CHAPTER 8
Hey everypony. I've finally returned with chapter eight. If you're all wondering why I don't write on weekends, it's because it's Drake and Budder time. I save all my writing for the weekdays when I don't have much to do but run the museum and be bored. Oh, and running the museum means dusting a bit, turning on the lights, opening the door, and sitting around writing, watching TV and the like until somebody comes in heheheh. Anyway, this chapter is mostly thanks to ShadowBudder239, the real-life Budder to my real-life Drake. I hope you all enjoy this one. It now being about 4 years into the timeline of the show (which has progressed along a different tangent, thanks to the events in Volume 3), you're about to see another cameo appearance. Please review, and savor the guest appearance, everypony!
I knocked on the door of my little sister's suite in the Royal Palace. After several seconds of no answer from inside, I knocked again and called her name. Still no sound. I cautiously turned the knob and entered the room. I looked around, but Budder was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, she'd left me some breadcrumbs to follow. On the bed was the crossbow device, and underneath the weapon was a small note written on the fine paper that came with the rooms. I picked up the letter and read:
'Hey Drake, in case I'm not back before you find this, I went for a walk in the Royal Forest. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Love you! -Budder'
"Ugh...angel..." I groaned. "You know better...terrorists and assassins and stuff everywhere..." I tossed the note back onto the bed and went off in search of my sister.
Budder's POV, Taken from her autobiography
I had to get away from the Gala for a while. I had to take a break from the big crowd and all of the rich ponies that seemed to judge and insult you constantly while they were talking to you. Drake taking out the assassin was the only good thing that had happened the whole evening. The rest of the time, I had been bored and annoyed with the ponies at the Gala. They were all so...obnoxious. The thing with Drake and that guard was kind of the final straw for me. I went up to my room, and wrote a note for my brother in case he came looking for me. I sat it under the cool crossbow he'd taken off of the badpony, and took off to the Royal Forest for a walk.
I trotted down the narrow path through the trees in the dark forest. Nearly all of the trees were old, some hundreds of years old, their gnarly roots and twisted branches a sign of their age. I loved it. Why wouldn't I? It was a creepy old forest...at night. I just wished that I had brought some of my paranormal detection equipment. This looked like the perfect place to look for ghosts. As I went deeper into the woods, my mind wandered to something else.
As I walked, I started wondering if my brother had gotten in trouble with that Royal Guard guy he was arguing with. I hoped that he hadn't, and I started feeling bad for leaving him like that. Drake was everything to me. He was like not only a brother, but a teacher, dad and best friend all rolled into one big ball of awesome. The only reason I had walked away like I did was that I was afraid of getting Drake into worse trouble. I couldn't stand for anypony to mess with my brother, and that Shining Armor dude was pushing all of my buttons. Right when I was about to tell him off, I let my common sense take over for once, and I just walked off, and left the snooty guard pony in Drake's hooves. I hoped Drake had won in the end...
I thought I heard something, off to my right in the trees. I looked around, and started creeping toward the direction I'd heard the sound. I pushed through a bunch of branches and vines on the edge of the path, trying to keep from getting snagged, or more like trying to keep myself from getting grounded for tearing up my fancy dress. Somehow, I still ended up getting tangled in a vine that grew from the ground to a tree branch overhead, and probably grew there just to keep me from going forward.
"Gah...get...off!" I whispered. With a really strong push, the vine finally snapped, and I fell forward into a clearing in the forest. After I got myself together a bit, I took one look around at the clearing and froze.
A unicorn mare, her coat almost the exact color of mine, with a red and yellow mane and tail was standing in the middle of the clearing staring at me like I had just interrupted something important. Around the unicorn was a circle of pillar candles, and in front of her was a large, opened book. There was no reason for somepony to be out in the forest reading a book at this time of night. She was obviously up to something, and It took me all of about three seconds to figure out what was going on.
"Oh crap..." I said. I looked around, trying to work out how to get out of this situation. I gave the unicorn a nice try at a friendly grin. "Heheh...Oh hey...um..."
"Hey yourself..." The unicorn mare replied in a cocky voice. "I didn't expect an audience."
"Um...eheh...an audience to...what?" I asked, starting to get worried that I might have walked into something more than I could handle. The mare gave me an evil smile.
"To the destruction of Canterlot and the death of Celestia, of course." She stated, sounding way too calm about it.
"Yeaahhh...heheheh...oh crap..." I said. I took a step backwards, getting ready to make a run for it. The unicorn's horn began to glow, and I felt the ground under me starting to get soft. I tried to walk, but the dirt was turning into muck, and my shoes were trapped in it. I struggled to get out as the red and yellow-maned unicorn started walking toward me. No matter how much I pulled, I couldn't get out, and I ended up sunk up to my knees. The ground became solid again, and I looked up to see the mare standing close to me.
"Like my little trap?" She asked, smiling like she was proud or something. "I've been working on spells to control nature, and I think I really have it down. Oh...if you think this is good..." She narrowed her blue eyes and chuckled.
"Don't kill me..." I gasped. As soon as I said it, I felt stupid and foalish for acting so scared.
"What? I'm not gonna kill you, sweetie. I'm not really in the biz of killing little kids. Well...to be fair, I aught ta' say that I'm not gonna do it personally. But...yeah, you are gonna have to die, just like everypony else in Canterlot." She must have seen the look on my face. "I knooow, right? It's such a bummer..."
"Why?!" I demanded. "Why are you tryin' to kill everypony?!"
"Why? WHY?!" The unicorn repeated angrily. "I'll tell you why, you nosy little brat. I finally get to bring down that Queen Bitch Celestia! I was her star student, and she totally screwed me out of it. I could have been a princess, and she screwed me out of that. You know what it's like to be stuck in human high-school for three years? It's a nightmare, okay?"
"Wha..." I asked, confused.
"Just never mind..." She said. "Point is, I'm about to take out Celestia, Canterlot, and hopefully as much of Equestria as I can." She looked away. "And when I'm done here, I'm gonna make it my personal business to kill that nerdy...stupid little nobody Twilight Sparkle..."
"You're doing all this...just to get revenge?" I squeaked, still trying to work my legs free from the magical quicksand trap.
"No, I'm actually getting paid really well to do all this." She replied. "Revenge is an added little bonus. Really, it was part of the reason I agreed to take this little job." She grinned. "Nopony can say that Sunset Shimmer doesn't have her priorities straight, huh?" With that, this Sunset Shimmer trotted back to her circle of candles, and her horn began to glow as she read aloud from the book.
"Oh crap...oh crap!" I gasped. I was starting to panic. "Bubby! Drake, help!" I called.
"Nopony can hear you." Shimmer said calmly. I felt the ground get softer, and I sank a little deeper before it hardened again. "And nopony's gonna help you. Now shut up, or I'll bury you there." She added. I whimpered, and stopped calling out for help. I was way beyond scared now. This unicorn was seriously about to murder everypoy in Canterlot, including Drake. I felt tears fill my eyes. I had no idea how she planned on doing it, but I knew she could. I closed my eyes, and called in my mind for my brother.
"Arise, my pets." Shimmer finally said. My eyes shot open. Pets? "Arise now, and do my bidding. Kill all the ponies. Kill the princess. Kill everypony. Oh, and kill this little pest here too. Destroy everything. NOW!" There was a loud creaking and groaning sound from the forest. I started shaking and couldn't stop. The sound was so much like the old house that turned out to be alive. Alive and evil. I watched Sunset Shimmer walk out of the circle of candles, and trot up to me. She stopped, and gave me a smart-alecky grin that made me want to deck her.
"See ya then." Shimmer said. "Or maybe not...whatevs. Nice dress by the way. Could do without the choker. Love the shoes. Anyway...Ciao!" With that, the unicorn just walked off, leaving me alone in the clearing. I heard the creaking sound again, and even though there was no wind, the branches of the trees seemed to be moving, and the leaves were rustling.
"Bubbyyyyy..." I called in a low voice. I took a deep breath. The forest didn't feel right anymore. It felt oppressive and evil, and I felt like hundreds of eyes were watching me. I started trying to work my legs free, which was easier for my forelegs, and I managed to work them out, but ended up pushing them back down again. Because of those stupid deathtrap shoes, my hindlegs were stuck and there as no getting them out. All I was doing was churning up the mud under my forehooves. I looked around at the trees again, and whimpered. "This isn't good...oh crap..."
Uh-oh...looks like Budder is in deep trouble...no pun intended. What's gonna happen next? Will Drake find his sister before Sunset Shimmer's evil spell does...whatever it's going to do?And what did Sunset mean when she said 'Pets'? You will find out in the next chapter, I promise. Did you all like Sunset Shimmer's appearance? I've been wanting to write her in a story forever now. Remember that the storyline is changed now because of volume 3...so Sunset Shimmer doesn't steal the crown and cause the events of Equestria Girls. No...she has something worse planned now. I look forward to hearing your comments about the inclusion of her character, and I'm sure you can't wait for more. I will attempt to have chapter 9 up this evening or later tonight if nothing goes awry. So until next chapter, thanks for reading, everypony!