Chapters Steve stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "What the hay was that?" he said between pants. "Who the hay-" Steve stopped himself in disbelieve. "It couldn't be." Steve continued to Ponyville, constantly looking back. When he finally got to town the first thing he did was go to the major's office. When he walked past the Carousel Boutique, Rarity came rushing out of the door towards him with a huge smile on her face. "Hello, my darling Steve!" Rarity said while hugging him and feeling his saddlebag. "So did you fine anything while you were gone?" Steve just stared at her because all she ever does is take his diamonds. "Yeah, I did and I know what you want miss Rarity." Steve then started to rifle through his bag while Rarity pranced around him. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I promise to make you something this time!" she said. "Um Rarity, I don't want a dress or something like that." "Oh I know. And I wouldn't give clothes to a pony with your kind of hobby. I was thinking maybe so armor?" Steve was surprised. "You know how to make armor?" "Oh why so shocked?" "I just never thought, well never mind here." he pulls out some diamonds out of his bag. "It takes twenty four diamonds to make a full set of armor. And Rarity, please be careful." "Oh I'm not going to drop them or anything if that's what you're thinking!" Steve just gives her the diamonds. "That's not what I meant. Just stay out the Everfree Forest for a while okay?" Rarity was eyeing the diamonds and just nodded her head in agreement . Steve just sighed and continued to the mayor's office. When he got there, the mayor was already heading out and they bumped into each other. "Oh hello Steve, what brings you here?" she asked. " "Well Mayor, I think he might be back." Steve said with worry in his voice. She rubs her hoof on the side of his head. "Um, did you fall off of a cliff?" Steve swipes her hoof away. "No Mayor, I saw Him in the Everfree." "Listen Steve, go home. Get some rest. You work way to hard and it might be time for a break." Steve just looks at the ground. "Alright, but i'm going to visit Sugarcube Corner to go pick up some food." The Mayor just smiles and continues out. "Wait where was she going?" Steve thought out loud. He looks up at the sky. "Well it is getting late. I better hurry." He starts heading towards Sugarcube Corner. When he gets there, Pinkie was heading out. She gives him a big friendly smile and keeps going. "Hey. Mr and Mrs Cake? You here?" he said. Mrs. Cake comes in with a box of cupcakes on her head. "Oh, Hello Steve! You're here for your order right?" "Yes ma'am." he said. She sets down the cupcakes and heads back into the kitchen and come back out with his two cakes. "There you go dear. Be safe out there." and she goes back into the kitchen. He puts the cakes in his saddlebag and heads back towards his house. In the Everfree.
Through the Everfree and back Home
Steve was finally he was going back home and the sun was quickly going down. "Alright calm down. You probably just saw some kids or something stupid. I mean you defeated the Ender Dragon, the Creeper and Zombie Boss, Skeleton King. Whatever you're getting all worked up over nothing." He then stopped dead in his tracks as a cold breeze sends chills down his spine. "It's the beginning of Winter. It's natural." he told himself. And he quicken his pace. He starts to take deep breaths in attempt to calm himself down. Of course it didn't work really. He stumbled a little and smacked into a tree. It didn't hurt much but it was enough to stop him. When he gathered himself he heard hoof-steps behind him. It was now dark and the monsters of the night were now coming out. He thought it was just a zombie so he turned and pulled out his sword. He could barely see past his own nose. He starts scanning the area around him looking for anything. Nothing. He didn't hear any zombies,skeletons, or Enderstallions. All he heard was the crickets on the ground and his panic-filled sighs. He looked down to the path that he made that lead him to his house and kept following it but with every step he heard somepony following him. He turned and screamed, "Dammit you kids! I swear, if you don't stop following me in gonna-" he stopped mid-sentence and so no kids but only to white glowing eyes staring back at him from a distance. In frustration, he lit a torch and threw it at them. It stopped just short of the pony but it was enough to barely see his face. Steve couldn't tell what he looked like, but he knew it wasn't a kid. The pony in the distance looked down at the torch and back at Steve and his expression quickly turned to passive to anger. Steve was stunned in terror and didn't know what to do at this point. The enraged pony then pulled a sparkly, enchanted, Diamond Sword and slowly stared towards Steve. When he stepped on the torch it snapped in half and the forest went dark again. Steve turned back to the direction of his house and saw some of the dim light coming off of it. He went into an all out sprint towards it. When he looked back he still saw Him there. Watching. Steve finally got to his door, went inside and closed it up tight. He then went to his basement to peek through the window down there. He looked around and in no time at all, He walked by. Steve was in a complete panic because He was at a wall that didn't have a completed window and it was an opening in his house. He stopped for a moment and turned and walked back to the forest and disappeared into the night. Steve thought his heart was going to pound right out of his chest and he a sweating feverishly. He then headed up the stairs to his bed room and lay down for a short sleep.
Steve woke up abruptly and for some odd reason he was already of his hooves. He was a bit disorientated and tried to get his barrings. He finally shook himself and found that he was in a room with Obsidian walls and a Bedrock floor. Red-stone Torches lit up the room. Outside of him, he can hear the terrifying sounds of the Monsters all around him. It so loud he had to cover his ears. Then suddenly, silence. Uncovered his ears and found Herobrine right in his face. Before Steve could scream, He grabbed Steve by the neck and slammed him against the Obsidian wall. He's so strong, you could hear the Obsidian crack. Or Steve's skull. Steve could barely breath and was staring to lose conscious but something was compelling him to hang on. Herobrine was glaring at him. He said in a deep, demonic voice, "You stole something from me. Now, I'm going to kill you and take it back. Also, everypony you've ever cared about will also be my victims. " He seemed to have a slight smile at the end of his sentence. Herobrine then took out his Enchanted Sword and all around them, the room collapsed. Steve looked down and saw nothing but a lava pit. Herobrine was only standing on a single block pillar and suspending Steve over the pit of fire. He then thrusts his sword into Steve's stomach and snapped it in half inside him. Steve coughed up some blood and it landed onto Herobrine's face. He then released his grip on Steve. Steve then fill into the lava slowly sank to the bottom. But he didn't die. Steve was barely clinging onto his life and here he saw floating to the bottom of a lava pit. He couldn't move, he didn't want to move he was in so much pain from the sword but none from the lava. He then landed on a bed on the bottom of the mass of lava. He then let out a loud gasp, in his own bed in his own room. "I-it was a d-dream? Nightmare." He got out of his bed because it was now morning and put on his clothes. He then noticed that his shirt had a huge hole in it. "What the-OW!" He grabbed his stomach and fell to the floor he looked at his hoof and found that it had some blood on it.
After he cleaned himself up he kept saying out loud "A Mob just got inside your house last night, it's just nothing to worry about." He was heading back to Ponyville when he stopped by his chest to pick up his sword. "Better safe than sorry." When he headed back on the trail, it was a nice day out. There was a nice gentle breeze on his face slightly brushes his coat. He can already smell the sweet apples at Sweet Apple Acres and the tasty sweets of Sugarcube Corner. "Maybe I'll pick something else up on my visit." he said. Steve was at so much peace he completely forgot a psycho ghost is hunting him. He slowed down his pace to enjoy his walk, he never really got the chance to do that because he's usually busy doing something that keeps his mine focus on his task. With out that, his mind started to wander. He started to think about all of his adventures and all the friends he's made over the years. He started to think about how he actually cared about the ponies he met, even if he don't want to admit it. He started to think of a really nice friend he has in Ponyville and how smart she is. "Maybe I should go ask Twilight what she knows about Him." He started to think more about Twilight at that point. He was so deep in thought, he actually smacked into a wall at Carousel Boutique. Quickly Rarity popped her head out the up stairs window. "Oh, Steve! Just the stallion I was hoping to see. I have you armor ready. I'll be with you in a minute." And she was gone as fast as she came. He walks over to the front of the boutique to wait out side the door when Sweetie Belle and her friends came busting through. " CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CREEPER ANNIHILATORS! YAY!" they said simultaneously as they ran off with leather helmets and wooden swords. Steve couldn't do anything else but chuckle at the thought of three little fillies taking on the Creeper Boss. He decided the let himself in. He looked around and saw he armor on a manikin. The manikin was in a heroic pose and the diamond shined so bright it lit up the side of the room. "Miss Rarity sure does know how to work with diamonds." he said to himself. "Oh there you are, darling! Sorry I took so long." Rarity said while coming down the stairs. Steve turned to face to see she was in the most beautiful dress he's ever seen on anypony. " Um, you planning on going somewhere?" "Not anywhere important, just around Ponyville. Why?" she looked puzzled. "W-well, I mean you're looking pretty. F-fancy!" Steve said while looking around the room nervously. "Oh, why think you, but really it's just something I threw together awhile back ago." Steve knew that was a lie so he just tried to change the subject. "So I see you did a really great job with the armor." "Well I can't have you running around with low quality armor, can I?" "I suppose not. Thank you." He puts his armor in his saddlebag. "Don't want it to get damaged before practical use. Anyway, if you find a way for me to pay you-!" he tuned to Rarity to fine that she's right in his face." Oh i'm sure the two of us can think of something." she said while she leaned in closer. Steve is starting to brutally blush and sweat feverishly. Rarity's now so close that there noses were pressed against each other. She slowly closes her eyes...."Sweetie Belle and her friends beat a whole bunch of cows to death out back to get their leather, can to go clean up-great thank you dear!" and she heads back upstairs.
He's now looked through all the books on the same subject and the all say the same thing about the same thing. Later Twilight came back down stairs. "Did you fine what you were looking for, Steve?" she asked happily. "Unfortunately." Steve replied grimly. "What do you-?" She stepped closer to see what Steve has been doing. "Herobrine? Why are you studying Him?" "He's after me! I tried to tell myself different, but there is no denying it! I'm being hunted by Herobrine!" Twilight was stunned and somewhat frightened. She levitated the books in front of her and looked over the passages. "Herobrine's Tomb, The Haunting of Herobrine, Herobrine's Mansion, Herobrine's Rise, Herobrine Island, Herobrine Castle, Good vs Evil: Herobrine's Reign, The Curse of Herobrine, Herobrine's Diamonds." Twilight went on and on until Steve knocked away books. "Twilight, you got to help me." he said looking right into her violet eyes. "I promise i'll do everything I can." she said putting on a brave smile. "Thank you so much. If you don't mind I don't think I would want to travel this late. If it's okay with you..." "Of course you can stay here for the night. Besides we need to find some way to help your situation." "You're an angel, Twilight." Twilight blushed a little at the complement. "Well lets get to work." The two stayed up for hours looking so solutions but found very little. Most Herobrine encounter are fatal at some point. They finally headed upstairs because they could barely keep their heads up. "Oh! I forgot, there isn't a guest bed, and you're to big to fit into Spike's bed." "Oh that's okay. I can just sleep on the floor." Twilight gave him a look of disapproval and then went into deep thought. "Y-you can just sleep in my bed w-with me." Twilight suggested. Though it was dark in the library, they could both see each other's embarrassment. Twilight was fighting the urge to draw back the offer but wanted a response. Steve respected her to much to try anything and didn't want to refuse. He just lazily stretched out onto her bed and moved his pillow and blanket between his side and her's. Twilight looked away when they caught each other's eye but when she turned back, Steve could tell she was trying to hide a smile. She climbed into the other side of the bed, rather close to the barrier. "Goodnight." they said.
You Don't Know what you've just done
Everyday Steve would go out of his wooden house to go gather supplies, visit his friends in Ponyville, go mining in a cave, and then be back before night time. He'd take the same path he's been taking for years. Nothing changed. But one day, as he was on the trail headed to Ponyville he found a chest. It was just sitting there. No signs just torches. He thought it belonged to somepony, on account of the torches. But he decided to open it anyway, because you don't just leave chests without guarding them in someway like that. As he walked closer to the chest, the wind started to pick up and he started to here a low voice but he couldn't understand it so he just kept walking. He is now right at the chest and he can hear dogs in the distance going crazy. He knew dogs barked a lot but not like this. "Well this is weird" he started. "but screw it, there might be treasure in here." He opened the chest, and what he saw he couldn't believe. It was two stacks of diamonds! "Holy crap! Jackpot, I mean who does anything legit anymore?" Without hesitation, he took all the diamonds and put it in his saddlebag. "What's this?" He said looking at the bottom of the chest. It was a sign that said, "To whoever reads this, that means you stole my diamonds. And you don't know what you just did. -Him" "Ya snooze, ya lose pal." Steve said. "Boy I gotta show this to the guys, their gonna scream like schoolfillys when they see these." he said while running towards Ponyville. "You have no idea what you've just done." Steve stopped dead in his tracks. He starts to look around frantically. He than started to hear a low grumble behind him. He quickly turned to face a thick fog. "Is anypony there?" Steve asked terrified. The fog slowly began to clear, and what he saw shocked him to the point of stumbling backwards. It was a pony, that looked just like him but with glowing white eyes. They stared at each other for a while. Steve was in a cold sweat while the other pony just stood there. Steve could smell the sweet treats at Sugar Cube Corner he knew he was close to Ponyville. But he didn't want to take his eye off of Him. The other pony slowly raised his hoof. And Steve just took off towards Ponyville. He turned to see if He was still behind him. He wasn't.
Steve cleaned up the mess outside and couldn't stop thinking about Rarity's 'moment' earlier. "That Rarity sure is something else." he sighed and wiped off some sweat off forehead. He on his way out when the Crusaders stopped him. "Hi, Steve!" they said. "Oh. Hi girls. You need something?" "We gotta to ask ya a question." Applebloom said. "Yeah, how are you such an amazing adventurer? In my book, you're tied with Rainbow Dash on the awesomeness scale!" Scootaloo said. "We try, but so far it doesn't look like our Cutie Marks are going to be adventuring." Sweetie Belle said sadly holding out a torn and burned map. "Or minin'." Applebloom said holding a broken pickax in her mouth. "Or annihilating Creepers." Scootaloo said as all of her leather armor turned to black powder and blew away in the wind. Steve looked at their tired and bruised faces. "Well. I don't know what to tell you. I guess, don't give up. You'll find something you're good at, and you'll get your Cutie Marks." They looked at him and Steve knew that wasn't an answer they wanted. "Thanks, Steve!" they all said and the hugged him. "Everypony else say we should stop trying dangerous talents, but you believe in us!" Applebloom said as they all squeezed tighter. "Alright Crusaders, we got adventuring to do!" Scootaloo said and they all run off in the opposite direction."Just don't get yourself killed..." he said as he looked up at the position of the sun. "It'll be dark soon, I got to hurry." he said. He trotted towards Twilight's tree house. "I hope she's still up." he said to himself. He knocks on the door and Twilight quickly opens the door. "Oh, hello, Steve." she gives him a nice, warm, friendly smile and invites him inside. "Hey Twilight sorry to pop in unannounced like this, but I need to see a book, for studies." Twilight's eyes lit up. "Really?! Well what are you looking for? Spike's not here, he's on assistant duties in Canterlot and won't be back for a few days so you're going to have to bare with me." "Do you have any books on Equestrian Myths?" he asked. "Yes, just hold on a second." She sprints over to a section in the library and uses her magic to pull out a few books off the shelf and levitates them over the Steve. "Here you go. I hope you fine what you're looking for. I need to go write the Princess my Friendship Report, I'll be right back." And she goes upstairs and leaves Steve to his wonders. Steve struggled to take his eyes off of her but he refocused on the big books. Equestrian Myths and Legends sounded promising enough. He starts flipping through the many pages until he finds something disturbing, something he was looking for.
