CHAPTER 4

Hey everypony! I'm back with chapter 4, and I'm sure you've all been wondering when they're gonna get to Canterlot and see some action. It will be soon, I promise. I hope that all of my readers have been enjoying the story so far. If you're a new reader by chance, you may find yourself lost and confused. Who is Drake and why id he with Rainbow Dash...and who is Budder? Well, if you're just now joining the series, you may want to go back and read the anthology from the beginning. It may seem like a chore, but I'm sure you'll like it, especially volumes two, three and four, which will give you all of the backstory you need for any of the others. But I digress, as usual. Without further ado, here is chapter 4, submitted for your approval. Please review, everypony.

The next morning, I got ready to depart on my newest mission. This meant stuffing my saddlebags with all the provisions I would need for my stay in Canterlot, important things like spare clothing, toiletries, a few weapons, and a bag of coffee. It also meant stuffing myself into my old dress uniform, a gaudy, useless necessity of military protocol consisting of a gray shell jacket with ridiculous gold epaulets, gold braiding up the sleeves that were unofficially dubbed 'chicken guts', and shiny gold-plated buttons. The only utilitarian piece to the officer's dress uniform was the saber, my weapon of choice, worn on the left side of the polished black belt. My gray, wide-brimmed officer's hat completed the uniform, and was the only part that I actually liked wearing.

Dashie would be leaving the next morning for Ponyville and her own little mystery, but my sister and I would have to be at the local train station in two hours. There, we would hop a train to Canterlot and what I hoped would be a boring assignment, nothing more than a reasonable excuse to sit in a dark corner at the Gala and drink imported coffees. But before the long train ride, and before we began our security detail, I first had to make sure my sister was ready to go, which meant going to her room...a wantonly bizarre place, where some new and inventive form of confusion met me with each visit.

Approaching her room, I wondered what manner of strange outfit my little sister would have picked out for this fancy and high-toned occasion. This was the foal who would wear a black velvet robe and hood around the house at night, and who once went to a nice restaurant with us wearing a stallion's gray work-vest with 'County Morgue' printed on the back. Even when she was just sans-clothing, she still had a habit of...accessorizing with bandannas, spiked bracelets, and other tomboyish and even outlandish things. So forgive me if I was a bit nervous as I started to knock on her door.

"Yo!" She answered from her room.

"It's me, petit soeur." I said back. "You decent yet?"

"Yep." She called.

"Alright. Coming in." I stated. "Deactivate any booby traps or whatever." I turned the knob and pushed open my sister's door.

"Is this alright to wear to the Gala, bub?!" My sister announced as as soon as I opened the door to her room. Budder was wearing what can only be described as a classy vampirepony dress, a dark red satin dress with small black embroidered roses and black fishnet sleeves. The bottom of the dress looked like a poofy black tutu, and I had no idea where she had bought, borrowed or otherwise acquired the garment. She had on a black velvet choker with silver studs, just to complete the look. I stared at my little sister a moment, then put my face into my right hoof and groaned.

"It'll do sis...it'll do..." I replied. She giggled at having won this one. I said she had to wear nice clothes, and she was...just nice goth clothes. My own sister had me on a technicality. "But..." I added, making sure that I got her back. "You have to wear those nice shoes we got you."

"Ugh...I hate those things." Budder groaned. I knew she did. They were fancy black dress shoes that laced up to her knees with ribbon, and she considered it torture just having to take five minutes to put them on.

"If I have to wear this stuffy old dress uniform, you have to suffer too, angel." I stated.

"Ugh..." She groaned again. "Fine."

"You got a bag packed yet?" I asked.

"Yep."

"What's in it?" I queried. "You make sure you got everything you're gonna need?"

"Yes. I got my sketch book, pencils..." She opened her saddlebags and peeked inside. "um...a couple ghost books, a toothbrush, a big bag of chocolate candy, and a couple knives."

"That's it?" I asked. "Nevermind, angel. It's Canterlot. Those rooms are better furnished than this house. Just get ready and come downstairs. We're leaving in a few minutes, okay?"

"Alright bub." She answered. "I kinda wanna say bye to Dashie again before we go too."

"I know...I do too." I said. I sighed. "I'll see you downstairs in a few."

"Kay." She said back. I exited her room and closed the door. I walked down the stairs to where my marefriend was sitting in the living room, the more relaxed and modern parlor of our house, my saddlebags waiting beside the sofa. She looked over at me as I walked in, and smiled sadly. She was obviously taking this notion of being separated for a few days as hard as I was.

"I guess you'll be leaving soon, huh?" She spoke.

"Yeah...soon as Budder finishes up..." I replied, sitting down beside Dash. "Heh...knowin' her, we might have a little while together." I tried to joke. "You packed yet?"

"Nah...gonna do that tonight. You know me, the slacker extraordinare." She quipped. I chuckled a bit, then in a moment of silence, my smile fell. "You be careful, sweetheart." I told her. "I know you have the easiest mission this time, and it should be cut and dry...but..." I sighed. "I just..."

"You won't be there to watch my back." Rainbow Dash said, finishing my train of thought.

"Well...yeah, actually..." I admitted.

"I'll be okay, Drake." Dash said, laying her head on my shoulder. "You know I will. I got A.J. And Twi, Rarity, and all my peeps in Ponyville. And with everything you taught me about survival and fighting and all that..." She smiled. "You don't have to worry about me. Well, not nearly as much as I have to worry about you two...being in Canterlot without me to keep you and Budder out of trouble."

"Heheh...we'll be fine." I chuckled. Dashie looked at me seriously.

"You'd better be, man. I won't forgive you if you go get hurt." Said Dash. I smiled.

"I promise I'm coming home, sweetheart." I stated trying to reassure her.

"I know you will." She nodded. "Just making sure, you know?" She smiled. "And you better not be looking at all those well-dressed mares up there, or I'll have to come kick your butt."

"No worries there, Dashie." I replied lovingly. "They may have the money, but you got the looks and you got the talent." This made her smile even more.

"I love you, Drake." She whispered, hugging me.

"I love you too, Dashie." I returned, embracing my marefriend in a final hug before I had to go save the country yet again.

"Hey bub...I'm ready." Budder's voice said. Dash and I broke our hug, and I turned to my sister.

"Alright sis. I guess we'd better get going..." I exhaled sharply. I stood, and turned back to Rainbow Dash. "I'll see you in a few days, okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded wistfully. I leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Love you." I whispered, looking into her magenta eyes.

"Love you too." She whispered back. Budder walked up to Dash next.

"I'm gonna miss you, Rainbow." My sister said sadly.

"I'll miss you too, kid." Dash said with a small smile. "Take care for Drake for me, huh?"

"Heh. You know I will." Budder grinned. She and Dashie shared a quick hug.

"Now you two go on before you miss your train, and have to walk all the way to Canterlot." My wonderful marefriend joked, trying to bring some levity into the depressing situation. We walked to the door, and I turned once more to Dash.

"Have fun in Ponyville." I said. "Say hi to all your friends for me."

"I will." She replied. "And you two have fun in Canterlot."

"We will. Well, as much fun as can be had around a bunch of ponies with gold bits rattling around in their empty heads." I commented dryly. I smiled at Rainbow Dash. "See you in a few days."

So ends chapter four. In the Next Chapter, Drake and Budder will be getting to Canterlot and their assignment. What awaits them there? Will the terrorist group try to take on Princess Celestia at the gala, or will it be a noneventful mission? And how will Rainbow Dash's assignment turn out? I will try to have the next chapter up late tonight or tomorrow afternoon, one or the other. Because everyone who knows me knows that I sleep from 2 in the morning until 10 or 11, and I refuse to accept that the world exists before 9am. So until next chapter, please review, and thanks for reading, everypony!