The Empire*

*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?"

"Yes please."

Chapter 6-End

Author's Note

Kinky times between Toya and Barb ensued, a bet was settled and the bond of our heroes has strengthened. What of the Red Knight? Is he truly behind the strange murders in the Crystal Empire? Was it Trixie's doing? Either way, his forces grow stronger and numbers continue to grow. The mystery of the murders will be investigated soon. Until then, take care.