Chapter 4

The Journey

BGM 1

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.

She can really be cute when she wants to be.

BGM 2

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.

...Let the games begin...

Chapter 4-End

Author's Note

This was supposed to come out on Halloween, but I've had alot of shit to do around my area. So yeah. Hope you enjoyed this. Tried to make the nightmare portion as dark as I could. Leave some feedback. It is greatly appreciated. And I will see you guys on the next update