A dragon, a dark king, an ancient prophecy and two souls from a race that has long since faded from Equestrian History. The actions of all of them will determine the fate of the land
"A calamity will descend upon Equestria as a knight clad in red armor, a knight of doom, will awaken a shadow that has long since been laid to rest. Leading an undead horde, the Doom Knight and the shadow will bring death and destruction to the peaceful land. Another knight, one of pure heart, will take up his sword and wage battle with the Doom Knight. Aided by his dragon companion, the two souls will fight against the darkness and bring newfound peace....or fall prey to death's grip."
This a HiE story I thought of. The characters contained are two human OCs, King Sombra, Trixie and R63 Spike
A/N: There are some instances of gore, lots of language, mind control/manipulation, torture, age reversal, necromancy and the like. If none of those interest you in the slightest, then please look elsewhere
The dead of night...Equestria sleeps under the light of Luna's moon. All seems well...and yet, all seems dark. In her chambers unaccompanied by anypony, the proud ruler of Equestria known as Princess Celestia lay in her bed. She tosses and turns, breathing heavy as she continues to sleep. But what plagues her mind not only upsets her slumber...but will upset the peace in this great land...
The sound of thunder rings out from the silence...
Clang
Sparks fly as clashing swords light the darkness...
Clang
Blood falls to the ground as a blow is dealt...
Clang
A blade falls to the ground...and the eyes of an evil spirit shine in the dark.
It looks forward, bloodlust showing...
Its eyes glowing red, hungry for flesh...
A chilling wind blows through the air as its haunting voice roars into the shadows......
"Our time has come once more!"
Celestia awoke from her nightmare. Beads of sweat dripped down from the back of her neck as she looked around her chambers, shortly realizing that no one was around. However, she still remembered those eyes. And the nightmare she had...
"I've had this nightmare for a long time now. The day I feared is finally coming to pass..." She muttered to herself. Calming herself down, the white alicorn laid her head to rest. Though she couldn't shake off the thought.
The following morning Celestia made her way for the throne room and met with her sister, Princess Luna who was standing by one of the stained-glass windows. Her luminescent mane flowed elegantly as she turned to face Celestia.
"We....I can see that you are unwell, sister." The lunar mare said.
"You govern the land of dreams. I know you saw mine. You know why I am so uneasy at this moment." Celestia informed her.
"But can it truly be? They are no longer among us. This should not be able to pass! It's naught but a hoax. A--"
"Still your tongue, Luna!" Celestia yelled, silencing her sibling. "I don't want to believe it either. But it would seem that it is all true. Though the titans made sure that every last one of them no longer existed in our realm, those who are bound by the thread of fate are going to do battle here. One way or another, it cannot be stopped."
"But still..." Luna cried. "What of her? She is still so young. Even if she is meant to do battle as well, she is inexperienced. She could lose her life. She could be taken away from her friends, the only family she's truly known! Are you really so cruel as to let such a young soul risk her life all because of some prophecy that may not even be t--"
A loud slap echoed across the room, the guards on duty turning their heads to see what had just transpired. A red imprint lay on Luna's cheek as Celestia brings her hoof back to the floor, glaring at her sister.
"Do you think I want to let her go?! Do you think I want her life to be put at risk?! Lest we not forget, Luna. She is my family too! Before giving her away, she was and still IS my daughter. Her life is very precious to me...more than you can imagine." Celestia cried, tears beginning to show. She wiped them away and looked to a window depicting a purple dragon under a blue heart. "But she HAS to go. It's her destiny. And I have faith that she will succeed. I apologize for striking you, Luna. I am ashamed of myself..." Celestia hung her head, her younger sister lifting it back up.
"It is alright. You are in a state of panic, just as I am. We believed this day would never come. But we should've been more aware. But regarding that, what shall we do? If the Knight of dread is truly upon us, then our fate is already sealed." Luna stated. Celestia chuckled and began to walk toward her throne.
"You forget, Luna. The tablet also mentioned a Paladin of pure heart. If I am correct, I may be able to summon him to aid us. But it will take some time. For now, I will write a letter to her to come to the castle. Rally the guard and have them go on patrol."
"Yes, sister." Luna said. The lunar alicorn smiled and flew outside, doing as her elder sister asked while the solar alicorn used her magic to levitate a scroll and quill in front of her and proceeded to write a letter.
"I was sure we had more time before this day ever came. I wanted to train you myself for this day. But it seems you will have to learn what to do on the field of battle. The chains of fate are indeed cruel. I pray for your success...."
"Barb? Barb!" A purple alicorn called out. The one in question groaned, covering herself from head to tail in order to ignore the stallion calling for her. But it was fruitless as the alicorn used his magic to lift the blanket from her head. "There you are. It's time to get up. I need you to take a letter for me."
The dragoness yawned and got up from her bed, her long and slender figure showing that she was perfectly healthy. Yet she was gifted with some physical strength that surpassed pony standards despite her looks. Her tail swished angrily as she displayed a look of annoyance on her face.
"Oh come on, Dusk. It's the weekend. Can't you take a break for once? I'm sure the princess won't mind if you miss just one l--" She cut herself off as a memory came to mind. Even if he was a prince, he was the still the same Dusk Shine that she knew. And if she knew one thing, it was that Dusk could have another breakdown if he didn't send a letter to the princess, believing she would get furious for not getting a report. "Alright. Let's get this over with." She sighed in defeat. Dusk Shine clopped his hooves together and cleared his throat, taking a dignified pose as he spoke. Barb, being his faithful assistant and all, took a quill and scroll and started to write his report down.
"Your faithful PRINCE, Dusk Shine." He finished. That was another thing Barb thought was annoying. Ever since he became an alicorn, and a prince of all things, Dusk Shine has gloated about his position on more than one occasion. Whether it was because he was happy or he just wanted to be a show off, she hadn't a clue. But it made her wonder what she ever saw in him.
At a point, Barb had developed a crush on Dusk. And even more, she blatantly put it out there that she liked him one time. But as she expected, he "sisterzoned" her by not acknowledging that she was in love. And by that, meaning he was completely oblivious to the fact that she confessed and pretty much said I like you too. But you make a better sister than anything else. Sorry. Let's just pretend nothing happened. It frustrated her deeply, but she grew out of it. But just the thought of that day still brings her blood to a boil.
"Barb? Hey Barb." Dusk called, breaking the dragon's thoughts.
"Huh? Wha?" She said, confused as to what was happening.
"I said, did you get all that?" Barb looked down and remembered that she was still writing a letter to the princess. Thankfully, she had written every last word he said prior.
"Yeah. I got it all. Don't worry. I'll send it." She said. She took a deep breath and let loose her flames onto the scroll, magically sending it out to Canterlot. Since she was older now, she learned how to use her flames in different ways instead of only sending letters. She could even use them to hurt if she wanted. But she was better than that. There was no way she'd ever have to fight. She covered her mouth and burped, a scroll with the royal seal placed on it falling into her hands.
"Is that from the princess? What's it say?" Dusk asked, eager to await her reply. Barb sighed and opened the scroll, but was quite shocked to see what was inside.
My dearest Barb,
I'm sorry to disturb you, but I request your presence in Canterlot on a matter of grave importance. You will be away for a long time. Do not tell Dusk Shine. I do not wish for him to worry. A chariot has been sent to bring you here. I will see you soon.
~Celestia
"Well? What's it say?" Dusk asked. Barb was speechless. Celestia...her mother wanted to see her about something really important. And for once, didn't ask for Dusk or the other elements? This was shocking....and downright amusing. She was called for something important and Dusk Shine wasn't allowed to come. It didn't matter if he was a prince or not. Celestia's word took precedence over Dusk's.
"Oh. Uh...she was quite pleased with your report. She says to keep up the good work." She lied. Dusk smiled and flapped his wings for joy, nearly taking off the ground. But before he could say anything, Barb kept speaking. "Hey. I'm gonna go out for awhile. Maybe see if Rarity needs some help with...dresses or something. Look, I'm gonna be gone for awhile ok?" She said.
"Uh...well...ok. If you say so." Dusk replied, starting to walk upstairs. "Just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm not a baby anymore. I can take care of myself." Barb whined in response. Dusk smiled down at her and was about to walk, but he stopped and looked at her again.
"Oh. And if you see Trixie..." He trailed off and scratched the back of his head. "Erm...I need you to tell her....that it's not really working out. I....kinda wanna see other ponies." Barb couldn't help but giggle at his statement, nodding her head without a word as she walked out. And like Celestia said, a chariot with two guard ponies pulling it. She stepped on, signaling the guards to go and took her into the air.
For the first time...well...second time in her life, she was being charged with carrying out an important task that didn't involve her friends. It made her very happy...
But she had no idea what exactly was in store for her...............
The clock was ticking ever so slowly in his mind. All he wanted was for the bell to ring and he could go to where he had to.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock
"Oh come on. Hurry up!" The boy yelled outloud. As if it heard his plea, the clock hit 1:30 and the bell rang. Sighing in relief, he and the rest of his classmates packed up their bags and started walking out of the room. All save for him because his teacher, Ms.Murphy, had stopped him.
"Toya?" She called out to him. Toya stopped in his tracks but he didn't look back at her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He sighed for a moment and turned to walk back to his teacher. She was a kind lady, unlike most of his other teachers, but he felt like she was only doing it because it was her job. How many teachers could a student have met that actually cared enough to ask if something was wrong with their student out of the kindness of their heart? The answer: Slim to none.
"Yes, Ms.Murphy?" Toya replied, not looking her in the eyes. His tone was just a little above a whisper, but it was able to be heard.
"I've been hearing things from some of your teachers that you haven't been putting alot of effort into your work. You've been falling asleep in class, arriving late and every time, you show up with bruises or cuts." She pointed out. "Toya, are you being bullied?"
"No." He deadpanned.
"Are you sure? If you are, you can talk to me or your couns--"
"Look. Ms.Murphy, I'm not being bullied. The bruises and cuts are because I get too reckless doing things at home. I'm late and fall asleep in class because I get tired so much when I work. There is no bullying going on. Now can I please go to lunch? I'm very hungry." He said, his tone showing he was getting irritated.
Ms.Murphy sighed in defeat and nodded her head, Toya grabbing his things and walking out of the room. He hung his head low and continued walking, making his way into the cafeteria. It was the same thing, every day for him. He'd get up, go to school, go to class, get his work, his teachers would try to talk to him and he would deny everything just so he could leave. He only had two more things to deal with today: Lunch and study hall. He was mostly glad that he had study hall near the end of the day because he didn't actually have to study. He did all of that at home. At study hall, it was his time to relax. To unwind and not think about any bull that he went through during the day. He took his lunch, which he neatly packed himself and brought it with him to the Media Center, or the library.
He was happily greeted by the librarian, Mrs.Lowell and he sat down and started eating. Mrs.Lowell was probably one of the few staff members at the school he could confide in. They talked, she helped him with his work when he needed it and when he was feeling down, he'd tell her about it and she'd give him advice. And truth be told, she was the only one he could tell his problems to.
As of late, Toya has been being bullied since the beginning of his sophomore year. And it was always the same gang of teens that picked on him. Craig Jones from the Lacrosse team. Jeff Romero on the Basketball team. And the supposed leader of their little gang, Vincent Murdoch. He was quarterback of the football team and the most annoying asshole Toya ever met. Vincent was more annoying than the other two combined mostly because he would have his little girlfriend tag along, a cheerleader by the name of Devin Collins, and he was super creepy.
Most of the time when he was confronted by them, Vincent would insult him normally and then say some Gothic stuff. Just last week, he questioned Toya's mentality and then said that he was "surrounded by sorrow" and everything he did wouldn't be able to change it.
But no matter. They hated Toya and he hated them. He finished up his lunch, receiving a text on his phone not too long after. It was from his mother.
"Mom? What is it now?" he whispered to himself. He opened the message and read it to himself.
Sorry, B. I can't come get you. Something's come up. So you'll have to take the bus home. Be good. luv U
He sighed in annoyance. Taking the bus was the one thing he didn't want to do. Vincent and Craig rode his bus and, sometimes, Devin would get on with them. The bus driver was just plain dumb. If something were to happen on the bus, be it a fight or even a freaking fire, he wouldn't notice or even stop the bus to calm things down. Instead, he would just ignore it. There was even a mirror above his head so he could see what was going on. A goddamn mirror. And he wouldn't even look at it.
"Guess I'm walking." Toya muttered. He got up from his seat, grabbing his bag and walked towards the door. He waved goodbye to Mrs.Lowell and went to the office to sign out. He left the school and started walking home, walking on the bridge that was across the street. It came just over the highway, which frightened him a bit due to being afraid of heights. But he always managed to endure it by thinking of certain things on his way home.
"Let's see. I still have to look for a job. But where to work? Maybe I can work at McDonalds. I could be a cashier.....but maybe cleaning up would be a bit better for me. ...And easier." He said to himself. "Scott, Chris and Jayce are still discussing what to do about the convention. I need to think of some ideas to pitch in before they think that I'm getting lazy." The distance from the school back to his home was unbearable. For him, at least. He was never really much of a mobile person. It took him about an hour to an hour and a half before he made it to his street.
He smiled and started running, going up the drive-way and into his house and dropped his bags. But it wasn't in relief of being home. He dropped his bags in shock. His mom was in the living room, yelling loudly at another person. It was a man, who was also yelling back at her. It was her boyfriend Drew, a man whom Toya refused to respect. He didn't like him. They didn't get along, they had no common interests and at times when his mom was away, he would start barking orders to him.
Get me a beer. Don't argue with me. Go to your room. Go be a nuisance elsewhere. All just because he and his mother were dating. And to top it all off, he was told that he was going to propose. He planned on marrying Toya's mother some time soon. But it looked like he wasn't even going to be able to propose, let alone keep dating her now. Deciding to ignore them Toya picked up his bags and went into his room, locking the door behind him.
Toya's room. The place where he slept. His own little haven. The only place where he could have some privacy. His bed, his laptop, his television and a little snack stash he had, just in case Drew ever came by. He put his bag down, changed his clothes and started up his laptop. It ran Windows 7, which he thought was more reliable than Windows 8. He entered his password and went to the desktop, of which was riddled with a few programs and games he downloaded. Dragon Nest, Left 4 Dead 2 and his all time personal favorite game, Team Fortress 2.
He had plenty of fun playing that. He had a bundle of hats, all of which he traded for or bought, plenty of weapons and lots of sound mods. A personal favorite mod he got was a hit sound that played Markiplier saying "POOF" that was in one of his videos. He started up the game and joined a server he would frequent and started playing. He chose the Demoman with his favorite loadout: The Loose Cannon, the strange sticky launcher and the Strange Eyelander. In his custom slots, he had the Conjurer's Cowl, the Gaelic Garb and the Bonedoiler. It made his Demo seem like a cursed swordsman. And that was what he deliberately wanted. Even if some thought it was stupid, he loved to use his melee more than anything. The fact he could take their heads and use them to make his Demo more powerful? He loved it.
"Who is this fucking Demoknight that keeps killing me?" He heard one of the players say over the mic. He wanted to reply but with the sound of his mom and Drew arguing in the background, he didn't bother to. And the argument was getting steadily louder as time passed. After losing a Payload map, he quit the game and shut his laptop off. Not even wanting to talk to his friends, he laid his head down and closed his eyes.
"I want to get away from here..." he mumbled. "I don't need to keep dealing with this. All these problems, this stress, this family. I want to be somewhere else. Someplace where I can actually be happy...." But he knew it would never come until he left himself. But he didn't have the money for it. And he had to get a job for that. Which would mean he'd have no choice but to stay around his home. He silently prayed that someone or something would whisk him away to the world he desired. Where he could have no worries, no problems and where he could be free to do what he pleased with his life. He continued to pray until he drifted off to sleep.
He could hear no sound. He couldn't speak. All he could do was think. He could see nothing. Feel nothing. Hear nothing. All that was around him was an empty abyss. Then came a bright light. It shone far off in the distance. He felt it getting closer to him. And as it did, he was certain that he could hear a woman's voice.
"Answer my prayer. We need your help..." It said. It was definitely a woman's voice. And it sounded desperate. Like it was in vital need. Toya reached his hand out into the abyss, trying to grasp the light that was getting closer. Closer and closer the light got until he finally touched it. The light began to shine all around him. Was this it? This light... Perhaps it was the answer to his prayers. Perhaps it was his way out. Perhaps--
"Greetings, young paladin. I am quite pleased that you answered my prayer." Celestia said. Toya looked around, wide awake and still in his clothes and noticed that he was no longer in his room...but in a castle with a tall, talking horse.
Perhaps...this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me
A castle. A talking horse that was about 7 ft. tall. Nowhere near his home at all. And to top it off, he was being called a "paladin". Now...he knows that there was no way in hell that he was dreaming of an RPG game, like WoW or Dragon Nest. Yeah, some of the games have some pretty interesting, if not odd, things in them. But this took the cake.
"Uh...come again?" Toya asked. Celestia giggled and smiled at him.
"I can tell you are a bit confused, being summoned here and all." She started. "But I will say again. I am thankful that you answered my prayer. Equestria is in great need of your help."
Toya's eyes widened. Equestria?! Did she just seriously fucking say this was Equestria?!?! No no. That can't be. It's not possible. She may look like her, but there's no way this can be Celestia!, he thought. Back home, he had a secret that he could only confide in his friends with. He had a deep love for the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Now some would probably think that this was stupid. In fact, Toya compiled a list of anything and everything his peers would say if he told them he liked it. And it goes as follows
Oh, it's a show for little girls.
Why would you watch something like that?
Really? My Little Pony? You can't be serious.
If you're watching that, you seriously need to get laid.
And the one line Toya knew he'd hear from just one, ONLY ONE, person in his school.
Nigga, you gay.
He groaned and stood up feeling a bit queasy from traveling, against his will, from one plain to another.
"Um...who are you?" he asked.
"How rude of me. I've forgotten my manners. How silly. My name...is Princess Celestia." She said, lowering her head. Toya blinked.
This can't be happening..., he thought.
"And you are?" Celestia asked, now directing the question to him. Toya scoffed, thinking it was just some joke and decided to play along.
"You're Princess Celestia? Well, I'm Prince Albert in a can." He joked. He had to have been drugged or something. There's no way it could be for real.
"Well Prince Albert," Celestia started. "Equestria is about to face a great peril. A prophecy had foretold that a dark warrior, a Knight of Dread, would wreak havoc on our land. Leading an undead army, he would spread fear and darkness across our pure land."
"And I have to stop him?" Toya questioned. Celestia nodded, though her expression became a shocked one when Toya started laughing. "Oh wow! That's a good one. 'An evil force is coming after us and it's you who needs to stop him.' I can't believe you're seriously doing this." He mocked. "Who put you up to this? Was it Scott? I bet he did it, didn't he? Come on out, Scott. You got me. You REALLY had me going there for a minute." He started to walk around, clapping his hands in hopes that his friend would come out and say "HA! You just got PUNKED!" But sadly, it didn't happen.
"I can see that you are a bit delirious from your arrival here. I can assure you, Prince Albert, that this land is indeed Equestria." Celestia proudly stated. Toya blinked, getting a better examining of his surroundings. Lastly, he set eyes on her. Her grace, her majestic mane, her beauty and her regal stature. And just staring at her was enough to nearly put him to his knees. Only one pony had a presence like that to do such a thing to her subjects.
"You're really.....Princess Celestia?" He asked, getting a nod of confirmation from her. It was all true. The very place he was standing in was indeed Canterlot Castle. And right in front of him was Equestria's ruler, Princess Celestia herself. Toya thought hard trying to find some way, ANY way, for this to be nothing but a dream. But his mind practically told him nope and with that, he fainted. His body fell limp, collapsing on the floor and he fell unconscious. Celestia sighed and stamped her hoof a couple times, summoning two of her guards.
"Please take our guest to one of the empty chambers. He must be quite weary and he deserves to have a moment of rest." She said. The guards nodded and helped Toya up, carrying him away. As soon as the guards were out of sight, the castle doors opened and revealed a purple dragon. "Ah. Barb. I'm so glad you came like I asked." The dragon in question smiled and ran to the princess, wrapping her arms around her.
"I missed you, mom." Barb said. Celestia smiled warmly and placed a gentle, loving hoof around her.
"I missed you, too." The two broke their embrace, still smiling at one another having not seen each other in so long.
"So you said you needed me for something?" The dragoness questioned. Celestia nodded and gestured down the hallway.
"Yes. It concerns a guest of mine." She said. "I was wondering if perhaps you could converse with him first before we get to the main matter." Barb looked at her oddly, wondering what 'guest' she had over when she summoned her there. Perhaps it was another pony of royal descent. Maybe it was a stallion. She did say it was a He. If she had a stallion over, why couldn't she talk to him herself? That's when it hit her. What if she invited the stallion over to spend time with HER?!
"S-sure, mom. Where is he?" Barb replied, feeling flustered.
"I had him placed in the guest room down the hall. He's a bit different than most stallions, dear. Please take caution and try not to frighten him." Celestia said. Barb nodded and ran down the hall and saw two guards standing by the guest room. She walked up to the door, greeting the guards as she normally would and they stood aside.
"Be careful, miss Barb. This...thing...is feeling rather uneasy. The princess advised the utmost care around him." One of the guards said.
"I know. I'm just gonna talk to him." She replied. She grabbed the doorknob and stopped for a minute. The guards had called the guest 'a thing'. Does that mean they didn't know what it was? But that's impossible. Every living being in Equestria was well-known, from Griffons to Changelings. If this guest wasn't any of these known creatures, it's possible it could be dangerous. With a heavy breath and determination, she opened the door and stepped inside.
What she found inside both shocked...and intrigued her. Toya sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window of his room with a calm and solemn look. He wasn't sure what to think. He was away from his home. From his school. And away from all his troubles. He felt happy about it. He was in a world that was not his own where possibilities could be endless. And yet...he was sad. He vanished without a word. His mother didn't know. Neither did his teachers. What would they think? Would they miss him? Would they search for him?
"Heh. I doubt it." Toya said to himself. Sighing, he rubbed his head and stared at the ceiling. "What do I do? I ask to get pulled away from home, I get my wish granted by THE Princess Celestia, she needs your help with some big...plot hehehe...and now I'm conflicted. Come on, Toya. Get a grip. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
Barb was confused. She had no idea what this creature was. It looked like it could walk like her, on two legs, it spoke like her...but it didn't look like a pony, dragon or anything Equestria has ever seen. In fact...she might've had an idea what he was. There were some old texts that Dusk had gotten from the princess. One of them in particular was labeled as "Forbidden." Dusk thought that he would have no need for it, so he threw it out.
It was later during one of her errands that Barb discovered that Ponyville's musician Lyra Heartstrings had found the book in Dusk's garbage can, Celestia knows why she went through his trash, and had taken it into her possession. Barb asked about the book and Lyra told her that she found it and it contained some old ancient history from back when Celestia and Luna had JUST taken the throne. Barb found this interesting. Wanting to know more about this old history, Barb asked Lyra to allow her to borrow the book, which she allowed, and she hid away in the Everfree to read to her heart's content.
Inside the book were some odd figures. They were bipedal, much like her, but they were different. These hairless apes, these...humans...were quite an interesting subject for her to study. They possessed no wings, horns or even tails. In fact, some of them didn't even know magic. It seemed like magic was unknown to them until the residents of a neighboring land, Equestria, came to them. She thought that it was just mythical hoo-ha. Old mare's tales. She didn't believe it was possible until now.
Maybe I should tell Lyra she isn't crazy after all, she thought. This human was a guest of her mother. And she had a priority: try to make him comfortable.
"Um...hello?" She called out. Her voice caught Toya's attention and he turned right around to see the dragoness standing in the doorway. His eyes widened, but not in fear. It was mostly in surprise. Before his eyes was the purple dragon from the show, standing right in front of him about his height (Her 5'9 to his 5'7), that he knew as Barb. Dusk's assistant, the dragon he hatched from the egg that Celestia kept and the only dragon living in Ponyville. She looked about in her teen years, at least 18 or 19 years old. Regardless, he always thought that she was adorable. But seeing her upclose...she was more than adorable. She was fucking hot!
"Oh wow..." Toya muttered. He could feel the blood rushing to his nethers, which he sensed and quickly turned away to hide his shame. Barb cocked her head, wondering why he looked away so suddenly. Then he finally spoke to her. "W-what is it?"
"Oh. Sorry. Am I disturbing you?" She asked nicely. God! Even her voice is wonderful, Toya thought.
"No. I'm fine. Did Celestia send you here or something?" He inquired. Barb nodded and walked behind him.
"Yeah. Mom wanted me to talk to you. She said you were feeling a little uncomfortable?"
Toya sighed, rubbing his head and looked at the gentle dragon. "Yeah. This place is so unfamiliar to me. And Celestia says she needs my help with something important. It feels like too much for me to handle." He explained. "I don't know what to do." Barb's expression saddened as he spoke to her. She knew where he was coming from. Being tasked with something super important she had never done and didn't know how to go about doing it properly. It threw her into a panic, but she knew she had to do it. That day in the Crystal Empire was etched in the back of her mind.
Getting the Crystal Heart to Prince Bolero and away from the evil King Sombra. It was the first time that she had done something so dangerous and heroic. The first time she was looked to as a last resort. And the first time she was looked to as the only one who could do something when Dusk and his friends could do nothing.
"I know how you feel. Being asked to do something that goes far beyond your limitations. But what I learned from doing such things is that you can't let yourself think negatively about it. Thinking you can't do it, thinking that you'll fail if you do. It clouds your thoughts. A clouded mind is a shattered mind. Think calmly and rationally in order to carry out the task you were charged with, no matter how hard it is. If you keep a level head, you can do what you need to do." She told him. "Does that make sense?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it does. Thanks...um..."
"Barb." The dragoness introduced herself, bowing to him. "Barb the dragon, at your service."
"Toya. Toya Lindholm. Nice to meet you." Toya replied, shaking her claw once Barb stood up straight. "Thanks for talking to me. I feel alot better now."
"My pleasure. Just doing what comes natural to me." She said, turning to leave the room. "I'm going to go to my room. If you ever want to talk, I'm willing to listen." Toya nodded his head and Barb walked out of the room. But before she went down the hall, she kept the door open and looked at him once more. "There are lots of tasks that get thrust onto us that we aren't prepared for. The best thing that we can do is calm down, think and adapt to the situation. I should know. I felt the same way you did. And by doing what I just said, I helped save an entire empire." She said. She giggled a bit and closed the door, leaving Toya to his thoughts.
"Calm down, think and adapt to the situation..."
Night fell, Luna's moon raising high into the sky. The two regal sisters were beginning to exchange their goodbyes when Celestia turned to see Toya coming out of his room.
"Ah. Prince Al--"
"My name is Toya, princess. I was only joking when I said that name." He corrected her. Celestia smiled warmly and looked at him.
"Is something the matter? You seem calmer now." Toya cracked a smile and looked up at the alicorn with beaming determination.
Morning followed after the events of the day prior. Toya had made his decision. No matter how far-fetched it seemed, he had to be of help somehow. With that in mind, he mustered up what courage he had and proceeded to the throne room. There waiting for him was the princess of the sun and the dragoness he conversed with the other day.
"Barb? What are you doing here?" He asked. Barb shrugged and stared at him.
"I'm just as clueless as you are." She replied, looking back to Celestia. "So why am I here, mom?" Toya blinked.
"Wait. Mom? SHE'S your mother?!" he asked. Barb and Celestia both nodded.
"Yes. She is my daughter. Though we look nothing alike, it was I who raised her egg before Dusk hatched it and it was I who raised her before allowing her to live with Dusk in Ponyville." The princess explained.
Sounded pretty legit.
"As for the reason she is here, she will be accompanying you on your journey." Celestia said. "The two of you will be working together in order to fend off the scourge that will soon plague our land." Barb and Toya looked at each other. Barb seemed to smile, while Toya bore a look of concern on his face.
"Princess, are you sure that's a wise idea?" He asked. Celestia looked down at him and raised a brow.
"What do you mean?" She replied.
"I appreciate the idea of me having some company during this...quest of mine. But I don't think it's all that smart to be sending a girl out to brave such dangers." The moment those words left Toya's lips, a vessel popped in Barb's head and she balled her claws into fists. "She could get hurt or even worse."
"Hey!" Barb yelled, shutting the human up. "I don't know where you get off talking down about me like that, but I can assure you one thing. I can take good care of myself. I don't need some human boy to protect me." Toya had no idea what to say. He wasn't trying to offend her, but he didn't want any harm to come to her either. He only cared about her like he would any other friend he had. Well, what little friends he had.
"Toya." Toya turned his head to Celestia as she called out his name. "I can understand your concern. You care about Barb and do not want any harm to come to her. I feel the same way. You are right to worry as harm can come to either or both of you." She said, causing Barb to frown. "However, Barb is right. She is capable of taking care of herself. Dragons are considerably powerful, to the point of being resistant to magic. Their strength far surpasses that of a pony, and I'm fairly certain the strength of a dragon surpasses a human, too."
Celestia was right about that. While Toya had never seen a dragon in person before, until recently, he had done plenty of research to know that dragons were practically the powerhouses of the world. Brute strength, superior flight capabilities, flames that could melt the earth below them. They were almost like gods in their own right. And Barb? Most likely when she grew up, she would be just like them. But...something about her was different. The dragons Toya read about were almost like monsters. Feared, but respected worldwide. Barb? She wasn't a monster. She was kind, gentle and compassionate. She might've had a bit of an attitude like any normal dragon, true. But she was no monster. And there's no way she'd ever become one.
"Ha! Told you." Barb quipped, sticking her forked tongue out at Toya. Toya wanted to say something ignorant or maybe even hit her. However, he actually respected her. Back where he was from, most girls wouldn't even bother to stick up for themselves when a boy thought them to be weak and helpless and that they couldn't take care of themselves. Not by actually saying they were, but implying it the same way he did about Barb. That they could get hurt or even killed doing something they believed they had no business doing.
Barb wasn't like that. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let herself be like any normal girl...err, mare. To him, she was alright.
This was going to be an interesting journey.
"However," Celestia said, earning Barb's attention. "Barb, there is nothing wrong with accepting the aid of another, And yes, that includes allowing yourself to be protected. In times of struggle, we can only fend for ourselves for so long. Even you get tired every now and again, don't you?"
"Yes." Barb replied, scratching her head.
"And Toya has his limitations as well, I'm sure. This journey is not for a single individual. It is not all about you or him defeating the enemy. It is about both of you, working together. Exploiting each others strengths and covering each others weaknesses. Working as a team to defend this land. Your home. Our home. Do you understand?"
"Yes mom/Yes princess." They both replied. Celestia smiled warmly and rose up from her throne.
"Toya?" The alicorn princess called out again.
"Yes, Celestia?" He replied.
"I can tell that you are not well equipped for the journey ahead. Go back to your room. There, you will find a few things that may aid you. Consider it a gift." She said with a giggle. Toya nodded his head and proceeded to his room as instructed, leaving the dragoness and the princess alone in the throne room.
"What about me, mom?" She asked.
"I've nothing to give you except a single gift. A gift which I plan to give to the both of you." Celestia replied. Barb nodded and smiled and embraced her mother in one more hug.
"I'm gonna miss you." She said. Celestia couldn't help but smile. Dusk had done so well in looking after her precious child, her only child, for her. She had grown up so much. She couldn't be anymore proud.
"I'm going to miss you too, Barb." Celestia replied, placing a motherly hoof around her. They broke apart, smiling at one another as they heard footsteps approaching. Celestia bore a warm smile on her face as she looked to her paladin, while Barb's jaw dropped.
"Whoa!" was all the dragoness could muster to say.
"Judging by your response, I guess i don't need to ask how i look." Toya said. He was wearing a cloth shirt, leather gloves, belt and pants. Adorning his body were shoulder pads made of iron. They seemed to cover most of his shoulder, as well as partial of his arms. Instead of boots, he was wearing iron leggins that went from his feet up to his knees. Despite the metal his armor was made from, it felt light to him. His shirt bore a marking in the center, which was similar to that of a Templar's mark from his world. In addition to this, a sheathe for a sword was strapped to his back. Truly, his appearance was that of a true paladin.
"How do you feel wearing that armor, Toya?" Asked the alicorn.
"It feels...good. Great, even." He said, jumping in place. "It's not too light, but not too heavy either. There isn't much, but I can tell it's durable." He replied.
"Good. Then I can hand you the final piece to complete your set." She said. She turned her head to her throne and her horn began to glow. From behind the seat, an object resonated with the same color of her aura and levitated from behind its resting place and to her.
"Whoa..." Toya said. "W-what is this?"
"This is the Eclipse Sword. Tis a powerful blade that both my sister and I created from both our power. And with it, we vanquished the very evil the two of you are about to face. We believed that we rid ourselves of such a powerful foe. That we rid this land of his scourge so many years past, sheathing the sword in hopes that we would no longer need it.. But it looks like I was wrong."
"Mom..." Barb said, frowning at the disheartened princess.
"This is Equestria's darkest hour. And in this time, our Herald of Order would appear to us and bring peace back to our land. That is what my sister and I predicted. And it came true. You, Toya, are our Herald of Order. And it is you who will bring harmony back to our land. Take this sword and may it bring you victory on your quest." Without any further explanation, Toya took the sword in his hands.
It was light, the blade glowing with a luminescent light. He held it high above his head, much like Link from The Legend of Zelda when he raised the Master Sword. The power inside the blade felt so raw. So pure. And so natural. Like it was meant for him to wield.
"Thank you...princess Celestia. Thank you for bestowing such an honor upon me." Toya said. He really didn't know what else to say. For something so important to be entrusted to him...nothing like this EVER happened back on Earth.
"You are very welcome. And now, before I send you both out on your journey...I have one final gift to bestow to the both of you, A blessing, if you will." Celestia told them. Toya sheathed the blade and stepped forward and got onto one knee. He'd seen things like this before and read about them too. If a ruler gives you a blessing, you must show your respect down upon knee. Barb was aware of this as well and knelt down beside Toya. The princess of the sun stared at the both of them, maintaining her regal posture before her horn began to glow. Looking to her daughter, she lowered her head and place her horn on Barb's shoulders.
"Barb, you have demonstrated great courage in your past endeavors. Your reliability and knowledge surpasses my expectations. I can sense that you will learn much more as you go along and unlock a potential that you did not know you had, much like Starswirl the Bearded before I. He taught me much about magic that I did not know growing up. And now, i pass some of his knowledge to you. Please accept this gift of wizardly might." With those final words, Celestia's horn glowed brighter before dimming as she raised her head and looked down at Barb.
Barb's body was surging with power, as shown by the tiny sparks outside her body. She never felt anything like this before. Looking at one of her claws, she opened it and formed a fireball inside of it.
"Whoa!" She cried in shock. She waved her arm a bit before the flame dissipated. She wasn't capable of using magic before now. That's when she recalled. The gift of 'wizardly might' Celestia spoke of. Celestia had given her some magical prowess. That in mind, a smile grew across her face and she bowed to the princess. "Thank you for this blessing." She said with great gratitude.
All that was left now was Toya. The solar princess turned her head to him and lowered it down to his. Her horn touched each shoulder as it began to glow. Toya stayed still and only spoke once.
"I am ready, princess."
"Right. Toya, you have shown great compassion and kindness during your short time here. I can see in your heart that you are a very generous boy. Caring, selfless and selfish at times but you mean well. Weak in body, but strong in heart and smart in mind. You seek nothing but to live your life as best you can, getting aid from those you love and giving aid to them as well. Never in my years have I met someone who wished to protect everything and everyone he holds dear. Please accept this gift of 'mending light'." With that, her horn followed the same process it did with Barb before she removed herself from his shoulder.
Toya felt incredible. Like a soft light was enveloping his body...his very soul. He smiled at Barb, who smiled back at him before they turned to the princess and bowed in respect.
"Your journey begins to the north, taking you to the Crystal Empire. The train system is down due to reported murders in the area. We dare not risk bringing anypony suspicious to our home."
"So we're going on foot then?" Barb asked, Celestia nodding in reply. "Alright. Count me in."
"You can count on us, princess." Toya said.
"Thank you, Toya. And thank you, Barb. The fate of Equestria...rests with you. Good luck." With a final bow from both of them, Toya and Barb left the castle. As Celestia had said, the train system was currently out of commission. So there was no other choice left but to go on foot to the Crystal Empire. The trip would take long, but they weren't going to let that stop them. The very fate of Equestria was at stake.
Celestia stared out of her window, watching the two adventurers leave her city and soon, they were out of her sight. All she could do was utter a prayer for them.
Good luck, you two. Faust, watch over these brave souls...
Toya and Barb continued walking together, crossing the vast plain that lay far beyond the walls of Canterlot. Without a train to carry them, the trip to the Crystal Empire would be long and possibly dangerous. If it was any evidence from Celestia's words, it was definitely not gonna be a cakewalk.
I wonder what kind of dangers we're going to face along the way, thought Toya. From what I saw in the show, there's certainly monsters here. But I wonder what? Maybe skeletons? Or maybe zombies. Or perhaps a demon king. Ooh! A dragon! Yeah, I could fight a dra-- Toya stopped his train of thought as he quickly recovered from his fantasies as he remembered that his companion WAS a dragon. Maybe fighting zombies would be better.
"The path to the Crystal Empire is pretty easy to remember." Barb said. "I should know. I've been there before." Toya looked at her and blinked.
"That reminds me. Celestia said something about you showing courage when you were there. What exactly happened?" He asked nicely, hoping she'll forgive him for his comments earlier before departure. She could tell that he was begging to be forgiven. And she was not one to normally hold a grudge.
"Alright. I'll tell you." She smiled and stood proudly. "You're looking at the one and only Crystal Savior!" She said. Toya blinked and his eyes widened.
"Wait, what?!" He cried. "Crystal Savior? So then, you--"
"Yup. I saved the Crystal Empire from total destruction and enslavement." Barb boasted. "Well...me AND Bolero."
"I think I know that name. He's king of the empire and married to Dusk's sister, Gleaming Shield right?" He asked. Barb blinked, confused that he knew who the two of them were.
"Y-yeah. How'd you know?" She asked. Toya chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.
"I...asked Celestia about the empire the day prior. To think i'm gonna meet the both of them. I'm actually pretty excited." He exclaimed, smiling widely. Actually, I remember the Canterlot Invasion episode. It was actually Cadence and Shining Armor who got married. But since this is female Spike and Dusk is the male Twilight, it would make sense that the R63'd versions of Cadence and Shining would be here too. Odd that the same thing isn't applied to Celestia and Luna. Oh well. Who am I to judge? ...Though Bolero IS still a corny name to me.
"Oh. Alright. Anyway, it's been awhile since the attack had occurred. King Sombra was the previous ruler of the empire, coming back after having been defeated by momma and Luna." Barb replied. Toya chuckled, unable to hold it back despite the dragoness' irritation.
"Momma?"
"Shut up!" Barb quipped. Toya calmed down and sighed, smiling at her.
"Sorry. Just...i've never heard anyone call their mother that before. My mom and I are hardly on speaking terms as it is anyway." He said, rubbing his arm. "But to see that someone is that close to their parent...and they get equal respect in turn, it's nice to see. So to me, it's kinda cute seeing you call your mother 'momma' like you did." Barb's cheeks turned red upon his statement, stopping her in her tracks.
"C-c-cute?! I'm not cute! D-don't say stuff like that again, you idiot." Barb yelled, blushing furiously before quickly walking off, leaving Toya standing by himself.
"....What did I say?"
Canterlot Fields, Neighagra Falls - 4:58 pm
After walking for several hours, the two decided that now would be the perfect time for them to stop and rest. They found a forest to hide in, sitting down and started to share a conversation with each other. Though Toya was not much of a talker back on Earth, he was much more comfortable speaking now. Perhaps it was due to not being around his peers, not having to fear being rejected or tortured because of his habits or likings. Barb seemed comfortable around him, despite how dumb he could act. It made her feel good to have another friend. Albeit a strange one, since he was from another world and all. But a friend nonetheless.
"...And after we put the Crystal Heart back in its place, a bright light shined from it and it scattered all over the empire. Since Sombra was a dark unicorn, he couldn't stand its light and his body crumbled-- nay, was destroyed right on the spot!"
"Whoa! Hold up. I thought you guys didn't kill." Toya retorted. Barb chuckled and looked him in the eyes.
"Well, normally we don't. Since Dusk and his friends use the Elements, the enemies we mostly fight are either sealed, banished or are rid of any dark nature controlling them. They weren't used on Sombra, so he'd have to be the first bad guy we actually killed. ...Then again, I heard some of the Royal guard killed a few changelings here and there. So, i really don't know what to say."
"I see. I guess that makes sense." Toya replied. Duh. Of course Sombra was the first villain that ever got killed off on the show. I JUST got finished watching the first episode of Season 3. How could I forget that?! He sighed, mentally cursing himself for forgetting that one episode. But it didn't matter right now. What mattered was trying to get some food, because he was starving. Evident by the sound of his growling stomach.
"Heh. Ya hungry?" Barb asked. Toya kept his mouth shut, letting the rumbling sound of his stomach speak for him. "I'll take that as a yes. Alright. I'll go find some fish. There should be a lake nearby, so I can go grab some. You get some firewood and we can cook 'em up." Toya smiled and got off his ass, stretching before nodding his head.
"Alright. It's a plan." He replied. Barb nodded and ran off into the forest, Toya taking his sword and cutting down a few branches. Despite the power hidden within, it looked and felt like a normal sword. He still felt nervous about taking such a big responsibility on his shoulders. Taking the sword and ridding Equestria of a fabled darkness that threatened to overtake them. He was afraid he would screw up. That he would cower and hide while Barb risked her life to save her home. But he couldn't let himself think like that. The lives of millions were at stake.
"...I can't keep hiding like I always do." He mumbled to himself. "Everyone is counting on me. On us! I'll toughen up. I have to. For everyone." Whilst saying that to himself, he continued his task and started to pick up the branches he cut down. But as he did however, the sound of rustling came from behind him. He stayed right where he was, keeping the sword gripped and slowly stood back up.
He turned around, looking at the rustling bushes and with swift movement, he quickly dodged the enemies that emerged. When he got a clear view of them, he saw that they looked like skeletons. Pony skeletons to be precise. One was armed with a halberd and the other seemed to be a unicorn, so it could use magic. He almost expected for slimes to be the very first enemies he'd fight, given their reputation for being the weakest monsters in existence. But he shook his head and focused on the situation at hand.
"And i'll change, starting now." He said, taking his sword and raising it to the two undead equines. One of the skeletons was the first to make a move, charging at Toya and trying to stab him. He dodged quickly, but not quick enough as a piece of the weapon jabbed his arm, creating a small cut. It was a little deep and some blood started to leak out. But it didn't bother him.
Taking his chance, Toya moved in for a counter attack and slashed his sword upward, knocking the halberd out of the skeletons grip and it fell to the ground. As he moved in to deal the finishing blow, the unicorn skeleton fired a bolt of magic dead in his chestplate, causing him to fly backwards and hit the ground.
"Ow...that....really really hurt!" He told himself, getting back up. Even with the armor on, some of the force from the attack managed to make its way through. It wasn't strong enough to be lethal, but taking more than that could have disastrous effects. "That was kinda dumb of me. Rule #1 of RPGs: Always go for the mage first."
The unicorn looked over at him, its horn glowing as a signal that it was readying its next spell. Toya got back on his feet, grabbed his sword and charged headlong at it. "Oh no you don't!" He shouted, slashing his sword with just enough accuracy to land a blow. But rather than cutting off its head, he cut off the horn. The other skeleton, having retrieved its weapon turned and charged towards Toya, all set to impale him while its unicorn companion began digging its hooves into the dirt and ran towards him to mow him down.
"Tsk." Toya hissed, glancing back and forth between the two equines. They were on different sides, so if he took out one he'd get hit by the other. They began to close in on him and he held his sword up, ready to defend himself as best he could. However as he prepared himself, bolts of lightning shot out from nowhere and hit both skeletons, charring them and reducing them to ashes. "What the?"
"Having fun over there?" A female voice called out. Toya blinked and looked to where the attack came from, seeing Barb leaning against one of the trees. "I take it you've never fought monsters in your world before."
"Pfft. Of course I have. Plenty of them. I even fought a dr--" Toya trailed off, covering his mouth as he forgot what his companion was.
"A what?" Barb inquired, raising a brow at him. Toya chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.
"Um...forget about it. Thank anyway. I thought I was done for..." Barb chuckled, walking over to the human and slapping his back.
"Hey. No worries. We're partners, so we gotta look out for each other." She replied. Toya smiled at her, rubbing where the bolt of magic hit him. "Are you hurt? You should heal up. Can't have one of my friends dying on me, now can I?"
Toya blinked and looked over at Barb. Friends? "You want to be friends with me after how I acted?"
"Well...i'm still a little pissed that you thought me weak because I was a girl....though I know you didn't mean it. But yeah. Like my friend Pinkie says--"
"The more, the merrier." Toya finished, causing Barb to look at him in shock.
"Y-yeah. How did you know?" She asked. Toya shrugged and smiled.
"Seemed fitting at the time. It makes much more sense anyway. So...i'm glad. I'm honored to be your friend." He replied, hugging her. The sudden contact that he gave her shocked the dragoness, causing her to blush and quickly push him away.
"Y-yeah yeah. Whatever. Just...heal yourself, get the wood and lets set up camp." At that, she walked off back to the meeting site. Toya chuckled and sheathed his sword, picking up the wood that he collected earlier and followed after with a single thought in mind.
Night fell as Barb used her emerald flames to start the fire. Toya was surprised, to say the least over the fact that though Barb's flames were meant for sending and receiving letters between the princess and herself (or Dusk, in many cases), they did not get sent away. Instead, they just burned normally. She must have had alot of training to manipulate her fire to do something it normally doesn't. Then again, he did see Spike actually burn a book in one of the episodes. Man, he had to watch that again.
Barb reached out over the fire and grabbed one of the fish that she caught and handed it to the human. "Here." She said. "Thought I'd give you the big one." Toya smiled and graciously took the fish in his hand and gently took a bite.
"Hah! It's hot." He said. He blew on it a little to cool it down, watching as the dragoness giggled before taking a fish for itself.
"You humans are so weird. You're almost like the ponies I know. Gotta wait for hot things like that to cool down before you eat it. It tastes so much better like this." Barb quipped, biting a large chunk out of her fish. Toya cringed a little, the image of his tongue lighting on fire if he imitated the same act coming into his mind. He chuckled a little and blew on the fish again before taking a small bite out of it.
"Yeah, well i'm not a fire breathing dragon like you. I can hardly deal with really hot things like you can. Save for girls like you." He teased, earning a blush from his companion.
"S-shut up. I don't need to hear that from you!" She yelled, looking at her food. Toya continued eating his fish, the two of them staying in silence before Barb opened her mouth again. "You really think i'm hot?"
"Well, yeah. I mean...yeah, you're a totally different species. Not exactly human...or pony, for that matter. But when it comes to dragons, you're the hottest one I've ever seen before. And the ONLY one I've ever seen." Toya replied. Barb's face flushed with embarrassment and she bit her fish again, a little less greedily this time and she looked away from him.
"Thank you..." She squeaked. Toya blinked and looked at her.
"Uh...come again?"
"Thank you..." She repeated, a bit louder this time.
"Uh...one more time please." He said, causing Barb to turn her head and glare at him angrily.
"Oh just forget it! Finish your fish and let's go to bed." She yelled, finishing her food and getting up from her seat. She walked away from the campfire and away from Toya, laying on the ground and faced towards the darkness.
"Aren't you gonna...you know...cover up?" Toya asked, finishing his food. "It's gonna get cold."
"I'll be fine. I don't need any pity and I don't need any help. I'm old enough to take care of myself. Just...lay down and go to bed, alright? We've got things to do in the morning." She retorted, her words laced with venom. Toya sighed and walked to a spot just inches away from her and pulled out a blanket from the pouch he brought with him. It wasn't large, but it was sizable enough to keep him protected from the cold air that would soon come. He laid down on the ground, draping the blanket over him before turning his head towards the dragoness.
"Are you SURE you don't wanna just come and share this with me? I'm telling you, it's gonna get really cold."
"I said no! Alright? Just...drop it!" Barb yelled, keeping her back to him. Toya sighed and turned away from her, closing his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. Barb stayed quiet as well, but she stayed awake. Fifteen minutes went by until the cold winds blew, making her think of how cold the Windegos made things for the founders of Equestria. She shivered, rubbing her shoulders to try to keep warm. Being cold-blooded, this was not the perfect climate for her to be in. She turned her head, looking over to the human who was laying quietly under the warmth of the covers he brought.
Ugh. The things I do to get by..., she thought. Quickly and quietly, she scooched closer to Toya until she was right at his back. Lifting the covers, she slowly eased her way under them and draped them over the both of them. It was warm. Very warm. And the best part for her: She wouldn't have to sleep alone again. She may have grown up, but she was still a child inside. Dusk would sometimes go out late with his friends or, most of the time, go out with Trixie and left her to watch the house on her own. She had her own room but she hated sleeping without knowing there was someone around her, even if they weren't right next to her, sleeping nearby as well. It made her feel secure, loved and cared for. If anything were to happen to her, the other person would quickly be alerted and rush to help her.
"Feel better?" Her eyes widened as she heard the human speak, causing her to blush and reel back a little. "It's alright. You're cold. If you must, we'll share the heat. Ok?" He said. Barb didn't say anything, but she cuddled up to him and buried a bit of her face in his back.
"...Thank you." He heard her say.
"Hm?"
"For the compliment. About me...you know, being hot. I said 'thank you'."
"You're welcome, Barb. And again, I'm sorry about how I treated you before. It was demeaning."
"Yes. Yes it was." She quipped. "But...I forgive you." Toya smiled and placed a hand on her heard, gently stroking her spines.
"Even if you don't want it, I want you to know. I'll protect you. I promise." He said, gently rolling back onto his side. He felt her squirm behind her and before they fell asleep, he heard speak one more time.
"...Idiot...."
Toya opened his eyes to find himself in the middle of a large city. Surrounding him were crystalline buildings and his draconic companion was nowhere in sight.
"The Crystal Empire...so this is what it looks like outside of the show." He said, starting to walk around. Strangely enough, the streets were empty. Was he dreaming about the empire when it was under Sombra's rule? That couldn't be as the Crystal Heart was still standing in the center of town. He continued walking around until something crossed his vision. He shook his head for a moment, rubbing his eyes and looked around.
"What the?" He scratched his head, trying to comprehend what it was he just saw. The figure he saw was clearly bipedal, but its stature was nothing like Barb's in the slightest. It was clearly that of a human. "That was weird." He muttered, continuing his pace. As he moved forward, he suddenly felt a jump as the scenery around him changed. He was soon back at the center of the town, but things were...different. As he looked around, he could see that the scenery had darkened and there were ponies around. But they weren't moving. Before his eyes he could see the streets were littered with corpses, each one slaughtered in a similar manner.
"What is this madness?" He said aloud, starting to walk again. He was disgusted, scared and worried. This was not the Equestria that he had seen in the three seasons of the show. Barb was right. Things really weren't as they seemed. No matter where he turned, all he found were dead bodies. The air was chilly and the mood was much worse than before. But as he took one last step, he felt another jump and was brought back to the center of town once more. And like before, it was different...too different.
He looked around to see that there were no longer any buildings, but crumbled masses where they once lay. Behind him, the Crystal Heart was shattered. And in front of him was a single path. There were no left or right turns or a path leading backwards. Steeling himself for what was to come, he continued forward again. All the buildings were gone, not a pony in sight and their protection was now destroyed. Whatever had done this had to be a very vile creature. Was it that human I saw earlier?, he thought. He looked at the path he was traveling and noticed a color: Red. A long streak of red, splattered over the road was before him, which meant there was another corpse nearby.
Toya swallowed hard and started to run down the path, the trail of blood getting thicker as he went onward until he reached the end. In front of him, on the ground, was another corpse. However, this one was much bigger than the others. It had a dragon form, scales of purple and spines of green as a pool of blood came from its form.
"N-no.....Barb...." Toya uttered, covering his lip. His companion was dead, slaughtered in the same manner the ponies from earlier were. He could see the look of pain and anguish on her face, dried tears on her cheek. He didn't want to look anymore. He turned away on instinct, closing his eyes and trying to forget the horrible sight. But as he did, a chilling wind blew...and he felt like he wasn't alone anymore. A chill ran up his spine as he opened his eyes and turned to where Barb's corpse lay.
"Agh!" He cried, trying to back up as the humanoid figure stared at him with its red eyes and grabbed him by the neck. It lifted him off his feet and held him up, causing Toya to gag and flail his arms around in an attempt to force it to lose its grip. It tightened its grip on him, staring into his eyes with its own soul piercing ones. He noticed a sword in its other hand, the tip of it stabbing into Barb's side. Toya's eyes widened in horror as he reached out for his companion, wanting to spend his last moments with his one friend--his only friend--in this new land. "N-no..."
"Barb!!!"
Toya awoke, sitting up as the light of Celestia's sun was beginning to come over the mountains. His chest rose and fell as he continued to breathe heavily after his nightmare. He looked down to see his dragon companion, clinging to his arm for dear life. She seemed restless and was sweating beads. Was she having a nightmare too? He pondered on it as he took his hand and gently caressed her head. Oddly enough, it actually calmed her down. After her protests of not wanting pity or aid the night prior, she was calmed by his touch. She's like a pet, he thought. Chuckling, he continued stroking her head as the sun slowly rose. But he was unaware of a fading shadow that lingered in the forest near them. its red eyes continuing to gaze upon the two, a wicked grin forming beneath.
Toya sat up upon awakening and looked around. Was it all a dream? Or was he really seeing things? Things were getting out of hand rather quickly. Whoever was playing this joke on him was beginning to piss him off. He sighed and looked down, smiling at the drake sleeping beside him. It felt weird that she clung this close to him, in spite of her protests from the night prior. But he wasn't going to complain since she looked pretty cute anyway.
"Look at you, Toya. Your life sucks so much that you're having lewd thoughts about a frickin' lizard." He told himself, chuckling. But was it bad? She actually cared about him and if anything, he cared deeply for her too. But it hadn't been long since they met anyway, so it was best to avoid such a situation.
"Mmm..." The dragon beside him began to stir, turning over and yawning. Toya couldn't help but admire the sight, placing his hand gently upon her head. As he did, she cooed in her sleep and remains still and continued to sleep. Morning was coming and she needed to be fully rested, but with the nightmare Toya had, he was not able to do the same thing. So he did the next best thing and got up and started to walk around. He took this time alone to think back to his home. What was his mother doing? Was she still seeing that asshole or did she finally break it off? Did they notice that he was gone? Did they care that he was gone?
"Probably not. Mom has always been harsh on me, even before dating him." He said to himself. He remembered back to several moments of his past, when he and his mother had argued and she even went so far as to strike him. Since then and since going into High School, he suffered from severe depression and anxiety. Not only that, he felt his sanity start to slip away because of how much he was bullied. It angered him greatly as he balled his hands into fists. But that anger was quelled as he felt a scaly hand take a hold of his arm. He turned back to find his companion wide awake, or somewhere between, standing behind him. Barb yawned and looked at him with a concerned expression.
"Hey. Are you alright, Toya? You seem kinda out of it." She said. Toya chuckled and grabbed Barb's hand, taking it in his own before turning to her.
"I'm fine. Just a little morning eagerness. That's all." He lied. "But thank you for worrying about me, however we have more important things to worry about."
"Right. We should get ready and head to the empire." The two of them nodded and went their separate ways to prepare themselves for their journey. Toya gathered their supplies while Barb went to wash up in the lake again and once they were done, they regrouped and headed out towards their destination.
The two adventurers continued onward, making it to the Crystal Mountain. They looked up to see how tall it was, staying silent and taking in the sight. There was no other way around as far as they could tell, so the only other option was to climb. Barb went first, digging her claws into the rocky surface and began moving upward. With her frame and strength, it was an easy feat for her. For Toya, however, it proved to be a difficult endeavor. He wasn't used to such physical activity, save for gym class and riding his bike. So even with the light armor that he was wearing, he had some difficulty climbing. He stuck to it and continued to climb, step by step and inch by inch as he was far from his companion. Barb had already made it more than a fourth up the mountain in only a few minutes while Toya was nowhere near that distance.
"Hey! You ok down there?" Barb called back to him. The human sighed and looked up at her.
"Yeah! I'm just not used to this kind of thing!" He replied. He swore he could hear her giggling and she continued to climb.
'"If we're gonna do this together, you better get used to this kind of stuff. Because we may have to do alot of traveling!" Barb said. Toya heaved and groaned in annoyance. If it were a video game, it'd be pretty easy. Not that easy, but easier than this. He began to climb again, lifting himself up onto another ledge and started to climb from there. Barb stopped a few times to look back and check up on him. He was pretty slow, but he was making progress and it made her smile. She wanted to help, but thought it would be better if he got stronger on his own. No one gets far in life without having to struggle first.
About a half hour went by since they first began climbing and Toya managed to make it a third of the way to the top while Barb was almost there. The cold air was getting to him and he couldn't continue onward. He climbed onto a ledge and took a knee, breathing hard and shivering. Why did the Crysta Empire have to be in the arctic of all places...
"Toya! You ok?!" Barb called out. "Do you need any help?" Toya sighed and got back up, wobbling a little from exhaustion. His arms were sore and he had trouble breathing. If he was exposed to the freezing air any longer, he'd die from hypothermia. He looked around to find something, anything that could make his trip to the top a little easier. That's when he noticed it. There was a cave close by leading into the mountain. It was a slim chance, but if he went in there...
"Toya!" Barb called out again, breaking his concentration. He shook his head and looked up at her.
"I'm fine! But I don't think I can keep climbing anymore!"
"Huh?! Do you want me to come down and help?" She asked.
"No!" He replied. "But I spotted a cave nearby. I think it might lead to the top. I'll head in and check it out. You go on ahead! I'll meet you up top." Toya shrugged off his aches and gave her a confident smile. That was all Barb needed to see that he was determined.
"Alright! Just don't die on me." She shouted back at him. The human chuckled and walked off, entering the cave entrance and vanishing from Barb's sight. She let out a deep sigh and turned back to what she was doing, digging her claws into the next ledge. "Be careful, Toya."
Deep within the frozen depths of the cavern, a unicorn of blue was making her way through the treacherous path. She had a few cuts and bruises on her body, but certainly nothing the Great and Powerful Trixie couldn't handle.
"Ugh. And here Trixie thought she could make it to the Crystal Empire without any problems." She grumbled to herself. "Maybe I should've waited for them to fix their little problem. 'The train is out. Please wait awhile if you're planning on leaving.' Pfft. Please. The Great and Powerful Trixie waits for nopony. Though...I wish I had some company. Trixie doesn't like being in the cold. But Trixie must endure so that she may perform in one of the most famous of kingdoms." She blew her mane out of her face and continued onward as the cold winds blew into the cave.
"My my. What a weak little pony. Struggling so hard just to walk in a cave." A male voice called out. Trixie's ears perked up and she looked around to find the voice, only to find no one around at all.
"I must be hearing things..." she muttered as she kept walking.
"Oh trust me, my dear Trixie. You aren't hearing things." The voice called out again. Trixie turned around and was greeted by a magnificent...and very odd sight. It was a tall hairless ape, clad in red armor who smiled from beneath his helm.
"W-what are you supposed to be?" Trixie inquired. The red knight smiled and knelt down in front of her.
"A friend. or perhaps a foe. A meddler with an offer." he replied. Trixie stared at him for a moment wondering what he was getting at until he held his hand up to her and opened it, revealing an all too familiar pendant. "I believe this was yours at some point?"
"N-no. Get that thing away from me!" she cried, backing away from the human. The knight chuckled and remained where he was, watching her cower before such a tiny trinket. "I don't need that anymore. And how did you get that anyway?! Trixie's frie...Twilight Sparkle took that away from me. How did you get it?"
"I have my methods." he replied. "This trinket contains power that once belonged...subordinate, if you will, of my master. Before my master was sealed, he envied his power. So he poured his studies into creating an artifact; one that when in possession would give the holder unrivaled power. Power to match him; to match the princesses. But his own lust for power and greed was his undoing and in turn, the malice in his soul was forever bound into this artifact. Thus, the Alicorn Amulet came to be." he explained.
Trixie remained silent and continued to listen to the human, but decided to speak up. "Trixie doesn't need it anymore. Trixie can survive on her own efforts...Besides, Trixie...has friends now and I don't need some stupid necklace to have them."
"But how long until that friendship ends?" The knight asked her. "Twilight only said you could be friends just so she could get that amulet off you. To make you powerless."
"No. You're lying. Twilight would never do that!"
"And how do you know? Don't you still resent her?" the human quipped. Immediately, Trixie shut her mouth and looked away. "I was right. You still hate her for showing you up, for making you look like a fool. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have had to leave town. If not for her, you wouldn't have had to find this." The knight started to wave the amulet around in front of her, chuckling and smiling.
"I-i....Trixie...Trixie had no idea what else to do. I hated her so much for making me a laughingstock! Ever since she showed me up with that Ursa incident, i've been ridiculed in every town I went to perform at. And like I told her before, I even had to work on a rock farm! Do you have any idea how desperate one pony has to be to do that?!" she yelled. The knight chuckled and stared at her.
"You don't have to be powerless anymore. The amulet needs you, Trixie. And you need it." His eyes began to glow red from under his helm and Trixie's eyes began to resonate with the same color. Her eyes half lidded as she stared at him and the knight chuckled. "Do you want this back?"
"Yes...Trixie wants the amulet back..." Trixie replied in monotone. With that, her horn began to glow and she levitated the Alicorn Amulet around her neck.
"Good. Now then...I need you to do something for me..."
"Man, this place is freezing." Toya complained after entering the cave. The air was frigid, but not as much as it was outside. If he stayed out there, he might've had some problems. "Barb should be alright on her own. I just need to find the right path that'll take me out of here. Um...let's try this way." He turned and walked down a path to the left, making sure his sword was ready in case of any attacks. So far, he hardly encountered any resistance. The only enemies inside were more skeletons, but they were stronger than the pair he and his draconic companion fought the other day. "Just like in a game...monsters in caves and stuff are stronger than the ones outside."
He continued on his path, enduring the cold winds and fighting off any skeletons that he encountered until he stopped for a moment to heal. He had a few cuts on him from the weapons they carried, but nothing too bad. But he was starting to exhaust his strength. "Dammit. Why now? I should've kept climbing..." he told himself as he sat on the cold floor. "Barb's probably on the other side waiting for me. I can't let her down. ...But i'm so tired!" Toya groaned and lied down on his back and closed his eyes. But he opened them briefly and noticed something. There was a pool of liquid in the ice behind him. He rolled over and looked at it closely.
"What the heck is this?" he asked himself. He got back onto his feet and walked towards it. He dipped his finger into the liquid and pulled back. "It's lukewarm..." Toya groaned and stared at the water, deciding whether he should drink it or not. He was rather thirsty, but drinking something from a cave is usually not a good idea.
"...Fuck it." He sucked it up and knelt beside the pool and dipped his hands in, cupped them together and took a drink. Oddly enough, nothing happened. it felt refreshing. "It's like water. It tastes normal...but i feel...great. Better." Toya chuckled and stood back up, having his thirst sated and looked over at his arm and saw his wounds were healed. "Healing waters...I'll have to remember this if I ever come back here." He smiled and dusted himself off and continued on his path, turning down the hall and looking around. As he kept going, he stopped when he saw a pony in front of him.
"Identify yourself!" he called out, brandishing his blade. The pony he called out turned towards him, revealing itself to be Trixie. Trixie? What's she doing here? Is there where she came to after she left Ponyville again? he thought. He was about to ask her, but something caught his eye. She was wearing the Alicorn Amulet around her neck...and a strong chill went up his spine.
"..." Trixie stared him down as her eyes flashed red. Her horn began to glow a blood red as she shot a bolt of magic out at him. The hall was narrow, but Toya just barely managed to dodge the blast. However, the blast was a bit wider than he thought as it burned through the armor on his shoulder. "Tsk. Should've known better than to cross me." she said.
"Cross you? But I haven't done anything to you!" Toya yelled. Trixie scoffed and glared at him.
"It doesn't matter. Once I finish you, he won't have any problem in completing his goal. And after this, I'll be going after your little girlfriend too." Toya growled and grit his teeth. He could handle getting blasted by some magic, but he wasn't going to let her hurt Barb.
"Oh no you don't! You're not laying a single hoof on her!" he yelled. After his declaration, he quickly realized what she called her and blushed. "W-wait! She is NOT my girlfriend. We're just friends, ok?"
Trixie chuckled and kept her mouth shut, focusing more on beating him down than taunting him. After a moment of silence, Trixie shot another blast of magic out at him as he charged forward. Reacting fast, Toya slid under her attack and tried to swing his blade at the amulet. But as he did, an ax came from nowhere and blocked his strike. His eyes widened as he noticed a skeleton beside her, but this one...
A griffon skeleton?! he thought. He quickly backed away as the undead beast tried to cut him to piece, evading the attack and gaining some distance from the both of them. Damn...if a skeleton is backing her, then this 'red knight' must have brainwashed her. That might explain how she got the amulet again... Taking a deep breath, Toya gripped his sword and stared his foes down. The griffon isn't the main issue. Trixie takes priority right now. If i beat her and take the amulet, I might be able to help her. After thinking of his plan of action, he charged forward again.
The undead griffon charged at him as well, their weapons colliding as it blocked his path to Trixie. Trixie, on the other hand, was in the back. Her horn aglow, she was starting to charge up her power for one big finish. Toya continued duking it out with the skeleton, exchanging blow for blow and steel for steel as he was not able to land a single hit on it. It was extremely skilled and managed to cut him and his armor a few times. Out of the corner of his eye, however, Toya could see what Trixie was trying to do. Shit! If I get hit by that, i'm done for. he thought.
A few more seconds passed as Toya clashed with the undead until Trixie's spell was prepared and without any hesitation, she fired the large bolt towards the fighters. Seeing his chance, Toya cut off the griffon's head and caused the skeleton to crumble. But the magic was heading towards him at a blinding rate. He had to think of something...and quick.
Come on, come on. Think. What can I do to survive this? I can't dodge it and if I block it, the sword will be torn asunder. There must be something I can... As the human thought more, an idea quickly came to mind and he smiled. It was a gambit, but he had nothing else to do. Taking a step forward, he stood his ground and put the sword away.
"You're finished, fool!" Trixie chortled. But her ears twitched as she heard an incantation.
"Veil of light, ward wizardly might." Toya chanted and after he did, the attack hit and the spell blew up. Seeing the cloud of smoke and not a single bit of movement, the unicorn gave a satisfying grin over her victory.
"Well, that takes care of that." She said. She turned around to leave the cave but not before something shot out from the smoke and headed straight towards her. The smoke cleared and revealed Toya, surrounded by a clear barrier of light.
"I'm not done yet, Trixie!" Toya cried, the pony in question turning back towards him.
"H-how did you--" Her question was cut off as Toya dropped in front of her and pinned her to the wall, the barrier protecting him fading away.
"I'll be taking this. You don't need it and this isn't who you are, Trixie." Toya said as he reached out for the amulet. But as he expected, it wouldn't come off. But what he didn't expect was for a powerful electrical shock to send him flying away from Trixie and he hit the floor hard. "Agh..."
"What do YOU know? You don't know anything about me and I want it to stay that way." Trixie huffed. Toya got off the floor and rubbed his back.
"You're wrong, Trixie. The Trixie I know wouldn't try striving for revenge again. Twilight forgave you. They don't trust you as much, but they consider you a friend. Doesn't that mean something?" he pleaded. Trixie turned her head, a cold glare shifting in his direction.
"It's all a lie. I know they never thought of me that way and they never will. But i've spent too much time here. The next time we meet, I will have my revenge." Her horn began to glow and in a flash of light, Trixie was gone. The skeleton that Toya had slain withered away until it was nothing but ashes. With a sigh of relief, the human continued forward...Unaware of the figure that was dormant in the shadows.
"So...he managed to overpower Trixie...Albeit, he let her get away. Perhaps he'll become more of a nuisance than I had previously believed. ...I may have to test him myself." The red knight chuckled and watched as the young man left the cave. "I'll be waiting, Toya..."
Toya made it out of the cave and into the light, the cold air still blowing but not as hard as before. And waiting for him on the other side was his companion.
"About time! I was starting to freeze over..." complained Barb. She puffed a bit of fire to warm them up, the human smiling over at her.
"I'm sorry I worried you." He apologized. Barb shook her head and puffed some more flame.
"It's alright. What happened in there anyway?" she asked. Toya smiled and shook his head, continuing onward.
"Not much. Nothing I couldn't handle. I'll tell you once we get some rest." He said. Barb nodded in reply and walked beside him. As they kept walking, however, Toya stopped upon hearing what sounded like echoing laughter behind him. He turned back towards the cave, earning Barb's attention.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Toya stayed silent for a moment before he shook his head and kept walking.
"Nothing...Let's go." he said. Barb stared at him in silence, a sense of worry and concern washing over her. Something got to him...and she wanted to know what it was. But seeing as how she wouldn't get an answer, she followed behind him as they continued for the Crystal Kingdom.
*This chapter will contain some sexual material. If you do not like things of this nature, then you are free to turn away. If you wish to read it anyway, I will not hold it against you. You have been warned
Chapter 6
The Empire
Barb and Toya continued to travel over the icy plains, the cold winds dying down and revealing the path ahead of them. They huddled together as they walked, Barb's flame keeping them as warm as possible until they reached their destination. It was a small flame, being strengthened by the fire spell Celestia taught her, but it was better than having nothing in this frozen wasteland.
"You warm?" She asked the human. Toya glanced at her and was set to give a sarcastic answer, but he just sighed and smiled at her.
"Not quite. But thanks for trying, Barb." he replied. Barb smiled at him and brought him closer to both herself and the fire, causing the human to blush and stare at her. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Dusk says that when it gets really cold like this, you should cuddle together to share body heat. And since dragons are naturally warm, this should heat you up quicker." Barb explained. Toya continued to blush and decided to go with it, feeling his pants getting tighter as they walked.
I'm not the only thing heating up right now, he thought. He couldn't deny. She was gorgeous. For a woman of a different species, Barb was the most beautiful girl Toya had ever seen. He wanted to know a bit more about her. What she liked to eat, what she liked to do, what movies she liked to watch. Hell, he even wanted to know if she was single. Whoa! Calm it down, Toya. You guys are just friends. Don't start thinking that stuff. Seriously, it makes me sounds like a creep.
"Toya, are you ok? You've been staring at me for quite awhile now." Barb pointed out. Toya blinked and realized that he was indeed staring at her, lost in his dreams. "Is something wrong? You can tell me if there is."
"Well...yeah, there is. But it might be better to wait until we're out of this cold air. I feel like a chocolate popsicle." he said. Barb licked her lips at the mention of food and her stomach started to growl from not having eaten in the last few hours.
"Don't mention food around me! I'm getting hungry." She groaned. The human chuckled and they continued on their path for a long while. Every now and then, the snow storm would subside and give the travelers a moment's reprieve. And when it started back up, they kept going. About twenty minutes passed until finally, they reached civilization. The Crystal Empire came into full view, its splendor warming their hearts as they rushed towards the nation and into its barrier.
"We made it!" Toya cheered, getting down on his knees and kissing the ground. "Oh sweet, sweet normal ground. How I missed treading upon you." he stopped for a moment and lifted his head, realizing that he and his companion were receiving odd looks from the residents of the empire.
"Way to go, Toya. You went and made a scene." Barb hissed. Looking back towards the gawking ponies, the dragoness chuckled and shrugged off the scene. "H-hey everyone. Don't mind my friend here. He's...from out of town. So don't worry about it." She looked around at the crowd, hoping that her (somewhat) lie would satisfy them and they would go about their business.
"The Crystal Savior!" One of them called out. The crystal ponies began to surround Barb, forgetting about her human friend and focusing on her. They began murmuring words of praise and admiration over Barb's last endeavors when she first came to the Crystal Empire. Toya could only chuckle and watch the cute display, but it was interrupted by a powerful voice.
"Enough!" The two looked to where the masculine voice came from and were greeted by the sight of another alicorn, pink in color and a white unicorn with a blue mane and feminine aura, but a masculine build.
"Gleaming! Bolero!" Barb cried, running to her Aunt and Uncle. She pulled them in for a tight hug, causing the two of them to choke before she let them go. "It's so good to see you guys again."
"It's good to see you again too, Barb." Bolero replied. The prince glanced over at Toya and raised a brow. "Is he..."
"Yeah. He's the paladin that mommy brought here." Barb replied, blushing after calling Celestia 'mommy' in public. But she was more interested in introducing her new friend to her family. Turning to the human with a smile, she pointed to the two ponies. "Toya, this is Prince Bolero, ruler of the Crystal Empire. And his wife, my aunt, Gleaming Shield."
Toya smiled sheepishly and stepped towards them, both of their heads just coming up to his chest and he held out his hand. 'It's nice to meet you." He stood there silently, waiting for the two rulers to shake his hand. To him, it wasn't really that different. Just that they had hooves instead of fingers like him. Bolero moved before his wife and lifted his hoof, allowing Toya to take it firmly and shook it up and down. The prince smiled and moved his hoof with the human before letting go, allowing his wife to shake the hand of the human who would supposedly save their land.
"Let's go into the castle and talk. We have much to discuss." Bolero said, leading the two of them into the castle. As they followed behind, a thought crept into the back of Toya's mind. It was about the dream he had before, being in the Crystal Empire. Those red eyes he saw near the end, the corpse of his companion and many other ponies.
I won't allow that to happen...
"I see. It's a good thing we made it here in time." Barb said. Bolero and Gleaming sighed sadly, looking out the window to their citizens.
"As you know, the Crystal ponies are very peaceful. For someone to come and disturb the peace of this gentle...to spill innocent blood. It's just tragic." The unicorn replied. Toya stayed silent and took in their story. Days before their arrival, ponies had come up missing and various search parties were sent out to find them. Coming up short and returning to town, they would find the corpse of said pony on the ground in a puddle of blood. An opening on his or her body would be there, revealing that the pony had their skeleton removed. But the rest of the body was intact...
"It's probably this Red Knight character." Barb quipped. "When I get my claws on him..."
"Let it be for now, Barb." Toya said, earning the attention of all three of them. "Most likely, it is him. As far as we've gone, we've run into hordes of undead. If he's taking their skeletons, he's most likely going to turn them into new undead to use against us. We're no match for him or his army right now since he's growing in numbers. Trying to look for him now would be foolhardy. Do you understand?"
"U-uh...I...yeah. I understand." Barb replied. "That's...a pretty good observation you had. I'm proud of you." Immediately, Toya lost the calm composure he had and blushed nervously. He wasn't used to praise and hearing someone that cared for him praise him like this was very welcome.
"Heh. Thanks."
"So we can't look for him now. So what do we do then?" she asked.
Gleaming got up from where she was sitting and walked over to Barb with a smile on her face. "You two don't have to do anything. You guys seem exhausted, so it might be better for you to get some rest. Take a look around the empire if you'd like before you decide to go to bed." she suggested.
"But Gleaming..." Barb protested, only for Bolero's hoof to silence her.
"I'll have the guards rallied up and positioned at different areas in town. With our defenses strengthened, we may be able to catch the perpetrator." he explained. "While I do that, you guys go and enjoy yourselves. Ok?"
"Alright. Thanks, Bo-Bo." The dragoness said, hugging the alicorn. The mood was broken, however, when the sounds of snickering came from Toya's direction.
"Bo-Bo?" he asked on the verge of laughter. Barb's cheeks began to redden and she walked past him, going out into the streets of the empire. Toya was about to follow her, until he felt a magic force tug him backwards. "Huh?" he turned his head to see the alicorn prince using his magic to hold him still.
"Auntie says that you're going to try and defeat this Red Knight. Is that true?" he asked. Scratching his head nervously, the human nodded slowly and smiled.
"Yes. That's the main reason I'm here, it seems." he sighed and turned away. "Called here to defeat some evil and then I'll be sent home..."
"I don't think that's the only reason auntie brought you to Equestria. And I can tell there's plenty that would keep you here." Bolero observed, stepping closer to the human. "There's lots of potential waiting here for you in our land. While it's unknown to you, it's well-known to us and we can help you make the most of your time here. There's lots of things around here that you see or do. Help other ponies who need it, make some friends--"
"Find love?" Toya finished, raising curiosity in the prince.
"Now that's rare. A non-pony creature falling in love with a dragon." mused the alicorn. Toya blushed and immediately turned his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"W-what?! I-i'm not in love with her! You're crazy." he retorted.
"Toya. I'm the Prince of Love. Knowing who one falls in love with and helping ponies settle their arguments by instilling the feeling of peace and love in their hearts is my special talent. I know more than you think." Toya stared at Bolero for a moment, mulling over his words and came to the conclusion that he was right. He pretty much could read him like an open book. With a forlorn look on his face, he turned and faced the wall.
"I doubt she'd feel the same way towards me. We're both completely different species. And I wouldn't have the guts to tell her how I feel." he sighed. Bolero chuckled and placed a friendly hoof on his back.
"I'm getting a sense of deja vu. I've heard that story before and you won't believe who told me." he said. Toya raised a brow and looked back at the prince. "Barb told me stories about a stallion whom she pined after for so long. Two separate ones, to be exact. When she finally realized she could never earn the affection of one, she turned and realized that someone who loved her dearly was much closer to her than she expected."
He must be talking about Rarity and Tw-- er...Elusive and Dusk, Toya thought as the alicorn continued.
"But when it came down to it, he didn't see her that way and as such, continued treating her normally. I heard she was set to just give up and focus on living her life normally. But it's hard to live without love in your life. Then you came along and by the look of things, I think she likes you."
"Do you really think so?" Toya asked. Bolero chuckled and gave the human a sly grin.
"If you don't believe me, then why don't you go figure it out yourself?" Toya remained silent and sighed. He figured it probably would be best to talk to her about such a thing. So without another word, he turned and proceeded to go out into the streets of the Empire. As he faded out of view, Gleaming stepped up beside her husband and gave a coy smile.
"10 bits says she sucks him off later on." she said. The prince laughed and smiled back at his wife.
"Make it 20 and that they fuck each others brains out and you got yourself a deal."
Toya took some time to examine the Crystal Empire in all its glory as he went outside. After walking around for about what seemed like an hour, going to various shops and even checking out the arena, he took a moment to relax and smiled.
"It's just like in the show. It's all exactly the same. The ponies, the shops, the arena, the Crystal Heart. Everything." He told himself. "To think, everything I've seen on the show was actually a world all its own. But why is everything that's really happening here not being broadcast back home? It doesn't make any sense... I can understand wanting to keep it PG. But to practically fabricate this world, take everything and twist it around...it's not right."
"Hey Toya!" Toya whipped his head around to see his dragon companion walking down the street. She had cotton candy, a straw hat on her head and a silly grin on her face. "What are you doing by yourself?"
"I was looking for you. I was gonna stay inside the castle and rest, but I figured I might as well check this place out. Maybe hang with you. That is, if you don't mind." he asked. Barb stared at him blankly for a few moments, noticing the blush on his face and she blushed in kind.
"What, like a date?" She chuckled.
"W-what?! N-no. No, of course not. I-i meant like...you know...as friends." Toya stammered. Barb took a bite out of her cotton candy and laughed a little, confusing the human.
"You dummy. I was just kidding. Of course I knew what you meant, but I accept. I'll hang out with you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Now come on. I know a few places around here that you will just love." Turning away after she spoke, Barb took off running and Toya ran after her. For the remainder of the day, the two of them spent time together and their bond grew tighter. Barb took Toya all over the Crystal Empire (practically dragged, to put it correctly) and showed him its many wonders. She even went so far as to let him take part in the arena. Many of the spectators were surprised to see a non-pony creature enter, but they simply shrugged it off and let him participate. By a stroke of luck, he made it to the semi-finals and fought his last opponent. It was a hulking armored stallion with a look of fierce determination in his eyes. Sadly, Toya lost but he was a good sport about it.
Even after leaving the arena, Toya and Barb continued to traverse the crystalline city until they finally decided to stop. It was the dead of night, Celestia had lowered the sun and her sister raised the moon. The crystal ponies who were once outside began to retire to their homes. They were tired, beat and wanted to sleep more than anything. Going back into the castle, the two of them were still in high spirits after having so much fun.
"Wow. I never knew the Crystal Empire had so much stuff to do." Toya huffed. "Kinda reminds me of the things back home...But more fun."
"That reminds me. What's the human world like, Toya? What was your life there like? Did you get to do all sorts of cool things there too?" Barb asked. The human fell silent at her words, his expression changing and Barb immediately began to regret asking something like that. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright. it's not really that personal." Toya replied. "Just...I hate my life back home...and I never want to see it again. I like it here much better anyway. I get to go on a freaking adventure, traveling to different lands, do magic, have fun and I have you, too..." Toya stopped speaking, catching himself before he said something but it was already too late. Barb began to blush when she understood what he was saying and stayed silent. They stared at each other for a few moments, each one blushing harder than ever until they chuckled nervously.
"Um...M-maybe we should go to bed." Barb suggested. Toya nodded eagerly and smiled.
"Great idea. Well, goodnight." The human waved off his companion and turned to go upstairs to his room, but he bumped into the wall and groaned. However, that earned a giggle from the purple dragon. "Heh. Wall was in the way."
"Riii~ght." The dragoness giggled again and walked past him, going upstairs and to her room. Toya rubbed his face, trying to get rid of the pain and followed after her. Barb had taken the room that was to his far right, down the end of the hall. He opened the first door on his left and found an empty room.
"This must be my room then." He figured, closing the door behind him. There was a bed all set and ready for him to sleep in, some water if he was thirsty and a beautiful view from the window. "Geez. Ponies really know how to treat their guests right." Chuckling to himself, Toya removed his armor and shoes and climbed onto the bed. "Ugh. That's right. These are the only clothes I have right now." he realized. "I may need to ask if someone can tailor me some new ones...Eh. I'll do it later."
The human allowed his mind to wander as he drifted off to sleep, remembering what Barb had asked him earlier. "Home...I wonder what mom is doing right now... Bet she's still arguing with that dumbass." he told himself. "Don't even know if I'm gone or not. She doesn't even act like my mother anymore..." His voice got lower as he continued talking to himself about what could or could not be happening back in the human world until he finally fell asleep, the last sound he heard being that of the door creaking open.
"Hm? What's going on now?" Toya said. He opened his eyes and sat up, his surroundings different than before. He was no longer in the Crystal Empire. In fact, he wasn't even in bed anymore. He was outside in the forest once more, the place where he and Barb slept together. "Why am I out here? I should be..."
"Oh Toya." A feminine voice called to him. Toya felt his heartbeat start to rise and quicken as he recognized exactly whose voice called him. Turning his head, he looked around for his companion only to see nothing. However upon looking down, he was greeted by a sight that made all the blood rush to his cheeks...and groin.
There she was. The picture of innocence, Barbara the dragon, laying down on the covers they used to shield themselves from the cold weather. She was wearing clothes like a human, a little tidbit that turned Toya on and she was looking right at him. It was hard to see, due to the darkness of the night but it was definitely her.
"B-barb? W-what are you doing? And what are you wearing? Weren't you just running around stark naked in the Crystal Empire with me?" he asked, confused and aroused by this entire situation.
"I was." She said, panting. She was definitely out of breath, but not in the tired kind of way. Looking down, Toya noticed a bit of moisture traveling down her leg. Toya felt a tent being pitched in his pants at the sight and looked to his dragoness companion's heaving chest. She was horny. Horny because of him! "But I thought you and I should spend a little more time together in a more...secluded spot."
"Barb..." Toya said with a whisper. He couldn't deny it. This was pretty hot, given it was a dragon doing this for him. But it didn't feel right. "Barb, this isn't right. You're not thinking straight. You're just..." Toya's sentence was cut short as Barbara grabbed his cheeks and pulled him down to her, giving him a passionate kiss on the lips. He was taken by surprise due to her sudden action and was about to pull away. But the longer they kissed, the less he resisted until he gave in and kissed her back.
They moaned as they continued, mouths locked together and their tongues dancing with one another. It lasted for a few more moments before Toya pulled up for air and stared into her emerald eyes. They panted heavily, flustered and their cheeks crimson red as their arousal continued to rise. Was this really going to happen? Were Toya and Barb really going to...
"Toya. Something's poking me." Barb pointed out. Toya broke his train of thought and his face flushed red, looking down and seeing his thick cock jabbing her leg. "Ooh. Is that for me?" She cooed, earning a nervous chuckle from her partner.
"W-well, uh..." Toya tried thinking of a logical answer, anything to keep himself from feeling more embarrassed than he was right now. But his thought was interrupted as a scaly claw gently dragged across his crotch, shocks of pleasure being sent up to his brain and a moan managed to worm its way out. He covered his mouth and his face reddened further and Barb giggled at his reaction.
"It's alright. It just means I'm doing the right thing. Lemme see what else I can do." The dragoness gave him a devious grin as she grabbed the side of his pants with each hand and swiftly pulled them down, revealing the swollen member. Curiosity piqued inside of Barb's mind upon seeing it. It was much different than that of a stallion and much different than a dragons. It was smaller than either of the two, but big in its own way. It was good enough for her.
"B-barb? What are you doing?" Toya asked, sweat dripping down his cheek. Barb looked up at him and giggled, gently grasping his dick and licking her lips.
"I'm gonna make you feel good. It's the least I can do for you. You treated me so well these past few days. ...Consider it your reward, personally from me." Without another word, Barb opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue and carefully dragged it along the length of his shaft. Toya shuddered at the feeling, the pleasure filling his mind. He didn't want to resist it. In fact, he wanted more. Much more. He wanted her to keep going. So, he stayed there and watched her go to work, licking his dick like it was the most delicious treat in the world.
Up and down. Up and down. Barb continued to lick his member eagerly, feeling herself grow wetter. Toya, at the moment, was groaning and shuddering with pleasure. The feeling of her tongue, coating his cock in her saliva and the lustful look in her eyes only increasing it further. His member twitched eagerly as she kissed the tip and stopped, causing him to look at Barb with a confused stare. As he was ready to ask why she stopped, she dove her head down and took his shaft into her mouth. Toya moaned loud and leaned back, giving Barb more room as she stared at him and started sucking him off. She slowly bobbed her head up and down, swishing her tongue along the underside of his penis and savoring his taste.
"S-shit. That feels really good." Toya groaned, his hand reaching out and grabbing the top of her head. Barb looked up at him curiously and the same devious smirk of hers returned as she bobbed her head faster, her tongue coiling around his shaft as she did. The human continued to moan, unable to look away from the purple dragon. Globs of precum began to leak out of the tip of his cock and landed on her tongue. It had a salty taste to it, but she didn't mind. Toya watched as her free hand moved between her own legs and she started to moan. Barb was fingering herself. She was getting herself off while she was doing the same to him.
This has to be the best thing that's ever happened to me, Toya thought as he continued to moan. He looked away as she continued playing with herself and stared into her eyes and she was staring up into his. A sly grin formed on his face as he grabbed her head and started thrusting his hips. Barb gagged as she felt his cock touch the back of her throat and teared up slightly, but it made her get riled up more. She bobbed her head faster, her tongue gently caressing the base of his shaft and let out muffled moans as her claws quickened their pace, a loud squelching sound coming from her legs.
Toya wasn't handling too well as his thrusts began to lose rhythm, but picked up in pace. He was nearing his limit and the carnal need to release was welling up inside of him. "B-Barb, I'm about ready to cum." He called out as he continued thrusting in and out of her mouth. The dragoness continued to moan around his dick, sending vibrations through it but she nodded in approval, ready to accept his load. She was peaking as well, her claw gently pinching her swollen nub as she continued fingering herself. The pressure in their bodies continued to build, their muscles tensing. Barb's body began to shudder until she finally came, her claws diving in deep and coating them in her juices.
"Barb!" Toya cried out the name of his companion as he rode out his orgasm as well, burying his cock inside and exploded into her mouth. Ropes of sticky cum shot out from the head of his member, filling her mouth. Barb pulled his cock out of her mouth, the sound of a wet 'pop' ringing in Toya's ears and swallowed his seed. Again, it was still salty and bitter but she thought it tasted good. The two were overcome by fatigue and collapsed onto the blanket together, wrapping their arms around one another.
"How did it feel?" Barb asked. She was out of breath, bathing in the afterglow of their intimacy but still had enough energy to talk to her human friend.
"That was amazing." Toya replied, his chest heaving as his member went flaccid. Barb giggled and cuddled up with him, nuzzling her head into his chest. Toya chuckled and pulled her closer and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take him once more.
"Mmm...I love you, Barb." Toya said in his sleep. At the end of his bed, a purple dragon quickly put the covers back over his body and rushed out of the room. Her cheeks were covered in white goo, which she wiped off in a hurry as her cheeks flushed red.
"Celestia dammit! Why did I just do that?" She whispered to herself. She was panicked, confused and a bit aroused by her actions. "And did he just say he loved me? Oh man. I hope he was still asleep. Please don't let him remember this." Flustered and angry with herself, Barb ran back into her bedroom and shut the door, going into her bed and hoping to forget this night.
"See? What'd I tell you?" Said a boastful Gleaming Shield to her husband. Bolero groaned and used his magic to levitate a wallet from the dresser.
"Fine fine. 20 bits, right?" he asked with an annoyed look.
"No. I think I'd rather get something...else...from you." His wife replied with a sultry stare.
"Want me to get the crop, hoof cuffs and ball gag?"
Morning came around the bend following Toya's exciting dream.With a loud yawn, he awoke from his slumber and sat up straight. He stretched and scratched his head, trying to clear away any feeling of exhaustion. But even with that, he had slept better than any time back home. While his bed was soft, despite the bars underneath, he could never have a good night's rest. Being plagued by either nightmares or stress didn't really do him much good. And on top of that, there was the dream...
"Barb would never see me like that." He whispered to himself. "The slightest chance that she and I would ever do anything like that were if she were in heat. Then she'd either force herself to wait it out or be desperate enough to use me to cure it. Ugh...but it wouldn't be right. I'd rather her love me for real, not see me as a way to sate her lust." he sighed and got out of his bed.
A cool breeze came to his lower half and upon looking down, he noticed that his pants were down and his penis hanging out the hole of his boxers. To him, that was very odd. Back home in summer, he would normally wear just his shorts, underwear and a t-shirt to bed. Sometimes only his boxers, but that would be only if it were too hot for him. If he wore his pants to bed, they would stay on. He was a stickler when it came to his own wardrobe...
"How the heck did that happen?" He asked himself. He straightened himself up and was set to zip his pants up when he noticed something. Zipping up his pants, he walked over to the end of his bed. On the floor, just near the edge was a small puddle of liquid. It was clear and had no smell to it, so it wasn't what he thought it was. Thank god... He kneeled down and was about to touch it when the door to his room swung open and his dragon companion stood there with a blush on her cheeks.
"Toya, don't touch that!" She yelled, causing the human to stop what he was doing. He stared at her with a look of confusion, remaining where he was.
"Morning to you too, Barb." he replied. "Um...any reason you're freaking out so bad?" The dragoness remained silent, trying to think of a good excuse before he learned that the liquid on the floor was hers. "Well?"
"Um...you might not know where it's been. It could be from a potion someone accidentally spilled or maybe even a poison. It's best to leave it alone and just get prepared. Anyway, Bolero and Gleaming said for us to meet them in the main hall." Barb said. "So get off your lazy butt and get ready."
"Alright alright." Groaned the human. "You sound like my mother..." He walked away from his draconic companion and into the restroom, closing the door behind him. Barb sighed and grabbed a wipe and started to clean up her mess. It was embarrassing enough that she did what she did the other night, but to have left evidence behind...
"That was way too close..."
Toya got into the shower, letting the water splash over his head and soak his body. He took the time to relax and think about his time in Equestria. It'd only been a few days since he arrived, but he truly felt right at home. He wondered what his life would be like if he stayed. Yeah, he'd be the only human in a world of colorful talking ponies but there'd be some benefits behind it.
"Let's see..." he muttered to himself. "I'd have more freedom to find employment opportunities, I can travel to various places and regions for reasonable costs, I can meet new people and probably make some friends here." Those seemed like some interesting perks that came to mind, but there were other things that he could think of as well. He could own his own home and probably have to pay much less than he could back on Earth. Everyone knew everyone, so no worries about feeling socially awkward when trying to talk to others. "And Barb is here, too..."
He sighed to himself and lathered up some soap, washing his body with it and covering himself in the suds. He still couldn't shake the dream from his mind nor how Barb acted. It was unlike her, but it felt so real. So passionate. Something he truly desired. He didn't care about having her body, but he just wanted to have her.
"What am I thinking? It's just a silly crush, like with Spike and Rarity." He told himself. "I'll grow out of it eventually..."
Toya...
Even now, he could hear the dragoness moan his name like in the dream. The way it sounded when it escaped her lips was divine. He would touch her body all over, slowly and delicately, as she continued to croon.
Oh Toya...
"Oh Barb..." He moaned, his hand having slid down to his crotch and he began stroking himself. He was a kind person with a perverse mind, but he couldn't help himself. He was still in High School, after all. He'd never had sex with anyone, so his sexual urges would continue to build up. He continued to moan and stroke himself, thinking of his dragon friend. Her curves, her voice and voluptuous form.
Harder, Toya...
"Toya!" The human snapped out of his daze as the voice of his companion came from behind the door. "Are you ok in there? I thought I heard something."
"N-no no. I'm alright. I was just singing..." He said. From behind the door, he could hear the dragoness laughing.
"Seriously, dude? Singing? Never knew you were into such things. You humans are weird." She said, her laughter fading as she walked away. Toya sighed and shook his head, thinking that his chances with her just lowered further. But he didn't deny it. Sometimes he would sing in the shower. Hell, he would often get songs stuck in his head that he would end up singing.
He hummed a few bars, scrubbing his hair and lathering up more soap with a smile on his head as he sung a couple of lyrics.
Don't be that way, bitch.
Let me introduce you
To my three best friends, Mister Johnson
And the Juice Crew.
If you save the Princess Zelda, well you know you're gonna grab her.
So why don't you try to come grab my inflatable poo-jabber?
He chuckled to himself at the lyrics, unable to get the way the actual song sounded out of his head. "Egoraptor does some weird stuff, but it's always so funny." He told himself. If he ever got the chance to go home and bring Barb with him, he'd introduce her to some of the wonders of his world. But did he really want to go back?
Would he be able to go back?
The human eventually finished taking his shower and got dressed, heading down into the main hall to meet with the crystal rulers. Barb was talking with Gleaming, her cheeks bright red and the unicorn seemed to be laughing.
"Well, just make sure not to do it again. You gotta keep yourself under control." She said. Barb sighed and rubbed the back of her head, brushing her hand over her spines.
"Yes, Gleaming." The dragoness replied. As the two of them finished talking, Toya stepped up having only heard the last of the conversation. "There you are. What took you so long?"
"I was taking a shower, remember?" Toya replied. "You can't rush someone when they're trying to be clean. Anyway, what's this about you needing to control yourself?" Barb blushed as he asked his question, earning a chuckle from the pink alicorn.
"It's just a girl thing, Toya. No need to trouble yourself over it." Said the prince. He cleared his throat and smiled at the two travelers. "Anyway, we still have no leads on the murder from yesterday but we do suspect it to be this Red Knight character Barb told me about. There's been sightings of skeletal figures outside of the empire, to the western region. They seem to be coming out of a tomb...but--"
"If they're coming out of a tomb, then that means the knight must be there." Toya concluded. "So all we have to do is go in there, take him down and Equestria is saved. Easy as pie." The human was quickly struck in the back of the head by a purple claw belonging to his dragon companion. "Ow! What was that for?"
"You idiot. It's not that simple." She said. Barb rubbed her shoulder and looked at the floor. "The thought of going into the tomb frightens me...because it's..." Her sentence was cut off by a hoof as Bolero had gotten out of his throne to silence her. He gave her a comforting smile, letting her know that she didn't need to speak about it further and looked to the human.
"That tomb...is the resting place of King Sombra's horn."
Fear gripped Toya's heart and mind upon hearing Bolero's words. The tomb where the skeletons were coming from, the place where the Red Knight could be hiding out and the place where everything could be decided for Equestria was the tomb of Sombra. Or in this case, the Horn of Sombra.
Sombra was Season Three's most underrated villain. He looked fearsome and had some power behind to back him up. In terms of dialogue, he only spoke...very few words. But when it came to character, there was so much hidden potential. He had so many traps waiting for those who would dare enter his castle, such as the Fear Door that nearly crippled Twilight's mind with her greatest fear.
...Oh. Toya looked over to his draconic companion as a sense of realization came over him. Barb was scared that she would see her greatest fear. The fear of being told by Dusk that she didn't love him anymore and wanted her out of his life. That scene with Spike had actually hit Toya pretty hard. Spike had been nothing but loyal and dependable to Twilight throughout their years together as friends, even like siblings. For him to be told that he wasn't loved and to leave forever, even if it was just an illusion, it still hurt.
"While we know that Sombra is long gone..." Bolero continued, "We know that his horn is located somewhere in the tomb. I need you two to go and retrieve it."
"Question!" Toya called out, stopping the pink alicorn. "It's only his horn. Sombra's not connected to it anymore and he's long since been dead, right? Why bother going after such a thing?"
"We thought about that too and considered not bothering with it at all..." Gleaming said. "However, it's recently come to our attention that his horn is still generating dark energy. It was small at first, but it's become more obvious now." Bolero looked to his wife and back to the travelers and picked up from where she left off.
"Dark magic is a very powerful, but deadly, form of magic. Dark, corrupt, full of malice. It can be used to do a variety of things, but is mainly for causing harm to its victims in different ways." He explained. "If a large gathering of magic is concentrated on a single point for too long, it will implode upon the user and damage them internally. Worse case scenario; They die. So think: What would happen were a broken horn to concentrate a large amount of dark magic in a single area?"
Toya and Barb thought about it for a moment, not entirely familiar with how magic worked. Barb knew a few things, but Dusk never explained something like this at all. Not even in any of the books he had. If magic was concentrated in great amounts for too long, it would implode. Meaning that it would destroy the user from within. So if the same thing happened with a horn that was no longer connected to its owner...
The gears quickly turned in their heads as they finally figured out what would happen, their reactions letting Bolero know that they understood. "That's right. If the horn continues to concentrate any more dark magic while left unattended where it is, the resulting explosion will take the Crystal Kingdom with it. ...And it won't be temporary this time."
"We'll get the horn right away." Toya said, bowing to the two rulers. Barb smiled and lifted him up, chuckling at how traditional he was acting and Bolero chuckled as well.
"Very well. But I can't send you two alone. Who knows what could be waiting for you there? So I'll be sending a few of my crystal guards with you as backup. I hope you don't mind." He said. The dragoness smiled and shook her head.
"No, we don't mind. It might be good to have some extra firepower."
"Excellent. I'll give the two of you some time to prepare. The guards will be stationed at the kingdom's entrance. Just let them know when you're ready." Bolero smiled, getting out of his seat and stepped towards the two of them. He lowered his head and in royal gesture, tapped his horn on both of their shoulders. "May Celestia's light keep you safe on your journey."
Toya and Barb smiled and nodded, turning and leaving the castle. What Bolero had done, Toya had seen before on news channels and in English books. It was a gesture that royals would perform for some soldiers or even citizens in order to knight them. He wasn't sure if that's how it worked in Equestrian culture, but he felt honored to receive such a blessing. The two travelers continued down the street in silence until Toya noticed that Barb was hanging her head low. She looked shaken up, as if she had seen a ghost. More likely than not, it was due to the fact that she would have to get near a portion of Sombra.
She must really be afraid of Sombra, The human thought. Reaching out to his companion, Toya touched Barb's shoulder, which caused the dragoness to slightly jump in surprise and look at him. "Hey. You alright?"
"Huh? Y-yeah. I'm fine." She lied. She didn't want to worry him with her petty fears. They had a more important task at hand and they had to get it done, no matter how frightened she was.
"You're still afraid of Sombra, aren't you?" He asked, wanting to help her conquer her fear.
"What? What do you mean 'still'? How would you even know--"
"You've been to the Crystal Empire before. That would mean you encountered Sombra once. Am I wrong?" Toya said. He knew he was right, but didn't want to tell her how he knew exactly what happened.
Barb sighed and rubbed her arm, looking away from the human. "Yeah, I have. It wasn't a very fun time, I'm sure you can imagine. Everything was going well for me, Dusk and his friends after meeting up with Gleaming. Then he showed up..."
"What happened?" Toya asked, knowing the answer.
"He attacked Gleaming and restricted her magic before moving and coming to the Crystal Kingdom. We kept him out for a time while looking for the Crystal Heart before he got in. Dusk got caught in Sombra's trap and entrusted me to get the heart where it belonged." The dragoness rubbed her head and looked at him with doubt in her eyes.
"Were you scared?"
Barb's eyes widened and she puffed her chest out proudly. "Pfft, as if. I'm a dragon and we're brave by nature." She said.
Says the one who ran like a chicken when Sombra got near...
"But I was a little nervous, I guess. I thought that if I failed, the Crystal Kingdom would be a goner again. It all rested upon me...."
Toya stepped closer to the dragon and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile. "Hey. Whatever happened then is in the past now. This is the present. We have to think about now. We have to hurry and get to the burial site and take care of that horn. You beat Sombra before. I'm sure you can deal with a measly horn." He said, patting her back. Barb thought about it for a moment as a sense of confidence filled her and she smiled at the human.
"Yeah. I can take care of some stupid horn. Let's hurry up before anything gets worse." She said, running off without him. Toya stood there and watched her go, chuckling silently to himself.
"I love that girl... Hey! Wait up!"
The duo walked for a time until the Crystal Empire was far behind their backs, arriving at the entrance to the burial site. Positioned outside was a group of six guards, just as Bolero had said and they saluted upon their arrival.
"Crystal Savior. It's been awhile." One of the guards said. He had a gruff, low voice and a commanding air that practically demanded respect. "The prince has told us to help safeguard you while you get the horn. Would you like us to come in with you?"
Toya tapped his chin and looked over at the dragoness and back at the soldier. "I think--"
"No thank you." Barb said, shocking both the guards and Toya.
"No? But Barb--"
"It's alright, Toya. I think we can handle this on our own. If we take all of them in, then how can we prevent from anyone else from coming in? And if just a few of them stay here, then they won't be strong enough to fend themselves for long." The dragoness explained. The human took in her words and thought about it. She had a point. Though it was good to be strong in numbers, they could easily be overtaken if they all stayed together or the guards could perish if only a few of their forces stayed behind. He looked at her and nodded, Barb smiling in response as she continued speaking. "Stay here and keep watch. If anyone tries forcing their way in, take them out."
"Yes ma'am!" The guards shout, saluting to the dragoness. Seeing that they understood, Barb walked through the entrance with Toya following behind her. As they faded from sight, the guards turned and stood watch at the entrance to the burial site, unaware of a lingering shadow overhead.
"So the horn is located deep in here, right?" Toya asked. Barb nodded as they continued onward, following the torches that lit the way.
"Yeah. But I'm not exactly sure how we're gonna get it out of here. That thing contains dark magic and if we can't get it out, then the entire empire is doomed." She explained. Toya thought about it for a moment when an idea came to mind.
"Why don't you carry it out?"
"Me?!" She stared at him in shock, his idea sounding crazier the more she thought about it.
"Well think for a second. You're a dragon and from what I know, dragons are very resistant to magic. So if you're the one carrying the horn by the time we find it, we should be able to get it out without any casualties. The worse thing that could happen is that it zaps you a few times while you're holding it." He explained. Toya had faith in Barb, as should anyone who is partnered with someone they could call a friend. If you couldn't have faith in each other, then everything you did would be for naught. Barb knew this, but deep inside she was still scared. Sombra's dark magic was all about fear and the last thing she wanted to deal with...the last thing she wanted to see was that horrid memory.
"I understand, but..." The dragon's sentence was cutoff by the human's finger to her lip. She looked down at him and slowly smiled at him, earning a smile right back from him.
"Don't be scared. Whatever happens, I'll be with ya." Toya said as he puffed out his chest. "You can count on me!"
The dragoness giggled and smiled as they continued onward down the pathway. They came upon several twists and turns as they went down and the further they went, the more pressure there was in the air. It felt as if something was trying to suffocate them, making it hard for them to breathe.
"Damn...Getting a little hard to breathe down here." Toya held his chest and dropped down on one knee and coughed.
"D-dark energy is filling the air. We must be close." Barb said. She was having as much trouble breathing as he was, but her strong lungs eased the pain for her. She walked over and helped the human up, walking him down a corridor. As they walked, a strange glow started to illuminate the area as black sparks circled around. They followed the sparks until finally, they came upon their destination.
Lying down in the middle of the room, surging with dark power, was none other than Sombra's horn. The broken appendage was pulsating with dark energy, bolts of magic flowing from its tip as magic was continuing to grow unstable.
"There it is." Toya said, stumbling toward it. 'So all we have to do is get it out of here. Barb, you're up." The dragoness blushed and rubbed the back of her head and moved towards the horn. A few sparks of dark magic shot out in her direction, narrowly missing her and scorching the wall at her backside and she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't really want to be the one to grab it, but Toya would possibly die before he could get close enough. Bracing herself, she reached down and swiftly picked up the horn. Once she did, the surge of magic died down but sparks of magic were still flickering around the horn and left small marks on Barb's arm and hand.
"You alright?" The human asked, walking over to his partner. The dragoness smiled and nodded her head, looking down at the appendage.
"Yeah. It stings a little, but nothing I can't handle. Let's get this back to Bolero and Gleaming so we can go home." She replied.
"Uh...speaking of home..." Toya rubbed his head, his cheeks turning red as he spoke to her. "I was wondering if, perhaps...maybe you and I..."
"Yes?" Barb raised a brow and stared at him in silence. The human continued fiddling with his fingers, trying to find a proper way to ask her when felt something approaching. Something dark. He reached for his sword and pulled it out, quickly turning in time to block a dark blast of energy that came down from the path. The impact from the blast sent him skidding backwards along the ground. Barb looked back at him with shock, noticing him fending off the attack and ran over to him. "Toya!"
"I-i'm fine." He replied, still shaken from the blast. "Where the heck did that--" As he pondered on the source of the attack, his eyes widened as a figure came into view. Barb turned her head and her eyes widened in surprise at the form that was before them.
A man clad in red armor stood at their only exit, staring them down. In his hand was a blade of darkness, a skull and bones fastened to it to form the handle. The sword itself was pulsating with dark energy, but the aura around his body was frightening enough.
"Well, you certainly saved me the trouble of finding the horn." The man spoke. His voice was deep and commanding, almost threatening but Toya wasn't going to let himself be scared.
"You...You're the Red Knight, aren't you?" He asked, pointing his sword at the intruder. The man in red chuckled softly, slowly lifting his sword up.
"Do you see anyone else dressed in red here?" He replied, earning a growl of frustration from the other human. "Either way, you shouldn't lift up your sword unless you aim to do something with it." The knight walked toward them, only to have Toya and Barb step backwards. The dragoness hid the horn behind her back while the human continued to hold his blade up to his foe. The power coming from the knight was overwhelming and he hadn't even done anything yet. The blast was weak enough to block, but the force behind it was tremendous. If he was able to put that much force behind such a feeble attack, then who knew what he was capable of.
"How did you get in here?" Barb asked. "There were guards stationed outside to keep anyone from getting in."
"Those fools?" The knight chuckled and examined his sword in a taunting matter. "I encountered them, yes. But if that's all the Crystal Empire had to offer, then I'm sorely disappointed. They threw themselves at me to bar my path. And one after another..." The knight smiled under his helm, turning back to the party before a red glow appeared where his eyes would be.
"I cut them all down."
"You're a monster." Toya growled, balling his hand into a fist.
"And you have something I want. So you can put the sword down, boy. You're too old to be playing hero and I doubt you want your little girlfriend here to get hurt because of your rash judgements." Said the knight. "So I shall off you a choice." The knight lifted his sword, pointing it at the dragoness as a smile creeped on his face.
"You can surrender the horn now and leave with your lives intact...", he said, glancing over at Toya. "Or refuse...and your friend's life is forfeit."
Toya stood there for a moment, shaking with fear in the presence of the man in red. Standing before him was the one he needed to watch out for, alone but definitely not defenseless. He took out the guards all on his own, and both he and his weapon were surging with great power. They had to get the horn back to the empire so it could be destroyed, so he couldn't allow it to fall into his hands.
"Have you made your decision?" The knight asked with an impatient tone. "My patience with you is wearing thin."
"Toya..." Barb looked over to her friend with a worried look on her face. She, too, was shaking in fear. Not only from the presence of the man before them, but in fear that she would lose her life. He couldn't let her get killed because of his foolishness. But if he let him have the horn, more than the empire would be in danger.
The choice was all upon him.
"I...I..."
Chapter 7-End
Author's note: Just wanted to let you guys know I am deeply deeply sorry for getting this out so late. I've been extremely busy and I'm just started working a new job. But I really hope you enjoyed this one. Now, a few things I wanted to clear up.
1. Yes, I am fully aware that the fact I had Toya sing that song by Egoraptor (go listen to it, by the way) was ridiculous. It was intentional because Toya is somewhat immature, but has his moments of maturity. We all do. And how often is it that we don't start suddenly bursting into song in the shower thinking of a song we really like? Be honest.
2. I do not plan on rushing Toya and Barb's relationship at all. What Barb had done was on lust. Dragons are lustful, though prideful, creatures. They need release at some point and if they have no tool to take care of it, then they use the next best thing: A male.
3.The Red Knight is heavily inspired by Sepulchure from the online browser game, Dragonfable. If you want a clue on what the Red Knight looks like, or close to it, here's a picture:
I am just very busy with daily things in my life, such as trying to find a new job, thinking of a new place to settle down and jumbling my real life with my fun time. The stories will still be on-going but at a rather slow pace. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about this sooner, but i assure you. Once I have the free time to do it, i will get the next chapter to you guys.
"So what will it be, boy?" The red knight asked, pressing the tip of his blade to Barb's neck and never taking his eyes off of him. "Forsake the life of your friend? Or give the horn to its rightful owner?"
"What do you mean 'rightful owner'? The horn belonged to a unicorn who pursued the dark arts and enslaved an entire empire because of it. The power inside is way too much for a human to handle and there's no way I'd give it up to you!" Toya replied, gripping his sword tightly.
"On the contrary, that horn does and shall belong to me. It's far too important for me to leave in the hands of a doomed child." The knight chuckled softly before straightening himself back up. "I won't ask you again. Hand over the horn or your girlfriend pays the price."
Toya stood silently and mulled it over, weighing his options. There was the obvious answer: Say yes and hand over the horn in exchange for Barb's safety but there were two possible outcomes that he knew would come from it. The knight would have the power contained in the horn and fulfill his purpose, wreaking havoc over Equestria and eventually bring it to ruin. But he would also go back on his word once the horn was in his possession and kill both him and Barb. The other option would be to say no...and that would likely still lead to their deaths. The life of the dragoness meant too much to him, but Equestria's safety was also top priority.
"So how about it? What will it be?" The knight asked, waiting for the human's decision.
"I-i..."
"I'll be fine, Toya." Barb spoke up. The human looked over at her with widened eyes as she continued to speak. "Just take the horn and go! I don't care what happens to me, but we can't let him have it."
"But I care, Barb!" Toya retorted, causing the dragoness' cheeks to light up. "You're my friend...and I care for you deeply. That's why we have to do this." The human sighed as he lowered his blade, defeated as he truly realized there was only one real choice to make. "Give him the horn."
"But Toya--"
"No buts! Just...please. Just give it to him." The dragoness remained silent at the human's request, a wave a guilt and disappointment flowing through her mind as she took the horn and relinquished it to the man in red. The knight took the horn from her with little hesitation before pushing her away, laughing triumphantly as he finally received his prize. But before he could gloat any further, his gaze quickly locked onto Toya, who had sprinted toward him and blocked a strike from his sword.
"I figured you wouldn't have given it up so easily. So stubborn no matter where you go." The knight said, pushing the human backwards with his own blade.
"Stop acting like you know me!" Toya yelled, "I promised the princess that I would make sure we got the horn back to her and I'll be damned if I let it out of my sights after we came this far."
"So you're willing to put your life on the line for an object your feeble mind cannot hope to grasp without knowing its true use?" The knight chuckled as the horn slowly faded into the shadows of his palm and he raised his blade to Toya, "So be it."
Wasting no time in response to his taunt, Toya lunged forward with his sword tightly gripped in his hands, swinging the blade at the dark knight before him. The red knight, in turn, used his own sword to deflect Toya's attack and with a flick of his other hand, he fired yet another dark blast of energy at him. Toya had little time to react to the wave of dark energy that was fast approaching but there was just a small enough gap for him to defend himself, shouting "Shell!" as he cast a magical barrier around his body to ward off the attack. However, it did little but lessen the force as it slammed into his body and sent him careening across the floor of the cavern.
"Toya!" Barb cried his name, rushing over to help her friend back onto his feet. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine..." Toya said, "But that attack really packed a punch, even with the barrier up." He groaned in pain, reaching down to pick his sword back up to face his attacker once more and charging back into battle. Barb looked between the both of them, chills running down her spine as she thought about whether or not to help him out. The red knight was in a league all on his own and she could tell that he had more tricks up his sleeve. They needed to get the horn back from him, but was it really worth risking their lives? If they died now, then he would win regardless and likely not even the princesses could stop him.
"Is that really all you have?" The knight cackled, mocking the being before him as he swung his sword and knocked the weak human back away from him. Dark power continued to radiate from his form, giving off an oppressive air that seemed to be even more threatening than he was. "Let's hurry this along. I have the horn now, so fighting you is a waste of time and resisting me will only delay the inevitable."
"I won't let you get away with this." Toya declares, raising his blade in defiance as he stumbled toward the man in red. "I promised the princess and myself that I would stop you. I'll never forgive myself if I go back on my word now!"
"You mean we won't let him get away with this." Barb said, moving next to her human companion and smiling at him. Her kind gaze instantly fell and became one of anger as she turned her attention to the red knight. The two of them might not consider themselves strong enough to defeat him, but they were determined to stand strong and keep him from enacting whatever fiendish plot he had in mind. They had to try.
"You're all alone here, knight. But Barb and I have each other. Even if we can't win, we'll fight our hardest to see that you don't win." The human declared, brandishing his sword, ready for battle. "That's all we can do."
"Don't think so little of me, boy." The red knight said. The tone he spoke in was...different. It was calm, but there was...malice in his voice. Almost as if he were...irritated. "I'm not foolish to come alone, even if I know victory is assured. Such is a perk of being someone like me." With a wave of his hand, the ground beneath them began to tremble as what appeared to be skeletal hooves began reaching out of the ground and forming into pure equine skeletons. "I may not have any human undead at my side, but I can still command the ponies who died here!"
Both Barb and Toya watched as the bones of the dead rose from the ground, surrounding the both of them until they had nowhere to run. The red knight stood and watched with a smile on his face, raising his sword as he readied to command them.
"Barb?"
The dragoness looked over at her human friend as he called her name. "Yeah?"
"I've got your back. Don't be afraid. We're in this together until the end, got it?"
The dragoness remained silent for a moment, her expression calm and determined, nodding her head before turning to the horde of skeletons. With her claws unsheathed and Toya's sword drawn, the two leaped into battle as the knight pointed his blade forward.
"Get them!" With a loud command, the skeletons obeyed and swarmed the two, some armed while others had no weapons to fight but their numbers alone was enough to try and overwhelm them. Barb was doing her best to fend them off, her breath of fire and magic breaking the skeletal equines apart while Toya simply slashed and cut his way through the armed ones in order to get closer to the mysterious man.
But their forces were too many and pushed him further away, blocking his route to him. Toya, however, was not going to let that stop him but a shriek caught his attention as he turned to see Barb had been pinned by several skeletons and rushed to her aid. With a powerful slash from his sword, he cleaved the undead in two, helping the dragoness back onto her feet.
"Thanks for that." Barb said with a smile, Toya placing a hand on her shoulder and casting a healing spell. The injury she had taken soon vanished and she leapt back into the fray with the human following after her. As the two of them continued to fight off the horde, the red knight watched on with both interest and anger.
"It seems these two are more troublesome than they look", he muttered to himself. "I must think of a way to hinder them before they become too much of a nuisance. But how..." As he thought about it, Sombra's horn began pulsating with dark energy and waves of energy were sent toward his head. It was as though it were communicating with him, or that's how it seemed when the knight continued talking to himself. "Of course. Why did I not think of that before?"
It wasn't long before Toya and Barb finally cut down the last skeleton while the knight was busy talking to himself silently. The human kept his sword brandished, turning toward the dark knight in case he attacked. "Alright. It's just you now. I don't care how strong you think you are, but we're taking the horn back whether you like it or not!" With a loud battle-cry, Toya gripped his sword in both hands and leaped toward their enemy to come down with an overhead slash.
"Don't get too cocky." The red knight spoke, taking his sword and with little effort, he swiped it at Toya and sent the human skidding across the floor. He hit the cavern wall with a loud grunt, writhing on the ground in pain.
"Toya!" Barb cried out the name of her partner and tried to run over to help him, but a wave of blackness collided with her and formed over her body in a spherical shape, binding her in place.
"And that makes two." The red knight chuckled, his hand pulsing with the same dark energy that was coming from the sphere that held the dragoness inside. "Taking care of you, Toya, is no challenge in itself. The dragon, on the other hand while currently weak, could prove to become a real problem in the future. Dragons are fire-breathing beasts of destruction, possessing immense strength and durability and are increasingly dangerous as they get older. But if they are younger..." As he continued speaking, he started to clench his hand, causing the black sphere to shrink and surge with power as muffled screams came from within.
Toya struggled to his feet, using the sword to prop him up. He was still very much in pain, but he lifted his hand and made it glow, casting a healing spell on him to get rid of his wounds. It wasn't much but it was enough to give him the energy to try and stop the armor-clad fiend. "Leave her alone!" He shouted, dashing toward his foe and slashed his sword upward. There wasn't enough force to actually harm the knight, much to his dismay, but he managed to slice part of his helm off and made it fall to the floor. Toya looked up at the knight, glaring at him as he stared at partial of his face. Only his eye was revealed, but something about his gaze seemed familiar. But as he was lost in his own thoughts, the armored knight took his sword and turned it so that the handle was facing toward Toya and slammed it into his chest.
Toya gasped for air, feeling the wind get knocked right out of him as he fell to his knees in agony. "Weak. Weak and pathetic." The knight boasted, standing over the boy as the dark sphere finally dispersed and the surge of power faded. "Perhaps in time, you may actually prove a worthy opponent. But that time will never come and I've already wasted too much time. Now that the horn is in my possession, I can finally do what i set out to do. Until next time, little warrior." With those final words, the red knight faded into the darkness. Toya had taken too much damage, his energy expended and could not get onto his feet. He collapsed on the floor, looking to where Barb had been trapped and tried to reach out and hoped she was still there.
His vision started to blur. His hearing slowly fading. All he could hear were muffled shouts and hoofsteps. Before he could see anymore, he blacked out. He had no idea how long he was out. But that didn't matter to him. He had failed to get the horn back from the knight and what was worse, his companion had gotten harmed or worse. It upset him and he hated his weakness; His inability to protect others. How could he protect others when he couldn't protect himself? He wasn't able to stand up for himself back home, so this shouldn't have been different. And yet, he actually had the courage to fight for himself. Why?
He could admit that he was tired of being pushed around, but that wasn't nearly enough to give him the motivation. What was it that was driving him? What force deep inside was giving him the courage to stand up and fight when he would sit and watch from the sidelines?
Toya...
Was he fighting for glory? To feel like a winner? He was sick of falling behind others, feeling like he couldn't achieve anything.
Toya, don't die on me...
Did he want to be admired? What use was there in having popularity when no one could truly love you for yourself? They would only care for what you had or what you could do for them. It was useless. Seeking attention in such a way had its downsides and in the end, it led to betrayal. But what was it driving him?
Hey. He moved!
The answer should've been obvious. It was something he wasn't used to. Not many like him were used to such a thing. The main reason he was fighting was something anyone should fight for. Some fought for peace, some fought for honor and glory. But what he was fighting for was...
Toya's eyes slowly opened his eyes, the light hurting him and he groaned in pain. When his vision cleared, he could see that he was back in his bedroom at the Crystal Empire. At his bedside was a crystal pony nurse, Bolero and her wife. "Bolero. Gleaming..."
"We're glad to see you wide awake, young paladin." Bolero greeted with a calming smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I just got hit by a steel truck going 80mph." He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "But overall, I'm fine." While he was fine physically, his determination was wavering because of how badly he messed up. The knight got away with the horn, the guards that were with them lost their lives and Barb-- "That's right! Where's Barb?! Is she ok?"
The two equines looked to one another and back at the human. "Well, she's still very much alive." The unicorn said. "She woke up before you did and told us what happened. We don't blame you, Toya. The red knight was stronger than we could anticipate. How a human could accumulate such magical and physical prowess without even living here to learn it all is beyond us. But what matters is that you two are okay. Well, one of you anyhow."
"What do you mean?" Toya pressed further, wanting to know what was going on.
"Like we said, Barbara is still very much alive..." Bolero started to explain, "But she's...not exactly herself at the moment. I don't know how the knight did it, but he changed something about her. We insisted that she stay in her room until we figure out how to heal her, but she was determined to come and see if you were alright. She blames how bad you got hurt on herself."
So she feels the same way I do, The human thought. "I want to see her." Bolero and Gleaming cast nervous stares at one another before they nodded, the white mare using her magic to open the door. Once it was fully opened, a purple dragoness started to walk inside. Small and chubby, the little dragon moved closer to Toya's bedside and looked up to see his shocked expression.
"B...Barb?" Toya uttered, trying to take in what was before him. Looking down the side of the bed he saw none other than Barbara, Dusk Shine's assistant and his friend, as a baby dragon.
