CHAPTER 1

Greetings everypony, new readers and long-time Drake fans alike. I know I kind of built up some hype surrounding this particular story, and I hope it was all well-deserved. Hopefully, I can post chapters at a fairly good clip this time around, so you don't have to wait for updates as badly. Unless I just jinxed myself there. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Volume 11, and please leave your comments and/or questions.

I have debated for some time whether or not to include this particular assignment in the lengthy anthology of my life. I have already omitted some of the less-interesting cases, and thought for some time it would be better if I left this one out. Not because I think it's boring or routine, but because of fear. Not mine, but the reader's. I was worried that if everypony knew how close Equestria had come to total ruin, if the good ponies of this country knew what evil really existed out there...what fear it may cause. But in the end, I realized that a story of my life wouldn't be complete without this account included. The event in this volume changed my life, and had it not, would have changed the world. I think that makes in important enough to write about, don't you?

Some mathematician (one of those Chaos experts) said that on a long enough timeline, noticable patterns begin to form in the most random and unpredicatable-looking fields. I don't know what that meant for him, something about forecasting the weather, I think, but after four years of the cases I'd worked on for Celestia and Luna, I began to see patterns of my own. For some mysterious damned reason, all of these strange, dark or noteworthy cases always began on the most unexeptional and innocent of days. It wasn't a dark and stormy night with bats flying around some old castle that kicked off this Hell-storm. In fact, I think it was a fairly sunny and warm spring day.

I had climbed out of bed at ten-thirty, and taken a long shower. If anypony who has read this entire library of an autobiography wants to know why it seems like I shower so much, it's because a white coat is so hard to keep clean. Dashie doesn't really care about a little dust here and there on her, and my sister's tan coat shows stains like a dirt clod, but I'm not so fortunate. After my shower, like on any other day, I halfway brushed my messy black mane, went downstairs to make a pot of coffee. Rainbow dash was already in the dining room, absentmindedly munching on a bowl of cornflakes as she read the newspaper. No doubt the comics or the sports pages. Dash wasn't one for checking the stocks and keeping up with events of the day.

"Morning sweetheart." I greeted. My rainbow-maned marefriend looked up.

"Hey Drake." She answered. "You're up kinda early."

"It's like eleven." I stated, continuing into the kitchen and preparing the coffee pot to produce my life-giving nectar.

"Yeah, and it's also Sunday." Dash countered, following me. "You usually sleep in."

"Heh...eleven's not sleeping in?" I asked. She simply shrugged as I put the pot on the stove. "Budder up yet?"

"Yeah, she went upstairs to get her drawing stuff right before you came down." Dash said.

"Alright. You guys wanna go do something today?" I queried.

"Like what?"

"Mmm...well, we ain't been to the park in a while." I thought out loud. "We can pick up stuff for sammiches and have a picnic. Let Budder play on the playground before she gets too old to think it's still cool and stuff."

"Drake, you played on the playground the last time we went." My marefriend shot back. I smiled. She was right. I had swung on the swings, see-sawed on the see-saw, and even slid on the slide once or twice.

"Alas dear Dashie, I was simply recapturing a mispent youth." I said philosophically. She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

"No, you just still have a playful side." She countered. "And it's super cute." that remark made me chuckle, but the moment was interrupted when I heard a knock at the front door. Apparently, my sister was walking by when the visitor knocked.

"Buuuub...there's one of those Day Guard guys at the door!" My sister called.

"What?!" I returned, walking to the door. Sure enough, there stood one of Celestia's Royal Guards, a large unicorn stallion complete with his golden armor and crested helm. Whatever this was about, it couldn't be very good.

"Told ya." Budder stated. The guard didn't look amused. In fact, he just stood there stolidly like they usually do.

"Alright sis...I got this." I said, ushering her away. I turned to the soldier. "Can I help you?" I greeted.

"Lieutenant Drake?" The armored soldier asked formally.

"Yeah, I'm Drake..." I answered. He held out a sealed envelope.

"Confidential correspondence from Her Highness Princess Celestia." He stated. I took the letter in my hoof. It was odd that she would send a soldier to deliver a letter. Celestia by this point in our professional and personal relationship usually either sent her little notes and assignments through the mail, by a messenger, or delivered the news herself.

"Did she send any specific orders or requests?" I asked.

"Nothing other than the letter, sir." He replied. "With the express orders to deliver it to you and you alone, with the utmost speed, and braving all hazard, sir."

"Uh...huh..." I mused. Now I was becoming very interested, and a little concerned. "One more question..." I finally added, trying to make sense of exactly how important Celestia had believed this piece of paper to be. "...when you're not playing mailcolt...what's your rank and duty?" Without hesitation, he answered.

"Master Sergeant Dayglow, sir. Senior Drill Instructor of unicorn combat magic, sir." So the princess had sent a senior NCO, and an expert in combat magic at that. She was no doubt worried that somepony might try to intercept the letter, and had placed it in the hooves of a formidable warrior.

"At ease." I said. "Thank you, Master Sergeant. You can return to Canterlot, and to your duty now." With that, I closed the door and walked into the dining room, holding the letter as if it could contain a deadly virus, or some horrible, nameless thing.

"What did he want?" Budder asked, looking up from drawing in her sketch book.

"A case?" Dashie asked.

"Not entirely sure yet..." I answered, breaking the wax seal on the envelope and pulling out the letter. I read the following:

' Lieutenant Drake,

I apologize for the suddeness of this letter, but I must request, with the utmost sincerity that you travel to Canterlot at once. There is a grave issue with which I require your assistance, and it is imperative that the situation be resolved as soon as possible. As you will no doubt travel with your family, I have enclosed three train passes for today's service to Canterlot. Please come as soon as possible.

-Princess Celestia '

"I guess we've been summoned to Canterlot..." I said, still curious about the tone of Celestia's letter. Her usual pleasantries were absent, and in the entire message, I could read almost an air of urgency. Celestia had not done well to mask the fact that something was terribly wrong, and I could read it between the lines. I folded up the letter and dropped it onto the dining table, still engrossed in thought.

"Drake?" Dash asked softly. "What is it?"

"I dunno..." I replied. "But I have a feeling about this case already." I let out a sigh. "Well...let's go pack our bags. We got a train to catch."

So what did you think? This case seems to be getting rather serious from the start, eh? I'm sure you can't wait to see what happens next, so I will try to have the next chapter up tonight or tomorrow afternoon. Until then, thanks for reading, everypony! -Drake