> Difficult Discoveries
>  by DerpymuffinAuthor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Night Reading
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Equestria. The lush land where ponies were fluent. At least, after the Darkened Kingdom fell. The Darkened Kingdom had a very interesting history, or at least, according to the book Axel found in the library.

The Darkened Kingdom was once a kingdom for thieves, outlaws and murderers and it even had a sort of race of its own. Some rumors assumed that a few assassin clans held their meetings there. It was ruled by two rulers who had a horrid history of their own. One was a heartless pegasus that was rumored to cut out her own cutie marks and have dark magic infused into her left eye. The other was an pegaus that had cut off her wings herself that was rumored to have had her cutie mark forcefully changed to a butcher knife, her ideal choice of a weapon before becoming a Duel Queen.

One day, in another kingdom that has since faded into the obscurity of Modern Day Equestria, one of the Five Leaders was revealed to be a Darkened Fusion. The Leader of Magic. He was revealed to be a bat pony. After that, he fled from the kingdom and was believed to be dead for at least ten years. Then he was discovered to have overthrown the Darkened Queens and taken the role as King. Although he had no queen, he still had a son which was found when the Five Leaders led a siege on the Darkened Castle to take back the Corrupted Leader of Magic. 

The Corrupted Leader of Magic put up a large fight that led to his castle suffering terrible damaged, as well as many casualties. Unlike the natural Darkened's craving to live and kill, the leader stalled until the kingdom was evacuated to the safety of the wilderness. 
That's where the history of Ace Amethyst and his mystery son, ended. It was believed the Five Leaders took Ace Amethyst captive and charged him for his crimes while the son was taken in by the now scattered, Darkened Race.



Axel set down his book and looked up at the earth mare before him. She wore a blueish green lace fall and silver rimmed spectacles. Her graying mane was tied up in a bun and her beige coat showed faint hints of gray.
"You better get home before your mother worries." She warned and Axel looked down at his book. "Take it home. I won't tell any pony." She whispered and Axel grinned , picking up the book and sliding it into his saddle bag. 
"Thanks Miss Mare!" he thanked the mare as he trotted out of the Knowledge Tree Library.

It was against the rules to take over two books out of the library, Due to thievery of Harmony Council Approved History books, and this was Axel's third book. He was an oddly curious unicorn, asking more questions than there were answers. As well as visiting the library whenever he had the space in his free time. Which was as often as he could get around his lectures and occasional dinner parties. He lived in the Sparkle Mansion, since his mother was the allicorn herself. Axel had the same purple coat and him being a unicorn was explained by Twilight's previous time as a unicorn. Although, Axel didn't share her dark purple mane. His mane was a faded, light navy blue, not purple.

Axel pulled his coat tighter around himself as a chilly breeze swept down the smooth street. The sun would set within the next hour and Axel always made it a point to return home on time for every meal, not wanting his food to get cold, and to keep his parents from worrying. He smiled when sight of the towering faded red mansion came into view. Yellow light pouring out of the windows and onto the neatly kept lawn were one of the gardeners happened to be working. The gardener stopped his merry whistling when Axel opened the rod iron gate and he waved at the sight of the thin legged colt. 
"Good evenin' ,Axel! Have a good day at the library?" He asked, leaning against his shovel.
"It was a fine day. Of course there were barely any other ponies, as usual."
The gardener nodded and went back to his work while Axel closed the gate and trotted up the stone stairway and pushed open the dark mahogany door.

Axel shut the door behind him and hung up his cloak, levitating his book to the shelf. He took a quick look at himself in the mirror before trotting up the stairs to the washroom where he cleaned up, putting on a more formal vest and trotting towards the dining room, greeting the maids on his way there. At the Dining Room door stood a butler who politely opened the door and bowed as Axel walked past.

The dining room was elegant, the walls decorated with paintings of Star Swirl the Bearded and a large tapestry of a Harmony  Council meeting at order. The table was spruce wood, although covered with a star decorated table runner that had the symbol of the Harmony Council printed on the center. Chairs lined the table, all having cushioned seats. The table was loaded with the perfect vegetarian banquet and two ponies currently sat at the table.

One was a violet allicorn with her dark violet and hot pink mane in a braided crown. She wore an elegant purple and white dress with gold seams and a pink and white star design printed on the chest. The other was an orange pegasus whom wore a faded blue general uniform with a blue shield with a lighting bolt on it, printed onto the chest as well. He alsohad his bright blue mane spiked up in its usual way. 

Axel sat down across from his adoptive mother and father. The two smiled at him.
"Did you have a nice day?" Twilight asked and Axel nodded. 
"Yup. I found this book on some kingdom called the Darkened Kingdom."
Axel took a spoonful  of his serving of carrot soup, not seeing the slightly shocked looks printed on the faces of his parents.

Twilight quickly regained her composure, unlike her husband who nearly choked on his daisy and daffodil salad, coughing and taking a quick drink of his water. As Axel added another spoonful to his mouth, Flash shot Twilight a panicked look.  Twilight responded with a calm look that meant that she got this.

"So, Axel. Where did you find this book?" She inquired and Axel swallowed his mouthful, taking a sip of his water before replying. 
"At the Knowledge Tree Library. The one I always go to." Axel took another spoonful. 
"Well, that must have been an interesting book." Axel nodded to Flash's comment.

After that, the conversation died out and the family finished up their meal of salads and carrot soup. They were served sugar cakes for dessert which Twilight liked to dab in honey.  After dinner was finished, Axel was excused to his room. On his way up the elegant stairwell, he snatched up the book from the library, intending to read it once he reached his room.

Axel opened his door and trotted into his room. He had a pine wood bookshelf that was stacked with novels and different volumes of magic books as well as a few mini statuettes. 

Axel's room consisted of mainly pine furniture. His bed was a swan feather stuffed mattress with blue covers that, like lots of other things in the mansion, had the symbol of the Harmony Council stitched into it. Across from his bed was a dresser and a mirror, beside the mirror was a door that led to Axel's personal bathroom with a porcelain sink and claw foot bathtub, along with a braided blue and white rug on the marble floor. On the wall beside Axel's bed was a large four pane window with white lace curtains tied to the side that gave him a view over the town and in the fading light, he could see the faint white and gold structure of the Canterlot Palace. 

Axel picked up his book, trotting across the large rug that seemed to reflect the sky, although the one thing that differed it from the sky was the obvious symbol of the Harmony Council outlined by faint white lines between stars. Axel went into his bathroom and stripped himself of the formal vest and pulled on an over sized soft silk shirt that draped off his thin purple frame. He quickly washed his face and trotted over to his bed and crawled onto it, levitating his book over to him.

Axel turned and used his magic to turn up the light on his oil lamp. He then turned to his book and opened to the last page he left off on. The beginning of  Chapter Three: The Lion Veers




The Darkened Kingdom had its own wild life. The most well known were the Lion Veers. The name coming from their thick golden fur and how you often had to veer out of their way. Lion Veers were often difficult to get away from once they locked their sights on you, killing them was a difficult matter as well.   
Lion Veers had stronger and thickened bones that took several blows from a sledge hammer to crack. However, they also were immune to pain unless it was near their vitals. For example, the skin near the head, stomach and neck was where the pain sensitive nerves were located. The Lion Veer also can survive immense bleeding and had very tough insides. Along with its organs being able to grow back, except for its brain which is must be dislocated from the rest of the body or damaged. The brain of a Lion Veer is soft and easy to damage.

As for the different breeds of the Lion veers, the most definitive way to tell your looking at a common or rare breed is the eyes. The most common Lion Veer has red eyes, it also has dull yet long teeth and claws. It has a habit of salivating a lot, although no pony ever knew why. This breed is rarely apart from a pack and will attack anything that isn't one of its own. After all, its brain is just to control its body, not think like a conscious being.

The less common lion veer has yellow eyes and unlike the common breed, has a shred of intelligence and can, in fact, bear offspring. This breed does not salivate as much, however, avoid its saliva. This breed has a more snake-like feature of venomous saliva and forked tongue. Of course it doesn't have long range spitting and the venom isn't terribly lethal if spat unless you get it all over you.However, one bite and you have three hours to get it treated before suffering horrible burning pains in your spinal cord and brain. In most cases, bites that went untreated for four hours led to small amounts of brain damage and memory loss, five hours led to becoming paralyzed and six hours of non treatment led to a painful and slow death by burning through the spinal cord and disconnecting the brain to the point it could never be set back in place even if all the magic in the world tried to save it.

The second to rarest breed has green eyes. This one is much smarter and will not attack unless it feels like its necessary and its offspring are more likely to survive unlike the other breed. This breed hides more than it fights. However, that does not mean it is dangerous. This breed is fast and slick, its thin yet long claws dangerous and its sharp fangs pack a sharp bite. Some Ponies nickname it "Hunter Veers" due to their common hobby of hunting animals and not ponies. They have great sense of smell and are quick to learn of their prey's vital points, animal or pony. If you come across one of these animals, try and stay calm and walk slowly past or away from it. If it gets more aggressive when you go a general direction, it means that either that's where its kill is kept, or its where it has hidden its cubs.

The rarest breed of them all has blue eyes. This one is by far the most intelligent are a lot like ponies in a certain way. If it has offspring, both of the parents tend to them and teach them. It is one to remember and learn its mistakes, defeats and success. One lion veer of this breed learned to outsmart a hunter's trap by watching red lion veers bumble into it. This breed can also have personality, emotional attachments and the ability to memorize patterns and tricks. They may even grow to be kind and friendly to you.

The Lion Veers commonly grown the size of lions, maybe larger than a tall stallion. It was actually not out of place in the Darkened Kingdom for Lion Veers to be raised in Stable-like environments and then trained to become pets. Hunters would train green eyed Lion veers to hunt with them, as a replacement for hunting hounds whom were expensive and uncommon due to the Darkened Kingdom's seclusion from the other kingdoms. However, Red Eyed lion veers were revealed to only be violent to their trainers and often attempted to kill them, which led to a specific armor being fashioned to protect trainers from overly aggressive lion veers. Red Eyed lion veers have never been trained, except for one which had been captured and spoiled at a young age by the Darkened General whom named him Lokis and sent him into battle every chance. However, training Lion Veers to be savage killers was banned and the General was killed after the Fall of the Darkened Queens. Some records trace Lion veers back to when the Darkened Queens were in their mothers' wombs and the Darkened Race was just a few tribes of what was once the Western Wilderness.


 
Axel was interrupted from his reading by a knock on the door. Shoving his book beneath the pillow. His mother told him he shouldn't read when its late and when he should be resting, but Axel did it when he brought home a particularly good book. 
The knock came again and Axel pulled the covers over him. "Come in." He called and the door opened, one of the maids peeking in.
This maid was an earth pony, like a majority of them, with a faint beige coat and short baby blue mane with a lighter blue streak running through it. 
Axel vaguely remembered her when his mother had accidentally spilled a wine glass and the timid mare immeadietly set to cleaning it up before it stained the rug, saying: "I could never allow such a fine rub be ruined forever!"
"What is it?" Axel asked and the mare shuffled her hooves awkwardly before replying.
"Sorry to disturb you, Sir Axel, but your mother asked I check on you."
Axel shook his head and held up a hoof. "No need for apologies, it is all right."   
The mare nodded. "Thank you sir, and have a lovely nights rest." With those final words, the mare quietly shut the door behind her.

Axel breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the book back out, flipping to the next chapter which described a weird, inconsistent sentient black being. The more fear that it was surrounded by, the more powerful and dangerous it grew. Only magic spells or enchanted objects dealt damage, anything else would just phase through it. This creature, known as Fearusi or Nightmarus, Obvious alternations of Fear and Nightmare, dissipated after the fall of the Darkened Queens.

As Axel read on about Lion Veer habits, common habitats and meals along with how to train them and what armor you should wear, he began to nod off. When he reached the Fearusi Attack and Defense spells, he was practically half asleep. Axel didn't know when he fell asleep or what he was reading when he did, but his dreams were filled with his imagination of what the Darkened Kingdom looked like. A tall gloomy kingdom with treacherously high walls and stone faced soldiers lining the walls, their armor stained in blood and their coats were covered in scars. It was a going to be a long night for Axel.
> Chapter 2: Keep your mouth shut
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	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.
		


		

	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 3: The Servant
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sky was dark and gray, storm clouds rumbling with their awaiting storm. The courtyard was also dark, except for the yellow light of the torches held by the many soldiers awaiting there. In the courtyard were three arranged poles, piles of dry wood underneath them. The overhead balcony had several ponies on it. All wore dark clothes as they gazed down at the three ponies that were tied up to the poles. This would be a private execution, however, it would be painful as the superiors could make it.

"These three ponies are to be executed today for committing an act of Treason against The Harmony Council." The white allicorn with the flowing mane called in a loud voice that seemed to drown out the rumbling of the oncoming storm. 

The pony on the center pole looked ruefully at the soldier holding the torch. This torch would be the source of her death and it would be slow and painful. The thought sent shivers down her spine. 

The soldiers looked up at the ponies and the purple allicorn rose up her hoof. The mares that were awaiting their death felt like the moment would go on forever before the hoof slammed down on the railing. The soldiers then lowered their torches to the pile of dry wood.

Within moments the small orange flames turned into a burning orange blur as it licked over the pieces of wood and the mares' back hooves. They bit back the pain, not wanting to give the ponies the satisfaction of their pain.

The first mare's haunches caught on fire quickly and her eyes watered from the smoke and pain the flames caused. Her fur burned away and her flesh went soon after, her body was soon engulfed in flames and she craned her neck in a frail attempt to keep it out of the flames. As the fire climbed up her neck she let out her agonized wail before the ropes burned away and she fell to the pile of wood, her flesh melting away, leaving her jaw gaped in a mute scream. One that would go unheard to the many ponies quietly sleeping away int heir beds.

The mare in the middle was on a higher pole as to prolong her death. She was mortified as her friend's body crashed into the burning flames. Her other friend wasn't too far behind.

The other mare kicked and screamed as the flames crept up her body. Tears streamed down her eyes as the ropes quickly burned away. In a frail attempt for her body to conserve itself, she attempted to push off the pole. However, her burned hind legs would not support her and she fell face first into the fire, screaming before the writhing orange torrent engulfed her writhing body.

Now was the middle mare's turn. The flames climbed up her body and her flesh began to burn away. She turned her head to glare at the ponies on the balcony. As she felt her life ebbing away she took a deep breath before screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Long live Ace Amethyst!!" 

As if on Que, the clouds unleashed their heavy torrent of rain upon the ponies below, however, it was too late for the mare whose body was consumed by the flames as the storm came down.

And the entire event was witness by the small mare hiding around the corner of the building, wrapped in a tight cloak with wide, terrified eyes. 



	Dear Twilight. 
Fluttershy, Applejack and me have successfully made it to Ponyville. Applejack is overseeing the construction of the new walls and we finished up the East Wall recently. I've been adding a little decor to the town, like, a banister here and there, a few signs for the stores. Things like that.
Fluttershy is being the precious thing she is, making sure everypony is well taken care of. However, she's been working an awful lot. I feel like she's trying to distract herself from something. Maybe she misses Rainbow Dash and wishes she could be here with us, or her pacifist nature is fighting against the fact we're trying to eradicate an entire race from existence. 

I don't really get why Dash couldn't come with us. Wouldn't two pegasi be more useful then one? I know that Fluttershy has been able to fly at high speeds without freaking out for a good while now and that you think its a good idea to send one pegasus, one unicorn and one earth pony, but she would be performing a lot better task of watching over Ponyville with Dash around. 
Well, i'm not to question you.
Until you reply.
~Love, Rarity



The pale unicorn stared down the letter, halfway forgetting her surroundings. That is, until a familiar orange earth mare trotted in.

"Hey, Rarity?" The words of the country mare broke Rarity from her thoughts. Being the mare that she was, Rarity put on her best scowl and turned around in her chair.

"Applejack! You broke my concentration!" She halfheartedly snapped at the mare who chuckled at the response

"Yeah right. what were ya concentration on? Turning this place into a tiny Crystal Empire with them fancy gold streets?" Applejack's lips turned to a mischievous smile.

Rarity's ears flattened against her head as she shot Applejack an indignant glare before abruptly turning back to her letter.

"Oh. Ah guess its about what Fluttershy said at lunch? About how eradicating a race ain't a kindly thing ta do?" 

The words struck all to close to home for Rarity, she never expected less from the Element of Honesty. Rarity lowered her head, giving Applejack her expected answer.

"She was just worked up. She didn't experience the pain all those other ponies experienced because of The Darkened. Celestia, even their name spells it out! They're just another evil villain, that's all ya got ta see them as. Another villain that we will protect Equestria from."

Rarity let out a sigh. It was a miracle she hadn't ripped out her mane from all the stress. Watching over Ponyville while some mysterious danger loomed just beyond the half finished walls that, may she add, were draining her to just supervise the ponies working on it.

"We're all worked up, Applejack. In all my life, I never thought I would be part of politics and wars and, and all this other nonsense!" Rarity slammed her hoof on the desk in frustration. "I just wanted to have a peaceful life with my boutique, watching over Sweetie Belle and being there when she got her cutie mark. When this element picked me, I just thought, 'Oh! Well, no matter, just a couple hiccups here and there with Equestria's defense' But no! I had to be dragged into a war that occured when my mother was just a filly! Now I have to deal with these wretched-"

"Rarity! Stop it!" Rarity hadn't realized that she had hit the desk again and again and now her hoof had a bruise forming and it was throbbing. At least she didn't feel as stressed as she did five minutes ago. It was a good thing that Applejack had grabbed her hoof or she probably went on till her hoof or the desk broke.

"I-I'm sorry AJ.. I just.. I just lost it for a moment.." Applejack released her grip on Rarity's hoof and gave her a comforting hug.

"Don't worry about it. Just.. Get that there letter to Twilight and we can both retire for the night." Rarity didn't try to speak, she just nodded and the mare smiled, tipping her stetson before trotting out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Rarity smiled and turned to her letter, rolling it up and pressing a Harmony Council seal to it. With a shaky exhale, she dipped the tip of it into the purple flame that came from her candle. The letter vanished in a cloud of sparkling purple smoke and flew out the window.

Rarity slipped out of her chair, immediately feeling a burning feeling in her hoof as she rested her weight on it. She shook it off and trotted towards her bed, snuggling under the covers. She felt exhaustion finally wash over her. With a final yawn, she quenched the purple flame with her magic and drifted to a peaceful sleep.

	
 
		
> Chapter 4: Better safe, not sorry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Canterlot was quiet. The moon glazed over the rooftops and poured into the wide streets. It was peaceful to most, but to a certain blue maned earth mare, it was an anxious, unsettling quiet. The mare tugged her hood tightly over her head and made sure she was unrecognizable. She had one thing that she had tucked in the pocket of her coat. 

An elegant letter. 

She sighed and slipped out of the building before trotting down the streets of Canterlot, keeping close to the shadows. She had a very important thing in her pocket. That letter could mean the difference between life and death. She glanced at the buildings as she passed by. 

She stopped at the front of a dark, long abandoned bakery and sat down on the concrete. This was where she was meant to do what she was determined to get down. Only a few minutes passed before a voice broke into her daze.

"I didn't think you would come." 

The mare leaped to her hooves, eyes scanning the shadows for the source of the voice. 

"Calm down. I just want to get this over with as much as you do." The source of the voice stepped into view of the mare.

It was a stallion who wore a similar cloak. However one of his eyes was a crimson red with a dark slitted pupil along with two curved horns, vaguely similar that of a bighorn sheep, protruding from his smoothed mane. He also had three diagonal slits in his left cheek that slightly dripped with scarlet fluid. 

"You had those cuts last time we met nearly five months ago." The mare commented and the stallion narrowed his eyes.

"This scar won't heal. It never will. Give me the letter so I can get out of this wretched city." The stallion clearly had now wish to stay in the city, it was not at all like the village he lived in, where grass grew along the dirt roads and the houses didn't tower over him to the point of making him feel caged in. He hated being caged in.

"I want to talk. I'm not doing this for anything but my beliefs, but its hard to know whats right when those I am aiding are unknown to me." The mare had met this stallion a few times before, but that changed nothing as she never met any others of his kind.

"What do you want me to do? Give you my life story? Tell you all my secrets? Explain why I hate these wretched Canterlotians that can burn in tartarus for all I care? I've learned many times from experience that bonding can lead to the death of everyone you care for."

"No. I want you to tell me about what your kind are like." The stallion tilted his head.

"Really? Well. We have a pony that has a pet that's only slightly smaller than him. We have his adopted brother who is part fish. So many of us and we all are unique. We only share one thing. Our souls. Our souls and life source are contained in special items. That's what makes us all the same. The only pony that closely resembles me is our general."

"Now. Tell me. What is it like? Working for Twilight Sparkle?" The stallion asked and the mare looked at him.

"Its fine. She has this precious little son named Axel. He's a curious little bugger. He has his mother's coat, being such a nice shade of purple-"

"Purple?" The stallion asked and the mare nodded. 

"What is he like?" The stallion had a creeping suspicion inside of him that something about this 'Axel' was more than anything to scowl at.

"Hmm. Well, lets see.... He's often out at the library, although.. they shut it down recently... Anyway, he is very brilliant."

"W-What does he look like..." The stallion asked and the mare looked at him.

"He has a nice purple coat, a faded blue mane and nice blueish violet eyes. Why did you want to know?"

"Nothing." The stallion finished quickly and the mare gave him a curious look before handing him the letter. The stallion turned to the street and two large folds of brownish red scales unfolded, tearing off the cloak. With a cuick flap of his wings, the stallion shot into the sky, catching his cloak with a scaly, horn lined tail.

The mare's breath caught in her throat as she watched the dragon pony fly into the night. She had seen this several times but it still managed to surprise her. Subconsciously she envied the dragon pony. He had the ability to fly away from all the troubles, to fly far away from Equestria, yet instead he stayed there, going on dangerous jobs so his kind would get at least the faintest advantage. 

He wasn't stupid or too prideful to flee. He was brave. Maybe it was the fact he was faintly related to the leader of an army, or maybe it was just his own stubbornness to give in.

The mare sighed and trotted back to the place she called home. Not seeing the glowing robotic eye in the alley way.

"Nightmare was right after all...."
	

	
> Chapter 5: Memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Twilight had anxiety knitted in her stomach as she trotted down the elegant hallway. Two guards flanked her as she was led to the room where the others awaited her. She glanced at a portrait of Star Swirl the Bearded and took a deep breath before she entered the room, the guards staying outside.

"Twilight, your right on time." Twilight looked at the gathering of ponies.

The room was half empty. It was elegant. The windows had lace trimmed curtains and it was a mix of reds, browns and golds.

The center of the room was taken up by a large circular table with the Harmony Council symbol engraved into it. At the head of the table were two elegant chairs with a sun symbol on one and a moon symbol on the other. Two allicorns sat in said chairs. Beside the chair with the sun was a unicorn in white robes and her hooves were pressed together on the table. Across from the unicorn sat a rainbow colored pegasus and a bouncing pink earth mare a chair away from her.

Twilight took her place across from the two allicorns and folded her hooves on the table.

"Now. This meeting has been brought together for a reason." The white allicorn spoke, her flowing mane shimmering in the candlelight.

"What is that reason? We got rid of the Darkened Followers hiding out in the Knowledge Tree Library, wasn't that enough?" The rainbow mare spoke up, seeming to be already bored with the meeting. 

"They weren't hiding, Dash. I saw those reports. Those ponies were working there. They recently checked out three Darkened Books and we can't find out who." Celestia waited for her student to piece two and two together,

"They're trying to spread their following....." Twilight muttered after a moment of silence. Celestia nodded

"Yes. If we do no stop them, I fear we are all going to have it blow up in our faces. The press can not know, Your families can not know. No one can know. The other Elements will be told when I tell them. Do not speak of this to anyone but the soldiers I send you." Celestia was clearly not eager to learn of what could result from the public knowing the things they were doing.

"I have on thing to mention, Celestia." The unicorn spoke up, her formal accent being familiar but Twilight couldn't place it.  Celestia turned to the mare who had the ghost of a smirk on her lips.

"Sources tell me that we have an information leak." Celestia hid her shock as best she could, even if it resulted in a sound similar to a mare being kicked in the chest. 

"Who!?" Rainbow growled, slamming her hooves on the table.

"I haven't been able to learn a complete appearance. Its a mare with blue hair, she was seen by somepony, handing a letter to some weird pony that had dragon wings and a dog tag with an 'E' etched into it."

"Dragon pony!?" The pink mare looked at the unicorn in shock before bouncing up and down.

"I never met a dragon pony before! I heard about this weird black and purple one and that she was a big meanie but that's it!" 

Rainbow Dash subconsciously put her hoof against her cheek at the mention of a 'black and purple' dragon pony. Twilight then noticed she had a thin, yet long scar along her jaw.

"Other than that, I suggest you make sure that the other cities have well fortified walls. The Darkened are heartless monsters who just want to be the rulers. Our citizens are unlucky enough to be the victims of their following."

"Well then." Celestia began to speak about something else but Twilight zoned out.

The Darkened had a long history of being beasts, it had been displayed for many years, like a trophy on a shelf, only, this trophy would be stained in blood.

Twilight recalled the story book she had found about the Darkened Queens. No one knew what happened to them, just that they loved power. They weren't greedy for money or treasure like griffons. They didn't try to infiltrate Equestrian cities by pretending to be some pony else like Changelings. They were their own type of evil. 

Twilight subconsciously wondered if they had any foals. It wouldn't make sense for them to just vanish but it made sense if their foals were in need of more attention then their kingdom, not like that was possible.

Twilight thought back a few years, before the Darkened Force began to throw her life upside down.



	"I'm sorry Mrs. and Mr. Sentry ...." The doctor murmured and looked at the couple. Twilight's hair was messed up and she was in a horrible condition. The doctor sighed and slipped out of the room to leave the two to themselves

"W-Why?" Twilight whimpered, snuggled into Flash's chest.

"It-Its okay, Twilight..... Its okay..." Flash said soothingly over and over. Suddenly a nurse burst into the room.

"I-Its a miracle!" The mare gasped out and Twilight looked at her.

"What?" She asked and the mare's lips curved into a smile.

"Your baby is alive!" Flash leaped off the side of the bed.

"What!? Are you sure!?" The mare quickly nodded and Flash looked to Twilight, tears of joy springing into the couples eyes.

Twilight smiled and looked at the mare.

"C-Can I see.." Twilight realized she hadn't known the gender of the baby.

"Its a colt." The mare reported and Twilight smiled.



Twilight thought about how that tiny little purple face grew to be such a brilliant colt. He hadn't earned his cutie mark yet, but that never bothered Twilight. 
"Twilight?" Said allicorn jerked when Rainbow's hoof touched her foreleg.

"The meetings over. Your lucky I covered for you while you zoned out. You owe me." Twilight rolled her eyes and stood up.

"How about lunch? On me." Twilight offered and Dash nodded enthusiastically, leading Twilight out the door, eager to get her free meal that she could almost taste. 
	

	
> Chapter 6: Tunnel Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Axel looked around him. Where was he? He saw a forked tunnel in the hill beside him. Suddenly a strange creature stepped out of the shadows that lined around the hill and the clearing that Axel stood in.

This creature looked like a pegasus, only, it's body was scrawny and its wings hung weekly at its side, only a few feathers and the skin covered bone.

"W-Who are you?" Axel asked, staring at the pony (If you could call it that) before him. The pony looked up, its thing gray mane hardly hiding its eyes. Axel suddenly recognized those eyes. He saw them every morning in the mirror.

Those were his eyes in that pegasus.

"Who are you?" Axel repeated, more firmly this time. The pegasus only looked at him more, its eyes full of life, something its body failed to portray. The pony nodded its head in the tunnels direction and began to trot towards it, every step a limp. However, this creature was determined to reach the entrance. Axel felt the urge to follow this mysterious thing and that's what he did. The pony then stopped at the entrance and turned to Axel who looked up at him.

"... Go.." The pony wheezed out and it looked back at the tunnels. Axel trotted in, the cold chills of the tunnels running down his body. Axel continued to walk until he reached the fork. He stood in front of it and looked at the two options.

As he stood there, a wind blew from the inside of the tunnels, carrying along with it faded voices that nipped and pulled for Axel's attention. However, Axel couldn't catch the voices before they faded again. He suddenly felt a sudden chill and he glanced around, the entrance to the tunnel seeming to have vanished. 

"W-What?" Axel muttered with chattering teeth. Then a profound, female voice called out, drowning the faint wisps of words out of the cavern.

"Come. Join me Axel. Join me and your family." The voice was dark and it made Axel's blood feel cold. Axel's shadow climbed up the wall and a haunting grin covered its lips. Axel took a few steps back, his rump grazing the wall.

"You can't leave your heritage to rot, Axel." The shadow then morphed into a pony. An orange pegasus with wooden legs and a black, soulless eye with a single white dot.

Axel pressed closer to the wall, hoping the pony that watched him walk in would know he was in trouble.

"Don't think that pathetic shell of a leader can release you. He's withered away and he will die, his time is too close for him to deny."

Axel's body shivered as the orange pegasus walked closer, her breath smelt of blood and something else...

"I promise, if you were my son, I'd make you a great warrior. Your enemies would cower at the mention of your name." The pegasus ran her wing across Axel's back and he instinctively jerked away.

"Don't touch me!" He spat, instantly regretting it as the pegasus towered over him with a terrifying scowl on her face.

Axel cowered against the ground, staring up in terror at the mare who looked like she could bite his head off if she wanted to.

"Your just a coward. You only inherited your father's color. He would never allow his son to become what you are." The mare turned away.

Axel stood up, fury boiling over the terror. "How dare you insult my father!? General Flash Sentry is the greatest out there!"

"Ha. I see. They kept you in the dark... Funny... I thought you would be the first to know." She sighed dramatically "But I guess it isn't my place to tell you how your life began and how it will end. Good bye."

As quickly as the mare had appeared, she vanished, leaving nothing but the terrified and confused colt in the cavern.

Axel looked at the tunnel that the voices had come from. It felt like his body was screaming for him to go there, throw himself in, to join the mare that had just terrorized him.

He turned, something was calling him to the other tunnel. What was so special about it?

What would happen if he just stood there? Picked neither? Axel looked around and sat down, staring at the two tunnels.

"Axel." A voice called out, only, it didn't send chills down Axel's spine. it was a welcoming voice. Axel stood up and looked around taking a step forward. "That's it. Come. You must see this." 

Axel obeyed the calming voice, feeling sure he heard it before. As he walked down the tunnel, eyes began to peer out from the shadows and blue light danced off them. Where was this blue light coming from? It wasn't from the crystals jutting out of the walls

Axel trotted faster, the light glowing brighter and brighter. He heard voices drift after him.

	"Who is it?"

"Is it him?"

"No. His mane wasn't blue."

"Maybe he came here to save us!"

"Yeah! Go... uh... Mystery pony!" 

Axel turned his head in the direction of the voice, his eyes catching onto a pale grayish orange colt. One of his hooves was pumping the air. The colt was probably a few years younger than Axel, although Axel was closer to being a stallion than one would assume, looking at his thin build.

"Come. They are only excited." Axel turned and saw a faint pale outline of a pony. Axel began to gallop after it. It was the source of the voice.
"Wait! Slow down!" Axel called after the shape, galloping after it, the voices fading as their own sources watched the colt chase the ghostly shape.

Axel turned a corner, expecting to catch the ghostly figure, instead he was caught in a blinding white-blue light. Axel stumbled back as his eyes tried to adjust. Axel blinked multiple times before he could see properly in the light.

The cave had light blue and purple crystals everywhere, one set of crystals formed a sort of pedestal and on top of those crystals sat an elegant looking blue gem necklace. It was a silver string attached to a diamond shaped blue gem, similar to the color of sapphires. 

"This. This was meant to be yours." The voice sounded choked up, as if on the verge of tears.

Axel would ask what was wrong but he was captivated by the enchanting blue necklace. This was meant to be his?

Axel pressed a hoof against the surface of the gem. It was smooth. Axel flinched away when he saw that a light ripple formed under the surface of the gem where he touched it.

The necklace felt like it belonged to him. It probably did.

"It is yours Axel. Take it. It was always meant to be yours. We have managed to keep it safe after many, many years."

Axel felt questions bubble up in his mind. Why would they keep a necklace safe? Why were they keeping it safe for so many years? Why not just return it to him?

"These questions will be answered in time." the voice called soothingly and a purple aura surrounded the necklace. Axel took a step back as the necklace was place around his neck, the aura vanishing. 
"We will always protect you." The voice sounded more like two ponies were speaking now.



Axel awoke with a jerk. He sighed.
Just a dream. 
He stood up and stretched, trotting over to his bathroom mirror. However, when he looked up from washing his face, something caught his eye.

Around Axel's neck, was a blue diamond shaped necklace.
> 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.
> Chapter 8: Welcome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	What happened.....?

A image of a mangled earth mare in the streets of Canterlot came to mind

Oh.... I remember now... I should get up... Wait... When did I-??

Thump!

"Ow!" Axel hissed as something struck his head, causing him to come to his senses. Axel forced his eyes to open so he could see what had hit him. At first, everything was blurry, a mix of gray and orange. Slowly he managed to make out rocks half buried in orange and yellow leaves.

In a sudden stir of panic, Axel shot up, eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings. 

Axel was in a small sort of cave. The rocks lined with a dark green moss. The ground around him was covered in orange and yellow leaves and Axel could see the trunks of tall white trees with black markings on them.

Axel weakly pulled himself onto all fours and looked around. How had he gotten here? There was no birch forest that he knew of. Especially around Canterlot. 

He looked up, however, the canopy blocked most of the sunlight, bathing the forest in a dull light.

"You're finally awake."

Axel spun around, seeing a stallion with 
"W-Who are you?"