//------------------------------// // A Whole New World // Story: Unexpected Adventure // by WhooshieWoosh //------------------------------// I was back in Discord's little void place, and the crazed weirdo was dying laughing. "I... I can't believe you got a bounty after less than a day!" He lapsed back into hysterics and I crossed my arms. "Well excuse me! I had, and still have, no clue where I am or what's going on. I just know that horsey queen--" "Oh, you mean Celestia? I just call her Celey or Sunbutt." I gave him a deadpan stare. "Charming." He wiped a tear from his eye and folded his paws like a CEO about to fire someone. "I knew I got the right human. Now, what's your next move?" "What do you mean?" "Well, you've got the rest of your life to spend in this 'charming' world of ours, so what are you going to do." I froze. "Y-you mean, I... I can't go back to Earth?" He sighed and waved a paw. "Unfortunately for you, no. Crossing realities is a one way street. If I tried to send you back, you'd explode. Or was it implode? I'm always getting those two kerbobbled." I slumped in my seat, eyes wide with shock. I was never going home. I was going to spend the rest of my life as a dragon in a weird, cartoony world full of horses and... who knows what else. I shook my head as Discord snapped his claws. "Hello? Equestria to Drake? Are you even listening?" "Sorry, it's... I just had to come to terms with it all. You know, what my life has become." He made a clearly fake frowny face and said in a mocking voice. "Do you want a hug? Would that make you feel better?" I rolled my eyes. "You always this big a tool or just when you meet someone?" Discord snorted before conjuring a glass of chocolate milk... and then drinking the glass. As he set the cylinder of chocolate on the table he winked at me. "Well, I think checking your map would be a--" he raised his claws and wrote out while saying, "VERY GOOD IDEA." He gave me the cheesiest grin imaginable as I frowned. "Fine, fine. I'll follow your stupid map." "Oh goody! Although, after that, I'm done guiding you. Consider this a... welcoming gift. Oh, and I also forgot to tell you I put some enchantments on your coat. Just the usual like, fire-proofing, indestructibility, and wrinkle resistance. It wouldn't do for my personal line of stylish accents to get ruined by you being... well, what are you going to become?" I frowned as I thought it over. Hero was out of the question. Villain? Naw, too much work. Hmm.... "I'm going to be a thief. You know, steal from the rich, hunt some treasure, do whatever I want. If I can't be the good guy, I'll rob the good guys blind. Being a kleptomaniac helps with that decision." He clapped excitedly. "Oh how exciting! Like Robin Hood except you're only stealing for your own greed." I made a finger, er, claw gun and smirked. "If I'm already wanted, I might as well wrack up the biggest bounty possible. Oh, also learn how to sword fight. I picked up a totally awesome sword that I would love to kick some butt with." He grinned and a tiny version of himself appeared on my shoulder and whispered, "Follow the map." And just like that, I was gone. --------------------------- I awoke to the sun just beginning to rise. It was... kinda pretty. I stretched before grabbing my coat and pulling it on. After I was dressed I slung my backpack over my shoulder and stretched my scaly limbs. I pulled out the map Discord had given me. There was a purple circle with an arrow stating "You are here" pointing to a river. A bit away, in some mountains was another circle that read, "Go here stupid!" "Real mature." After figuring out which way to go, I pocketed the map and started on my way. As I want, I took a closer look at my new arms and claws. My scales were shiny, like, really shiny. Shinier than gemstones in the right lighting. If the sun wasn't shining directly on them, they appeared a more natural, snake like hue. "Gotta admit, these scales are pretty cool. I wonder if...." I looked around before spotting a large rock. I walked over and put my palm on the sharp tip of the stone. I pressed down and jerked my hand back. Nothing, I felt almost nothing. No pain or anything. "Holy crap I have natural armor!" Honestly, being a dragon was looking better and better. Armor scales, wings, and looking majestic? Count me in. All I needed to do was learn to breathe fire and fly and then I could be the most badass rouge ever. "How to breathe fire... hmm...." I took a deep breath and blew it out like I was trying to blow out a candle. Nope, no fire. Sheesh, did I need to drink some lighter fluid or something? Or.... "Fire!" I breathed out again after shouting. Nope. Maybe there was a magic word or spell like in Skyrim? "Yol!" Nope. "Igni!" Nada. "Incendio!" Nuhu. "Brisingr!" Squat. "C'mon, c'mon. Think! I know dragons breath fire! Gaaaah! Incinerate!" And!... nothing. I rubbed my now pounding head. At least I didn't hyperventilate. That would have been awkward. "Whatever, maybe flying will be easier." I looked at my two new limbs and... how do you move these? I mean, think about it. If you woke up with a second pair of arms or something wouldn't you be confused as to how exactly you would control the new muscles? I tried rolling my shoulders and flexing my back muscles. I think I saw them twitch, but no more. I grabbed one of the stubborn appendages and stretched it out manually. I think I felt something now, but it felt so... weird. Like I was feeling something that wasn't there. I've heard of amputees experiencing "phantom pains" where they swear their leg itches even though they lost it. Except, I knew something was there but couldn't really feel it. I used my claw to poke the various muscles in my wing. Maybe if I kept causing myself to feel stuff in my wing I'd learn the muscles faster. I stopped poking and gently massaged the muscle. Alright, alright! I can feel something! Wow, it... it actually feels amazing. "Ooooh, that's nice." I hummed as I kneaded the muscles before moving both wings in front of me. My now much longer and prehensile tongue lolled out as I worked the knots out of the stressed tissue. "Oh yeah, that feels amazing!" Wait! I paused before realizing what I'd subconsciously done. With a bit of effort I replicated the feeling from before and my wings stretched out. I started experimenting and soon was slowly flapping them. I'd need some practice given I wasn't an expert on flight mechanics, but it was a start! I looked at the sky and realized I'd spent a whole lotta time screwing around without actually making any progress. I rechecked my heading and began walking through the scenic fields. The map said there was a forest a relatively short distance away and that's where I hoped I'd make camp. ------------------------- "Well... this sucks!" I'd reached the forest as the sun was setting and, just as I was looking for a good place to make camp, it started to rain. I'd spotted a fallen tree trunk that was hollowed out and only open at one end and figured it was as good a place as any. I stretched out and put my backpack behind my head to use as a pillow. "They don't tend to show this part of adventures as happening this early in books and movies. Usually it's laughing and eating camp food around a fire. I mean, sure I didn't have a tent, or a sleeping bag, or a lighter... or friends." ... "Wow... I suck." I groaned as I took my coat off and used it as a blanket. Honestly, I felt surprisingly comfortable, not cold in the slightest. But, it felt weird not to have a blanket. "Well," I grumbled, "Here's to the new life of Drake the Thief." -------------------------- Dawn broke over a forest of glimmering leaves and damp earth. I crawled out of my shelter and stretched out. I cracked my knuckles which reminded me of something I'd been purposefully ignoring. My claws, er, more like, lack of claws. I now had three toes and four claws, three if you excluded the thumb. It was just so bizarre to know you're missing fingers and toes. I mean, at least I still had fingers and toes! If Discord had turned me into a pony I'd probably have been screwed six ways to Saturday. I mean, how did they do anything with those blocky marshmallows!? I'd seen a stream last night and soon found it again. I took off my jacket and waded right into the middle of the clear water. "Might not be warm, but it's better than smelling like a landfill... I'm talking to myself. Dang, I need some friends or something. Like... a band of thieves or something." I washed myself as best I could before realizing something important. "Dang... I'm really hungry!" I shook myself off as best as I could before grabbing my coat and walking back to my tree shelter. I opened the backpack and grabbed the crackers and the bag of gems. I pulled out a bright green emerald and held back a sob. I... I have to eat... a priceless gemstone!? Why! Why cruel world! And even then, how do I wat something this... hard? Does dragon saliva dissolve it or something? I popped the gem into my mouth and tasted something strange. It was... fruity?! For real, it tasted like green apple jolly ranchers! I carefully bit down on it and my now insanely large and sharp fangs crunched right through it. I slowly munched on the gem as I savored the taste. It was pretty dang delicious. Like candy except not overly sweet. It was unexplainable, something you had to experience yourself to truly understand. I put the gems away and started eating the crackers as I looked over my map. Apparently I'd reach the foothills of some mountain range pretty soon and then I just went south along the mountains for a ways. "Alright, first I've got to get through the forest and then the mountains. So far this forest has been, heck, only word to describe it is beautiful. I can't wait to see the mountains." I donned my coat and slung my backpack on before setting off, using the sun to tell my direction. Honestly, it's pretty easy to do given the sun rises in the East and sets in the west. I wanted to go East, so I kept facing the sun. ------------------------ "Sweet merciful mercy." I stood at the edge of the forest and looked up at the behemoth mountains before me. For just being the foothills, they were pretty massive. And, curving its way up the side of the rock face was a narrow path. I groaned as I looked back at my useless wings and then looked at my bare feet. "Come on, can't there be an elevator!" I groaned before trudging towards the beginning of the path. I followed it for a while, taking in the sights as I rounded another bend. "Honestly, it's not that bad. And the view is intense. I'm probably already near the summit." I looked up the path and saw... yeah, no. I still had a while to go. ---------------------------- I crawled up the least bend in the path. It had progressively gotten steeper and steeper until my calves were burning. I looked up and saw that climbing this stupid mountain had taken all freaking day. "When is this whole adventure going to get cool! I haven't even fought anything yet! My sword's basically just good for opening letters right now!" I looked around the relatively barren mountaintop. A couple scraggly trees and scrub bushes, but nothing good for shelter. Until... up the side of a mountain to the left was a cave opening. Okay, go in? Or stay outside? Pro, I'd have shelter and protection from the elements and stuff. Con, it could be home to some horrible monsters. Wait a minute, I'm a dragon! I am the apex predator! Alright, cave it is! I climbed up the rock until I reached the cave mouth. It was... pretty huge. Like, way bigger than me. I gulped before heading inside. It was dark, very dark. I cautiously crept through the creepy cavern, carefully crouched to keep quiet. I reached what might have been the middle when my foot hit something. A few feet away and to the right a bit, an eye shot open. Now, when I say eye, I mean a very large eye. An eye for a creature of gargantuan proportions. It was bright yellow with a black, elliptical pupil. I heard a low rumbling before I started to back away. "Oooh, so sorry. I didn't know someone was home. I mean, not that I knew someone lived here! I just... I'll... be going, buh-bye!" I heard a "THUMP" as something hit the ground and the creature's head turned in my direction. I heard it breath in before flames shout towards me. I ducked and watched as they flew past me and hit... a fireplace. With the added light of the large fire I could see the being from before. Standing in front of me, beside a massive bed, was a dragon. Its scales were a pearly white and it was about two times as tall as me with my head being level with its belly button. Looking it over, I deduced it might be a female given it was wider in the hips than the shoulders, and it had a scale covered protrusion from its chest which, lets face it, made it look more... feminine in shape. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. "Drake, are you saying that the dragon had boobs?!" And no, I don't think so. It's just that its stomach and chest weren't flush with eachother. Making it look like it had... feminine "assets." Before my eyes, the dragon rubbed her eyes before putting on a pair of half moon glasses and yawning. "Oh, hello there! Would you like some tea?" Uuuuuuuh... what? Okay, when you think "dragon's voice" you think deep and malevolent. Not what her voice was like. It was one of "those" voices. Like, if you somehow managed to make the feeling of drinking hot cocoa, in a warm sweater, beside a fire, in winter, audible. "Uh... yeah, some tea would be fantastic." She smiled and turned towards the fireplace. I took this opportunity to look around the cave. ...Okay, I've seen houses that were less inviting than this cave. There were soft rugs covering the floor and wooden furniture with the bark still on the legs. The large bed from before was made in the same style with a plain, yet aesthetically pleasing style. Over the mattress was a large quilt that I'm assuming she quilted herself. I dunno, just seems like something Dragon Mom would do. (And yes, I am referring to her as that now. Honestly, it just fits so well how could I not.) "I must say, it's not very often I get visitors, especially fellow dragons. So, what brings you around the Ruppie Mountains?" "Oh, uh, just traveling. I'm sorry for barging in, I was tired from walking up that trail and figured a cave was better than the side of a mountain." She looked at me curiously. "Well, I see you have wings. Why didn't you fly? Did you pull something or get hurt?" "No. I just don't know how to fly." She gasped and held a claw to her chest. "Oh you poor dear! Did your parents never teach you?" I shook my head no. Honestly, I wasn't about to tell her I was an inter dimensional traveller who had been a human before being turned into a dragon by a psychopathic amalgam guy. Before I could react, she scooped me up into a hug. Okay, aren't dragons supposed to be terrifying and awe inspiring? Why was she so dang cuddly?! Honestly, her scales were the temperature of clothes fresh out of the dryer and she smelled like baked goods. "Oh! Don't you worry. If you want I can teach you tomorrow." I looked at her and raised an eyebrow (or whatever I had now.) "Really? But you just met me." She waved a claw dismissively. "If I wasn't willing to help a fellow dragon in need, what kind of dragon would I be." She looked down bashfully and said, "And, well, given I've never had kids, I've never gotten to teach anyone how to fly. But I've always wanted to! I mean, imagine how much fun it would be, the feeling of satisfaction when they learn to fly on their own." By now she was squeezing me a little too hard and looking off into the distance. I tapped her back and squeaked, "Can't... breath! Too... tight!" She let me go and started looking me over. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I nodded as I caught my breath. Suddenly, the kettle began to boil which caused her to turn and remove it from atop the fire. She carefully poured out a cup of tea for us both before setting it aside. As we sat down (with my legs dangling above the floor) she gasped and straightened her glasses. "Oh, how forgetful of me! We haven't had the opportunity to introduce ourselves. I am Tudoria." "Drake." She smiled. "That's a very handsome name. Now then, would you like some scones? I made them this morning. They're rubie. Or, I baked a pie yesterday if you'd prefer that." "Oh, uh, whatever you want, I'll have." She smiled again and removed a plate from a nearby countertop. "How polite. Scones it is then." --------------------------- I don't know how you bake gems, but those scones were amazing. Anyway, it got later with Tudoria talking about this and that and how nice it was to get a visitor, but eventually she looked at a large clock hanging over the mantelpiece and said, "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was! I got so caught up in the excitement that I completely forgot about being woken up!" "Sorry about that by the way." She waved it off with a claw before getting a blanket from a cupboard in the corner. She placed it on the couch by the fireplace and soon had a pillow for me too. "I wish I had a spare bed for you, but I figured you'd prefer this over sharing with me. Especially given how adamant you were about not kicking me out of my own bed." I nodded and patted her back. "It's your house. And, I'm already in your debt enough for your hospitality." She smiled before hugging me again. "Your parents should be proud to have raised such a courteous young man." "Thank you very much. I hope they are." Eventually, Dragon Mom put the fire out and I lay there, trying to sleep. Now, some of you are probably thinking, "What if this is a trap? And she's going to eat you in your sleep?" And I have a very good answer for that. Trying to be suspicious of her would be like trying to be suspicious of that sweet old lady down the street who's lawn you mow for ten bucks. (What? Was I the only one who did that?) She's like everyone's adopted grandma or mom or something. Honestly, Tudoria was far nicer than most humans. Wait... Tudoria... Tutoria... Tutorial?!? OH.... MY.... GLOB!