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.