A Crafter's Dream Ch. 90: Talking it Out (Part 2)
Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
Trench was having a good day.
He was back in Ponyville as part of a guard detail that was supposed to keep watch over the town, in case some big baddie decided to show up to disrupt Princess Celestia’s brunch. He’d been stuck at a lookout post at the southern side of town for most of the morning, but was granted a little break when two guards had come to trade him and his partner (and close friend) Ever Gleam out for their shift.
With nothing to do for a just over an hour, Trench took to wandering around the Ponyville marketplace, looking at what the various vendors had for sale. After a bit of wandering, he’d eventually bought a couple of knick-knacks, a pocket watch from Time Turner’s stand, and two bottles of Old-Ponish whiskey from Berry Punch for game nights with his bunkmates. He’d been looking at a smithy’s shop, run by a stocky blue mare with a dark golden mane named Idle Tinker, when he heard somepony call his name.
“Trench!”
The stallion jumped, the sudden yell from behind startling him a bit. Turning around, he saw it was none other than his shift partner, Ever Gleam.
“Oh, hey Gleam. What’s up?”
“Nothing much, dude. What about you? What’ve you been doing?”
Trench shrugged. “Eh, nothing much. Just buying a few things before we head back to Canterlot. Stuff’s a lot cheaper here than it is back home.”
“Yeah, that’s true. It’s kinda like that old saying. ‘Big city, big prices,’ am I right?”
Trench chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, no kidding. That’s why I always try to get at least a few things while we’re on trips like these, granted if I can find the time. Luckily you and I got our break, so I’ve got the chance to buy some things.”
“What’ve you gotten?” Gleam inquired.
“Oh, just some stuff. A little figurine, a paperweight, a watch, and some whiskey.”
“Figurine?” Gleam muttered, sounding confused for a moment before a look of realization appeared on his face. “Oooooh, for your O & O campaign, right?”
Trench nodded. “Yeah. And I know you don’t care for it, but I think if you tried it, you’d probably really like playing.”
Ever Gleam chuckled. “Eh, thanks, but no thanks. I never found that type of ‘quill-and-paper’ thing enjoyable, or exciting.”
Trench Digger shrugged. “Well, guess O & O isn’t for everyone. Anyways, what are you going to be doing?”
“Probably just look around a bit more, though I do want to hit Sugarcube Corner after Princess Celestia’s brunch. I heard they’ve got some of the best desserts in Equestria.”
Trench chuckled, giving a nod. “That they do. I’ve been a couple times, and I gotta say, they really are the best I’ve ever had.”
“Even better than your mom’s Double Choco brownies?” Gleam asked with a smirk, to which Trench laughed.
“Oh, come on dude. You know nothing can beat those things. I’m pretty sure Faust herself couldn’t make those brownies the way my mom does.”
“That’s true.” Gleam replied with a laugh. “What’re you gonna be doing for the rest of your break?”
Trench thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Not sure. Probably just look around a bit more, see if anything catches my eye.”
“Well, I’ll leave ya to it. In the mean-time, there are some desserts at Sugarcube Corner that are calling my name.”
Trench laughed, nodding. “Alright dude. See ya back at the post.”
“See ya!” Gleam called back, already galloping away. Trench waved after him, stopping after a moment to take a look at his watch.
10:38. He still had 22 minutes of break left.
“Hmm. Well, still got some time before my breaks over. What should I-?” Trench was interrupted as his stomach let out a rumble, reminding the stallion he’d skipped breakfast and had yet to eat anything all day. “Damn it. Knew I shouldn’t have just had coffee for breakfast.” The stallion muttered, rubbing his stomach absentmindedly. Sighing, he stood up and continued walking, looking around in case any of the stalls had some food that caught his eye.
He walked for a little while, eventually ending up in the more stationary, commercial shops were set up, like Beds and Quills, Beck’s Hoofball Goods, and even Sugarcube corner in the distance. Trench sat on a nearby bench, eating the last few bites of his hayburger. After chucking the empty wrappers away, he checked his watch again.
10:52.
“Perfect. Got just enough time to get back to my post.”
Trench stepped down from the bench and was about to start his journey when he looked around and happened to spot a familiar mare walking on the road nearby. The sight of this mare, this gray-furred, golden-maned mare caused Trench to stop.
‘Derpy Hooves.’
Her eyes were looking straight ahead (as much as they could, anyhow), so she probably hadn’t seen him. A small smile graced her lips, and she walked with an ever-so-slight pep in her step.
Suddenly, Trench’s conversation with a certain Crafter sprung back to mind, back when he and Steve had been eating at the Hay Burger diner a week before. *
“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.”
Trench shook his head a bit as the memory faded. Looking up, he saw Derpy had trotted up the street, now quite a good distance away from him. Steve’s words repeated in his mind, prompting the stallion to trot after the mare. He waited until he’d gotten a bit closer before calling out her name.
“Ms Hooves?” She stopped, and so did Trench.
Suddenly, he was regretting calling out to her. But he already had, and there was no going back.
He stepped forward, but stopped short once again as Derpy began turning around, albeit very slowly. The moment her eyes met his, she flinched backwards, causing Trench to wince.
“Ms. Hooves, I’m very sorry to bother you right now, but I…” Trench trailed off when he noticed the gray mare didn’t appear to be listening to him at all.
Her pale, yellow eyes were wide, and she was slowly but surely shuffling away from him. It took Trench a moment, but eventually he noticed that she wasn’t really looking at him. Sure, her gaze was directed towards him, but she wasn’t really looking at him. She was also breathing really hard, as if all the air had been stolen from her lungs, and she was trying to get it back.
‘Wait, is she…’
Trench took a hesitant step forward. The moment he did so, Derpy let out a loud, terrified yell as she launched herself backwards with a flap of her wings. Unfortunately for the mare, she was too focused on Trench to notice the building directly behind her, and so her hasty retreat caused the back of her head to smack into the wall with a hearty “Whack!” that made Trench flinch ever-so-slightly. The stallion watched as Derpy collapsed to the floor.
‘Oh buck!’ Trench thought as he rushed towards the fallen mare, rolling her over onto her back. He looked her over, but besides the comically large bump on her head, he saw no other injuries.
‘Good. Now, what the buck do I-?’
“General Trench?” Spoke a familiar, regal voice, and Trench felt his heart skip a beat. He looked up to see none other than Princess Celestia standing a short distance away, with several guards around (two of whom he recognized), all staring at him and the unconscious mare.
“What’s going on here?”
“.....fuck.” Trench muttered.
* * * * *
Square: Hook
Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz, thunk.
Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak.
Steve groaned as he pulled himself up onto the front porch of Rainbow Dash’s home flopping down onto his back once he was sure he wasn’t going to fall. Taking a few deep breaths, he pushed himself into a sitting position as he pulled the hook of his fishing rod out of the porch, where it had caught.
D-Pad Left: Fishing Rod
Reeling it in, he slipped the wooden tool back into his Inventory as he stood, turning to face the door. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
Silence for a moment.
Steve raised his fist to try again, but stopped when the familiar sound of Dash’s voice rang out from within.
“Who ‘s it?” The Crafter furrowed his brow a bit as he heard the words. Something was up with her voice. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Steve responded.
“It’s me! It’s Steve!”
Silence.
The Crafter waited for a minute more before sighing and knocking again.
Knock, knock, knock!
“C’mon, Dash, open the door please! We need to talk!” Steve responded. “I know why you’re mad at me!”
There was silence for a second or two, followed closely by the sound of hoofsteps slowly approaching. After a moment, Steve heard the sound of a lock clicking, and the door swung open to reveal Rainbow Dash.
She was a bit of a mess. Her fur was a bit matted and unkempt. One eye was squinted slightly, and the bandage on her left wing had a large, brown stain on it. Steve, confused, opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped short when he detected a very familiar stench coming from the mare in front of him.
“...Have, have you been drinking? Are you drunk?”
Dash blinked at him, one eye closing at a time. It took a second, but eventually, his words registered with the mare.
“O~h, uh, yeah, I guess I, have,” She burped. “Ah, a, a drink or two. Why? What do ya want?”
Steve pursed his lips. “Can I come in?”
Dash hesitated, but eventually nodded. “Yeah, don’t se~e why not.” The mare turned around and trotted back into the house, stumbling every so often. Steve followed behind. Once inside, he took a look around the living room to see it was also a mess. Bottles, about a dozen or so, were strewn around the room. One of the couches was turned upside down, with the cushions thrown about. Most of the pictures that had once been hanging on the walls were now lying on the floor in random locations, at least half of them with the glass cracked.
“Sorry, the place issa bit of a mess.” Dash spoke, sitting down on the one remaining couch that seemingly hadn’t been touched. “Been, uh, meaning to clean up a bit, but got, busy.”
“Dash, what happened?”
The mare shrugged. “Jus’ hadda few drinks, thas all.”
“No, I mean, why are you drunk? Why does your house look like a freaking pig-sty, why…” Steve stopped, then sighed. “Nevermind. I think I already have an idea why.”
Dash squinted at him. “Really? And was’sat?”
Steve took a deep breath, praying to Notch that he was right. “Because you’re angry. You’re angry at me, but more importantly, you’re angry at yourself.” No response. Steve waited a few moments before continuing, making sure to keep his voice soft. “You’re angry because back at Cloudsdale, when I was falling, you felt powerless, because I was falling to my death, and you couldn’t do anything, right?”
Dash stared at him. “...How, how would you, know…?”
“Because I know what that feels like. I, won’t explain now, at least, not until you’re sober, but I know the feeling, all too well, and…” Steve let out a sigh as he glanced down. “I can’t possibly apologize enough for having to put you through that. No one deserves that, especially not-” plop. “...you?”
Steve glanced up to see the mare hunched over, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
“Dash?” He asked, hesitantly.
“I’m sor~ry.” The mare spoke, words slurring slightly. “I, I was jus’, so scared, I was so scared, and you, you didn’t care! You didn’t care if you died, and I wus angry that you didn’t care, cause I don’t want you to die! I wouldn’t be able to live if you died!” She sobbed into her hooves as she spoke. “You’ve been through so much, I put you through so much, but you don’t care. You’re, you’re so kind, and you care about everypony but yourself, and I don't want you to die cause you’re the best pony I’ve ever met and I don’t want you to di~e!”
Steve wrapped his arms around her. Dash made no notion that she noticed, save for the fact that she started crying into his shirt instead of her hooves.
The Crafter held the crying mare for a while, not saying a word. He just held her comfortingly, gently rocking her as the sobs slowly turned into quiet weeping, then to sniffles. Eventually, the mare went quiet altogether. Steve glanced down to see that Dash had fallen asleep. Sighing, the Crafter gently laid the mare down on the couch and covered her with a nearby blanket. Standing up, he continued to look down at the sleeping mare, a regretful look on his face.
“I’m sorry Dash.” He quietly spoke. “I suppose, after all this time, I’m still not used to having people care about me.” Letting out a sigh, he knelt down slightly and rubbed the top of her head slightly. Dash let out a nearly silent murmur of happiness at the action.
Steve smirked ever so slightly before he turned to walk away, only for his heart and body to freeze upon hearing the sleeping mare mutter two words.
“...love you.”
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I wouldn't consider alcohol to be a narcotic. Maybe a drug if there is a tag for drugs or drug abuse, isn't there an alcohol tag? I remember seeing one.
Damn, nice seeing a new chapter again, story is still kicking
10375400
There is no alcohol tag. I believe narcotics covers alcohol.
Hey you're back. Welcome back.
Drugs is fine as a tag but yeah WELCOME BACK 🥳
10375400
"Narcotics" is the tag for drugs and drug abuse. Don't ask me why, I'm not the one who wrote the rules.
Well I was right about derpy passing out and landing on her head though I think Trench is about to have to explain why she is passed out in front of him.
At least she is not smoking and drinking and not trying anything stupid well drunk. And lovely chapter like always. Into next chapter remember we can wait.
Me: NOOOOOO STEVE X ALEX
All jokes aside i love the new chapter good to see you back.
Well I be damn he did it. Also welcome back man!
HooooooooooooooOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Dash x Steve FTW! <3
Steve pls become a SIMP!
Eh, for not knowing how to write drunks, you wrote one pretty good, especially for the reason behind the drinking. There are many different kind of drunks, but one thing that drunks lack is that mouth filter, so any thoughts they have spill like an open can of beans. Whether they be facts, secrets, or how they feel. (Edit: personal experience btw)
Also, poor Derpy and Trench...
10377785
Wait, isn't simp a bad thing?
Fuck it! Steve x Harem, Goddess knows he deserves it!
10378748
A harem? With who?
10378805
Rainbow, Derpy (her daughter already sees him as a father AND she has feelings for him so why not make it official), that one Mare that was part of the hunter team (can’t think of her name atm) there was a connection that even a blind man could see, possibly Celestia, Pummel.
Need I go on? There are plenty that have some level or another of affection for him.
10378365
I'm kidding.
I agree with Moonlit_Stardust
Steve x Harem
For that to happen, you have to turn Steve into pony plot twist... permanently or at will
Since Steve is immortal he should date with Celestia
10379314
Wait, Pummel? Is there a character that I forgot about named Pummel?
10379588
You know the matron of the Orphanage? The one that almost starved to death? I believe her name was Coco Pummel yes?
10379801
I haven’t watch Mlp. At least, not past where we are in my story.
10379876
Maybe I am getting her name wrong then? But I could have sworn they called her Miss Pommel.
*sees story has been updated*
Oh yeah new chapter!
Aaaaand, there we go.
Dash will be embarrassed when she is sober and most likey play it off as something else, and Steve will likey worry over what those two words will mean.
But only time will tell.
The mold, and all that glitters
It’s funny, because when I write dialogue, it’s apparently relatively smooth and well written, despite the fact that I hate talking to people. When it comes to drunk dialogue, just... fuck it, mash the keyboard here and there and try to make it semi-decipherable. That’s the best way to describe drunk dialogue to me.