ', shouted in what sounded like anger. Steve tried to defend himself, yelling at the crazy horse on his back, but alas, with his face in the dirt, anything he said was just gibberish.

“Na, phse fit cirsct!!!” In response to your words, the pegasus saw fit to grind his face into the ground.
“You aren’t going anywhere you weird ape!”

Sighing into the dirt, he quickly jerked his head back. His head met muzzle, making the pegasus yelp and draw back. Violently twisting his body, he threw her off, hearing the thud of her body landing nearby. Yanking his legs, he tore himself from the bindings on his ankles. Without wasting another second, he tore off down the path, with no clear destination in mind, only to get away from these crazy ponies.

“Hey, get yer’ hide back, ya varmint!”

“Oh yeah, forgot about her. The one who tied me up. Wonder who…” Steve’s thoughts were interrupted when a loop of rope flew into his field of vision, before latching onto his torso, pinning his arms to his side. Not a second later, he felt a strong tug, pulling him back. He stumbled back but managed to stay on his feet. Whirling around, his gaze met that of the new pony, assumedly the same one that had thrown a rope on him. Twice.

She stood a little above his waist, not much taller than the others. She had an orange coat and blonde mane, on which sat a old Stetson hat. Her green eyes were narrowed at him, while the end of the rope was clenched tightly in her mouth. She pulled again, but Steve, this time not off-guard, barely moved, only sliding towards her a foot or two. Beside her the pegasus, Rainbow Dash, landed beside the pony, grinning like she’d won the lottery.

“Thanks for the help AJ!” Rainbow Dash said to the orange mare before turning to Steve.

“Nice try! Rarity’s sending an emergency letter to Canterlot right now. The Guards will deal with you then.” Steve’s eyes widened. He had wondered for a moment where the white unicorn had gone off to and now he knew. Growling, he stretched his arm behind him and searched through his inventory, looking for a specific item. In a split second, his hand closed around a small, cold orb. He brought his hand back to his side, the dark orb clenched tightly. Before either pony could say or do a thing, he flicked the orb to the side, which upon landing, teleported him away from the rope, letting it fall to the floor. Giving them a grin, he put his fists in front of him, ready for an attack.

Circle + Square: Tackle

Quickly dodging to the side, he easily avoided the pegasus’ attack. Leaping forward, he swiftly grappled the orange pony, lifting her up in a hard choke-hold, her legs kicking uselessly, her squirming doing little to dissuade Steve’s iron grip. He turned in the direction of the pegasus, giving her a good view of her struggling friend. Her eyes widened in what looked like fear and anger. She looked ready to charge before Steve spoke, voice cold and merciless.

“Come one inch closer and I’ll snap her neck like a twig.” She stopped, though it looked like it killed her to do just that, her eyes narrowed and teeth grit.

“She really cares about her.” That single thought sent a ripple of guilt through his body at what he was having to do.

“I’m going to go to the forest’s edge. If I get there unhindered, your friend goes free unharmed. If not, better start digging.” At that she flinched, but responded with anger and distrust in her voice.

“How can I trust you?” Steve replied with an icy tone.

“You don’t exactly have a choice, do you?” With that, he began slowly stepping back, getting further and further from the pegasus who failed to move. Once he had gained enough distance, he turned and ran, the mare still in his arms.

* * * * *

It wasn’t long before he had arrived at the forest’s edge. AJ had stopped her attempts at escaping, leaving her legs hanging by her side. Her heart, on the other hand, was racing very fast, the beats resounding through her chest into his arm. Not a word had been spoken between the two, but really, what would a hostage say to her captor, or vice versa. The fact that he was currently holding what was his first hostage in a long time made his stomach churn. Unfortunately, at the time he didn’t see any other options that didn’t end with dealing some serious damage to the ponies, and as he’d stated before, while they were psychotic, they weren’t deserving of that. Well, the orange pony and white pony weren’t. The blue one he had no problem slamming into the ground, seeing as she was the main cause of the whole situation.

Right before he stepped into the forest, he stopped. He’s promised he’d let AJ go when he reached the forest and he intended to do just that. But how? He didn’t have the string in his inventory to make a rope and if he let her go, there’s no guarantee she wouldn’t either attack him or try to lead any of her friends after him once he entered the forest.

Sighing, he looked up at a nearby tree. A grin formed on his face as an idea bloomed that would take care of two significant problems.

Securing the orange pony under his arm, he began climbing the tree, using any footholds and handholds he could get. Within a few moments he had reached a decently high branch.

Reaching over, he gently placed the pony, who now gave him a look of both distrust and worry, not to mention fear. Giving her a sigh, he jumped down, his feet making dull thuds on the forest floor. His work done, he began heading off into the dark when a shout stopped him.

“Hey, y’all gonna just leave me here!?” Turning back, he looked at the orange pony, who was giving him a glare from 15 feet above the ground. Casting a quick look back in the direction of town, he looked back at AJ.

“I swore I wouldn’t harm you if I returned to the forest unhindered and I wasn’t. But I can’t risk you following me, or attacking me. This was the middleground. And you don’t have to worry about being stuck. If that blur heading this way is what I think it is, you’ll be fine.”

AJ’s eye’s looked back to town. Just as the bipedal had said, a blue blur could be seen speeding towards the forest at ridiculous speeds. Her eyes narrowed.

“Wait, how did you know that..?” She turned her head back to look at the creature but was met with a shocking sight.

The creature was gone.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 20: A New Face

Now, without further adieu, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

He stood, looking out into the distance. The sand shifted slightly beneath his feet, and the waves splashed at his feet. He sighed, waiting.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of feet landing softly in the sand behind him. He didn’t turn around. He already knew who was there.

“Hello Abyss. How are you doing?” He felt the crunching of sand as the new arrival neared.

“I am doing fine. But I am also worried.” He felt his eyebrows raise slightly.

“Oh? What about, exactly?” He felt a small glare land on him.

“You know exactly what. After all, one doesn’t just receive a summons from Notch unless there something is wrong, or some terrible calamity is almost upon us. So why am I here?”
She asked, wanting to get to the point.

“Steve is gone.” Silence. Nothing but the sound of small waves and shifting sand could be heard.

“What?” She asked, dread and apprehension clear in her tone. Notch sighed.

“He is not dead, Abyss. He is still alive and well. But he is beyond my reach, on another world. He was transported there, by what means, I don’t know, and he remains there. I have tried to return him here, but I can't. To do so, I would have to go to the world myself, and that, I cannot do.”

“What! Why not?!” She asked. He gave her a hard look.

“You know as well as I that I can’t leave. If I were to do so, this world would die. It hurts me, but that is how it is.”

“Well, we have to do something! But what!?”

“That is why I called you here today.” She looked at him, eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?” She inquired.

“While I myself cannot leave this world, it is possible for me to transport another being there. You are one of the most powerful beings alive. The only problem is your predicament with being trapped in the End, but I believe I have found a way around that. Leave that me.”

“Yeah.” She huffed. “Since Herobrine destroyed the End Portal all those years ago, coupled with the fact that even you don’t have the power to remake them. That’s why we have to meet here, in the Void Plane.” In response, he simply nodded.

“I don’t ask this readily of you. I just wish to help Steve.” She gave him a confused glance.

“Why? What happened?”

Notch sighed. “He is, not very well liked. I have not been able to see much, but from what I have seen, things are not going so well for him, so I…”

“I’ll do it.” Abyss interrupted. Notch looked at her with a slightly shocked expression. She gave him a hard and determined look.

“I owe him. Big time. Not only did he beat my curse, he also saved me. He had no reason to, but he saved my life, and my home. Despite what his instincts were telling him.” She sighed, looking away, garnering a look of slight confusion from Notch. She saw his expression and sighed.

“His fight, with the ender dragon. It scarred him, both physically and mentally. You weren’t there to see the nightmare’s he had. The times he woke up with a scream, sweat pouring down his head and neck. He suffers more than either of us could know, especially since the war. He’s just, really good at hiding it.”

“I know. I saw how he was pushing through, adjusting to being the last of his species. I saw his interactions with the villagers, how friendly he was, and helpful. I wish I could help him now, when I was unable to help him before. But I can’t.” Notch sighed. Looking up, he gave Abyss a serious look.

“I will tell you this now, this trans dimensional travel is very tricky and dangerous. You could very well not make it to his world, and even if you do, there’s no telling if I can bring you both back. Calling you here was a rushed notion, but now that I think about it, it might not be safe. Do you still wish to try?”

“I have a feeling you wouldn't have called me if you didn’t think I had at least a chance. So yeah, I’ll do it.” Notch sighed, but smirked.

“When can you be ready to transport?” She smirked in response.

“Whenever you are.”

* * * * *

Steve woke up in a cave.

He opened his eyes, groaning at the soreness that invaded his body. Managing to sit up, he looked around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Putting his hand down to get to his feet, his palm met a soft, slightly warm surface. Looking down, he saw he had been laying down on a blanket. It wasn’t special, just a simple blue blanket, but it only confused Steve further. Where was he?

Thinking hard, the events of what had happened quickly came back to him. The town, the fight, his wounds. Then the ground had exploded. After that, Steve had blacked out. What could’ve caused that?

Steve got to his feet, stretching his body, which only relieved a little bit of the soreness. Popping his back, looked around the room. It seemed to be mostly barren room, with a few torches bringing light to the other-wise dark room. The only things in the room were him, and the blanket. Looking toward the entrance, he saw more light coming through the door. Sneaking forward on silent feet, he slowly made his way forward, gaze searching for anything.

Making his way forward, he walked into another room. This one, however, had a decent sized fire in the middle of room, burning away. Leaning against the wall was some supplies from what he could see, rations, a few potion flasks and weapons. Quirking an eyebrow, he was about to continue on, when he heard the sound of footsteps coming his way.

His immediate thought was to jump behind cover, but he crushed that notion. Whoever had brought him here didn’t have any evil intentions, else they would’ve tied or chained him up. They certainly wouldn’t have healed his wounds and treated his injuries.

Soon, he saw a figure make their way into the room. They were tall, perhaps a foot or two above his own height. Their black scales and claws immediately told him it was a dragon, while certain, er, assets, told him it was female. She had her wings tucked to her back, and her tail swished along the ground. Her almost glowing purple eyes looked at him as she carried some wood under her arms. Without a word, she walked to her small stockpile, dropping the wood onto it.

“You should be resting.” She spoke in a clear voice. Steve remained silent for a moment, before responding.

“Got confused when I woke up alive and not in chains. Wanted to look around.” She didn’t respond, choosing instead to go over to her food rations. Digging through them, she tossed a loaf of bread and bottle of water to him. Reaching up, he swiftly caught both items. Looking down down at them in confusion, he looked back up at the dragoness still rummaging through her rations.

“Who are you, exactly? And why did you save me?” She stopped. Steve raised his eyebrow. After a few moments of silence, she spoke without turning around.

“My name is Abyss. As to why I saved you, I don’t know. I was walking through the forest looking for some food, when I heard the sound of fighting. After a few minutes, I found you and the others fighting. You looked outnumbered, and hurt, so I made the split-second decision to help. I created a distraction and in the confusion, got you and brought you here. I treated your wounds and made sure you were still alive.”

Abyss. Steve felt it in his gut. He knew that name. But, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember. It was on the tip of his tongue for a moment, but just like that, he lost it. Taking his mind off it for the moment, he shook his head to clear it.

“Well, thank you, for helping me. I probably wouldn’t have survived the fight otherwise.”

“Yes, about that. Why are they after you? What did you do?”

Steve sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know. It’s one big mixture of jumping to conclusions, bad impressions and a couple ass-kickings.” He chuckled sitting against a wall. This got a small laugh from the dragoness.

“Sounds like one big misunderstanding.” She spoke, a certain tone Steve couldn’t place in her voice. He scoffed.

“Understatement of the frigging century, Miss Abyss.” He smirked at his play on words. Looking towards, he saw the light of day through the cave opening where Abyss had walked in from, thinking about the fight from the night before. His mind immediately went to the night of Derpy's capture and her subsequent rescue. A bad feeling rose in his gut. If they knew, if the General had told anyone, that she was his friend, and they hurt her in anyway, shape, or form, there'd be Nether to pay. He had to make sure Derpy and her daughter were okay. Standing up, he spoke to the dragoness.

“Miss, I am really thankful for your assistance. But I need to get back home. I have a few friends in the nearby town that I need to check up on, as well as weather mare to visit.” He saw her eyebrows raise.

“The nearby town. I’m just assuming, but this wouldn't happen to be the same town where those five from last night live, would it?” Already seeing where this was going, he sighed.

“Yeah, surprising as it may be, I actually made some friends down there. One of them actually was captured and hurt for being my friend. So I, just, need to make sure they are alright.” Steve said, worry clear in his eyes. Abyss sighed in exasperation.

“If that’s what you feel is necessary, I won’t stop you. But be careful. I don’t want to have to rescue you again.” She chuckled.

Steve smiled. “Thanks. I wish the best to you. Hopefully, we’ll meet again soon.” And with that, he was gone, running out the opening and down the mountain path.

* * * * *

Her smirk fell, as she sat against the wall, letting the meat in her claw fall. She sighed, rubbing a clawed hand to her face.

“He really doesn't remember me. Guess it makes sense. I didn't have this form back home, much less have the ability to talk.” She closed her eyes at the memories of their first meeting resurfaced.

* * * * *

The first thing she knew, she was laying, curled up on the ground. A stale, cold wind blew by, but she didn’t shiver. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy, nearly impossible to lift. After some struggling, she opened her eyes.

Her gaze was immediately met with a tall, bipedal figure. It’s indigo eyes looked down at her, a warm smile present on its face. It wore some strange fabric, covering its body. It held a something in it’s right hand. Suddenly, in her waking memory, she recognized it.

‘An End Crystal! How did this creature make one?’

“Hey little one.” The creature spoke. It’s masculine tone informed her that this creature was a male. “Welcome back. Your home now.” Widening her eyes slightly, she looked around.

‘Home. I’m home. My curse, it’s broken! But how?’ She looked around the large, white-ish island, the towering black pillars, the end crystals sitting atop them. Everything seemed the same, so how?

“Y’know, I was worried when I did the whole resurrection thing.” The creature spoke again, drawing Abyss’s attention. “I was worried you would just become a scary dragon again. Even brought armor and potions with me.” Her mind raced.

‘Scary dragon? Wait, this creature fought my cursed form!? He was the one to destroy it! He freed me, and brought me back!’ Shakily, she got on her feet, stumbling over to Steve. He knelt down, putting out his hand. She gently placed her head against it, eyes closed. She let out a faint rumble of happiness.

He laughed. “Glad to see your happy, little one.”

‘I am happy. After so long of being cursed, I am finally free, and home again. Though I wish I could tell you this myself, kind creature.’ Looking up, her eyes made contact with the creature’s. ‘I swear, on my life, I will repay my debt to you.’

* * * * *

Abyss sighed. She wanted to follow Steve and tell him, tell him everything. But she didn’t. If he didn’t even remember her, he might think she was crazy, or some stalker. She didn’t look at all like how Steve would’ve remembered. Plus, her telecommunication crystal that Notch had given her at the portal had accidently broken when she’d landed. She didn’t have a back-up plan.

Groaning, she decided the next best plan was to wait and see what happened next.

“Hopefully something will turn up.” She muttered as she got up to stoke the fire.

* * * * *

Rainbow Dash did not want to get up. Really. It was the weekend, and she wanted to sleep in. But the incessant knocking would not go away.

Grumbling, she got up off her couch, giving a sigh. Any shout for the pegasus to “go away” were for not. Walking up to the door, she twisted the knob and threw it open.

“WHAT DO… you? Steve? What do you want?” Steve was hanging from her roof edge, fishing rod clutched firmly in his iron grip.

“Hey, Dashie, how about I meet your friends?” He said, a grin on his face.

Author's Note

Hey, in case anyone is still confused, Abyss is the ender dragon. Anyway, I got the idea to bring her in from Dragonsboy97. Hopefully, it will work into the story. :twilightblush:

Anyway, as always, tell me what you all think in the comments. I am a little nervous at how you all will take Abyss's inclusion in the story. I just ask that you guys be patient with me. I won't let you guys down. :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 34: Trial by Fire (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

The brown unicorn now known as Codswell stepped up to Iron Gavel and hoofed him a slip of paper. Gavel glanced down at it for a moment, before looking at Rainbow Dash.

“I will now read out the charges for all to hear. Rainbow Dash, you have been charged with aggravated assault of the second degree. How do you plead?”

She sighed. “Guilty.”

Gavel nodded, then continued. “You have been charged with assault with a deadly weapon. How do you plead?”

Her eyes squinted shut and a small tear formed. “Guilty.”

“Lastly, you have been charged with lying to authorities. How do you plead?”

Steve sighed, expecting to hear the same word for a third time. However, he was shocked for a moment at what he heard.

“I plead, not guilty.” Steve looked over that the prismatic mare, but her gaze was locked on the judge. Gavel looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, before letting out a sigh.

“Very well. The accused has plead not guilty.” He looked over at the green mare sitting next to Steve. “Attorney Mint, you may make your opening…”

“Hold on.” Steve spoke, interrupting the judge. Everypony in the room looked at the Crafter with shocked expressions. “Before we go full legal on this shit, I would like to know.” He turned to look at Rainbow. “Why is it you plead guilty on the first two, but not the last?”

She let out a small sigh. “Because I never lied to any authorities.” Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh? In that case, let me ask you something.” He spoke, expression serious. “When the Princesses were informed about me, what did they hear? Did they hear about the Crafter who was blatantly attacked for no reason, or about the guy who was the victim of some horrible misunderstanding? Or did they hear about the monster that wandered into Ponyville and attacked some of its citizens? Because that's the vibe I've been getting.” He walked over to her and calmly put a hand on the table. “Look Dash. I consider you a friend, despite our past conflicts, so please tell me. If it wasn't you, who was it?”

Dash refused to meet his eyes as she spoke. “Look, I'm not saying it's not my fault, it really is. But nopony lied to any authorities, as far as I know. My friend, Twilight, she has direct messaging to Princess Celestia. I told her about my fights with you and she contacted the Princess.”

“And since she couldn't have known any better, she didn't lie either. So you just lied to your friend, not to any authorities.” Steve concluded, causing the prismatic mare to flinch. “While it's not right, lying to a friend isn't something you can go to jail for.” Nodding his head, he put a hand to his chin in thought. “But still, when the guards and the death squad arrived, why didn't you say or do anything? Wouldn't they have at least listened to you?”

Dash looked up at him. “I, I don't know. Sure I could've said something, and maybe they would've listened, but I just, didn't. And I'm not sure why.”

Steve nodded. “Don’t worry, I already have a pretty good idea why, but I'll get to that later. First things first, we gotta deal with stuff here.” Sighing, he turned to look at Judge Gavel. “Hey Mr. Gavel, I got a question. Who, exactly, is pressing these charges?”

Iron Gavel looked at Steve with a confused expression. “Uh, you are, Mr. Steve.” Steve blinked.

“Oh. In that case. Fuck this, I wish to drop all charges.” Steve said, a smirk on his face. “Problem solved.”

“I’m afraid it’s not as easy as that.” Mint spoke from beside him, destroying his hopes for this situation to be easily resolved. He turned to look at her.

“Why not? I’m not pressing charges anymore, so how about we all go home and call it a day?”

“Because the fact of the matter is, Ms. Rainbow Dash has been suspected of committing crimes that cannot be overlooked so easily.” Iron Gavel spoke, a serious expression on his face.

Steve scoffed. “What kind of crimes? I get that she attacked me for no reason and stuff like that, but I don’t…”

“She reportedly struck you with a lightning bolt. That alone is a serious offense.” said Gavel, tone grave. Steve stopped as he remembered what Derpy had told him a while back.

“Sorry about that. Just, what do you mean lightning strike?!” She asked loudly. Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Uh, yeah, what’s so bad about that? I mean, sure it hurt like the Nether, but so what?” Her eyes were wide in shock and disbelief.

“That’s illegal! Using lightning against a sentient being is a crime punishable by 3 year’s jail time or a 5,000 bit fine, last I checked!”

‘So in other words,’ Steve thought as everypony looked at him, ‘if I don’t do something, she’s screwed.’ He looked at Dash, then around the room. ‘Aw shit, what do I do?’

“Whether you wish to press charges or not, what she has done can’t simply be written off.” Iron Gavel spoke with a forlorn sigh. Steve nodded.

“Yeah, makes sense. Just because I don’t care about what doesn’t happened, doesn’t mean the law doesn’t, correct?” Steve chuckled as a plan formulated in his brain.

“Uh, yes, I suppose.” Gavel affirmed, looking at the Crafter with a confused expression. In response, Steve let out a small laugh, before grabbing his chair and walking up to the judge’s seat. Placing it down, he stood on top of it, making him just a little bit taller than the seated stallion.

“Well, you seem to be unaware of a few things, Judge Gavel, two things in fact. For one, I was never one for legal processes. Two, I happen to have a Chaotic Good alignment, morale wise.”

“Chaotic, what? What does that mean?” Gavel asked as he looked up at Steve.

“Well, it means a lot of things. It means that I have a strong conscience and want to do what’s right. It means I’ll do what I think is right, regardless of what the law thinks. Basically, to sum it up,” Quick as lightning, Steve reached forward, grabbing Gavel’s shoulders before pulling back, slamming the stallion’s muzzle into the desk with a solid “Thwack!” Gavel crumbled from the blow, falling out of his chair. “It means FUCK YOUR LEGAL SYSTEM!!” Steve yelled.

Ignoring the surprised cries from the jury, he hopped off the chair and ran towards Dash, who stared at him with a shocked expression.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Reaching over his shoulder, he withdrew his blade to cut her chains. Before he could reach her, however, the two guards from before stepped in front of the mare, blocking his path. Steve rolled his eyes.

X: Jump

Square: Slash

Triangle: Kick

Jumping up, he slashed his blade at one guard, simultaneously kicking one straight in the face, sending both to the floor. Landing back on his feet, he raised his sword and cut through Dash’s chains with a single blow, letting the bonds fall to the floor. Before she could say a word, he hastily picked her up and placed the mare over his shoulder. Taking off in a sprint, he busted the door to the room down before running down the short hallway and bursting out into the crowded street with Dash still in tow, where he was met with his companions arguing, rather loudly, with the guards. Upon his sudden entry, they stopped and looked at him with confusion.

“Steve, what happened?” Trench began.

“No time!! Run!!” Steve yelled as he pushed past the ponies.

“Stop him!! He's escaping with the convict!!” someone shouted from within the building. As Steve made it to the edge of the crowd, he glanced back and saw about half-a-dozen guards chasing after him, the herd of ponies parting for them.

Circle: Dodge

Steve leapt to the side as a bolt of magic shot past. Two more followed suit, but missed him by a short distance. Increasing his speed, the Crafter slowly began gaining distance from his pursuers. With the streets being mostly empty, he didn’t have to worry about obstacles in his path. After about a minute, he took a moment to look back and was happy to see they were a considerable distance behind him now.

“Ha Ha!! See you, ya fu-WAH!!” Steve’s sentence was cut off as he tripped. He was too busy looking behind him to notice at the time, but some colts had left a hoofball in the middle of the street, directly in his path. Caught off-guard, he slipped onto his back, sending Dash flailing. After skidding in the dirt for a short distance, he came to a stop.

Damage Received - 1 damage. 36 health remaining.

Grunting, he pushed himself to his feet, shaking himself off. Just as he did so, the guards giving case caught up, surrounding the duo with spears while the lone unicorn in the group had his horn glowing.

“You are under arrest. Drop your weapon and get on your knees.” One of the guards commanded. Steve sighed and started to reach up for his blade, preparing for a fight.

VOOP!!

Suddenly, Steve’s vision darkened and cut out for a moment. The next thing he knew, he was back in the main square, Rainbow Dash sitting beside him and no guards in sight.

“What the…?” He began.

“Steve, you’re alright!” spoke a familiar voice from behind him. Whirling around, he saw his friends standing a few feet from where he was. Celestia was there as well, horn glowing after what Steve figured was her teleporting him. Abyss walked up to him with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Just a little scratched up, nothing too bad.” He glanced at the Solar Princess. “Thanks for the help. I wasn’t really in the mood to fight those guys.”

“You are welcome, though I request that you not make it a regular thing to harass my guards.” She responded with an even expression.

“Hey, I’m not the one who sent them at me. As long as they’re trying to kill me, I’ll mess with them as much as I wish.” As he said this, Steve thought he saw the alicorn flinch slightly, but simply played it off as a trick of the mind. Turning to the side, he saw Dash looking at all of them in confusion and slight fear.

“What’s going on here?” She said as she stood on all four legs. “Why are all four of you here?” She looked at Abyss and took a step back. “And who the buck is that?!”

Steve sighed and clamped a hand to his face. “Oh, right. Introductions. Well, I’ll make this short. The first is, obviously, Princess Celestia, who you’ve definitely met.”

The diarch waved with a smile. “Hello again Rainbow Dash.” The mare waved back.

“The second is General Trench. He’s been running things in the guard barracks back at Ponyville.”

“Hello, Ms. Dash.” Trench stated with a slight bow.

“This is Aura, you may have seen her around town.”

“Sup? The thestral mare inquired, lifting a hoof.

“And last, but certainly not least, my good friend Abyss, a kick-ass dragon with healing abilities.” At his words, the dragoness smiled and waved.

“Huh. Cool.” Dash glanced up at the Crafter. “How did you two meet?” Abyss opened her mouth to respond, but Steve cut her off.

“Kind of a long story. Remind me to tell you later.”

“Hey, speaking of telling, what happened in there?” Aura stepped forward, curious. “What was Ms. Rainbow on trial for?” Dash backed up slightly, becoming clearly nervous. Steve reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. Kneeling down in front of her, his eyes looked into her’s, filled with a gentleness not usually seen.

“Dash, listen. If you don’t want to talk about it, then you don’t have to. Okay?” He spoke with a quiet and calming voice. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and nodded.

“Thanks Steve. I really don’t wanna talk about it right now.”

“And that’s alright. Now, I don’t want to take Pinkamena's job, but how about a hug? You look to be in need of one.” He inquired, spreading his arms wide. He didn’t normally do this, but he could tell she needed one. Letting out a small laugh, she returned it, resting her chin on his sturdy shoulder. After a few moments, they separated.

“Better?” Steve asked.

She nodded with a smile. “Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem. Now, I don’t know for sure what…” Steve was interrupted by a loud “BING!!” sound. Whirling around, he saw the door appear out of thin air, just as it had done the previous three times. He smirked at the sudden arrival.

“What is that?” Rainbow Dash asked, eyebrow raised.

“That, my fine, feathery friend, is our ticket out of here.” Reaching over, he gripped the door handle and turned the knob before opening the door. Turning back around, he grinned at the group.

“See ya on the other side.” And he stepped through.

* * * * *

“STEVE!!”

“He isn’t responding!”

“STEVE!!”

“C’mon, wake up!”

“STEVE!!”

“Son of a bitch!” Steve cried out as he sat up, immediately jumping to his feet. However, he lost his balance and fell on his back. Groaning, he propped himself up on his elbows. Looking up, he was met by the terrified faces of Trench, Aura, Dash and Abyss. Even Celestia looked worried.

“What the Nether happened? Why are you guys yelling?” He asked, utterly confused.

“We were trying to wake you up!” Trench said in a loud, shaky voice.

“Wake me up? What are you even talking about? I don’t…”

“Steve.” Abyss spoke, her calm voice laced with terror. “You were unconscious for three hours.” His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

“What?”

Author's Note

Sorry if the dialouge seemed a bit choppy in this chapter, I'm still trying to get better at writing it.
Besides that, thank you all for reading and tell me what you think in the comments! :pinkiehappy:

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 53: Retribution (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve slowly poked his head out over the cliff edge. About twenty feet below him, two of those black bug-ponies, changelings, stood watch in front of a dimly lit cave entrance, presumably their base. Sighing, he pulled himself back, taking a deep breath as he tried to think of a plan.

“So, this may be a bad time, but I have to go to the bathroom.”

Steve sent a glare to his right, where the two changelings he had captured earlier were tied together, back-to-back. The first one, the female, was glaring, or rather trying to, at her partner. The changeling in question, whom Steve had learned was named Quip, was blinking innocently at Steve with its big, blue, pupiless eyes.

“Well, that sure sucks for you.” Steve responded with a deadpan before turning his gaze back to the two changelings below him. “Okay, so how am I going to get in there?” He muttered to himself.

“So, what are you, anyway?” The Crafter heard Quip ask. Sighing, Steve glanced over at the changeling.

“Why do you care?”

“Well, I mean, I told you what species Vesper and I are, I just figured it would only be fair if you returned the favor.”

Steve’s gaze narrowed at the male changeling. His teeth grit in anger. “Only fair? Only, fair?” He hissed angrily, being careful to stay quiet enough to remain unnoticed, but still get his point across. “Why the fuck would I care about fairness when you attacked and captured an innocent zebra, who is also a very good friend of mine?!”

“Oh come on.” Quip whined. “It’s not like we wanted to, but Vask needed information, as well as a food source. Your friend was just the unlucky candidate. It was either her o-”

“Quip?” Vesper suddenly asked, interrupted her companion.

“Yeah?”

“For the love of the Queen, shut the buck up.” She spoke, her tone laced with fear.

“What? Wh-?”

Quip was suddenly interrupted as Steve grabbed him by his chitin chestplate and lifted him up, Vesper giving a surprised yelp as she was taken along for the ride. Quip gave a nervous gulp when he saw the furious look in the Crafter’s indigo eyes, which was only aided by the pure anger emanating from him. The changeling had been so busy talking, he didn’t notice just how angry Steve had become.

The Minecraftian’s entire body was stiff, his breathing heavy. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. His teeth were grit to the point that both changelings briefly wondered how they hadn’t shattered. It didn’t take a genius to figure out how pissed off he was.

After a moment of silence, Steve finally spoke, leaning close to Quip’s face.

“What do you mean, food source?”

Quip swallowed nervously as he struggled to find the words to answer. Coughing, he cleared his throat. “Um, c-changelings, kinda f-feed off of emotions, particularly l-love. We can s-suck it up from pretty much every other species e-except our own.”

‘Steve, I do not believe he is lying.’ Nightmare Steve commented after a moment of silence.

‘Yeah, I know.’ The Crafter responded in his mind, continuing to glare into Quip’s terrified eyes. ‘I’m just trying to decide what to do with them. Can’t let them go, not yet, at least.’

‘Why not just leave them here?’

‘They’ll try to escape. I don’t know how long that rope I tied them up with will last. But, I may just have a better idea.’

Dropping the changelings to the floor, he reached into his inventory and pulled out some cobblestone.

“Stay still.” He ordered, in a tone that made it clear he was to be obeyed. Then. he began to build a small cobblestone hut around them, with a single opening for them to get air. Wiping his hands on his pants, he looked through the small 1x1 opening.

“Now, I’m gonna get going and rescue my friend. You can try and escape if you want, I just need you both out of the way for the time being.” With that, he stepped onto the edge of the rock face, preparing to jump onto the unknowing changelings below.

“There’s no way you’ll be able to get your friend back.” Vesper spoke, her voice echoing slightly from within her stone imprisonment. “There’s no less than twenty of us, and there’s only one of you. That’s not exactly a fair fight.”

Steve stopped for a second. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at her before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. That doesn’t sound like a very fair fight.” He gave the duo a cocksure grin. “Make it fifty and then maybe your friends will actually have a fighting chance.”

D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod

Square: Hook

Withdrawing his fishing rod, he swiftly latched the hook onto the ledge, giving it a sharp tug to make sure it was secure. Taking a deep breath, he jumped.

* * * * *

Kip slowly trotted down the stone corridor, his hoofsteps echoing softly off the walls. Normally, Crag would be accompanying him, but due to his rather serious injury, Kip was alone. Sure he could’ve asked Vask to redo the schedule a bit, but Queen forbid anyling ask her to do anything extra. Honestly, Kip didn’t know why she came along at all. But, as a simple excavating drone, he wasn’t paid, figuratively speaking since changelings don’t get paid, to ask questions.

Nearing the entrance to their temporary base, Kip saw Rei and Bane standing guard. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

“Hey Rei, Bane. I’m here for the shift change.”

Bane arched an eyebrow. “Alone?”

Kip shrugged. “Yeah. With Crag out of commission, I’ll be-”

WHUMP!

Kip blinked in surprise. One moment Bane had simply been standing there, looking at him. The next, he was replaced by the form of a strange, bipedal creature, dressed in a pair of blue trousers and a lighter blue cyan shirt. Before either Kip or Rei could react, the being rushed forward, quickly withdrawing a glowing blue sword from somewhere and clobbering Rei over the head, sending her to the dirt. Only a moment later, a gray boot slammed into his muzzle, knocking him to the side.

Slamming into the stone wall directly behind him, Kip let out a cry of pain before slumping to the ground, breathing heavily. Glancing up, he saw Rei attempting to get back to her hooves, only for something blunt and blue to slam into her skull and knock her out. Looking up, he saw the being turn from Rei’s unconscious form and look at him.

Eyes widening in panic, he tried to run, but the bipedal threw the tool in its grip and hit him hard in the side, sending the changeling sprawling. Heart racing in his chest, Kip frantically tried his best to flee, but something slammed into the back of his head and everything went black.

* * * * *

Taking a few deep breaths, Steve looked over the three unconscious changelings. Thinking quickly, he dragged them out of the cave entrance and into some nearby underbrush. After making sure they were securely hidden, he walked back over to the mouth of the cave, making sure to grab and unlatch his fishing rod which had still been hanging from the ledge. Slowly stepping inside, he was met with a long, narrow corridor. While it was dark near the entrance, there seemed to be more light further down the way.

D-Pad Up: Sword

Unsheathing his blade, he held it out in front of him as both a means of protection as well as a small light source for the otherwise dark cave. He walked carefully, prepared for anything to attack him at any moment. As he neared the light at the end of the tunnel, he suddenly heard something.

X: Jump

Jumping to the side, he pressed himself against the cave wall. Taking a deep breath, he strained an ear to see if he could make out what the noise was.

It was voices. Two, in fact. One sounded like a gruff-sounding older male, while the other seemed like a much younger male, probably a young adult. Leaning closer in, Steve managed to make out some of what they were saying.

“... interrogation go?” The younger voice asked.

“Not good. Could barely get any info from her.” The older voice responded. “When she wasn’t giving us the silent treatment, the bitch kept talking in rhymes, which was annoying as buck.”

“So what did you do instead?”

“Eh, Vask just used a memory withdraw spell and had Nix and Peakt suck all the love outta her.”

“Isn’t that kinda lethal?” Steve’s heart skipped a beat at the younger changeling’s words.

“Yep, turns ponies into lifeless husks. It’s weird, her…” Steve didn’t listen to anything after that as he fell back against the wall, eyes wide and heart racing.

‘Dead, dead, no she can’t be dead.’ His thoughts shot through his mind. ‘She was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, she can’t be dead. She, she was my friend, why? Why is she gone? She’s-’

Steve was brought from his thoughts when both of the changelings suddenly laughed. Gritting his teeth, Steve tried his best to keep himself from shaking in rage.

‘Those, those, bastards! They killed her and don’t even give two fucks about it!!’

‘Steve, please calm down.’ Nightmare Steve spoke in a calm but pleading voice. ‘I understand your anger, but it will only-’

‘Can it, Nightmare!!’ Steve roared in his mind. ‘These fuckers are going to pay!!’

Without another word, the Crafter leapt out into the middle of the stone corridor, immediately gaining the attention of both of the changelings.

One was taller than the other, with a large gray scar running over one of his eyes and one of his gray wings missing. He wore a strange, dark-blue chestplate and similarly colored boots. On his side was a standard sword, held in a brown cloth sheath. The other was unarmed, with no visible weapons or armor.

“What the buck!?” The armed changeling yelled, his horn flaring and his sword whipping out in front of him while his companion jumped behind him for cover.

Square: Slash

Circle + Square: Counter

Rushing forward, Steve swung his sword forward, only to be met by his opponent’s iron blade. Pushing forward, Steve broke past the changeling’s guard before slicing him hard in the side, his sword cutting through chitin like a knife through warm butter. The changeling cried out in pain as he was sent rolling by the blow. Upon coming to a stop, he coughed and groaned, pressing a black hoof to the wound where green blood now poured from.

“Blisk!!” The other changeling cried in distress. Steve whirled around to see the changeling standing a short distance away, terror clear in it’s blue eyes. “Anyling!! Help!!” He shouted, his fearful voice echoing off the cave walls.

Triangle (Hold): Roundhouse Kick

Sighing in frustration, Steve roundhouse kicked him in the face, knocking the changeling to the ground beside his companion. Standing above the duo, he raised his blade, readying himself to plunge it downwards. However, before he could, something hard slammed into his back, sending him flying through the air and colliding with the wall before hitting the ground.

Damage Received - 5 damage. 15 health remaining.

Groaning, he shot to his feet before whirling around to see what had hit him. Only to see a bolt of green magic flying towards his face.

Circle + Square: Counter

Getting into a stance, Steve swung his sword like a baseball bat. The spell rebounded off his blade, flying backwards towards whoever shot it, only for a green force-field to block the shot. Within the barrier were no less than a dozen changelings, all of which were armed to the teeth with a whole manner of armor and weapons, ranging from swords and spears to battle-axes and maces. One rather large changeling even had an intimidating-looking war-hammer hefted over its shoulder.

Growling, Steve held his blade at the ready as he slowly stalked towards the squad of changelings. As he did so, one of their horns lit up and shot a bolt of magic at him.

Circle: Dodge

Steve easily side-stepped the attack. The ease with which he did so sent a slight ripple of unease through the group facing him. The Crafter smirked. Good.

‘Steve, I feel that-’ Nightmare Steve began, only to get cut off.

‘Not now.’ The Crafter responded. Silence for a moment, then a resigned sigh.

‘Steve, killing them will not bring Zecora back.’

Circle: Dodge

‘I know that!’ Steve responded, performing a front-flip as a wave of magical fire passed underneath. ‘But it’ll sure as hell make me feel a bit better!’

‘No it won’t.’

Steve stopped, still a good twenty-five feet from the group of changelings. His gaze was leveled at the group, but his thoughts were focused on the Nightmare’s words. As much as it pained Steve to admit, he knew Nightmare Steve was right.

‘...Yeah. Yeah you’re right.’ Steve responded as the anger began to slowly turn into sorrow. ‘Killing them won’t bring her back. She’s gone, and there’s no undoing that.’ He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, ignoring the tears that now ran down his cheeks. ‘... But she didn’t deserve to die.’

‘I know, Steve. I know.” A beat. ‘Magic bolt incoming.’

Circle: Block

Holding his sword across his chest, Steve blocked the attack, eyes still closed. Dropping his blade to his side, he opened his eyes, looking over every changeling inside the barrier. Taking a moment to steel his resolve, he dropped into a fighting stance, then charged, letting out a loud battle-cry.

‘For Zecora?’ Nightmare asked. Steve rushed forward, sword at the ready as he neared the barrier. Bolts of magic whizzed by, but he remained undaunted as he charged.

X: Jump

As soon as he got close enough, he leapt, thrusting his blade forward as hard as he could.

‘For Zecora.’

Author's Note

The people who know will be the ones who aren't worried.

Thank you for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 75: A Whole New World (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Silence reigned in the throne room. Steve stood a good distance from the Nightmother, sword still pointed at her. He grinned a vicious grin, almost begging the Nightmother to act in some way, so that he could finally cut her down. Onyx stood back to back with the Crafter, looking just a bit unsure of himself. His glowing white eyes traveled uneasily over the Nightmare guards that surrounded them.

“Um, Steve?” Onyx hesitantly asked.

“Yeah?” The Crafter replied, gaze not leaving the Nightmother’s.

“While I am really glad you came to help me, what exactly is your plan to get out of here?”

“... I’m still working on that part, give me a sec.”

Onyx’s gaze shot to Steve. “You mean you don’t have a plan!” He spoke, quietly enough so that no one else would hear, but loud enough to get his disbelief across to Steve, who gave a shrug in response.

“I did, but that plan kinda went out the window when Miss Better-in-Black here was going to have you executed. I had to improvise.”

“And how would you say that’s going so far?”

Steve took a quick look around the room before responding. “Well, given my previous experience with these sorts of situations, I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

“...We’re standing in front of the strongest Nightmare alive, one who you literally just insulted in front of hundreds of other Nightmares, and you think it’s going well?”

“We’re not dead yet.” Steve countered.

“That is true.” The Nightmother interrupted, taking a step towards the pair, the several guards surrounding them doing the same. “However, allow me to rectify that.” Putting out her hand, a large spear, made of the same dark material as the armor the guards had been wearing appeared in her grip. She twirled it in her hand before slamming the hilt into the ground, cracking the stone floor beneath it.

Steve raised his blade in response, shifting his feet into a defensive stance. Onyx did the same, bringing up his left fist while pulling back his right as he crouched low. It took the Crafter a moment, but he eventually recognized the stance as the one he normally took before a fight. Looking away from Onyx, Steve focused back on the Nightmother.

“So, Nightmother, from what I can see, there’s two ways this ends. Either you let us go peacefully, or I can kill you and every Nightmare here. Your choice.”

The Nightmother scowled. “First you kill one of our own, then you come here and threaten me in my own kingdom, in my own castle!?” She lifted her spear from the ground and pointed the tip at Steve, much like what he had done to her when he’d first entered. “You may have great strength and power but if you think I will just let you leave here without a fight, then you are greatly mistaken.”

“Yeah, that’s about what I figured.” Steve muttered. Sighing, he fixed the Nightmother with a deadpan look. “Listen, I know you don’t know all that much about m-”

“On the contrary, I know exactly how dangerous you are, Steve of Minecraftia.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh? And how exactly did you find out about me?”

“I’ve heard things. Whispers in the underworld of a creature from another world. One that wields a blade of glowing blue crystal. A god-killer.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. ‘The only people who really know about that are the people who were there and the people I told at the summit, but none of them have any connection to this place, as far as I know.’ He thought to himself. ‘How the Nether did this bitch hear about me, or about what happened in the Mindscape?’

She continued. “Granted, I didn’t make the connection at first, but after you withdrew your sword and told me your name, I put two and two together.”

“Congratulations, tell me when I care.” Steve spoke, deadpan expression on his face. All around him, the Nightmare guards bristled at the remark. The Nightmother herself scowled.

“I must say, for such a, ‘famed warrior,’ you don’t seem to possess the attitude of one.”

Steve shrugged. “Eh, it’s true that I don’t really take most things as seriously as I probably should, but what can I say? Trauma will do that to you.” Ignoring the Nightmother’s confused expression, Steve crouched once again as he readied his blade. Turning his head slightly, he whispered to Onyx. “Listen, I got a plan. Do you see the window to our right?”

The Nightmare glanced over. “Yeah, I see it. What about it?” Onyx inquired.

“When I give my signal, run like the Nether towards it, okay?”

Onyx, though he looked confused by the Crafter words, nodded. “Uh, okay. Anything else?”

“Fight, avoid getting hit as much as possible, and don’t die.” Steve replied. “Got it?” The Nightmare sighed, but nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so. But we have to be careful, alright? Those spears are made of Umbrine Steel. It’s sharp, probably even sharper than your sword, and while I’ve never seen it happen myself, I’ve heard even getting hit once will not only damage you physically, but mentally as well.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to face the Nightmother once more. “Mental damage, huh?” He muttered. After a moment, he nodded to himself. “Alright then.” Raising his blade, he looked back at Onyx, who did the same. Giving each other a nod, the pair turned to face their respective opponents, each giving a yell as they charged, Steve towards the Nightmother, and Onyx towards the four guards in front of him.

Square: Slash

Steve rushed forward, swinging his sword at the Nightmother, though due to her height, the best he could go for was her upper torso. In response, the Nightmother blocked the first two attacks with the shaft of her spear, before dodging backwards to avoid the other.

X: Jump

Square: Slash

Leaping up, Steve brought his sword up before swinging it back down at the Nightmother, who only barely managed to block it with her spear. The two were locked in combat for a moment before the Nightmother gave a powerful shove, which sent the Crafter flying backwards, fortunately colliding with two Nightmare guards that were battling Onyx.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 19 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet, coming face to face with a Nightmare guard who was about to plunge the tip of their spear into his chest.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Reacting fast, Steve knocked the spear away, before slashing the guard across the chest, sending them rolling. Whirling around, the Crafter spotted two guards going to attack Onyx from behind, who was too busy fending off two other guards to notice. Steve grit his teeth as he dashed towards them.

X: Jump

Triangle: Kick

Jumping, Steve tucked in both legs before kicking outwards, his boots making contact with one guard’s armored face. The force of his kick sent one guard flying into the other, sending both tumbling to the ground. However, only a moment later, the Crafter’s instincts flared up, and he heard a small whistling noise.

Circle: Block

Whirling around, Steve put his blade across his body in a defensive stance, barely managing to keep the Nightmother from slicing him in two with her spear. Unfortunately, the power of her swing sent the Crafter rolling along the stone-tiled floor, eventually colliding with a large column a short distance away.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 16 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet as he took a quick look around the room. He quickly spotted the Nightmother and three of her guards approaching him, while Onyx fought three more in the background. The Nightmare was doing surprisingly well on his own, though it was clear he wouldn’t win the fight if it were to continue.

‘I got to help him.’ Steve thought to himself. He took a step forward. His gaze shifted back to the quickly approaching Nightmother. However, after a few moments of looking at his opponent, Steve finally noticed the hundreds of Nightmares watching the fight from the sidelines. Not participating, not doing anything. Just, watching. Waiting.

‘What are they doing?’ Steve briefly wondered. ‘Not that I’m complaining, but why are they just watching? What the Nether are they waiting for?’

Shaking himself free from his thoughts, Steve looked at the Nightmother, who twirled her spear in one hand as she approached.

Gritting his teeth, the Crafter readied his blade and charged.

Square: Slash

Circle: Dodge

Square x 4: Slash Combo

Bringing back his sword, Steve swung it at the Nightmother’s lower leg. She easily blocked the attack with the shaft of her spear before responding with a slash of her own. Steve dodged the attack with a roll, coming up behind his opponent. With the Nightmother caught off-guard, Steve easily managed to slash the back of one of her legs, making her fall to one knee with a cry of pain. Slashing her twice across the back, Steve raised his sword to run her through, but was interrupted as a guard slammed into him, knocking him to the floor.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 12 health remaining.

Triangle: Kick

Hastily kicking the guard off of him, Steve rolled over onto his stomach before pushing himself to his feet, immediately coming face to face with the two other guards, both armed with the same spears that their comrades wielded. One of the guards hefted their spear and charged at Steve, attempting to stab him in the chest.

Circle + Square: Counter

Rushing forward, Steve twisted his body to the side, making the attack miss. Grabbing the spear, he ripped it from the guard’s grip before whirling around and slashing them across the chest with it, knocking the Nightmare aside.

Square: Slash

Tossing the spear away, Steve rushed towards the last guard, who held their spear in a defensive stance. Raising his blade, he swung it at the guard with every ounce of strength he could muster. While the guard managed to block the attack with the shaft of his spear, the resulting force sent them flying back, slamming into a nearby wall. The Nightmare fell to their knees before collapsing with a dull thud.

Steve sighed before falling to one knee, groaning in pain. Pressing one hand against his side, he grit his teeth, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. Taking a breath, he turned around to face the Nightmother.

Only to be promptly and unexpectedly body-slammed.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 9 health remaining.

Flying back, Steve hit the ground, sliding along the stone floor. After coming to a stop, he groaned and looked up to see what had hit him. His gaze was met by the beaten and exhausted face of Onyx, who was still laying on top of the Crafter.

“Onyx?” Steve spoke, tone displaying his confusion.

“Hey Steve.” the Nightmare tiredly responded. “How are ya doing?”

Steve laid his down for a moment and groaned again. “Could be better. But I think I’m doing alright, all things considered. You?”

“I kicked two of their asses. The third one caught me off-guard though.”

“Ah.” Steve replied. Sighing, he pushed the Nightmare off of him before sitting up to see the Nightmother and two of her guards slowly approaching. “Ah shit.” He muttered as he pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the pain that flared up in his side. Onyx did the same, albeit a bit sluggishly.

Steve held his blade by his side, while Onyx simply shifted into a defensive stance.

“Okay, here’s what we do.” The Crafter spoke to the Nightmare by his side. “I’ll take on the Nightmother while you distract those two guards. We’ll just have to see what happens after that.”

“Assuming we can even beat them in the first place.” Onyx muttered condescendingly.

“Come on, Onyx.” Steve chided the Nightmare. “You got to have at least a little hope. After all, if we can take Herobrine on and beat him, we can certainly take this bitch down.”

“When we faced Herobrine, we had better gear, supplies, and more allies, Steve.” The Nightmare countered, tone sounding irritated. “That is not the case here.” Onyx was silent for a moment before he let out a sigh as he shook his head. “You should’ve just left me.”

Steve jerked back as if the Nightmare had struck him. He gave Onyx a shocked look.

“What?”

“You should’ve just left me.” The Nightmare replied, not meeting Steve’s gaze. “If you had, then none of this would’ve happened. You would’ve been safe.”

“But you would’ve died!” Steve retorted.

“A small price to pay if it meant you would be alright.”

The Crafter hesitated for a moment before walking over to Onyx. He gently grabbed his shoulder, causing the Nightmare to look at him.

Steve’s expression was as hard as stone, full of an emotion that Onyx couldn’t quite figure out. “...Losing a friend is always too high a price to pay.” Steve slowly responded. “And you can trust me on that. I’ve lost more friends than I can count Onyx, and I’m sure as the Nether not going to lose anymore. Not if I can do something about it.” Stepping back from the Nightmare, Steve turned towards the approaching Nightmother. He took a deep breath, then spoke.

“I’m giving you one last chance to let us go, Nightmother!”

She laughed. “Oh really? And what will you do if I don’t?”

“Then your life will be forfeit.” Steve replied.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Do you really think you stand any chance of defeating me?”

“No, but I have a habit of surprising myself, so I’ll just wing it and see what happens.” He glanced at Onyx. “You ready?”

The Nightmare nodded.

“Okay.” Steve turned back to the Nightmother. “Let’s do this.” Raising his blade, he met his opponent’s gaze as he started moving towards her. However, he stopped when he saw her gaze shift to something behind him, her serious expression morphing into one of confusion.

Steve took a chance and glanced back, immediately seeing the large window he’d noticed when he’d first walked in. However, what quickly caught his attention was the shadow that had been cast across it, one was swiftly becoming bigger. His eyes widened.

X: Jump

“Move!” He yelled as he grabbed Onyx around the waist and jumped out of the way. Only a moment later, there was a tremendous crash as something flew through the window, shattering it on impact. Glass flew overhead, showering Steve and Onyx.

Waiting a moment for the glass to stop falling, the Crafter looked up to see what had destroyed the window.

There, standing in front of the Nightmother, was Abyss. Her large wings were flared and her claws were out, her purple eyes glowing furiously. It didn’t take a genius to figure out just how pissed the dragoness was.

“What…?” The Nightmother spoke, taking a step back. Abyss, however, took no notice as she looked around the room, quickly spotting Steve and Onyx.

“Steve!” She called, rushing over to the Crafter, all aspects of her furious expression gone. She helped him to his feet.

“Abyss? What the Nether are you doing here?” Steve asked.

“It’s a long story.” She replied. “I’ll tell you later.” She gave him a look over and immediately took notice of his injuries. “What happened to you?” She asked worriedly.

He waved away her concerns. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine, Abyss.” The Crafter’s gaze shifted back to the Nightmother. “Just need to take care of her first.”

Abyss looked at the Nightmother, gaze hardening. “Ah. Mind if I join in?”

Steve laughed. “Not at all. Honestly, Onyx and I could use the help. But be careful. Even with you helping, she won’t be easy to take down.”

Abyss glanced back at him and smiled. “Yeah, I figured that you probably got yourself into some trouble. That’s why I called in the cavalry.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “The what?”

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the other side of the throne room, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. From it, four beings appeared.

The first was Princess Celestia, decked out in a set of golden armor, similar to the armor the Royal Guards wore. The second was Princess Luna, wearing a similar set of armor to her sister, though hers was colored silver. The third was Aura, one of the members of the Black Claw. She wore no armor, save for a metal chestplate. The fourth and final member, unlike the others, stood on two legs. He wore a pair of simple brown trousers with a tan shirt. His head was devoid of hair, save for a beard, and his dark eyes were narrowed in anger at the Nightmother.

Steve’s eyes widened in shock.

“Notch?”

Author's Note

So, yeah, that happened.... 😳

Anyways, I'll stop myself before I suddenly say some spoiler or something. As always, thank you all for reading and staying with me for so long, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream Ch. 82: Cloudsdale (Part 1)

Now, without further ado, I present,

“A Crafter’s Dream”

Steve let out a sigh as he sat on one of the couches he’d placed down in his living room. It taken the Crafter most of the day and several close calls with various Everfree monsters (Fuck cockatrices, the little slithery bastards), but he’d finally transferred all of his stuff from his old home to his new one. Not only that, but he’d also set up his room, a basic kitchen and a living room. Just as he’d planned, the kitchen and living room were on the first floor, while his room was on the third. Since the main way onto the third floor was by ladder (a design that didn’t take into account that he lived in a town of four-legged ponies) he’d also built a small spiral staircase near the chimney so that if Rainbow Dash or any of his other pony friends wanted to get up there, they could.

Sitting up slightly, he stared at the fire crackling in the fireplace. Due to its Netherrack bottom, which had used up four of the eleven Netherrack that he’d had, it would theoretically burn forever, or at least, that’s what he’d heard it would do. He’d never really experimented much with resources from the Nether, with the exception of Nether Wart, Blaze Powder and Ghast Tears, which he’d only ever used for potions.

Scooting forward a bit, Steve put a hand, feeling the heat warm up the outstretched appendage. Pulling it back, he rested an elbow on the couch arm as he settled back into his seat, letting out a relaxed sigh as he did so.

“Feels good to finally be able to relax.” He muttered. “Nothing pressing to do, no villains to fight, the house is essentially done. Now, I can actually relax.”

Knock, knock, knock!!!

‘Pfft!’ Onyx snickered.

Steve let out a deep sigh, this time in frustration. “Of fucking course.” Rubbing his face with a hand, he sat up and glared at the front door. “Who is it!?” He called.

“Steve!? It’s Rainbow Dash! Open up, would ya!?”

“No!” The Crafter responded, not moving.

A pause.

“Wha- What do you mean ‘no’!?” She yelled back with a tone of indignation in her voice.

“Dash, this is the first time in like, three months that I can really relax, so no, I’m not opening the door!!”

“Why not!?”

“Because!”

Silence for a moment, then a sigh. “Look, Steve, could you please just open the door?! It’s important!”

Steve furrowed his brow in confusion, debating for a moment whether to get up or not. After a few seconds, he sighed and got to his feet before trodding over to his front door, grabbing the handle with one hand as he pulled it open, revealing the prismatic mare sitting just on the other side.

“Alright.” He said with a sigh. “What is it?”

“Are you free right now?” Dash asked. The Crafter stared at her for a moment before letting another sigh as he shook his head.

“What part of ‘day off’ did you not understand? Yes, I’m free, but I’m-”

“Great!” Dash exclaimed with a grin as she turned around. “Come on!” She spoke loudly, already trotting off down the path.

“Wait, hold the heck on!” Steve called after the mare, stopping her in her tracks. She turned her head to give him a confused look.

“What’s up?”

“Well, ignoring the fact that you know today is supposed to be a day off for me, you said that it, whatever that is, is important. So, what exactly is it that you need me for?”

“It’s… I-” She stopped for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Look, I need your help.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “With what, exactly?”

“I’ve been trying to do a Sonic Rainboom all morning and I-”

“A what?” Steve asked. “The heck is a Sonic Rainboom?”

“It’s where I fly really, really bucking fast, and break through this invisible barrier which causes this colorful magical rainbow shockwave. It’s hecka awesome!”

Steve stared at the pegasus for a moment before taking a deep breath. Then, he turned around and began walking back inside.

“Wha-, where are you going?!” Dash cried out angrily. Steve turned his head to deadpan at the mare.

“I don’t know shit for all about magic Sonic Rainbows or whatever they’re called. You’d be better off asking literally anyone, or rather anypony else.”

“No, that’s not what I need your help with.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “Then what do you need me for?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to teach Fluttershy how to cheer properly, and she just can’t seem to get it.” The prismatic mare responded, exasperated. “Like, I told her all of the essential parts of a good cheer, I tried encouraging her, I even showed her how it’s done! But the best she can manage is this quiet ‘yay.’”

“Well, there’s your problem.” Steve spoke. “You’re trying to get Fluttershy to cheer for you.”

Dash narrowed her gaze in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Look, admittedly, I haven’t known her as long as you have, not nearly as long, but even I can tell that if you’re looking for somepony to yell, and loudly at that, the very, very, very last person on that list would be Fluttershy.”

“Well, I know that!” She huffed. “But, she, er she’s- gah!” She suddenly exclaimed, sounding very irritated. “Look, will you help me or not?!”

Steve was caught off-guard slightly by the mare’s sudden flare of irritation, narrowing his gaze a bit at the mare. “I can, most likely, but I’m not going to, not until you tell me what’s up.” She opened her mouth to argue, but Steve beat her to the punch. “And don’t try to tell me it’s nothing, or something like that. It isn’t like you to get angry this easily over something that really shouldn’t be all that important.”

“It’s, not-” She sighed, shaking her head slightly. “You’re right. Sorry for yelling, Steve.”

“It’s fine, Rainbow Dash.” The Crafter responded, happy that he managed to calm her down. “But what’s up?”

“It’s just, the Best Young Flyer Competition is coming up soon,” Steve briefly considered asking what that was, but figured he should wait until Dash was done speaking. “And Fluttershy’s the only one of my best friends that can go to Cloudsdale to watch. I want my friends there to cheer me on, but like I said, Fluttershy’s cheer is, well, really lacking.”

“Well, why don’t I go?”

She let out a small chuckle. “While that would be fantastic, you can’t go, Steve.”

“Why not?”

Dash gave him a ‘Are you messing with me’ look. “Because you’re not a pegasus, and can’t stand on clouds, which pretty much all of Cloudsdale is made of?”

“That is true, I can’t.” Steve agreed. “At least, not unaided.” She gave him a confused look, prompting him to explain. “Look, can I borrow one of your feathers? Or rather, can I keep one, seeing as there’s no way you’re getting it back.”

“Uh, sure, I guess.” Rainbow Dash responded as she plucked one of the many feathers off her wing with a hoof (how did she do that?) and handed it over to Steve.

“Thanks.” He spoke, grabbing the feather as he turned and walked into his house, the prismatic mare following him as he walked up the stairs to the second floor. Dash took a quick look around.

“Huh. Nice place.” She commented.

“Thanks. Built it myself.” Steve said, before coming to a stop in front of his brewing stand.

“What’s that?” Rainbow dash inquired, pointing to said stand.

“It’s a brewing stand.” Steve replied, rooting through a nearby chest. “It’s where I brew all of my potions and alcohol.”

“Oh.” She stated, before falling silent again. Steve placed three bottles of water in the stand before slipping the Nether wart into the middle tube, where it would be distributed to the three bottles. A gentle heat rose from the brewing stand as the Blaze powder used to power it kicked in. After turning the water bottles into Awkward potion, Steve took the feather Dash had given him and put it into the center tube. Another couple of seconds, and the blue water turned to a magenta color. Taking one of the bottles out, Steve grinned as he handed it over to Rainbow Dash.

“There you go.”

She looked at it for a few moments before glancing back up at him. “What is it?”

“It’s a potion that allows whoever drinks it to walk on clouds.” Steve responded, grinning.

“What?!” Dash exclaimed in shock, a grin appearing on her face. “No way!”

“Yup.” He replied, putting the potion back in the stand. “Learned that recipe a little while ago from Zecora, among other potion recipes, some of which I’ll probably never use, like the mana regeneration potion, since I don’t have magic like ponies do.” Withdrawing one pile of redstone dust from his Inventory, Steve slowly poured it into the brewing stand. “Only problem is that my potions don’t last nearly long enough to make going to, uh, Cloudsdale, was it?”

Dash nodded.

“Yeah, they only last, at max, eight to ten minutes. Luckily, Zecora found a way around that with this plant, uh, Duri Sprout, I believe it’s called.” As he spoke, he rooted through the chest a bit more, eventually closing it a few moments later with a pale white plant in his hand. “Makes my potions last much, much longer, at the cost of making their effects very weak. Luckily, this doesn’t affect extender potions all that much.”

“Extender potions?” Dash asked, voice displaying her confusion. Steve nodded as he slowly added the Duri Sprout to the brewing stand.

“Yeah. Back home, potions were put into one of three categories. There were Extender potions, Enhancer potions, and Hybrid potions. Extender potions are potions who can only be upgraded through extending their time. Enhancer potions were upgraded through making their effects more powerful. Hybrid potions could either be extended or enhanced, but never both. I’ve also read about an entirely separate bracket called ‘Cures,’ but I’ve never made nor used them before.” Taking out the three magenta-colored potions, he slipped them into his Inventory. “When are you and assumedly Fluttershy going to head to Cloudsdale?”

“Oh, uh, well, we were going to head up in a few hours. Why?”

Steve nodded, though it was mostly to himself. “Good. That should give me enough time to brew up a couple more batches before I head out.”

“Wait, you, you’re really coming to Cloudsdale?” Rainbow Dash asked, sounding a bit shocked.

“Of course! I’ve always loved exploring new places. And besides, you seemed pretty nervous about this whole thing. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t at least try to help you?”

She chuckled a bit. “Thank you Steve. But, how exactly do you plan to get to Cloudsdale? It’s, like really high in the sky.”

Steve furrowed his brow, rubbing his chin with a hand as he thought. “Hmm. You’re right. I can’t fly, and I don’t have the redstone or brains to make a redstone barge.”

“A what now?” Dash quietly muttered, though the Crater didn’t hear her. A few moments later, however, he gasped and snapped his fingers.

“I got it!”

* * * * *

Several Hours Later

“Um, so, I don’t mean to rush you, but where is he?” Fluttershy quietly asked. Dash, who stood nearby, just shook her head.

“I don’t know, Shy. He said he would meet us here, but he wouldn’t say how exactly he would get here. I tried to get him to tell me, but Celestia knows that guy can be stubborn when he wants to be.” She sighed, a small smirk gracing her features. “But, he’s pretty crafty too. It wouldn’t surprise me if he commandeered an airship or something to try and get here.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know. But I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.” She said, chuckling. “Still, I-” Dash stopped when she heard what sounded like light fluttering coming from behind her. Turning around, her jaw fell open in shock when she found the cause of the noise.

“Rarity?! Are you flying?!” She asked, completely shocked.

“I most certainly am!” She exclaimed gleefully. “Aren’t my wings smashing?” The unicorn asked as she came to hover near the two pegasi. “Twilight made them for me. I just adore them.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stared at the mare with open jaws and wide eyes.

“Why so shocked?” Rarity inquired. “We couldn’t leave our favorite flyer without a big cheering section.”

“We?” Dash asked, one eyebrow raised. No sooner had she asked that that a big pink hot air balloon rose through the clouds, carrying Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Applejack.

“I, I can’t believe it!” The prismatic mare exclaimed at the sight of her friends.

“So cool.” Fluttershy spoke.

“You guys made it!” Dash continued.

“Sure did!” Pinkie Pie responded, jumping out of the hot air balloon. Both of the pegasi’s eyes widened in terror.

“Wait!” Rainbow Dash cried, only for the pink Earth pony mare to land softly in the clouds, instead of falling through like she should’ve. Twilight and Applejack followed suit. “How did you do that? Only pegasus ponies can walk on clouds.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when another familiar voice spoke up.

“That’s where *pant* you’re wrong, kiddo!”

All six of the mares turned their heads to see, much to their shock, a single hand was grabbing the edge of the cloud with a vice-like grip. As they watched, another hand appeared, followed shortly by none other than Steve himself, pulling himself onto the cloud, huffing and puffing.

“Steve!?” Dash cried out. The Crafter in question raised a hand to wave, before letting it drop back onto the cloud.

“Hey Dash.”

Author's Note

Finally back to the canon chapters! Huzzah!!

Now, I know a few of you may ask. 1, Why is Rainbow Dash's wings okay? and/or 2, Why isn't she worried at all about what happened to Steve in the Nightmare Realm?

These are questions that I will get to, not now, but within the next couple of chapters. And, coincidentally, they have the same answer. But, more on that later.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for reading, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

A Crafter's Dream: Synopsis Part 1

Hope

I'll keep this short, as there isn't much to say yet. But I figured it be best if I said it here.

This story may be done.

But the tale has not yet been told. This is something I refuse to let go.

It'll take me a long time, but please, be patient. I will not let the Tale of the Crafter go untold.

Coming, May, 2021

Block by Block