A Crafter's Dream (Discontinued)

by ruthim345

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!

Comments

[JoshSP1107]

Oh man. An update right before bed. Hell yea!!

[Orrm]

Nice.

[falconstrings]

this was a great chapter

[Gizmo Gear]

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.”

It's almost like some theme or trope, where this world consistently fucks with you!

......theme or trope......

Hah!

[Orion Light]

I like the drama and the feels and the combat and the pretty much everything.

I would also like to see a picture of what the Anthro Ender Dragoness would look like.😉

[ChronoMitsurugi]

9621489
Lol, now thats a funny line. Basically this story will have a conclusion. Those unfamiliar with fanfiction might not think much of that, but im glad you plan on seeing this story through to the end.

[ruthim345]

9625700
Of course!! I have so much planned for this story, there's no way I'm just gonna leave it hanging!! Though I have noticed a bunch of really good stories just get dropped out of nowhere.

[Detsella Morningdew]

9626893
As a writer who struggles with finishing things, and a "spontaneous" style writer, I know that a lot of people don't have a full idea when they start writing something. They have a good start, and they have a few chapters, and the rush of writing gets them pretty far. But then the "marathon of the middle" happens, and without a deadline to push them or any other form of external motivation (like publishing things for money), they flop, and can't get the motivation to do any more. And if it's been a year or two, many writers may even forget what they wrote about, only remembering the negative experience of burning out.

The things I do to combat this is first, not publishing something until I have around four or five chapters already completed, and at least a month or two of time since I started it. And second, at least making a vague outline of how the story is going to go. Which can change, but I have to have the full plan written first. If I take a break from writing, or even if I just am starting to burn out, reading my own story from the beginning really helps a lot.

And finally... I have to have my life together and not be depressed all the time. That last one is a lot less controllable, and while I'm personally doing pretty well, it's something a lot of people struggle with, and is one of the leading causes of story abandonment on Fimfiction.

[NIchtraucher]

As bad as this may sound this chapter was infuriating to read for me.
It starts with the running... it's not like they have the fastest flyer in Equestria with them. By the time the earthbound people saw the drowning griffon Rainbow should have been able to fly there and back. Twice.
Then Steve jumps in the water while 4, I repeat four(!!!), people in his party can fly. By the time he has rescued Riz luckily at least one of his companions FINALLY remembered their wings but she didn't tell the others so none came to help Steve back too.
I am forced to doubt how much Abyss actually cares for Steve if she apparently just stood at the shore twiddling her claws waiting for Steve to be done with his rescuing. Apparently she didn't even try swimming after him. Or, again, she has wings.
And while you did adress Celestia not just teleporting Riz to safety that is not the only thing Celestia can do. Levetation could have come in handy. Or, again, wings.
See why this was infuriating?
It felt to me like you didn't really know what to do with your characters in this dream. (Not that they did much in the other dreams either, but this one had been the worst offender till now.) If you ask me, you should have just not let the others join in Steves journeys into other people's nightmares. Force him to split the party by "only Steve can enter through the doors".

I had a similar feeling with Rainbows nightmare. What exactly was the point of him flipping his shit when he had head of state and basically goddess of ponykind Princess motherfucking Celestia behind him? I felt like she should have been able to just "I'm the princess" her way into the courtroom and gotten RD out of there without a fuss. But no, she and the others were apparently stopped by 2 guards at the entrance. Remember that group also included a general, an elite man hunter (or whatever you want to call the Claw) with supposedly second to only the princesses' authority and a supposedly very worried dragon with no respect for pony kind and of course Princess Celestia. I repeat: stopped by 2 guards.
And all of them were also ignored when Steve came running out of the building by all the people following him. Or worse, they didn't even try to stop the pursuers.
If you cut off the chase before you let him trip (btw. seriously??) than you wouldn't have had any need for any of those characters to even be there in the first place. That entire scenario would have been far more believable if they hadn't been there.
The same goes for this chapter. The same goes for the other nightmares he has been in. The not-Steve characters that went through the door really didn't do anything story relevant.

Anyway I like the story so far and I'll continue reading. I just needed to vent my frustration before continuing.

[Yeeticus]

A cold place

[Jeffrey1000]

9626893
Unfortunately, that aged like milk.