//------------------------------// // A Crafter's Dream Ch. 40: A Journey's End (Part 2) // Story: A Crafter's Dream (Discontinued) // by ruthim345 //------------------------------// 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 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 Circle: Block 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 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 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!!”