CHAPTER 1
I know it's been a while since I last posted a story. Much has happened lately, and I didn't want the problems in my own life to interfere with my ability to write Drake's story. Now that things are a bit calmer (for now), I have taken it upon myself to sit and write volume twelve. It has been almost a year since I began writing The Drake Chronicles, and as we approach that milestone, I must confess that it is almost over. All good things must come to an end, and so shall it be with Drake's saga. In effect, this is Drake's last true story. There are a couple of short stories and the big finale, but in terms of adventures, this is the end. So let us begin the story. Please send me your reviews.
In the course of all of my adventures (As my friend Luna calls them), I have seen much. I have experienced the joyous and comedic, and the tragic and dark. Add to this list all of the strange, unusual and even terrible things I have seen in my time working for the princesses, and a chronicle of my life would read like a juxtapose of books from different genres. Several of these more notable experiences have found their way into my published accounts, and in case you feel like boring yourself with all of them, you can really see the multifaceted nature of my little existence.
The following story fits into the rest of my accounts like a wolf among lapdogs, but looking back at the rest of my life, it was only a matter of time before something of this magnitude happened. In many separate occasions, I had stopped coups, thwarted international terrorists, battled ghosts and hunted serial killers. It was only when I was wanting to semi-retire from such strenuous cases that I got what I still think was one of my most desperate. It was also after the events of this narrative that I finally began to realize how my life had come full-circle...and that all things do. But rather than get involved in a deep philosophical monologue, I will now begin with the story.
I was in my study, and it was a bright, warm summer day if you're interested in such things...and it was a monday, I believe. Dashie was out at the gym for the better part of the day, leaving me and Budder to our own devices. I was working on my memoirs, a collection of events from my life that I hoped would one day become a published work that somepony might read. Ironically for the events to follow, I was writing about the Ponyville Murders, the infamous "Cupcake Killings", when my teenage sister Budder opened the door to my office. I turned from my desk and stared at her blankly, to which she gave me one of her impossibly cute smiles and walked in, helping herself to a wing-back chair in one corner of the room. I turned back to my writing, gently tapping my pen against the notebook and waiting.
"Hey bub?" She finally said.
"Yep?" I answered, turning to her.
"Writin' your life story thing?" She queried. In case you're wondering why my 16 year old sister was home from school on a monday, it was because she had been home schooled for the last three years, and had recently graduated. Now she had unlimited time to do...whatever it was Budder did when she wasn't latched onto me.
"Heh. I Was." I replied. "What's up?"
"Nothin'...just missed you is all." The tan filly said. "I haven't seen you since breakfast, you know?"
"Mm. I know..." I said with a huff. "Just at a really important part in my life. I mean...in my autobiography, you know?"
"Heehee...yeah." She giggled. My sister cocked her head inquisitively. "Whatcha writing about right now?"
"Well...it's um...it's when I met Dashie."
"Oh." Budder said. "You never really told me about when you two met."
"I know..." I muttered, turning around and pretending to be busy.
"You said it was really bad, and that you saved Dashie from a killer and I know that's how she lost her wings, but that's all you guys ever told me."
"I know..." I said again.
"I want to know about your past." My sister stated. I sighed. "Come on, Drake...am I gonna have to read your book when it comes out? You said we could trust each other with everything."
"I do trust you..." I replied. "Just..." I looked at the notebook. Here I was, writing about the whole thing, and I still wanted to keep it from Budder. I wondered if she was really old enough to hear the story. She was right though. If I didn't tell her, she would just find out anyway.
"Alright..." I began. I stood and walked to the chair she was in and sat in the floor beside her. "It was a year or so before I adopted you...I was in Canterlot, working a desk after what happened at the fort." I thought back to those days, when it seemed like my world was ending. "I thought my career was over...and honestly, angel...I didn't care. After everything that had happened, I was honestly contemplating killing myself."
"No!" My sister exclaimed, reaching out and hugging me.
"Um...Celestia called me into Royal Court." I continued. "I thought I was gonna be executed or something. Instead, she told me about a bunch of ponies going missing in a little town called Ponyville. Celestia wanted to reassign me to investigate the disappearances. I couldn't say no to a princess, so I took the job." I paused for a moment, gathering my memories and trying to make it as concise as possible. "You know...Dashie was the first pony I met when I got to Ponyville..."
"Really?"
"Yep. She was doing some trick flying, and crashed right into me. Heheh..." I chuckled at the recollection. "Then we fairly well insulted one another and I went on my way."
"Wow, bub..." Budder said cynically. "Good job."
"I wasn't looking for love at the moment." I confessed. "Remember the state of mind I was in back then. I didn't want anything to do with anypony. I was there to solve the case, and that's what I set out to do. It was later that night that Dash stopped in and brought me some food."
"She brought you food? That was your first date?" My sister asked with a smirk.
"Nah. See, this pony named..." I almost hated to say the name. "Pinkie Pie...one of Dash's best friends, she had thrown me a 'welcome to town' party the evening I got there. I was busy working, and didn't go. Dashie was nice enough to bring me a big platter of..." I trailed off. The memory...
"A platter of what?" Budder asked, shaking me from my reverie.
"Um...cupcakes...she brought me a big plate of Pinkie Pie's cup...cakes. I was starving, and so I took a break, and we sat and ate half of the cupcakes and talked."
"I thought you didn't like cupcakes, bub." My sister interjected.
"I don't." I said grimly. "Anyway...the next morning, now that we weren't at each others' throats, she started showing me around town and helping me out with the case. I guess our first real time together was Dashie being my assistant." I grinned. "Not much has changed, I guess. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
"Heehee." She giggled.
"Over the next couple of days, we got close...even though I didn't want to." I scoffed. "It was love, no matter how much I tried to fight it. She was in my head and I couldn't shake it..." I smiled a little. "I finally had to admit to myself that I was madly in love with Dash...and she was in love with me. It was unmistakable." I was quiet for a little while as I remembered the day Dashie and I had gotten together. "I ended up having a breakdown because of what had happened to me. Dash was...she was there for me and got me through it. That's really when we hooked up, you know? That was the day before..." I paused. "But yeah...I decided that I was going to let her into my life...that I really did love her."
"So what happened?" Budder asked, leaning toward me with interest.
"Well...The next day, Dashie was supposed to meet me and go with me to interview a few ponies. She was late, and so I went alone. To Pinkie's bakery. It was closed, and it just didn't look right, you know? I broke in and..." I paused a moment. "You sure you want to hear this?"
"Yes." She answered seriously. I sighed.
"Well...It turns out that Pinkie...Dashie's best friend...was the killer. In the basement, she had Dash tied up, and was...well, she cut off her wings...and her cutie marks, and was getting ready to kill her."
"Why?!"
"She was crazy, sis." I replied. "She'd already killed probably a dozen or more ponies. She uh..." I didn't know how to say the next part, so I just said it. "She was...baking her victims into cupcakes, Budder."
"Oh crap...ew...that..." My sister stammered, taken aback by the revelation. "Wait...bubby...you ate some of the cupcakes..." I nodded. She grabbed me in a hug. "Unnghhhh!"
"Yep." Is all I said.
"You got her though, right?" Budder asked, tears in her blue-gray eyes. "The killer?"
"Yeah. She tried to best me in a sword fight. Didn't work out to well for her." I replied. I left out how badly I was injured myself in my fight to the death with the serial killer. "And uh...I saved Dashie, and ended up taking her with me when I left town. We've been together ever since."
"Wow..." My sister commented. "There's probably not another pony in Equestria that's got a love story like that."
"Welcome to my life." I shrugged. "There, I told you the story. Happy?" She nodded. "If you want all of the gory details...and I do mean gory, you're gonna have to read the book."
"I don't...know if I...want to..." She groaned. She was quiet for a few moments. "Love you, bub."
"Love you too, angel." I returned. "Now, go flea yourself. I'm gonna work on this a little while longer. I'll be out before dinner, okay?"
"But I miss you..."
"I'll make it up to ya, I promise." I said. "We'll go out and eat somewhere nice for dinner, kay?"
"Kay!" She answered with a smile. My sister left the room, and I turned my attention back to my life story...or rather writing it.
A couple hours later, I was still sitting at the desk, contemplating which word was better, 'flabbergasted' or 'bewildered'. I'd almost solved this perplexing conundrum, when I heard Budder call for me. Buuuub! Celestia's here to see you!" She hollered.
"I'm coming." I stated loud enough for everypony in the house to hear. I habitually closed my notebook and placed the pen on top. Why was Princess Celestia here? I had been healing up and resting since the Sombra incident, almost six months ago. In that time, the princess of the sun had only dropped in a hoof-full of times, usually to check on me. Her visits were always in the evening, after her sister had raised the moon, so for her to show up in the middle of the day was a bit disconcerting. I ran a hoof through my messy black mane, and walked out of the room and down the stairs.
Celestia was standing in my formal parlor, her flank to the door, staring intently at my plaque of medals on the mantle of the fireplace. When I reached the door, I paused a moment and cocked my head. My initial worries were correct. Something was wrong. And it obviously involved me in some way. That didn't make me feel any less apprehensive. I saw the ruler raise her head a bit.
"One for valor, one for bravery, one for being injured in combat..." She spoke, not turning away from the fireplace and the display of military decorations. "One for saving me...two for saving the country..." She finally turned. "All for saving others. You are without a doubt one of the most selfless army officers I have ever known." I let my head fall a bit and scoffed.
"Or I was just always in the right place at the right time..." I returned.
"It is only too bad you do not have a medal for saving Rainbow Dash." Celestia added. "I believe that to be your finest moment." That got my attention.
"I try not to think too much about that case..." I sighed. "Well...I guess I'm a liar, Your Highness...I was just writing about that little episode when you dropped in."
"No doubt that is why you wrote to me as well as Shining Armor, wanting to get the details of the case declassified." The princess mused. I walked over to my bar, and proceeded to pour two inches of hoofcrafted bourbon into a crystal tumbler. I took a sip.
"Well...I guess it's time the story gets told." I answered. I raised the glass in a toast to some unspoken ghost of an idea. "Bunch of rumors going around about it...and I figure who better to set the story straight." I took another drink.
"Not to mention that any chronicle of your life would not be complete without a telling of how you met the mare of your dreams and changed the circumstances of your life so dramatically." Princess Celestia added, cutting through my bullshit. She grinned. "Your sister told me you were writing your life story."
"Yeaahhh..." I breathed, and took another sip.
"Aren't you a bit young to be penning the story of your life, my dear lieutenant?" She asked.
"More white hairs every day." I shrugged. "Pretty soon my mane's gonna match my coat." I swirled the amber liquid in the glass a moment. "So what brings you around, Your Majesty?"
"How long has it been since you've been to Ponyville?" Was her reply.
"Back then." I answered. "Dashie's been back a few times, to visit her friends and everything. We'd planned on going there on holiday, but we haven't really got the chance yet...why?"
"I would like for you to go back to the place where it all started." The princess stated. "Now that the details of the investigation are in the public domain, I would like for you to return to Ponyville with your family to help with wrapping up loose ends." I raised an eyebrow.
"How do you mean?" I pressed suspiciously.
"Sugarcube Corner, the bakery in which Pinkie Pie worked...it is being torn down." Celestia said. "Since the murders, many stories have been told surrounding the structure..."
"Let me guess..." I interjected. "Everypony says it's haunted."
"Yes. Though it is not, at least not to my knowledge." She answered. "And, sitting abandoned in the middle of Ponyville, it has done little more than serve as a grim reminder of the things that transpired there for over five years."
"And so they're finally tearing it down." I concluded.
"And you should be there." Princess Celestia said with a nod of her head.
"Well...I guess Rainbow Dash is gonna be happy about seeing her friends." I remarked. "Wait...is there some...ulterior motive to this, Your Highness?" I queried.
"You said that you have not returned to the town since the...incident...even though Rainbow Dash has..." Celestia explained. "It would be very cathartic for you to go back and see the book closed on this matter."
"I uh..." I let out a sigh. "Yeah...of course you're right...probably. I mean, I went back to the fort..." The monarch nodded knowingly. I hadn't really wanted to go back to that place...ever. Princess Celestia, like a mother who always knew what was best was right as usual though. Maybe after everything, it was finally time. "Alright, I'll go."
"Wonderful. I will arrange your tickets and make sure you have traveling money." Celestia said.
"Traveling mon...I still have like 300 grand in the mattress from all of the cases you had me on."
"Well, if you insist..." The princess sighed. "You can be so stubborn sometimes, my dear Drake." I grinned.
"I'm not stubborn." I replied. "I'm just always right about everything all the time." Princess Celestia giggled daintily.
"Oh Drake, I have missed working with you these past few months. Your wit never failed to bring a smile to my face...not to mention that you were always the handiest pony to have around."
"Well, I kind of miss working too, Your Highness." I admitted. "Maybe after this Ponyville vacation, I can get back into working some minor cases, you think?" She smiled. "I'm bored...Your Highness."
"I'll see what I can do." She nodded. "And I'll have you three tickets to Ponyville by tomorrow."
So begins volume twelve of Drake's saga. Finally, after all this time, he's returning to Ponyville. How much have things changed since he's been there? What adventure awaits the trio? And I'm sure you are all wondering how dark this story is gonna get. I will attempt to have the next chapter up sometime in the next few days. This one's gonna be slow-going, but you won't resent the wait when you read the quality. At least I hope...so send me your reviews, and I will try to release the next installment as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, everypony. -Drake.