A Crafter's Dream Ch. 94: A Three-sided Coin (Part 1)
Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
Splish.
Splash.
She sighed, kicking up a bit of the metaphysical sand with her foot, the sand disappearing after a moment of air time. With another heavy sigh, she crossed her arms and tucked her knees up to her chest.
Splish
The small waves continued to break gently against the shore of the Astral plane.
Splash
Whoooooooooosh!
She didn’t move at the sudden noise, having grown accustomed to it over time. She just listened to the sound of footsteps slowly approaching until they stopped just beside her.
“Abyss?” Notch spoke, sounding both confused and concerned.
“Yeah?”
“......Are you alright?”
“Not really, no.”
“Hmm.” The god murmured. “Would it have anything to do with why you called me here?”
The dragoness gave the barest of nods.
“Ah.” Notch waited a moment, then sat down. “Knowing who you are, I’m going to assume it involves a certain Crafter?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened?”
“I….” Abyss hesitated for a moment, then continued. “I don’t think Steve should stay in Equestria.”
“What? Why?” Notch inquired.
“Because something’s coming.” The sky darkened ever-so-slightly. “I’ve been to Canterlot a few times in the past weeks, to keep up with that villager girl that ended up here, Martha I think her name was, ever since you’d asked me to watch over her until you gathered enough strength to create a portal back to Minecraftia. And, I talked with Princess Celestia. Apparently, a threat known as Discord, this weird, mis-matched being that can apparently alter the world with a snap of his fingers, is coming back.
Notch furrowed his brow. “Alter the world?”
Abyss nodded. “Yeah. From what I can tell, some big event happened way back when, something to do with Celestia and Luna’s parents, and the result was Discord. Anyway, he’s been trapped in stone for a millenia, but he’s starting to break free.”
“Hmm.” Notch murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. “Okay, I understand why you’re concerned, but would it not be better for Steve to remain in Equestria, to help his new friends combat this Discord? After all, with his experience fighting against my brother-”
“That experience nearly cost us our lives!!!” Abyss roared, startling Notch with the sudden noise. “We all nearly died facing your brother!! Steve nearly died!! Your brother stabbed him in the damn chest while I just stood there and watched, unable to do a damn thing!!! I thought he’d... he’d…” Abyss drooped down, letting out a shuddering sigh. Notch hesitantly reached out a hand, rubbing her shoulder in a comforting manner.
The two stayed like that for a little while, neither speaking until Abyss finally broke the silence.
“I don’t know what to do, Notch. On one hand, Steve has made some good friends in Equestria, which I think we knew he needed after, well, you know. On the other, in the few month’s that Steve has been in Equestria, he has faced off against the local population, your brother, the Nightmother, and if he stays, he’ll probably end up fighting Discord too. He’s nearly died more times that I can count, and I know that one day, maybe soon, maybe not, but one day, his luck is gonna run out. And he won’t come home.” Abyss sighed, burying her head in her hands. “I just don’t know what to do.”
Notch continued to rub her shoulder, hesitating for a moment before responding. “I think that if Steve wanted to leave Equestria, he would’ve at least asked about it by now. He assuredly would’ve asked me after we all defeated the Nightmother, and yet, he never did. I think he is happy in Equestria, happier then he could’ve ever been in Minecraftia, and after everything he’s been through, everything he’s sacrificed, he deserves a little bit of happiness in his life.”
Abyss, after a moment, nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, he does.” She took a deep breath, sniffling slightly.
“Are you alright?” Notch asked.
The dragoness nodded. “I’m alright. Just thought about something.”
“Care to share?”
She let out a short laugh. “I uh, I don’t think I should, all things considered. It’ll just make things awkward.”
“Awkward? Why would-?”
“Why aren’t you worried?” The dragoness suddenly asked, startling the god with the interruption.
“What?” He asked, confused.
“When I told you about Discord and all that, you didn’t really seem worried. Why?”
Notch stared at her for a few moments before letting out a sigh, his confused expression morphing into one of resignment. He rubbed one side of his face as he responded.
“I am worried, Abyss, though I may not show it. However, I know what happened, and with that, I know what Steve is, and what must one day happen.”
Abyss furrowed her brow in confusion. “What? What do you mean? What happened?”
Notch was silent for a time, seemingly mulling over what to say. Eventually, he let out a sigh. “I suppose it would be easier to just show you.” Lifting a hand, Notch murmured a word and a magical screen appeared in front of them both.
“It all started a long time ago, at the end of the battle that would become known as ‘The Battle of Night and Day...’”
* * * * *
Steve walked down the streets of Ponyville, almost alone save for a few scattered ponies that dotted the cobblestone road in the early hours of the day. The Crafter walked with purpose, one destination in mind.
The Ponyville Public Library, home to one Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant/brother Spike.
If Celestia’s letter* was telling the truth, then Twilight had been told by her mentor to help Steve should he have any questions that needed answering. He was going to take advantage of that and get some much needed information about a certain draconequus.
Soon enough, the giant tree came into view. Out front, Steve saw Spike watering some red-ish flowers out front with a watering can that was almost as tall as he was. The baby dragon had finished up and was about head back inside the library when Steve approached.
“Hello!” The Crafter called out, his voice startling the drake, who whirled around.
“Oh!” Spike spoke, one clawed hand on his chest. “It’s you Steve. You startled me.”
“Sorry.” The Crafter apologized.
“It’s no problem.” Spike responded, shaking his head. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, I’m actually here to speak with Miss Twilight. I have a few questions, and Celestia said she could help me.”
Spike’s brow furrowed in confusion, but after a moment, his expression morphed into one of realization. “Oh! Oh yeah, I forgot. Uh, sure, come on in. Twilight’s inside.” The baby dragon turned around and opened the door to the tree before walking inside, with Steve following close behind.
Closing the door behind him, Steve took a quick look around the room. It looked almost the same from the last time he’d been there, though quite a few of the books were sitting in neatly stacked piles on the floor rather than on the shelves.
‘Hmm.’ Steve thought. ‘Probably reorganizing or something.’
“Twilight!” Spike called. “We got a visitor!”
“One moment!” The vaguely familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle called back from somewhere else in the library. Spike nodded, before glancing at Steve.
“Sorry about that. She had a bit of a late night last night.”
Steve dismissed the drake’s apology with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. I’ll just browse a bit until she’s ready.”
“Got it.” With that, Spike walked away, passing through a nearby doorway into a different room, leaving the Crafter alone for the time being. Now by his lonesome, Steve took to looking over the nearby bookshelves, gaze skimming over dozens of titles.
“Clear Vial’s All-Purpose Guide to Potions and Tonics. Herbs and their uses. Equestria: Flora and Fauna.” Steve quietly read as he walked between the shelves. While there were a few potionology books that caught his eye, he ignored them for the time being, making a mental note to come back to them at a later date, given he survived his inevitable bout with Discord. After coming to the end of the row, Steve moved to the next, continuing to read the titles of the books as he passed by, looking for anything that caught his eye.
“Arcana Lore and Myths. Magic and the Great Beyond. Arc-core, and its uses. The Lost Art of Soul Magic?”
That last one had caught his eye. Stooping down, he pulled the old book from it’s spot on the shelf. Looking at the cover, he saw a picture of an old, brown, bearded stallion, wearing a cloak. His horn and eyes both glowed white, lighting up the gray, barren rock around him. He was staring forward, a fierce expression on his face, as if he was facing down some terrible enemy and refused to lose.
“Soul Magic.” Steve muttered. “Ever hear of something like that, Onyx?”
‘I have not.’ The Nightmare replied. ‘Then again, I myself am not very knowledgeable about magic as a whole, so perhaps I am not the best person to ask.’
“Mr. Steve?”
Steve looked up to see Twilight Sparkle standing at the end of the row, a few books held in her magical grip.
“Ah, Miss Sparkle.” The Crafter replied as he turned to face her, book still in hand. “Hello again. It’s been a while.”
“That it has.” She replied. Her gaze wandered over the Crafter, coming to a stop on the book he held. “Oh. What book do you have there?”
“Uh, some book about…” He glanced at the cover again. “Soul magic. It caught my eye, so I figured I’d check it out.” Steve knelt down and returned the book to its proper place. Upon standing back up, he saw the books Twilight had been holding were gone as well, probably magically returned to their respective places.
“Soul magic?” She spoke, sounding curious.
“Yeah. You know anything about it?” Steve inquired, to which she shrugged.
“Well, only what books have told me. Apparently, soul magic is, well, was, a powerful form of magic that only a select few ponies could use back in the day. Unlike how most magic works, the power source of soul magic is the user’s will. It was powerful, but highly dangerous to use, which is probably why it fell out of practice more and more until, one day, the art was lost.”
“What was so dangerous about it?” Steve asked.
“Uh, well, do you remember what happened to Rainbow Dash? When she overcharged?”
Steve nodded, and Twilight continued.
“Well, when that happens to a unicorn using common or standard magic, at best they fall unconscious, and at worse they experience what is commonly called ‘sputtering.’ Basically, they can’t use their magic at all for a few days, but eventually, they go back to normal. However, when a unicorn using soul magic overcharges, well…” Twilight hesitated for a moment, but continued. “They would become Hollow.”
“Hollow?” Steve inquired.
She nodded. “A Hollow pony had no soul. Their coat and mane would lose all its color. They wouldn’t talk or look around, they would just sit there. Of the few pony’s who ever became Hollow, none survived more than a week afterward.” Her face fell, ever-so-slightly. “No matter how much care other ponies tried giving them, eventually the Hollow’s body just, gave up, I suppose.”
“Hmm. Well, I suppose I can see why soul magic fell out of practice.” Steve commented. Twilight nodded.
“Yes. I suppose the high cost wasn’t worth the great power soul magic was capable of. I believe the last known user of soul magic died sometime around the Unification of the Three Pony Tribes, though that is still disputed among historians today.” She took a deep breath, then shook her head. “But anyways, you said you were here for me?”
‘Right. Back on track.’ Steve thought.
“Yes.” The Crafter replied. “I’m going to assume Ce, er, Princess Celestia already told you to help me if I had any questions.”
“Oh! Yes, I remember.” She straightened up a bit. “How can I help you?”
Steve grinned. “What do you know about a draconequus named Discord?”
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Hey you're back!
Welcome back.
10496912
Thank you. It’s been a few weeks hasn’t it?
I wonder how the interaction between Discord and Steve will be like? Also, what exactly does notch know about Steve and what is he hiding from him that Steve doesn't know?
10497453
Something like that, long-term timekeeping really isn't my thing.
10497722
The one thing no Minecraftian knows.
Binge read since noon, currently midnight. I must say, that while I'm not a fan of the 'controller' system, everything else is fairly golden, even barring the occasional grammar mistake. Can't wait for more
10498408
And I plan to bring more, don't you worry!!
Listens to the screaming
Want some company? I can scream into the void real good to.
10496912
YOU AGAIN! >:D
Still not following you, but hi. :3
boops
10497778
>.>
Yay, more of a decent MinecraftxEquestria crossover!
10500076
Yeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!
But seriously, why aren't there more Minecraft x Equestria stories? Feels like I'm fighting a one-man war sometimes, considering this story is, like, the only one that's still updating now-a-days. If I'm wrong on that, be sure to tell me.
10500081
Yeah, odd. you'd think with Minecraft there'd be hundreds of good stories but no...
I like mc, but it's not really interesting enough for me to spin a story out of or... Well really, there's not much of a story element to Minecraft. Much of it would have to be made up, very much like your own story of kingdoms and mobs, gods, dragons, etc. A sandbox game with no real story we can take is kinda... I don't know. I have one story, but as a self-imposed rule, I only write what I like and or would want to read myself as to not disappoint others if I lose interest in writing it.
For my personality, I've never really thought of making a Minecraft story. It doesn't have that story element I need to make a story. I'd have to brainstorm lots... and when I say lots I mean ALOT of the story to build up its world and setting. Sure it's extremely easy to make your characters do something or something else in your story happened that makes absolutely no sense, and then to easily just by the things that make no sense make sense. You can create a million reasons for a character just dying on the spot and still have your story actually make sense all while not making your story bad.
But when I have to come up with an entire world? Society? Kingdoms and characters? Politics? I... I just wouldn't have the drive if I had to create an entire world from the ground up, which is why for me personally it's easier to using something I can build off of. Minecraft just doesn't have that story I can build off of.
Oh wow, I didn't think my comment would get this long. Anyways, that's probably my reason I not going to make any Minecraft story. I can't speak for the thousands of other authors reason on fimfiction, but you have my reason at least.
Actually, I'm curious now, what inspired you to make a Minecraft story?
10502123
Because why not.
Somebody once told me the world is macaroni, so I took a bite out of a tree.It tasted kinda funky so i spit it at a monkey, and the monkey started cursing at me.FINE PRINT: Must be read the same way you'd sing All-Star or it won't make sense.
Someone please finish this, I want to see how far this goes.
10504659
I, uh, just wanted to. I felt there was a story to be told, and figured, “Well, if no one else is going to write it, I may as well.” That was back before I had any idea what I was doing, but with experience, some helpful fellow users, and quite a bit of luck, I managed to make something halfway decent.
If I’m being honest, the world building still isn’t 100% done. Which, I know, it’s stupid that I started a story before figuring the whole plot line out first, but as I mentioned, I didn’t know what I was doing at the time. Fortunately, by some strange happenstance, a majority of stuff I’ve written down has actually connected in ways even I didn’t see coming.
Of course, I know better now, and I hope to use what I’ve learned to further better the story I’ve created to bring joy to both myself and other readers, until the end of the line.
(I’ve planned on the story ending some time after the end of the show, chronologically. Just, FYI.)
10504750
Hmm, I see... Me personally I start my story because I was running out of stories. If I can't find a story, I'll just make it. Honestly, I surprise myself because of Im curious about what happens in the next chapter or later on.
I would like to work on it more, but I usually do it when I'm inspired. And that comes when I find music I like. But sometimes the genre of the music will get me to think of a story idea for a new story. I have about 8-ish stories to choose from whenever I'm done with my current one.
I had about two weeks to plan my story. I waited before starting to really write to see if it was just a spur of the moment thing or I could actually stick to it. I ended up sticking to it and had basic, very basic plans for when I started. The only problem is that I needed to find what to do until the time is right for said plans to come out as my story is still mostly in the exposition. I just need to find a way to transition it to plans I have in the future.
Why do I feel like we've had this conversation before?
10504929
Well, maybe we’ve had this conversation before. I don’t know. Still, it’s good to talk with other writers like yourself. Honestly, while comments are always fun for me to read, sometimes I need help, and things like this help, they really do.
10504946
Yeah, same here. Knowing how other authors work helps me improve how I work.
Never really realized how time-consuming it can be sometimes. Not just the writing itself either. Then there are times when I would happily work on the next chapter, but then I have no inspiration for what to do in the chapter. This is why I like to go around and talk on fimfiction, get ideas, have fun until I know what I want for the next chapter.
Or I'll work on another story I haven't released. Oh, how I could go over every. single. detail. on making a story and how my outside life also affects it, but then I'd have massive comment. I would love to rant about every one of those details, but at the moment I'm trying to reread FoE and write a new story(Which I may or may not ever release) to satisfy my curiosity so I can focus on the story I currently have out.
Can be frustrating sometimes for me when I want to write but can't and when I can write, but don't know what I want to do with the chapter. Anyway, that's what I usually do when I need help or can't decide on anything. And it absolutely helps to talk with other authors, because seems like we all have similar things that go on in the background and have different advice to offer.
My story isn't big, nor does it need to be as I was never doing this in the first place so others can read it. I was doing it for myself.
Oh boy, I've done it again. I meant to make a simple reply to agree, but I have a habit of talking about a lot in a comment.
10505009
Well, I wish you well with your writing, and I hope you find what you’re looking for in FoE, whatever that means. Thanks for commenting. I enjoy reading them.
10505259
No problem, I enjoy talking with others. Right now I've just been working on another story that could has a high chance to become my next story once I finished up my current one. And good luck to you and you too!
ps: I mean Fallout Equestria with FoE. Just been rereading it because I had nothing to do, instead, I got a new story idea to add to the list of stories I could do after later.
Soul Magic inspired from Soul stuff in Minecraft? Interesting :D
I think maybe Minecraft Brewing Stand's awkward potion could heal that became Hollow - Hollow had no life force but the pony's body still alive, because Nether Wart feeds on Soul Sand, and Nether Wart is essential to making potions which is converted the energy from Soul Sand into magic. I hope we can see Steve have brewing stand at least before he came to Equestria and Bundles from "Cave and Cliffs Update" are really good storage for unstackable items such as potions, alright.