A Crafter's Dream Ch. 43: Cause and Effect
Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
‘Well that isn’t ideal.’ The silence was broken, at least for Steve, when a voice spoke from the back of his head, causing the Crafter to jerk slightly from the unexpected sound. Trench gave him a confused look.
“What is it?” He asked, but Steve wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, now focused on the familiar voice.
‘Nightmare Steve? Is that you?’ Steve asked in his mind.
‘Yeah, it’s me. Sorry if I haven’t been very talkative, I’m still getting used to being in a body now, especially yours. Oh, and for future references, try not to get yourself injured please. I feel the pain just as much as you do, and that fall you took earlier hurt.’ The Nightmare spoke, sounding slightly miffed.
Steve winced. ‘Sorry.’
‘It’s fine man. I'm pretty tough. Anyways, what’s your plan for Princess Moonbutt?’
Steve repressed a chuckle. ‘One, awesome nickname. I’m gonna call her that next time I see her. Second, I’m not quite sure on what to do next. I’ll have to get back to you on that.’
Steve could feel the Nightmare shrug. ‘Alright. I’ll be here when you need me, but until then, I’ll try and stay quiet so I won’t distract you.’
‘Got it.’
“Steve?!” Trench asked/shouted, finally managing to drag the Crafter’s attention away from his inner conversation.
“Yeah? What is it?”
Trench gave him a concerned expression. “You seemed really out of it for a minute there. Are you okay?”
Steve nodded. “Yeah, just having a conversation with the Nightmare.” It only occurred to the Minecraftian that he hadn’t informed anyone of Nightmare Steve’s existence when Trench's expression morphed into one of horror as he jumped backwards.
“What!?” He yelled, immediately dropping into a defensive stance.
Steve stepped forward, hands out in a placating manner as he tried to explain. “Listen, listen! Nightmares aren’t as bad as you guys thought they were. At least, not all of them. The one inside me right now isn’t evil. In fact, he’s what allowed me to win against Herobrine in the Mindscape! Remember that smokey form I took? That was him.”
“But what about all those side effects? The pain and the nausea?” Trench inquired, eyebrows furrowed.
“That was because I was fighting against him, because I thought he was evil. My body and mind were rejecting his presence, which caused the side effects that you mentioned.” When Trench’s distrusting expression remained, Steve sighed and rubbed a hand against his face. “Look, I know you have bad experiences with Nightmares, with the whole ‘Nightmare Moon’ incident and all, and I understand your uneasiness. That's why I’m not asking you to trust him. I’m only asking that you trust me. Please.”
Trench was silent for a short while, continuing to stare at Steve. Finally, he sighed and responded. “Alright. I trust you Steve, and if you think the Nightmare can be trusted, then I suppose that’s good enough for me.”
Steve smiled. “Thank you.”
Trench gave a small grin in return, before turning to walk down the hall. “No problem. Now c’mon, we should get moving.”
“Where are we going?” Steve asked as he followed behind the stallion.
“I may have a plan on how to get you out of here.”
* * * * *
Steve peeked around the corner, checking to see that the coast was clear. Upon seeing that the hallway was empty, he slowly walked forward, eyes looking all around for any signs of movement. Following just behind the Crafter was Trench. The duo snuck down the hall as quietly as they could, ears listening for sounds of any sort. After a few minutes, they arrived at an intersection, quickly looking both ways for any guards before crossing.
“Remind me again what we’re looking for?” Steve asked, taking a moment to glance back at Trench.
“We’re looking for one of the dumbwaiter access points littered around the castle. Those things are really useful in getting from one floor to another quickly, and since we had them enlarged due to the Minotaur incident two years back, they should be able to fit you.”
Steve gave the General a raised eyebrow. “Minotaur incident?”
Trench sighed as he answered. “The main purpose of the dumbwaiter is to transport food and supplies from one floor to another quickly and easily. Turns out minotaurs really, really, love their food.” The stallion gave a shudder. “I pity the poor souls that had to clean the bathrooms after their visit.”
“What exactly is a minotaur?” Steve questioned.
“Minotaurs are these big, bull-like beings that stand on two legs like you. They are strong and tough but not the most intelligent creature you’ll ever meet, except for a few rare ones. Sir Nog, one of the members of the Black Claw that you met, is a minotaur.”
“Oh. I always wondered what he was, but never found the right time to ask. Anyway, these dumbwaiters are big enough to fit a minotaur?” Steve asked.
Trench shook his head. “Nah, they’re only big enough to transport enough food to satisfy King Minos and his entourage should they be staying here. But that should be big enough to fit you.”
Steve nodded in response and the duo continued walking down the hall. However, only a few minutes later, right before they were about to go around a corner, they were stopped in their tracks by a furious yell.
“WHERE IS HE!!?”
The shout was so sudden and unexpected, Steve stumbled backwards into Trench, nearly sending the both of them to the floor. Managing to recover, Steve pressed himself against the wall before hesitantly peeking his head around the corner.
His gaze was met by the livid form of Princess Luna. She stood tall, wings flared out as she glared down at some poor guard that quivered beneath her. Two of those thestral guards stood by her side, silent. Her horn glowed and the guard was lifted up in her magical grip to look her straight in the eye.
Steve barely managed to put out his arm to stop Trench from rushing forward to the aid of his fellow guard. When Trench looked up at him, the Crafter softly shook his head, before turning back to the scene.
“You were the one assigned to watch the creature, guard, so we will ask again!! Where is he!!?”
The stallion quivered as he answered. “I-I d-don’t know ma’am. I-it escaped, somehow.”
This seemed to only make the alicorn angrier. “How could it have!!? It was restrained to the bed with enchanted hoof cuffs!! We placed the enchantment ourselves, so it didn’t just break out of them!!”
“T-the entire bed was g-gone and the w-window was broken. It must’ve escaped that way while s-still attached t-to the bed.”
Luna stared at the guard for a few moments longer before growling and dropping him to the floor.
“Find it, now. Do not fail me again.” She warned, voice returning to normal. The guard hurriedly nodded and ran off down the hall. For a short while, the Princess and her guards stood in silence before she turned to them.
“Colonel Pinch, Lieutenant Silver.” At their names, both thestrals stood to attention. “We have a job for both of you. Earlier today, General Trench of the Solar Guard came before us and asked that we call off the trial for the creature, who he calls Steve. Find him and bring him to us. We think he may have aided the creature in its escape.”
“Yes Princess.” They replied. There was silence for a few moments. “If I may ask Princess, what if he is responsible for the creatures escape?” One of the thestrals asked, its feminine tone indicating it was a mare.
Luna hesitated for a few seconds before responding. “Then the dungeons will have one more occupant today. Now, we will take our leave. Our sister must be attended to.” With that, her horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of light. Not long after she was gone, both thestrals took to the air and flew off down the hall, leaving the Minecraftian and stallion by themselves.
“What?” Trench growled quietly to himself, drawing Steve’s attention. “She… She… That bitch!!” The Crafter jerked back slightly at the hostility in the stallions voice, eyebrows raising. “First, she refuses to even acknowledge my claims to your innocence, and now she wants to imprison me because of suspicion!? Buck that!!” He spoke loudly, breathing heavily.
“You okay dude?” Steve asked hesitantly.
Trench gave him a deadpan expression. “Steve, there are so many things that are going wrong right now. You’re wanted for crimes you didn’t commit, as am I. Princess Luna, formerly Nightmare bucking Moon, is in charge of the kingdom after being on the moon for a thousand years, and to top it all off, Princess Celestia is in a bucking coma, so no, I’m not okay!”
“Wait what? Celestia’s in a coma?” Steve inquired, voice displaying his concern.
Trench gave a heavy sigh before responding. “Yeah, she is. She got hurt pretty badly in that last fight against Herobrine. She’s okay, physically, but she still hasn’t woken up. On the bright side, the best and the brightest unicorns are on the case, so she should be alright in the long run.”
“Well, I hope she gets better. I didn’t know her very long, but she seems like a good person. Pony. Whatever.”
Trench let out a quiet laugh as his grim expression faded. “I do too Steve. Maybe when she wakes up, she can finally clear your name, once and for all.”
Steve chuckled. “Yeah, that’ll be the day.” Sighing, he peeked around the corner to ensure it was still empty, which it was. Nodding to himself, he glanced back at Trench. “C’mon. Let’s get moving.”
With that, the duo continued on, unaware of the pair of eyes that watched them from above, hidden from sight.
“I can't believe it!" It spoke to itself in a loud whisper. "I gotta go tell the others!”
* * * * *
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The four mares sat in the hospital room. No words were spoken, silence hanging over them like a dark cloud. They could only look on, unable to do anything, as their friend Rainbow Dash lay unconscious in the hospital bed, wires and tubes connecting into her at various locations. Bandages covered her body from head to toe, leaving very little of her cyan blue fur uncovered.
She had been discovered a few days prior, by Applebloom, in a field just outside Sweet Apple Acres, near death with many grievous injuries. The poor filly had cried for hours, nearly unconsolable. Dash’s friends weren’t faring much better.
Pinkie’s hair was straight, having lost its curlyness the moment she’d heard. She hadn’t smiled in just as long, which was unheard of for the party mare. She hadn’t thrown any parties either, barely leaving Sugarcube Corner unless it was to check up on her friend's progress.
Applejack was pushing through, as she had to. She threw herself into her work, keeping herself distracted by taking on more and more of the workload. It helped, but only so much.
Rarity had rarely left her boutique since she’d heard, working herself to the bone. She had finished every single one of her pre-orders, and now spent most of her time making more and more dresses.
Twilight Sparkle coped as she always had. By reading. And when one lives in a library, there isn’t a short supply of books at hooves length. She was constantly reading, or if it wasn’t that, she was reorganizing the book keeping system for the umptieth time. Usually, her assistant Spike would complain about the excess of work he had to do. But he saw the sadness in her eyes. He saw the tears she wiped away when she thought he wasn’t looking. He knew this was just her way of coping with the near loss of her friend. As much as he disliked work, he loved his surrogate sister much more, and so he endured without complaint.
Fluttershy, well, nopony had heard from her since she had received the news of Rainbow Dash’s condition, and she’d decided to hole up inside her cottage. Various attempts to reach the mare had been fruitless.
There was a hush over the town ever since Dash had been found. The guards were out on patrol more, despite the capture of the creature Steve. Some said that he was the one who attacked her. Others said it was something else, something evil. Frankly nopony knew what to think. They only knew one thing.
Things were changing.
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I have to wonder if Luna is really that stupid and bigoted all on her own, as she still may be culturally about a thousand years out of date with the protocols regarding the justice system, or if this is more of Herobrine's mindgames having made her attitudes worse.
9668003
I would think it is just how culturally different she is, plus if her sister for a long while thought that Steve was dangerous then it would make sense that Luna convinced herself that he was too. It is difficult to change ones mind on something when they already made it up after all. But it would be kind of cool if it did turn out it was just mind games from Herobrine again.
Well Luna needs to lose her title and personally I think dash deserve this
LUNA YOU ARE MAKEING A HUGE MISTAKE!!!!!
I just realized that Nightmare Steve is Steve's Persona.
9668102
What's a Persona?
9668111
The hidden self that is covered by society niceties.
9668020
Nah, can't use that excuse. Gods may be somehwat immortal but it takes a good year or two for one to reform a corporeal body or relink with that reality. I'm betting this one's all on her.
9663397
I love you for this. If you didn’t do it, I would have. I give you a nerd five
I feel sorry for Luna if she were to go head to head with Steve, He beat the living fuck out of Nightmare Moon so what is stopping him from beating the living shit out of her too?
Luna is stuck in the past both Mentally and Culturally, on top of that she is worried for her sister and is again only having half the story. Though her ignoring not only a SOLDIER but one of Celestia's ELITE is beyond the pale. Not only that she is ignoring one of the FEW who was part of what happened.
Shame on you Luna.
9668218
(x2) & (x2)
Okay I understand that not everything is gonna be a-okay after all the shit that has happened but I was hoping we were done with the whole misunderstanding phase. It's getting really drawn out and at the expense of Luna's character. I get that she is only getting one side of the story, and a lot has happened to cement this view of Steve in her mind, but there is still a line between complicated misunderstanding and simple stupidity. It almost feels like the story is back to square one, even if Steve has a few more friends now. The cycle of Steve just curb stomping than running away from the ponies, rinse and repeat, is getting really old and the story needs to move on. Hopefully this will be resolved in 3-4 chapters, and not another 20+.
...
9668493
YOU'RE WELCOME!!!!!!
What if scenario: Princess Celestia wakes up some time after Steve's execution, asks what time it is, asks about Steve, learns he's been executed despite the handful of witnesses claiming he's innocent, flips a switch and promptly berates her sister for the act clarifying that Steve was, in fact, innocent and merely misunderstood, before proceeding to a) banish Luna for all eternity before locking herself away from the rest of the world b) somehow strip Luna of her alicornhood, her power, her title, and disowns her before disappearing to an unknown location.
Does any of the above ^ seem plausible?
9668248
How do you get the two to go down?
9668654
Look at where you type to post a comment and look at the top section. Left to Right; (#8) & (#9) -------} (X2) & (X2)
9668683
Thanks
Woooop Dedoooo! MORE FUN!
Sounds like Herobrine made Luna relapse.
9668571
Those options seem kind of excessive.
With how Luna's acting now, I'm actually concerned if she's capable of dealing with any threat later on. With all that's happened and her rather terrible first meeting with Steve, she's definitely under quite a lot of stress. Plus with her sister in a Coma, she is definitely not in the right state of mine to be dealing with Steve properly at all. Sadly this does leave Steve's best option to hide again, and possibly head to Ponyvile.
Though now that I think about it... when Rainbow Dash wakes up, Steve could have some definite allies with the mane six. They would be his best allies in this situation at the least I'd think. At least to the point where I believe that they could actually aid Steve with Luna. It's hard to tell what will happen due to the after effects of Herobrine. Which leaves me one last worry: Is someone gonna follow in Herobrine's path in this world? Or at the very least be like him?
9670906
Perhaps, can't deny that they are plausible outcomes though
9671548
I'm not so sure about that being really plausible.
9671570
*shrug* To each their own
Song Playing: Life Will Change, from Persona 5
Need...
Update...
BLYAT
9668218
I wanna know the same thing!
9679987
Wha...?
Oh of course she is. The one pony that has enough pull and knowledge to actually clear it all up in an instant.
Why did I hope for things to be different? I've read, seen, and played enough stories likethis oneto know how it goes by now...Let me guess: she's going to wake up at the very end of the fucking arc, and by then things will have gone toshit. Hell, Luna sounds deranged enough to make a pact withDiscordto get Steve...Well, I'm pleasantly suprised that this story actually takes a different path after all.
1: She initially only implied that you were wanted for questioning based-upon your connection with Steve, not that she as-of-yet had any legal reason to lock you away. This seems like a rational course of action to me.
2: She didn't mention your potential incarceration until after she was asked what was to be done with you if her suspicions were correct (which I remind you absolutely are), in which case she would absolutely be within her rights to imprison you. Steve is a high priority prisoner accused of attempted regicide, for you to be doing what you're doing is likely tantamount to treason.
3: She wasn't there for most of the action. She didn't see misty of Tyne heroics, nor did she hear his size of the story for past events. She only has your word against what she's been told of his past crimes. That and her own experiences of meeting him, one of which, I remind you, was of him building a sword to Celestias throat and threatening to kill her. Yes, she wad Daybreaker at the time, and yes, it was likely the best option that he had to save everyone else, but it was still Celestia that he had threatened to kill (the other things that he said to Daybreaker probably aren't helping his case either.)
Yes, Luna is being unreadable close-minded, is being too hasty, and is over-reacting, but she had every right to give those orders In this scenario.
Technically, he is guilty for at least some of those. His actions were justified (or at least understandable) in those instances, but they were still illegal. He did what needed to be done, but he still did it outside the boundaries of the law.
“Yeah, just having a conversation with the Nightmare.”
Good one.
Hole in the satellite