//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Keep your mouth shut // Story: Difficult Discoveries // by DerpymuffinAuthor //------------------------------// Axel awoke the next morning, his body feeling sore and his mind filled with blurred questions that he was too tired to understand. He found himself tangled up in his covers, the Darkened Kingdom book fallen onto the floor beside him, along with one of his comforter pillows. He groaned and began to untangle himself from the bonds of the covers. Once that was done. he picked up the stray comforter and the book. The book, he set on the nightstand, subconsciously running his hoof over the leather cover. He hadn't really noticed this until now, in his restless confine of sleep, that the book seemed more like a journal than a printed book as the rest of the library. However, the author's name had been blurred and rubbed to the point of it looking more like it was just old age, and it probably was. Axel shook the thought from his mind and trotted to the bathroom, lazily stripping his silk shirt and walking over to the mirror. His blue, curved end mane was all over the place, slightly reminding him of the pink mare in the Dining Room tapestry. He grabbed his brush and smoothed out his hair, washing his face to awake himself. After pulling on a simple blue shirt and a brown vest on top, Axel trotted back to his bed and fixed up the mess that his restless body had made while his mind was wrapped in the nightmarish vision of the Darkened Kingdom. Once that was done, Axel tucked his book away among the many on the bookshelf, blending well with the many other novels and magic books. Axel trotted down the stairway and headed to the dining room, being greeted by the rich smell of breakfast. When he reached the dining room, the table had all sorts of different things. Pancakes, fruits, waffles, biscuits, and many other delectable foods that Axel ate for breakfast on a daily basis. Axel seated himself in the same chair as the night before. His mother wearing a simple purple dress with white seams and pink silk sewn into star shapes, her mane was worn down in its natural way. Flash wore a faded red vest and his hair was slightly ruffled, but still stood up the same way. "Morning, Axel." Twilight greeted, slathering a biscuit in strawberry preserves before taking a bite out of it. "Good morning." Axel replied, beginning to eat his stack of pancakes, slathering them in syrup of course. "Axel, I was wondering if you could run a few errands for me?" Twilight asked and Axel nodded, moving on to his next pancake after devouring the first one. "Sure, What do you need?" Axel asked after swallowing his mouthful. Despite the fact that any servant could do it instead, he was grateful he had something to slightly spice up his usual routine that wasn't a boring dinner party or lecture. It was Saturday after all. Twilight levitated a list over to Axel as he finished his last pancake and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He turned and read the list. It was a list of things that Twilight needed from the market place. Axel remembered going to the marketplace once or twice, he met a pegasus there. A pegasus that didn't like to stop or give up. He was determined in every way possible. Axel remembered when the colt bumped into a earth pony carrying a basket of apples and the earth pony had retaliated with a string of curses and attempted strike at the pegasus, demanding he pay for all the apples that were bruised, despite how absurd it was. After that, the pegasus darted off into the crowd of the marketplace and Axel never saw him around Canterlot since. "Alright. I'll go to the marketplace after breakfast." Axel quickly began to finish his meal, subconsciously hoping he'll see the pegasus again. After their meal, Axel was quick to get to town. He trotted to a store, it being run by a friend of Twilight's and that the stuff there wasn't as expensive as it could be in the marketplace. He pushed past the door, hearing the jingling of the bell which symbolized his arrival. A familiar brownish orange face appeared over the counter. Axel immediately recognized Babs Seed. She occasionally worked here, despite her talent being a hair stylist. "Hey, Axel!" The older earth mare greeted in her Manehattan accent. "What can I do for ya?" Axel trotted over to the counter and set down the list. "I'm running errands for my mother. Do you have any of that special ink?" He inquired and Babs thought for a moment, vanishing around the back before reappearing with a bottle of ink. "So, How has it been? Its been nearly three months since I last saw ya." Babs leaned against the counter. "Its fine. My private teacher says i'm so good at mathematics and spells that I should get a more advanced teacher. He was probably joking about getting a better teacher." Babs chuckled and handed Axel the ink bottle, which he slipped into his saddle bags and handed her a couple bits in return. "So, why are you working here? I thought you moved back to Manehattan last month." Axel asked and Babs looked at him. "I'm covering for ma' cousin, Apple Bloom, since she called in sick and offered me some bits in return for running the store for er'. The bits are just a small bonus to me." Axel nodded and trotted towards the door. "Tell Apple Bloom I hope she feels better soon. Bye Babs!" The mare waved in response as Axel trotted out of the shop and down the road, hoping to talk to Miss Mare before heading to the marketplace. However, as he reached the corner, the sound of shouting and yelling hit his ears. Axel stopped and peered around the corner to see Canterlot Soldiers crowding around the front of the Knowledge Tree Library. The assistant librarians were being shoved out of the library and they fell to the street from the brute force. The soldiers were saying something to the librarians in a harsh tone that Axel couldn't hear. Then two soldiers came out, pulling the familiar beige mare out of the library, kicking and cursing. The other librarians were pushed to their hooves as Miss Mare was pushed onto the street. She let out an incoherent curse at the soldiers. Axel's curiosity and worry got the best of him and he slipped into the small space between two houses. He could now better hear the soldiers. Miss Mare glared up as a soldier adorned in gold rimmed armor, unlike the armor the others wore, he was probably a general. "Miss Mare. You are under arrest for offense against the Harmony Council." He gruffly announced and the mare spat in his face. "What offense have I committed!?" She snapped back as the general wiped the spit out of his face. "You have been caught with unathorized information on the Darkened Kingdom. You have every right to remain silent." Miss Mare looked up at the general before one of the other librarians harshly growled. "You can try, but you will never extinguish the Darkened Kingdom. We will come back stronger than before and take back what is rightfully ours! LONG LIVE KING AMETHYST!!!!" She shouted as loud as possible. However, before she could say more, there was a loud boom and she slumped lifelessly to the stone street, blood pooling around her head. Miss Mare wailed and the other librarians gasped in horror. The soldiers kept their cold demeanor. "Take the other librarians into custody and close down the Library." The general commanded to one part of the patrol, before turning to the other part of his patrol. "Get rid of her body and clean up the evidence. No one shall know what occurred here. Tomorrow we shall send another patrol to search the library for any of those wretched Darkened Books." The soldiers gave a salute before doing what was commanded of them. Axel's heartbeat was skyrocketing and he quickly rushed back around the corner, eyes wide and his breathing unsteady and quick. He had just seen something that he shouldn't have. It took Axel's frantic mind to process what had happened. They were looking for Darkened Kingdom books. One of the librarians had been part of the scattered Darkened Race. It took Axel little time to realize the one obvious thing. He was responsible for this. He had told his mother, an allicorn and part of the Harmony Council, about the book he had. If he had kept his mouth shut, then Miss Mare wouldn't be taken into custody, that librarian wouldn't have been shot and everything would be normal. Axel had to keep this hidden, he couldn't go blabbering about this to anypony else, or he would end up just like that librarian. Dead and lifeless on the streets with only a select few knowing his fate, shot at the hooves of the soldiers that were meant to protect him. Axel took a few calming breaths before going to the bustling marketplace. He focused his mind on his surroundings to get rid of the image of the dead librarian. He looked at the many stands of the wide marketplace, all having some sort of colorful tarp over the top. Fillies ran after each other, under the watchful eye of a few mares. Gamblers were rolling dice on corners provided by a few jutting porches. The smell of all sorts of produce filled the air. One stand had pears, the others had more uncommon, imported fruits, like mangoes and kiwis. Axel trotted along the marketplace, passing the produce related stands and he began to feel warmer, despite the cold winds that often accompanied the clear Canterlot day during this month. This was due to him passing by the blacksmith shops which had orange fire glowing brightly from the many furnaces. Axel picked up his pace, the loud clanging of hammers against metal beginning to hurt his ears. As the sound of the blacksmith shops faded, the scent of the bakeries filled Axel's nose. He denied his body's wish to go and buy some of the delicious smelling food to snack on. Instead he kept walking until her reached the stands that sold things unrelated to the previous shops and stands. He trotted over to one stand that had a quill on the sign. It was run by an old stallion. "How many quills do you want?" He asked in his tired voice. "One Dozen of your best quills, please." Axel requested and the stallion glanced at the prices printed on the piece of paper in front of him before leaning down and grabbing a box, opening it to show Axel the new-looking quills inside it. Axel mentally counted them and looked up at the stallion. "That'll be ten bits please." The stallion replied and Axel hoofed them over, sliding the quills into his saddle bag and continuing on his way down the marketplace. However, Axel's mind began to drift elsewhere. The Darkened Kingdom. The Knowledge Tree Library closed down due to "Unauthorized Information" being kept there. All because of Axel not keeping his mouth shut. Axel trotted back to the mansion, taking the long way to avoid the Knowledge Tree Library. Axel's day seemed rather terrifying to him. After his mind managed to wrap around the fact it was his fault, he began to worry about other things. If the guards had seen him? What if they were slowly tracking him down? What if they were right around the corner? Axel had never felt so relieved to be home than this day. He shut the door and quickly trotted towards his Mother's study. As he prepared to knock on the door, he heard voices from inside. "There is no need. We can send a few troops out to look for it." One voice, a raspy mare voice, said. "I say its a waste. I can g-" Axel knocked on the door. "Come in." Twilight called from inside the study and Axel trotted in. The room consisted of mostly dark colors. The walls were lined with bookshelves. Behind the desk which was across the room from the door was a large dark stained glass window. The room had a crimson rug with golden braided ends splayed out on the floor. The room had three ponies other than Twilight who sat at her desk, wearing a simple white dress with a red sash. There was a cyan pegasus hovering near the desk, wearing a Wonderbolt uniform, only this uniform had medals pinned onto the front and the cyan pegasus did not wear the goggles that normally accompanied it. Her rainbow mane loose along her neck. The other mare was a white unicorn with a elegantly curled purple mane. She wore a semi-transparent silky white dress that draped over her body. She wore dazzling sapphire earrings and a necklace made with the same gem, linked together with thin silver chain. She wore a baby blue eye shadow which seemed to bring out her crystalline blue eyes. The third pony wore white robes and a hood, the Harmony Council symbol printed on the front. It was impossible to see the pony's face due to the hood of the black cloak that it wore over the robes. However, the tip of a pale purple horn was visible. "Thank you, Axel." Twilight thanked him and looked at her company before looking back at Axel. "You are dismissed to your room." Axel nodded and trotted to his room. Closing the door behind him, Axel trotted to his bed and pulled out his book, holding it up and flipping to the next chapter.