A Crafter's Dream Ch. 80: The Truth Comes Out
Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
Steve stood in the middle of the darkness, arms crossed and an irritated frown on his face.
Luna stood in front of him, only a few feet away. She wore a look of apprehension, hooves shuffling a bit as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. As Steve looked her over, he noticed a small bruise forming underneath one of her eyes.
‘Huh. Looks like I hit her a bit harder than I’d thought.’ Steve thought, before focusing back on the mare.
“What the fuck do you want?” He asked again, expression unchanging.
“We came here to talk to you.” The alicorn replied.
“Really? Are you sure you want to talk? Because the last time we ‘talked,’ I gave you that.” As he spoke, Steve gestured to the black eye the alicorn now sported. “Celestia isn’t here to separate us now, Luna. You sure you want to risk me getting in more than just a punch?”
The alicorn drew back a bit, but narrowed her gaze at the Crafter. “I did not come here to fight you, Steve.”
“Well, that’s good to know. However, given that most of our previous interactions have ended with us duking it out and the fact that you’re a moron, I’d say we’re probably gonna end up fighting.”
The alicorn’s nostrils flared in anger. “You will speak with-!”
“No, I mother fucking will not.” Steve interrupted. “Either you haven’t been informed yet, or you’ve forgotten, but I was a king once too, Luna, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that you’re full of shit.”
Luna scoffed. “I was informed, yes, that you were once a king. But we believe that a king from your world would be and act very differently than a ruler from this world.”
“And you’d be right. But I believe it’s a universal rule that being a stuck-up bitch doesn’t help anyone, royalty or otherwise.” Sighing, he closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples. “Look, arguing isn’t going to get either of us anywhere.” Dropping his hands, he gave Luna a serious look. “Let’s just get back to why the Nether you’re here in the first place. You said you wanted to talk to me?”
The alicorn’s scowl gradually faded as she nodded. “Yes.”
“Alright. About what, exactly?”
“About what happened while you were in the Nightmare Realm, the Hollow.”
“Hmm.” Steve murmured before giving a shrug. “There’s not much to talk about. I went through a portal after some Nightmare ripped Onyx from my body and took him there. I eventually ended up at the castle, found the throne room where Onyx was, fought the Nightmother, took some hits, and that’s essentially where you, Celestia, Abyss, Aura and Notch came in.” Steve furrowed his brow as he realized something. “Speaking of which, how did you guys even get there in the first place? Notch never really explained that part to me.”
“If you hadn’t run off, you would’ve been informed about how we made it to the Hollow.” Luna commented.
The Crafter gave the alicorn a deadpan glare. She sighed before answering his question.
“Fine. After you and the Nightmare-”
“Onyx.” Steve spoke. Luna gave him a confused look.
“What?”
“Just call him Onyx. It’s easier and it’ll save us both time.”
“We… fine. After you and Onyx were transported to the Hollow, Twilight Sparkle was informed of what had happened by Rainbow Dash, and subsequently sent a letter to our sister detailing what had occured. After that, Celestia, myself and Aura teleported to Ponyville.”
“Why Aura in particular?” Steve asked.
“Because time was of the essence, and she was the closest Black Claw member we had on hoof.” Luna answered, before continuing. “Anyways, it was after arriving at Ponyville that we met Abyss and Notch.”
“Hmm.” Steve murmured. “And how did you get to the Hollow?”
“That was Notch. We are unsure how, but he knew not only where you were, but how to get there. It took him and Abyss a few hours to properly prepare the portal to the Hollow, while it would’ve taken myself and Celestia days to do so.”
“Makes sense. Notch is the one who sent Abyss to Equestria, so it makes sense that he would know how to get to other worlds. Though, I don’t know how he knew where I was. Maybe he has some kind of six sense or something.” Steve shook his head, shrugging. “I don’t know.” Sighing, he focused back on Luna. “What happened after I stormed off?”
“Aura, my sister and I had to return to Canterlot. We know not what happened to Notch and Abyss.”
“Notch went back to my world.” Steve informed the alicorn. “Well, kind of, I suppose. From what he told me afterwards, he was never actually in Equestria in the first place. Apparently, he used some high-tier magic or something to project himself in this world, while his actual body stayed back home. Or, at least that’s what I heard. Honestly, most of what he said went right over my head, since I don’t really know a lot about magic and stuff, except for the basics. As for Abyss, well, I haven’t seen her since we left the Hollow. I’ll have to talk to her later.” He muttered that last part, talking more to himself than to Luna. However, her voice brought him from his thoughts a moment later.
“Steve, can we ask you something?”
The Crafter looked up at the alicorn, who now had a look of apprehension on her face.
“What is it?” He asked, one eyebrow raised.
“How did you tame the Nightmare?”
Steve’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “Oh. Well, simply put, I didn’t.”
She jerked back slightly, giving him a confused look. “W-what? What does thou-” She stopped herself short, taking a moment to clear her throat before continuing. “We mean, what do you mean you didn’t tame it?”
“Him. And I mean exactly that. I didn’t tame him. Onyx offered me his help to defeat Herobrine. We’ve been bonded ever since, recent events excluded.”
“But, was there a fight, a battle for control between you and it- erm, him?”
Steve shook his head. “Nope. All there was was an agreement?”
She gave him a curious look. “What kind of agreement?”
“That I would only bond with him if he agreed to never hurt my friends.”
Luna’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh.”
Steve quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”
“We-” She stopped. “It’s nothing. It’s just, the only interaction we’ve really had with Nightmares was-.”
“Nightmare Moon.” Steve finished. “And I can’t imagine that little experience left you with a good impression of Nightmares.”
She shook her head. “No, it didn’t. So to hear that you so easily bonded with one, a Nightmare, it sounds impossible, yet you did it.”
“Yeah, though I wouldn’t say it was easy. The circumstances under which we bonded were, well, less than ideal, considering, you know, we were fighting a god. But we became allies, and then after that, friends. So, of course, when those Retrievers came to take him away, I fought back, and when they took him to the Nightmare Realm, I followed.”
“Why?”
Steve quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “Why what?”
“You followed Onyx’s captors into the portal with little to no hesitation to your own safety, and from what we heard, you did so with little resources to aid you. It’s almost as if, well, that you didn’t care about what happened to you. We fail to understand why you acted so impulsively, with little regard for yourself.”
“Because I don’t care about myself.” Steve responded simply. Luna’s eyes widened in shock mouth opening to speak only to be interrupted when the Crafter continued. “No, I’m not suicidal or anything. Don’t get the wrong idea. While I don’t really care about my own personal health 90% of the time, I have no interest in dying. I just put my friends' well-being above my own. It’s like I told Onyx, I’ve lost too many friends already, I don’t plan on losing anymore.”
‘I’m not sure I could take it.’
Luna stared at him for a moment before looking away. Letting out a heavy sigh, she faced him again, expression neutral.
“I see. That is good to know, Steve. Now, if we may ask, there is something that we must know before we leave here tonight.”
“What is it?”
The alicorn took a deep breath. “Where do we stand with you?”
Steve looked at the mare with a confused expression on his face. “What do you mean?”
“We mean, what is your opinion on us? Are we enemies, disgruntled acquaintances? WHat are we to you?”
“Why do you care about what I think?”
“We-” She stopped herself, before letting out a sigh. “Our sister recommended that we at least try and make up for our transgressions against you. We simply wanted to-”
“You don’t have to apologize to me, if that’s what you’re going for.” Steve interrupted, looking down at the floor. “The punch was good enough for me.” Sighing, he glanced up to see Luna giving him a confused stare, prompting him to continue. “Now, I’m not saying you didn’t make some mistakes, as you sure as fuck did, and I’m not saying that you don’t need to apologize, as there are quite a few people who you need to apologize to. I’m just not one of them.”
“Then, who is?” Luna asked, hesitantly.
“Well, the numerous guards that were sent after me and subsequently beaten the shit out of comes to mind.” The alicorn’s eyes widened as she registered Steve’s words. “After that, I’d say you apologize to the Black Claw for ever involving them and getting them hurt on multiple occasions. Then, just to be safe, a general apology to Ponyville for having their town become a impromptu battlefield more than a couple times. What do you think?”
The more Steve talked, the more horrified Luna’s expression became. She sat on her haunches, both forehooves covering her mouth.
“Oh stars.” She whispered. “You are right. We, we hurt them. Used them. Squandered the trust given so freely. Why?” She asked, speaking more to herself than Steve. “Why did we do that? Why did we never stop to think about them? Why, why didn’t we care?”
“I don’t really know for sure.” Steve spoke softly, giving the alicorn a pitying look. “But I do have a hunch.”
She gave him a questioning look, hooves dropping back down to the floor. “You do?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Put simply, you were afraid.”
The not-so-subtle flinch his words procured from Luna had more than confirmed his suspicions. “What, what are you talking about?” She spoke, though her voice wavered slightly. “Afraid of what?”
“You were afraid that you would end up exactly where you were before you became Nightmare Moon. Alone.”
Luna froze.
“I mean, it makes sense when I think about it for a second. After being on the moon for a thousand years for doing something or other, you come back, still as Nightmare Moon, but due to the actions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, you are cured. You and Celestia return to Canterlot, with you taking up the title of ‘Princess’ once again. However, not everything is alright. Ponies fear you, as if you could turn back into Nightmare Moon at any second. You are not nearly as popular as your sister, who makes her job look so easy a kid, er, foal could do it. If the book I read was actually true, then you were essentially right back where you’d started, 1000 years ago.”
“But then, you hear about me. You were informed, one way or another, about how I’ve been ‘terrorizing’ the town of Ponyville for a little while, and it’s almost as if you’ve found the Holy fucking Grail. After weeks of hoping and praying for a way to earn your ponies’ trust back, you finally find one. Me.” Glancing at Luna, Steve shook his head as he took in the horrified/guilty look on the Lunar alicorn’s face. “I’m guessing I was pretty close?”
All she could do was nod slightly.
“Yeah, that’s what I figured.” Steve frowned slightly before letting out a sigh. “Look, Princess, let me be brutally honest right now. I don’t trust you. You spent the better part of a few months trying to imprison and/or kill me for no reason other than some stupid, convoluted plan to use my ass as a scapegoat so that your ponies would ‘love you again’ after the whole Nightmare Moon Incident. Which, I think I should mention, is a sketchy ass plan at best.” Steve rubbed his face with a hand as he groaned in frustration. “Overall, I don’t trust you, I don’t like you, fuck, I can barely tolerate you as it is.”
Luna flinched back at his words, the guilt she felt in her chest becoming worse and worse as the Crafter went on. Tears threatened to spill, but she refused to let herself cry.
“We, see.” She spoke, voice unnaturally calm. She refused to meet his gaze, instead looking off to the side as she began to slowly backpedal away. “Very well. We thank you for your honesty. If that is it, we will have to-!”
She jerked to a stop as Steve grabbed her shoulder with a hand.
“I’m not finished.” He spoke, though his voice was much softer and kinder than it had been only moments before. Luna looked up to see that the anger and irritation on the Crafter’s face had faded, replaced with gentleness and warmth.
“Luna, while you have made a lot of mistakes, and all of that, you’re not a bad person, er, pony. Misguided? Perhaps. A bit of a moron? Oh definitely. But you’re not evil. You’ve made some mistakes, but so does everyone at some point. I know I sure have.” He chuckled a bit. “Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a bad pony. It just means you’re mortal, like the rest of us. All you need to do is learn from those mistakes. Do that, and maybe one day, we might even become friends.”
Luna jerked slightly, her expression morphing into one of shock. “W- what?” She asked with a tone of disbelief. “You mean you would forgive us after everything we’ve done?”
Steve grinned as he shrugged. “If you show me that you are actually and legitimately sorry, then yeah. I have this weird habit of forgiving people who’ve tried to kill me.”
“We, er, I don’t know what to say.” Luna shook her head. “I, I promise you, Steve. I will not waste this chance you have given me.”
The Crafter chuckled. “I don’t doubt it. Now, is that everything? Because I’d really love to be able to get some actual sleep now.”
“Oh! Oh, of course.” Luna’s horn glowed as she prepared a spell. The blue glow increased in intensity for a moment before there was a bright flash and everything went dark.
* * * * *
Steve awoke to the light of the early morning sun hitting him directly in the face. Grunting, he put up a hand to block the offending light as he rolled over in bed. Kicking himself free from the blanket, he sat up, groaning a bit as he stretched.
‘Good morning Steve!’ Onyx spoke.
“Morning.” The Crafter replied, scratching his back.
‘How did you sleep?’
“Pretty good, I guess.” Steve said with a shrug. “Luna showed up and we talked for a bit.”
‘Oh!’ Onyx exclaimed in surprise. ‘How did it go?’
Steve hesitated for a moment, putting a hand to his chin as he thought. “It went well. Least, it went better than how I figured it would go.” Sighing, he shook his head before taking a look around. “Well, now that I’m up, we should probably get to work.”
‘So soon?’ Onyx asked.
“Well, the sooner we start, the sooner the house gets done, right?” Steve replied with a grin.
‘...Fair enough.’ Onyx conceded. ‘Let’s get to work.’
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Sounds legit.
this chapter feels really good to me grate righting.
10128034
Point taken.
can't wait for the next chapter
While Steve was asleep a Displaced Kitsune type of guy comes out of nowhere plops down a shulker box filled with Enchanted Electra and 64 bedrock a sign sits next to it that says {from one Crafter to another use them well}
10128131
Then an enderman comes and grabs shulker box and sign and teleports away!
Honestly? If I were in Steve’s position, I don’t think I could be angry at Luna, Disappointed? Yes, but out right angry? No.
I would just reintroduce myself and try to forge a Friendship on common ground after making her realize how bad she messed up and getting a promise to learn from her mistakes.
I can understand his hesitancy to out and out try a friendship after all that has happened, but for her to earn his trust back he has to reach out a olive branch that isn’t a mile long and made of glass.
The Kitsune displaced Whispers to himself ~this is why we can't have nice things~ at that moment he throws a enchanted Elytra with hacked levels as it absorbs into Steve's inventory if I can give him the Shuckle chest at least he be able to fly.
10128480
/clear Steve minecraft:elytra
10128432
OOOHHH, I know that one! Now I can see the resemblance! Those are really well done.
I like it stay strong and stay safe
I really wanna see them fuck now. After all, enemies turned rivals, turned acquaintances, turned lovers always has a habit of making things interesting
10130445
Whoooooa there buddy, there's a reason I haven't added a romance tag to this story.
Well, I mean not yet.
This is a good chapter.
10130723
This in some way was understandable, but I still don't think Luna alone would have been capable to send a force of guards that large to Ponyville, so while Luna did order this I believe Celestia had to been given a really good reason why it should have been done
10147656
Well if you remember at that time Celestia would have been possessed by Herobrine so she would have jumped at the chance to send them.
So much to do so much