CHAPTER 9

Hey everypony. I'm back with chapter 9. I assumed this one wouldn't be up until later, but it didn't take long at all to get this one typed out and posted. Maybe I'll try for three chapters today. The action really starts to pick up in this chapter, as does the weirdness. But that's a given. Wherever Drake and Budder go, weird stuff is bound to happen. So let's get on with it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, loyal readers. Please review.

I moved through the Royal Forest, searching for my sister. As I walked deeper in, I noticed something odd. For some strange reason, the atmosphere seemed to have changed. It felt thicker and heavier, and I was on guard. Something wasn't quite right. I slid my saber from its scabbard and halted a moment, looking around at the dark forest.

"Sis?!" I called. "Hey Budder, where you at?!" I sighed. Where could she have wandered off to? I hoped she wasn't in trouble. I thought back to the blood diamond case, where I had located the diamond thieves because my sister had been pnoy-napped. Then there was the Hell-house, where Budder had fell through a trapdoor and nearly died, but had found the key to defeating the curse. Then there was the haunted mine case, and the time she had walked right into a weapons-smuggling operation. Literally...as in we were in a restaurant, and she went to use the restroom, got the wrong door, and walked right into a backroom full of illegal weapons and gangsters. Somehow, my little sister always managed to find herself right in the middle of trouble. Stop thinking, Drake. She just went for a walk. You're worrying again.

I paused when I heard what sounded like the strained groaning creak of many trees. I glanced up at the branches over me, and noticed that there was no wind to explain the sound. I looked around the forest questioningly for a source to the noise. There was another long creak from deeper in the woods. It almost reminded me of the cursed old house we had to contend with once, which didn't do much to put my mind at ease.

"That...can't be good..." I muttered. "Budder?! Come on, angel...where are you?!" I picked up my pace until I was moving at a fairly quick trot, moving deeper into the forest, looking for any sign of Budder, or danger. Finally, on the ground I spotted a broken twig. Aha! Further along was a hoof print the size of my sister's. I was on the right track...

"Yeep!" A female voice cried out. I looked up to see a unicorn mare the same color as my sister, but with a yellow and red-striped mane. She held a large book under one foreleg, and was staring at me like a foal caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

"Who are you?" I asked, not remembering her from the Gala.

"Uummmmm...nopony." She replied before quickly turning and galloping off in the opposite direction.

"Hey you!" I called, charging after her. "Get back here!"

"No way!" She yelled back. I could see a faint glow coming from her head, and a vine suddenly whipped down at me. I swung my saber and sliced through it.

"Halt! Stop!" I commanded. Whoever this unicorn was, I had to catch her. For all I knew, she could be an assassin...or worse, she could have pony-napped Budder or something. A large dead branch flew at me from nowhere. Unable to dodge it, I was struck head-on and knocked head-over-hooves and knocked senseless for a few moments. I stood, my head sore from the attack. I rubbed my muzzle, which I was sure had to be bleeding, and looked for the unicorn mare. She had gotten away.

"Damnit..." I growled. "Using magic...ya damned cheater. Stupid unicorn bitch..." The trees groaned again, and I heard what sounded like wood snapping, something I knew could not bode well. Then, I heard a new sound.

"Draaaaake!" Budder's voice called. "Bubby, please!" My heart skipped a beat, and I galloped madly toward the sound of her panicked voice. I soon broke through the dense forest and into a clearingwhere I skidded to a sudden stop.

My sister was in the clearing, struggling to escape from what I assumed was a pool of mud. Around the clearing, most of the trees were twisting and swaying as if they were in a heavy wind. As they contorted themselves, the trees groaned and squeaked, the source of the bizarre noise I had been hearing. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew one thing...I had to get Budder and get the Hell out of there...quick.

"Sis!" I called out. She looked up and spotted me.

"Drake! Get me outta here!" She cried frantically.

"I'm coming, sis!" I shouted over the sound of the trees, running to Budder's aid. She thrashed in the knee-deep mud, trying to pull her legs free. "Gimme your hoof." I said, holding out my right forehoof.

"I...I can't..." She whimpered defeatedly.

"Yes...you can, Budder." I shot back. "You can do this." As she started working free, My gaze shot past Budder to the trees on the edge of the clearing, and my eyes grew large. "Y...yeah...um...you can do it...and you'd better do it quick."

"Wh...why?" Budder quaked. The trees behind her were beginning to pull their own roots from the ground, their long branches twisting like macabre wooden arms.

"I...I don't wanna alarm you, sis..." I said in a low voice, trying to swallow my own fear down deep. "...but we gotta get outta here...now!" She looked back at the trees, uprooting themselves and stretching their limbs toward us, and let out a panicked squeal. "MOVE SIS!"

Budder clenched her teeth, and tugged her forehooves free from the ground. I grabbed her hooves and pulled, but she was stuck solidly. I pulled even harder as the first of the trees began to approach, turning their full attention on us.

"Sis...your shoes." I grunted, releasing my grip on her hooves. "hurry!" She reached back and fumbled with the knot on her right shoe as the trees stepped toward us, their weight causing tremors in the ground. "Come on...don't wanna rush you angel..." I panted, my heart racing. "...but you gotta hurry...okay?"

"Got it!" Budder exclaimed. She wiggled her right hindleg free from the ribbon, then started working on her left. The ground shook as the trees slowly lumbered (no pun intended) toward us. Budder finally managed to untie the ribbon. I took her forehooves in mine, and pulled as hard as I could. She kicked free from her shoe, and we stumbled back away from the pool just as a huge root-foot stomped down on the spot we had just been.

"RUN!" I yelled as one of the trees swiped down with an arm of branches, reaching for us. I grabbed my saber from the forest floor ad parried the limbs, snapping off more than a few branches. The tree let out a rumbling groan, letting me know that I had pissed it off more than I had actually hurt it. It landed another blow, knocking me on my side. The right side of my face burned, and I was sure I had a fe deep cuts, but there was no time to bleed now. I leaped to my hooves, and galloped to my sister, who had tears in her eyes from seeing me. Yep...I had to be injured.

"Damn!" I cried, pushing my sister away just as another large branch swiped at us. I'd shoved Budder clear, but the tree had torn open a gash in my uniform jacket, and from how it felt, bruised a couple ribs. Not stopping for a second, I ran to my sister. "MOVEMOVEMOVE!" I shouted as we began to run for our lives, dodging the attacking forest. A limb made a lunge for Budder, but only succeeded in tearing the right fishnet sleeve of her dress nearly off. We dashed from the clearing, the trees close behind.

In the depths of the woods, it became apparent that whatever had brought these trees to life back in the clearing unfortunately wasn't restricted to that small area. As we galloped madly toward safety, the trees around us creaked and groaned, a few trying to extract themselves from the earth. Others swatted and grabbed at us as we ran, further tearing at our clothes and manes. A root or vine tried to wrap itself around my left hind leg, but I sliced through it easily, and we kept up our disorderly retreat. Finally, up ahead we could see the end of the woods, and hear the sound of classical music.

We burst from the forest into the Gala at a full gallop. The music stopped playing, and the well-to-do partiers stopped partying. They stared blankly at my sister and I, our manes and tails tangled and full of sticks and leaves, our clothes torn and disheveled, and out faces and bodies covered in mud and scratches, as we ran into the middle of the crowd trying to warn them of the approaching danger.

"The forest is coming!" I announced. "The trees are all alive, and this party is over!"

"My word!" A well-groomed mare exclaimed.

"Indeed! What is all of this about?" A rich stallion asked in disgust.

"I ain't kiddin' around here!" I cried. "Ya'll better clear out before you all go on a camping trip you don't want!"

"WHAT...is the MEANING of this?!" A voice shouted. The crowd parted, and out stepped Shining Armor, followed by four Royal Guards. He stopped in front of us, an angry look on his face. "Drake...what in Celestia's name do you think you're doing?!"

"Shining, listen..." I panted. "Celestia is in danger here..." The guard captain leaned in close and cut me off.

"Of COURSE the princess is in danger, Drake!" He whispered harshly. "That's why there are so many guards here, if you haven't noticed, idiot! And the only reason these guests are enjoying the Gala...or rather trying to...is that they don't know about it!" I was fuming now. I pushed him away hard.

"Shining, you stuck up little twit!" I growled. "If you don't shut the Hell up and listen for once..."

"THAT'S ENOUGH, DRAKE!" He exploded. "GUARDS! Take Lieutenant Drake here to a holding cell until he cools off and learns how to behave himself." Two guards stepped toward me, and Budder jumped in between us.

"Don't you dare try to touch my brother." She charged. "You snooty rich idiots are gonna..."

"Step aside, young lady!" Shining ordered.

"But the trees are alive!" She protested, pointing wildly toward the forest and accidentally slinging a gob of mud onto a wealthy mare's ballgown, causing gasps of disapproval from the crowd.

"Yes, of course! Trees are alive!" Shining replied angrily. "Place Drake's little sister in the cell with him. I don't want

either of them ruining this Gala again." The two guards moved up on either side of me militantly.

"Drake?" Budder whimpered as the other two guards positioned themselves beside her. I heaved a sigh, resigned to our situation.

"It's okay, sis..." I gloomed. "Let's go peacefully." I stared into Shining Armor's blue eyes. "It's out of our hooves. The blame can go on this peacock bastard, not me." Shining grunted in derision and walked away as the guards began to escort my sister and I to the royal prison.

Now Drake and Budder are going to the dungeon, Shining Armor is being an idiot, Sunset Shimmer is still running around somewhere, and there's an army of evil Ents marching on Canterlot. Things can't get much worse, can they? What's going to happen now? I will try to have the next chapter up tonight. Until then, please send me your reviews. Thanks for reading, everypony.