Chapter 5

The manipulation

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.

BGM 1

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.

BGM 2

"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.

Chapter 5-End

Author's Note

So the Red Knight has coaxed Trixie to his side. He has now taken an interest in Toya. How will this bode for them? Stick around for the next chapter. See ya then