A Crafter's Dream Ch. 45: Escape from Canterlot (Part 2)
Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
“Halt! In the name of Equestria!!”
“Y’know, I feel like I’ve asked this before, but I’ll ask again! Why in the Nether would anyone actually listen to that?!” Steve yelled back at the guards that currently pursued him and Trench throughout the halls of Canterlot Castle. He gave a small yelp as a bolt of magic flew by him, exploding against the stone wall to their left. Gritting his teeth, Steve turned to the stallion running by his side. “How much further?!”
“The front gates are just down the hall!” Trench responded, ducking as a bolt a dark red magic flew over his head. Steve nodded and continued to run, only for his instincts to flare up, warning him of an incoming projectile. Glancing back, his eyes widened at the sight of a pale blue beam of magic shooting towards him.
Circle + Square: Counter
Gripping the handle of his blade, Steve threw his arm backwards, swinging his sword just in time to deflect the attack away from him. While the force from the beam caused him to stumble slightly, he recovered enough to continue running. He chose to ignore the loud explosion that came from behind him, not wanting to know just what would’ve happened to him if he’d been hit by the beam.
Looking ahead, his eyes lit up when he saw a pair of massive doors in front of him, guarded by two guards, one earth pony and a pegasus. Their weapons were drawn, but Steve could see the fear in their narrowed eyes. He sighed, teeth grit.
“Oi! Unless you want your shit slapped harder than an angry Iron Golem with Strength II, I suggest you get out of the way!!” Steve yelled, pushing himself to run even faster. The two guards looked at each other for a moment, then reaffirmed their stances, leveling their spears at Steve and Trench.
D-Pad Up: Sword
Letting out a small groan, the Minecraftian rolled his eyes before sheathing his sword. Reaching over, he unceremoniously picked up Trench mid-run, eliciting a surprised yelp from him as the Crafter tucked the gray stallion underneath his arm.
“What the hay are you doing?!” Trench yelled, eyebrows furrowed.
“You’ll see in a sec!” Steve responded, giving a small grin as the duo got closer to the front gates of the castle. “Just hang on!” Getting closer by the second, the Crafter waited for the opportune moment to act. It wasn’t until he mere feet from the guards, so close he could see his own reflection bouncing off the front of their helmets, that he moved.
X: Jump
Leaping up, he rotated his body so his feet touched the wall. Taking advantage of his momentum, he ran along the smooth stone wall, easily passing by the guards, who could only stare at the grinning Crafter with expressions of shock.
X: Jump
Triangle: Kick
Leaping off the wall, he brought back his feet before kicking them outward towards the big doors, slamming open the castle gates with a loud, “BOOM!!” Landing in a crouch, Steve took off down the stone steps, accidentally pushing over some poor stallion that happened to be just outside the gates. Upon reaching the end of the stairs, he took a moment to put Trench down, as well as look around. What he saw caused his eyes to widen, and his body to stiffen.
He was utterly surrounded by ponies. Dozens, perhaps a hundred of them stared at him and Trench with fear, confusion and distress in their large eyes. Steve instinctively took a step back, unsure of what would happen, or how to proceed.
“Uhhh…” He muttered.
“There it is!!” Steve jerked slightly when he heard the angry shout from behind him. Glancing back, he saw about a dozen guards storming down the stairs, eyes narrowed at him and Trench.
“And that’s our cue!!” Steve yelled, running into the crowd of ponies, making them scramble to get out of his way. “C’mon Trench!!”
The stallion wasted no time in following, running beside the Minecraftian as they slowly began to leave the guards in the dust.
* * * * *
Steve poked his head out of the alley, quickly glancing back and forth to make sure it was safe. Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned to Trench.
“Alright, looks like we lost them.” He asked.
“Yeah, but probably not for long.” The stallion muttered quietly. Steve gave him a confused look.
“What do you mean?” He asked, a small hint of worry beginning to blossom in his chest. Trench looked up at him with a grim expression.
“Steve, this isn’t Ponyville. This is Canterlot, the Royal guard’s home turf. These aren’t the simple guardspony troops you’re used to facing. Here, we have to worry about the Elite guard.”
Steve gave him an extremely confused look. “The what now?”
Trench gave a shuddering sigh before he spoke. “The Elite guard is a step above the Royal guard. They are tougher, stronger, faster, and frankly speaking, more badass than normal guards. Their ranks are reserved for the best of the best.”
“Okay. Not that I’m complaining, but if they’re so much better, then why weren’t any of those guys sent after me?”
The stallion shrugged his shoulders. “I, I don’t know. I’m only a General in the Royal guard, so there wouldn’t be any reason for me to know about that stuff. Safe to say, you don’t want to mess with them.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Spoke a feminine-sounding voice from behind them. Both Steve and Trench whirled around, easily spotting the source of the voice.
It was a unicorn mare, with dark red fur and a gray-ish mane. Her armor was similar in form to that of a royal guards, but was dark gray, almost black in color. She had a pair of piercing golden eyes and a smirk on her face that spoke of confidence. She slowly approached the pair in an almost lazy fashion, despite being armed with nothing.
“You really don’t want to mess with the Elite guards.” She continued her statement, stopping a short distance from the duo.
‘Where did she come from?’ Nightmare Steve asked, voice echoing from the back of Steve’s head. “I didn’t even sense her!’
“Who the fuck are you?” Steve asked bluntly. Trench gave him a horrified look, while the mare simply chuckled.
“The reports were correct, it seems. You do have quite a mouth on you. I can respect that.”
“Really?” Steve inquired, sarcasm lacing his voice. “Forgive me if I don’t exactly feel honored by that fact.” Sighing, he face-palmed before giving the mare a small glare. “I’m going to assume that you’re one of those Elite guard fucks that Trench told me about.”
Her smirk fell and her eyes narrowed. “Insult my fellow guards again, and you will pay the price, Steve.”
Steve drew in a breath as he winced. “Wow. That was so edgy, you could cut an apple into slices. Are all of you Elite guards like that, or is it just you?”
She smirked. “Why don’t you ask them?” Not a moment after she’d said that, his ears picked up the sound of movement coming from above him.
‘Steve! Dodge backwards!’ Nightmare Steve cried out from the back of the Crafter’s head.
Circle: Dodge
Not wasting a second, the Crafter heeded the Nightmare's advice, grabbing Trench and throwing themselves backwards. Just in time as well, since half a second later, something crashed into the ground where they had previously been standing only moments before. Landing on his back, Steve attempted to get to his feet, only for something to blast him back, sending him flying head over heels, colliding with the ground and rolling for a few feet before stopping on his stomach.
Damage Received - 6 damage. 14 health remaining.
Groaning, he got to his hands and knees before looking up. Much to his horror, his gaze was met by the sight of Trench, bound by what looked like glowing shackles, being pushed to the floor. Now, four Elite guards stood in the alley. One earth mare, two unicorns, the mare from before and a stallion, and a pegasus mare. They all wore the same dark-gray armor, though only two of them were actually armed, this being the pegasus, armed with an axe, and the earth pony with a lance. Three of them stared at Steve with victorious expressions. The fourth, the unicorn stallion, however, glared at the Crafter with something akin to rage in his eyes. His horn glowed as he slowly stomped towards Steve.
“Oi, Dusty! Remember, the Princess wants him alive.” The mare from before spoke.
The newly named ‘Dusty’ continued to glare at Steve as he responded. “Don’t worry Ellie. I’m just gonna rough him up a bit.” The glow on his horn intensified, and Steve suddenly found himself unable to move, now under the effects of the unicorn’s magical grip. He was brought upwards a few feet before being slammed into the ground with brutal force.
Damage Received - 4 damage. 10 health remaining.
Grunting from the impact, Steve didn’t even have time to get up before he was dragged upwards and a metal-coated hoof punched him across the face, snapping his face to the side.
Damage Received - 2 damage. 8 health remaining.
Groaning, Steve looked forward again, staring straight into the furious eyes of Dusty. The stallion’s teeth were grit, and his eyebrows were furrowed.
“Do you know who I am?” Dusty asked, though his tone gave the impression that the question was rhetorical. Steve decided to answer anyways.
“Not a clue.” The Crafter answered honestly. “Should I?” In response, Dusty lifted a photo with his magic, so that it was at eye level with Steve. On it was two ponies. The first was Dusty, though he looked much happier in the picture than now. The other was an earth pony, with light blue hair and white fur. However, what immediately drew Steve’s gaze was the stallion’s eyes. They were milky white, lacking pupils and iris’. There was only a single pony that Steve had ever seen that was blind, and the last time they had met, Steve had put him in the hospital.
“This is my brother, Sure Shot. Do you recognize him?” Dusty asked sternly.
“Unfortunately, yes.” At this, the unicorn’s horn glowed brighter, and Steve could feel the magical aura around him tighten.
“And do you remember what you did to him?”
Steve glared at Dusty, but answered. “I put that fucker in the hospital.” The stallion didn’t take too kindly to that, roaring in anger as he threw Steve into the nearby wall, making a noticeable impression in it.
Damage Received - 4 damage. 4 health remaining.
Steve slid down the wall, before falling forward onto his hands and knees. Coughing, he spit out a bit of blood. Wiping his mouth, he glared up at Dusty.
“Your poor excuse for a brother deserved it!”
Circle: Dodge
D-Pad Up: Sword
Steve was ready for the inevitable blast of magic. Rolling to the side, he narrowly avoided the attack before shooting to his feet, sword already in hand.
Square: Slash
Circle: Block
Triangle: Kick
Rushing forward, he swiped his blade, only for Dusty to duck under the attack. The stallion shot a bolt of magic at him, only for the Crafter to block it with the flat end of his sword while simultaneously kicking the pony across the face, sending him rolling.
“Steve, watch out!” Trench called out from the side, just as Steve’s instincts warned him of an incoming attack. Turning, he saw the pegasus leaping at him, axe lifted overhead for a critical attack.
Circle + Square: Counter
Quickly putting up his sword, Steve feinted a block, making the attack miss by inches. Swiftly releasing his hold on his sword, he grabbed the back of the pegasi’s head and slammed it into the ground twice before grabbing his opponent by the neck and yeeting them across the alley. Quickly grabbing his sword, he whirled around, only for his eyes widened at the sight of a lance flying straight at his chest.
Circle: Dodge
Side-stepping the attack, Steve rushed forward to meet the earth pony that was now charging him, sword raised high.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, causing Steve to cover his eyes and stumble back slightly. Blinking his eyes a few times to clear his vision, he looked to see what had caused the flash. What met his gaze made his eyes widen and his mouth drop open slightly.
“Celestia??!” He asked incredulously.
The stark-white alicorn gave the Crafter a small smile.
“Hello Steve.”
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Oh thank god, please don’t let this be a red herring and actually resolve this drawn out arc, and finally move on.
9704196
you just had to trigger murphy didn't you
9704196
Honestly I hope so too. This charade has gone on long enough. Honestly it’s really been annoying me.
Let’s hope that this is the true light at the end of the tunnel and not just the headlights of a semi-truck that’s about to run us over.
well this is a great cliffhanger, truly the best sheer cliff that hangers truly enjoy hanging on to their pants as they await the next branch of the story...in other words great chapter hope to see more soon
9704349
don't fucking jinx it!
Ah, good times....
You can't just leave me here! update already!
9704196
9704293
9704349
Nah, I think Steve has been through enough for the time being. Not to worry, Celestia will clear his name.
Ah, that lovely moment when all of the angry people have to sit and chew on their angst because their boss came down and told them to knock it off.
Oh thank god, Celestia's awake and now she can hopefully explain to everyone what happened and start fixing this mess of misunderstandings, I really hope she talked to Luna first... and honestly, I am certain that she'll probably leave out the nightmare part for the crafter's benefit. Mostly because I'm pretty sure if she learns that... even if he's innocent she maaay try to kill him in his dreams.
9704528
First off, thank god.
Second, if this is a ploy to lower our guard and stab us in the back I will never forgive you or trust you ever again.
finally she's up
Now we can clear the misunderstanding!
9704781
with a protag's luck? I don't think so
don't feel pressed with an time frame to give you stress sure it's good to have an goal to compleet an chapter but those loyal and enjoys the story can wait cause there are many out there to read while we wait for you to put one out
and keep up the good work!
God dammit!
Not the cliffhangers!
I don’t like where this is going. Celestia’s awake, but she’ll prolly NOT call off the guards so she can have Steve tortured for the greater good or crap like that.
More pls
I feel like if there ends up being a pairing with Steve there's gonna be a god-damn war between Steve x Abyss (StAbyss) and Steve x Derpy (Sterpy? Derpeve? Can't think of one) shippers. Oh well, guess I'll just pledge allegiance to the StAbyss shippers now then. Ahem. STABYSS IS THE OTP JOIN OR BE STABBED, blah blah yadda yadda and all that jazz (I do actually like the ship though) anyway that's my overly drawn-out comment about the relationships of fictional characters from a (really good btw) piece of fanfiction. Bye. (God I suck at ending Things)
P.S I approve of the many yeets I've seen so far.
9704952
...Did you really have to?
9705502
I didn't invoke Murphy. I just pointed out that you did.
but yes. yes I did
9705573
9704528
Great
Ugh Steve really needs a rest after everything that's happened
...
I wonder how this will affect how ponies will see him, and how much will Celestia reveal?
Yay! We finally can end this misunderstandings and violence between Steve and the Ponies. Yay!
(HaHa! I hope murphy heard that. I am evil! Muahahaha!)
it is about time miss fat plot gets up and going.
Ahhhhhh why do you have to have me hooked on your store! Lol but honestly, great store. Thank you for keeping it going.
First, finally.
Second, can we please get some proper discipline handed down to these guards. I think at this point they've crossed enough lines to at least warrant a round of dishonorable discharges and more than a few years in the stockade.
And as for Ms. Poster-pony for bigotry Luna, well a dozen centuries or so spent as just a scullery maid can teach anyone humility.
And here I thought this version might be the more mature one. Fool me twice there.
I guess you could call these guards the Elite Four.
FUCKING FINALLY!!!!
9709500
Eh, pretty close to what I have in mind. Cool!
9708503
Hey, hey hey. I get you're trying to make a point, I get that. But I don't like the name calling and insults. While I encourage people to comment, I do not appreciate the name calling.
Please, if you're going to argue with someone in the comment section, all I ask is that you do so in a respectful manner.
9708503
And you obviously know nothing about how the body works. Show me one verifiable instance in the entire world where someone killed themselves by holding their breath.
And drowning in water? What the heck does that have to do with simply holding your breath to commit suicide? And you can also blow your brains out with a shotgun, Jump out of a car moving at 100mph, or grab a 100,000 volt power line, None of which have anything to do with holding your breath.
I simply don’t believe a bird could deliberately, and fatally, let itself crash into the ground. And then, too, in MLP the pegasi have shown themselves remarkably resistant to crashes that would have pulverized a non-pegasi.
Now, if she had tied her wings closed with a rope or strap . . . .
9710001
9708503
Look, can we please not argue just because of my bad writing? Look, what I wrote may not have any factual basis, but then again, this is a crossover fanfic.
9710097
but . . . but . . . this is the internet! We're supposed to have pointless irrational arguments.
9710135
Uh.............
Fair point. Continue.
9710145
You think this argument is bad? I've seen worse.
For the record, the worst arguments I’ve found are in Green Day comment sections (more specifically on Revolution Radio), perhaps the third most politically divided videos on the internet.
The only time I see that working is if an investigation is going on they need to question somepony but couldn't find this pony. They track her down to the running of the leaves but it just started. Because the guards are on a time limit they run after her calling, "Halt!" this pony may or may not stop.
Thats the only way I see it working. What about you? how would it work? For a guard to HAVE to say 'halt'
Wow, my old comments hurt to read. I really have no idea what the fuck was going through my mind here.
Stabyss is still my OTP though.
10412316
What do you mean?
The waters warm so
10412316
The problem is now Steve and Abyss get into too many arguments. I know couples argue a lot, but that’s just too many.