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.