• Published 3rd Feb 2019
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A Crafter's Dream (Discontinued) - ruthim345



It'd been years. Years since the war. Steve was the only one left. Everyone else was gone. He lived, he fought. Rinse, repeat. All he wants is a second chance. And now, he'll get his chance.

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A Crafter's Dream Ch. 52: Catching Up

Now, without further ado, I present,

A Crafter’s Dream

Steve calmly threw a hay fry into his mouth, leaning back his head to do so. Chewing it, he took a sip from his drink.

“So let me get this straight.” Trench spoke, crossing his fore hooves and leaning on the table. The two sat at a standard circular table inside the Hay Burger, a rather popular food joint that sold, well, hay burgers. “After Derpy glomped the buck out of you…”

“Still don’t know what the Nether glomping is.” Steve muttered, rubbing his face as he sat back in his chair.

“She saw her daughter and, what?” Trench questioned. “From what you told me, Sparkler was pretty afraid of how Derpy would react. So, how did she react?”

Steve chuckled. “Well, just as I figured, Sparkler’s fears were unfounded. Derpy saw her and immediately hugged her like she was a stuffed animal, followed by even more crying, this time from both parties. After that, Sparkler apologized for what she did, to which Derpy immediately forgave her.”

“What did Sparkler even do?”

Steve hesitated for a moment, hay fry halfway to his mouth. Sighing, he tossed it in and chewed before answering.

“It’s kind of personal thing, so I don’t think it’s my place to say anything.”

“Got it. I understand.” Trench responded.

Steve smiled. “Thanks. Anyways, enough about me. What about you and that fucker, Sure Shot? I noticed you two were gone when I was summoned back to the library by Moonbutt.”

“Well, after you’d left, the Princess talked with Sure Shot for a while. Eventually, she told me to take him to the barracks, but to keep him under guard, so he wouldn’t try to escape or something. After I did that, I was on my way here to get some food when I saw you, and well, you know the rest.”

“Well, I hope that piece of shit gets what he deserves.” Steve muttered before finishing off his plate and tossing the extra papers in the trash. Trench did the same before sitting back on his chair. Not a moment after they had done so, the door to the building opened and two familiar faces stepped inside.

“Thorn? Nog? What are you guys doing here?” Trench asked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the dragon and minotaur. Steve merely glanced up at the duo with a raised eyebrow.

“We got hungry.” Thorn answered gruffly. “Heard from the bar-mare last night that this was a good place for a bite, so me and Nog thought we’d try it out.” The dragon’s gaze flickered over the Crafter. “So, you somehow got the Sun Princess to favor you.”

“Yup.” Steve responded, nodding. He smirked at Thorn. “As unlikely as it may seem, saving someone’s life can actually help you in the long run. Who knew, huh?”

Thorn let out a small growl and turned away, walking over to get in line behind two other ponies. Nog glanced at his companion before turning back to Steve and Trench. “Steve. Please, forgive my companion. He is, irritated.”

“At what?” The Crafter asked, eyebrow raised.

Nog shrugged. “Not know. Dragon emotions mystery to me.”

“Eh, whatever.” Steve spoke with an uncaring tone. “If he wants to hate my guts, that’s on him. I ain’t gonna lose any sleep over it. But, I have to ask.” He glanced up at the minotaur with a questioning expression. “Why don’t you hate me? If I remember correctly, I’ve fought and hurt you just as much as I have Thorn, yet you don’t seem to hold as much of a grudge against me like he does.”

“You…” Nog hesitated. “You had no choice. You never attack us, not once. Never killed. You honorable, more than most.” Then, Nog stood up straight before putting his right arm across his chest and giving a small bow to Steve. Upon righting himself, he walked over to join the dragon, who was now at the front of the line giving his order to the stallion at the counter.

“What was that?” Steve asked, turning to look at Trench with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, I think it’s some sort of sign of respect.” The stallion answered, not entirely sure himself. “I don’t know a lot about minotaurs, but I do know that the whole honor deal means a lot to most of them. They believe more in full-frontal fights rather than espionage and sneak attacks.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense.” At Trench’s questioning expression, the Crafter continued. “Well, he apparently took an order from Princess Celestia before the whole Nightmare event to kill me, even if I was captured. That doesn’t sound very honorable to me.”

“Well, I suppose not. Then again, there are always exceptions to the rule, right?”

Steve narrowed his gaze at Nog, doubt beginning to form. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” After a few moments of silence, he shook his head and looked back at Trench. “Anyways, thanks for the food. Where are you heading after this?”

Trench thought for a moment before responding. “Back to Canterlot, I suppose. While it’s been a stressful few days, I still have responsibilities as a General and all.”

Steve conceded to that. “Oh yeah, I forgot.” He chuckled. “You know, it’s funny. I guess with everything that’s been going on recently, it completely slipped my mind that you actually have a job and all that. But anyways, I’ve been thinking.”

Trench looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah? What about?”

“Celestia is going to be sending down a chariot for me in three days. Why don’t you hang around until then and head up to Canterlot with me?”

Trench thought for a moment before shrugged. “I mean, I don’t see why not. But I have to ask, why do you want me to stay around for the next few days?” He asked before taking a drink from his soda.

Steve sighed and answered. “I want you to talk with Derpy.”

Trench’s eyes widened only a split second before the contents of his mouth spewed out in a perfect spit-take, spraying Steve with a disgusting mixture of Cola and spit. Trench gave a few hardy coughs as Steve wiped his face with a few nearby napkins.

“Okay.” Steve spoke after waiting for the stallion to stop coughing. “Expected a reaction. I did not, however, expect that.”

Sorry.” Trench croaked before giving another cough and clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, but what!?”

“I want you to talk with Derpy.” Steve calmly repeated. Trench groaned and face-hoofed.

“I know what you said, I just hoped you might’ve changed your mind.” Sighing, he dropped his hoof and deadpanned at the Crafter. “Why exactly do you want me to do that?”

“Look, I know you still feel guilty about what happened to her. Trust me, if I was in your position, I would too. But what you did was not your fault. You were taken over by the asshole, Herobrine.”

Trench rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know that Steve.”

“Then why are you against talking to her?” Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m not, it’s just…” Trench let out a sigh. “Look, Steve, you saw it as well as I. Derpy isn’t just scared of me, she’s downright terrified. Enough so that she has nightmares about me! For bucks sake, I became a Royal Guard to protect others, not make them fear me!” He said loudly. Burying his face in his hooves, he let out a ragged sigh.

Steve, with a pitying expression, reached over and put his hand on the stallion’s shoulder, causing Trench to look up at him. “Look, if you really don’t think it will do any good, then I won’t force you. But I really think it would help both of you in the long run.”

“...You think so?” Trench asked, uncertain.

Steve nodded, smiling reassuringly as he sat back in his chair. “Yeah, I do. But, like I said, I won’t force you to.”

“Okay.” Trench spoke, voice quiet. Taking a deep breath, he sat up straight. “Okay. Look, I’ll, try and talk to her tomorrow, okay? I’m not sure I’m ready to face her today.”

Steve, after a few moments of silence, let out a small chuckle, causing Trench to look at him with a confused expression. “What? What is it?” The stallion asked.

“Nothing. It’s just, I’ve seen you face off against monsters, an evil version of yourself. Hell, you’ve fought Herobrine, who was literally a god. But the prospect of talking to Derpy is what scares you.”

Trench let out a small sigh. “Yeah, I guess. Though I suppose that’s mostly because of you.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the stallion. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. I mean, Derpy was your first friend here in Equestria, and after what happened in the Mindscape, I know how much she means to you, and vice versa. And I hurt her, so badly.” Steve opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when Trench lifted a hoof. “And I know, it’s not technically my fault. Trust me, I get that.” Sighing, the stallion rubbed one shoulder with a hoof. “Doesn’t mean I feel any less guilty, though.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments, neither looking at the other. In the corner of his eye, Steve could see Thorn and Nog sitting nearby, probably trying to listen in, but he didn’t comment on it. Finally, the Crafter cleared his throat, effectively breaking the awkward silence.

“*Ahem* Anyway, while it’s been nice talking with you, I gotta get going.” He spoke, standing up. Trench nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah. See ya tomorrow.”

“You got it. Until then, I bid you adieu” With that, the Crafter walked out of the restaurant, stopping once he was outside. Taking a deep breath, he began his trek down the street towards the Everfree. There was a certain pony, er, zebra he wanted to see.

* * * * *

The grass crunched softly beneath his feet, a good break from the silence that would otherwise be accompanying him. He walked quickly but carefully, not wanting to be caught off-guard by anything that would rather chew on him then talk. His sword glowed by his side, serving as a small source of light when he was under a rather dark canopy of trees.

Something was wrong. Steve could feel it in his gut. The forest had always given him a bad feeling in his stomach, but now it felt different.

It felt dead. Like all of the life had been sucked away.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he continued on, keeping his guard up. The last thing he needed was getting caught off-guard by a Timber-wolf of Manticore or something.

Eventually, he saw Zecora’s hut in the distance. Steve felt a small bit of relief at the sight. Letting a small smile grace his lips, he jogged towards the home of his friend. However, upon getting closer, he saw something that made his stomach drop.

Her door was broken down.

Cold fear shot up his spine like a knife. Rushing forward, he quickly pushed past the broken remains of her door, entering into her living room, which was dimly lit by a few scattered torches.

It was a mess. Her lone table and its accompanying chairs were destroyed. Her shelves, where she kept her many supplies for brewing, were torn down. Her cauldron was knocked on its side, and long-dead embers were scattered around the floor.

Mouth hanging open, Steve took a step forward.

squish.

And immediately stepped in something wet. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back and looked down.

It was green, with an almost imperceptible glow to it. Kneeling down, he hesitantly touched it with one hand before pulling away with a small gasp. Looking at his fingers, which were now coated with the green liquid, he took a deep breath before touching it again.

It felt nearly as strange as it looked. While luke-warm to the touch, it seemed to almost pulse with some strange kind of energy.

‘Nightmare, you know what this stuff is?’ Steve asked. Nightmare Steve remained silent for a few moments before responding.

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know what it is. I’m certain it’s blood of some kind, but the aura signature seems to be constantly changing.’

‘Changing? What the hell…?”

‘Steve, something is approaching your location.’ Nightmare Steve interrupted. Steve shot up, looking towards the open doorway. Moments later, he managed to pick up the sound of whispering. Eyes widening, he hurriedly looked for a hiding place.

* * * * *

Vesper was annoyed. All she wanted was to stay back at base and interrogate the zebra and probably suck every ounce of love from her, but of course, she and Quip had to go back to that dingy hut and see if they could scrounge anything.

Sighing, she and her Quip entered through the open doorway, stepping past the broken bits of door. Quip made a slight gagging sound, causing the changeling to look at her companion, who was stepping in a small pool of green blood. Changeling blood.

“That must be Crag’s blood.” She spoke with a clear hint of anger in her voice. “Damn zebra, knocking him over the head with a chair.”

“Damn.” Quip muttered. “She must’ve hit him pretty hard.”

“Yeah.” She sighed and looked around the room. “C’mon, let’s hurry up and get moving. Sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can get back to base.”

“Got it.” Quip responded.

Fifteen minutes later, the two changelings had found nothing worth taking. After rooting through yet another broken cupboard, Vesper sighed and abandoned her search.

“Hey Quip, you find anything?”

“Nope! Nothing!” The male changeling responded.

“Yeah, looks like the others already cleared this place out. C’mon, let’s get going.” With that, the duo walked towards the empty doorway, only for a soft thumping sound and a voice to stop the two changelings in their tracks.

“Before you go…” The voice began.

Vesper and Quip whirled around to see a tall, ominous figure standing just behind them in the dimly-lit room. It held a strange, glowing blue sword in one of it’s fleshy appendages. Before either changeling could react, it rushed forward, slamming the hilt of its blade into Quip’s head and dropping him like a sack of bricks. The next thing Vesper knew, she felt the sharp blade being pressed against her throat.

“Perhaps you could tell me.”

She stared helplessly up at the creature, which glared down at her with deep indigo eyes, full of righteous anger.

“Where is Zecora?!”

Author's Note:

Oh no!! Poor changelings! They really don't know what they've just unleashed!!

Anyway, thank you all for reading and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!!

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