Difficult Discoveries

by DerpymuffinAuthor

Chapter 7: Fall

Axel paced around his room, the necklace dangling from around his neck.

"I never left my room. I was asleep. I was dreaming." Axel stopped in front of his mirror.

"Then how did I get this!?" He snapped at his reflection, of course, he didn't get a reply. Axel looked at the necklace and ran his hoof along it. The same ripple effect followed his hoof as it did in his dream. Reality? Dream? The two were getting mixed up in Axel's head.

Axel trotted over to his bed and pulled out the book, flipping through it for anything about things from a dream to be pulled into reality.

Nothing. Nothing about necklaces or dreams.

Axel hissed in frustration. In a quick act to get rid of whatever cursed necklace he had been given, Axel ripped off the necklace. And instantly regretted it.

The moment the necklace was removed from Axel's body, pain exploded inside the unicorn's stomach. He gasped and pressed a hoof against his stomach, the pain feeling like his insides were being ripped apart by an unknown force. Axel weakly held up the necklace in his flickering magic and he put it back on. The pain immediately vanished.

"What in Celestia?!" Axel blinked, holding the gem closer to his face. It wasn't enchanted or at least, he couldn't tell it was.

"Axel? Axel sir are you alright in there?" Axel turned his head.

"Y-Yes... Yes I am alright...." Axel called back and stood up, his legs shaky. His voice sounded off and the pony on the other side of the door seemed to realize this too. The pony pushed open the door and trotted into the room, only to gasp in surprise.

Axel blinked. '"I-Is something wrong?" He asked and the mare galloped over, holding up the gem with her hoof.

"No.... No way...." The mare murmured before looking up at Axel. "I-I don't believe this...." Axel backed away.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, eyes wide in confusion.

"H-He finally revealed it.... How could I have not seen it before!?" The mare didn't seem to be speaking to Axel so Axel cleared his throat.

"Please explain to me what you possibly mean." Right then a loud slam came from downstairs.

"HE'S HERE!" A female voice screamed and the mare's eyes widened. She wrapped her hoof around Axel's hoof and began to drag him towards the door.

"What's going on!?" Axel snapped, pulling his hoof away.

"I'll explain later, sir Axel. But we can not stay here! She's onto us!"

"She? Us? Are you mad?" Axel retorted, feeling frustrated that the mare would not explain. She turned and noticed the Darkened Book on his bedside table. Quickly, she grabbed it and tucked it under her maid outfit.

"Maybe, but we can't stay here!" The mare's voice was edged with panic as hooves thundered up the stairwell.

"We don't have time for this!" She snapped, dragging the unicorn out of his room and down the hall.

"Where in the name of Celestia are you taking me!?" Axel asked, hearing the loud sound of approaching ponies in the hall. The mare's irises shrank and she began to gallop while Axel struggled to keep up with her.

"Out of here!" The mare replied, running down a corridor, stopping in front of a wall.

"This is a wall! You really are mad!" Axel snapped and the mare shot him a shriveling glare before tapping on the wall, revealing a hatch.

"Go!" She hissed, shoving Axel into the tight crawlspace. Axel coughed as dust swirled into the air but the mare kept pushing him, locking the hatch after she climbs in after him.

Axel noticed a light and began to crawl faster, only to nearly fall face first onto a hard wood surface. Somehow, the crawlspace had led him to the porch on the west side of the house.

"Go!" The mare hissed and Axel quickly pulled his hind legs out of the tight space. The mare crawled out and began to push Axel down the porch.

Axel could hear the heavy hoofsteps as they reached the west porch door. The mare spun Axel around and ran to the railing, crawling onto it and turned to Axel. "Come on!"

"What?!" Axel asked. The mare rolled her eyes before leaping off the railing. Axel braced himself for the loud sound of the mare's body smashing into the ground below. Instead he heard her calling. Axel ran over to the edge and peered over the railing. The mare sat in a wagon full of hay.

"Jump! They'll be here any minute!" Axel stared down at the mare in disbelief. Then he heard the sounds of soldiers on the porch.

"He's out here! I sense him! Hurry! He can't get away!"

Axel's eyes widened. He pulled his body onto the railing and took a deep breath before falling off the edge, eyes squeezed shut as he struck the hay.

The mare pulled the unicorn out of the hay wagon and shot down the street and the unicorn quickly followed, worrying for his life. Ponies leaped back as the two bolted down the streets, startling many onlookers as a patrol of soldiers chased after them.

The mare took a quick look behind her and her eyes widened and she turned to the unicorn beside her. "We have to beat them to the gates!" She called "They'll be closing them any minute!"

Axel's heart sank. The mansion was located in the center of the city and it would likely be to late by the time they reached the gates.

The mare ran and leaped over an apple barrel before kicking it over and continued running. The soldiers sidestepped it, but they weren't as close as they had been.

Axel felt like his lungs were burning and that his legs would fall off if he kept running a minute longer. He looked at the mare, she clearly was suffering as well.

"Look! The gates! I see them!" The mare shouted, her voice filled with hope and Axel looked ahead to see it as well. He felt a burst of hope and propelled himself as fast as he could, even if it was going to bite him in the flank later.

Then he saw the soldiers forming a barrier in front of the gates and the mare let out a small whimper but kept running. Axel braced himself for the blast of magic that the unicorns were charging up.

"Run! Run and jump! I got this!" The mare called to him and Axel looked at her. Was she mad? An earth pony against a unicorn squadron? What could she possibly do?"

The unicorns blasted their magic spell in Axel's direction and he took a deep breath before propelling himself into the air. He felt an aura surround him and his eyes widened in panic, however, he saw that the source of the aura was coming from his necklace. It was levitating him over the wall of soldiers.

Then Axel saw a horrible sight. The earth mare. She lay on the street, eyes narrowed in determination and blood trickled down her face. Her limbs lay splayed out in ugly angles. She was dead.

Axel didn't pay attention as the aura vanished and he bit back a yelp as his hooves slammed onto the rocky ground and he slipped forward, his body rolling down the side of the hill which Canterlot was located.

Author's Note:

Don't judge me for saying Canterlot was on a hill.