• Published 18th Jun 2017
  • 6,197 Views, 672 Comments

Unexpected Adventure - WhooshieWoosh



Getting sent to a new world? No problem. Becoming a dragon because a demented weirdo thought it would be funny? How quaint.

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On the Road

After breaking camp we all followed Leaflet as she read her map. Gemlight was still asleep and I was carrying her on my back with her limbs secured by my backpack. Meril moved towards me and smirked.

"Quite a sight you make. A dragon, giving a pony a piggyback ride."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yah yah, see if I care."

She gave me a genuine smile and shook her head.

"It wasn't an insult. It's nice to see people who try to be nice to others. Also seeing you and her interact is pretty cute. You kinda act like you're her dad at times with how protective you are."

"Weird childhood that would be. 'Hi! My name is Gemlight and this is my dad! He's a dragon!'"

Meril chuckled.

"Now I'm glad we brought you two along. Also you can kick some serious flank."

"Why thank you."

We carried on in silence until Gemlight woke with a yawn and looked around.

"Wha... where did the camp go?"

"You were still asleep so I carried you."

"Oh. Well thanks!"

I nodded and let her down. She stretched like a cat before trotting to catch up.

"So how far did we travel already?"

Grip had come up behind us and said,

"Only a couple miles. Not too far."

Gemlight yelp and jumped onto me. She clung to my arm like a scared cat as Grip laughed.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Please don't give her a heart attack. I don't know CPR very well."

He chuckled and drew even with Meril who punched his shoulder.

"You're such a knucklehead, Grip."

"But I'm your knucklehead."

She flashed me an exasperated look as Grip gave her a cheesy grin. Gemlight slowly got off me but kept me between her and Grip. I took a minute to look around at the flat expanse of the grasslands. Sparse groves dotted the ground far away and a mountain rose over the horizon. Ahead of us far in the distance I could see a thick belt of trees. Maybe that was were we were going?

"Hey Leaflet. Are we headed to a forest?"

"Jungle. Why do you ask?"

I pointed ahead.

"I can see it."

She squinted as did everyone else. Grip and Meril claimed to be able to see it, but nobody else. Maybe it was our predator eyes given we all had to spot things from the air. Also we were tall.

"Hmm... it's still a good three days journey away, so don't be fooled regarding its size.

We spent the day walking and occasionally taking breaks. By late afternoon Gemlight was exhausted and I was carrying her again. She moaned,

"Honestly, how can you all keep going like this!? My hooves are killing me!"

"We're used to it. We can't exactly take a train now can we!"

Grip's crew nodded in agreement and I turned to look at her.

"Dragons are just really tough. I mean, my scales alone are stronger than most armor."

She huffed.

"Lucky. Probably don't have to worry about bee stings."

I shrugged.

"I also can't show my face in Equestria because I'm a dragon... also I robbed the Equestrian Princess."

"One of them."

I looked at Leaflet and raised an eyebrow.

"One of them?"

"There are currently three alicorn princesses: Princess Celestia, the Solar Princess; Princess Luna, her younger sister and the Lunar Princess; and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love."

"Love? What sort of bull is that!? Why not the princess of the sea or mountains or something cool. Why love? The literal most useless emotion possible."

Meril gave me a shocked look.

"Love isn't useless! Why, love is amazing. Having someone who cares so deeply for you and wants to be with you. And then you get married and--"

I interrupted.

"The romance dies off as does the novelty of marriage until you wind up not being able to be in the same room without arguing and can barely stand eachother. Trust me, if I wanted to waste my money and make myself miserable I'd skip the 'love' and hire a hitman to beat me senseless every day."

Everyone stared at me with opened mouths.

"Wow... whoo hirt yoo?"

I shrugged.

"I've observed that happening more than one time. Why should I even bother when I know it's all a lie."

Nobody really knew what to say to that. After a while, Gemlight tapped my shoulder and whispered,

"But... you like me right? Not, you know, romantically, I'm a little young for that, but... you know."

I gave her a flat look.

"I said I don't believe in romantic love. Not platonic affection."

She looked up at the sky as she tried to figure it out.

"So... you believe in the love ponies have for friends... but not for all that huggy kissy stuff?"

"Basically."

She shrugged.

"Works for me!"

----------------------

That night after dinner I lay in my bedroll with Gem pressed against me again. Honestly, I really enjoyed her company like this. She was soft and warm and really cute, especially when she gave me the adoring look with her tail wagging like a puppy. As she slept I read Telgari's Compendium of Basic Spells.

I stopped at an interesting looking one and read the description in depth.

Libriva: this spell effects your sight by allowing you to see magical energies up to a certain distance. It's most useful for seeing biotic life through walls or other obstacles or detecting magical traps. As everything contains at least some magic, it is important to learn which objects have more than others.

"Huh, let's try it."

I looked at my tent wall and whispered,

"Lebriva"

Suddenly the world took on a blue tint and I could see everything as a light outline over the dark blue ground and darker air. A couple feet away was Cleghorn's tent and I could see a minotaur shape glowing bright blue. I looked around the camp and saw all the bodies of my companions.

Finally I looked directly beside my tent to Grip and Meril's tent.

"Oh hell. I did not want to see that! What's the off word!"

I looked it over before saying the basic "stop" command. (Morti)

I shuddered as the image I'd seem remained burned into my mind.

"Note to self, be careful with that one."

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Days of traveling later, and we were camped on the edge of the jungle. Inside were strange creatures and plants, I could sense it. Also awaiting us was a treasure. But one question remained.

What was going to be guarding it?