Your Mark Means Nothing...

We are hated, we are shunned... We do not belong, our lives are not of the same value. Equestria is forever riddled with rules and needs that must be met in order to contain the way of life that they know. But what happens when someone does not follow those rules, for instance a cutie mark. The mark that we all wear signifies what we are forever destined to do, I don't like those rules. If the people are going to hate some one for not having a mark then they must be shown differently, that we are the same, maybe even better.

It all started when I was a little colt and my mother would stroke my grey coat and tell me that I'll get my mark and not to worry. Well I worried when I was way past due and ponies started getting angry... Five years went by and so did my hope to even get my mark, but I did find a friend along the way, my best friend Shift has been with me since I was a colt. She is a light blue, straight forward unicorn, not judgmental, so when I took of my cape I wear all the time she did not care that I was blank, hell I think I had to tell her I didn't have a mark. She hadn't gotten hers yet either so we had each others back when it came to bullies talking crap about either of us, I always told her to use her magic on them but she kept refusing, saying she would kill them, I never would've believed her.

Another six years, six years of ridicule and hatred towards the weird one. Shift had already gotten her mark, it was just a green bolt of what looked like lightning and neither me or her knew what to think of it. Until today, we were both sixteen and wandering around town just looking for something fun to do, we start walking down this alley. Its pretty shady so me not having any sort of escape if something were to happen like fly away or go invisible was out of the question. Me and Shift were talking and these two stallions came around the front of me and her, I stand in front of her as to protect her when I know I clearly can't.

"Hey isn't it little blank flank!" one of them says

"Get out of here assholes!" Shift shouts

"Aw you have the little bitch protecting you now Ember?" the same one says

"What did you just call her you disrespectful, insignificant pony!"

I try to stay calm but I feel adrenaline pumping through my body and with all my might I swing and nail the stallion in the jaw with my hoof!

"EMBER!" Shift yells

"You shouldn't have done that little boy!" he swings his hoof with the force of a Wonderbolt and I fly back into the wall

Disoriented and dreary I see them closing in on Shift... no I whisper under my breath.

"Back up! I don't want to her you!" Shift says calmly

"Hurt us?" the other pony says for the first time

"Honey get ready for a world of hurt!" one of them pulls a knife out

"I'm sorry Ember..." Shift says and looks into my eyes "I didn't want to have to do this!"

Shift starts mouthing words and walking towards the stallions.

"Whats she doing?" one of them says

Her eyes start glowing a shallow green, she proceeds to mouth the words faster and her eyes get brighter! The stallions are backing up now and she keeps walking, to my amazement each hoof print leaves a spark of green and her mane is now sparking with the same color.

"Lets get out of here!" they both shout

"NO!" Shift screams in a almost demonic voice

The two stallions are frozen, unable to move. Not a moment to soon she leans her head forward and two bolts brighter then the Celestia given sun fly from her horn and implode the two stallions. My heart skips a beat and a shock wave gets launched at me knocking me unconscious.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

I open up my crusted eyelids only to be in more fear. I'm what looks like a forest, but I'm wrapped in a blanket and next to a fire. I sit up and get greeted by the worst headache anypony has ever felt. I survey my surrounding and I again realize I have no idea where I am, my face hurts from where that stallion hit me. I start to remember what happened before I blacked out and then I realize what Shifts cutie mark means. I'm puzzled because our marks are supposed to be what we are good at or destined for, ugh all this thinking is hurting my head.

"Your awake..." I hear from behind

I turn to see Shift standing there "Yeah... What happened?"

"I really don't know Ember, that's the first time I did it because I was angry, I usually do it beca-"

"Wait wait you've done that before?"

"Well yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are Ember, When I do it purposely my mane just glows green... I had no idea I was going to kill them I just wanted to scare them off."

"Shift! They were running but you stopped them!"

"That wasn't me Ember, I had no control of myself, I would've held back, you know me..." a single tear rolls down her face

I sigh and close my eyes "I know, I'm sorry, just what are we going to now?"

"Well we can't go back to town Ember, we are going to be wanted."

I bite my lip because I know its true "Well I guess we just need to go and find another place to live right?"

"Yeah, I heard of this town pretty far away from here, its near Canterlot, we can just start over... together." She looks at me with a smile

"Alright, we'll go there but seriously, no more killing!" We both chuckle to the remark

This is all so much to take in, me and Shift going to this unknown town near Canterlot?! What if they know of what happened and they want to execute us, I mean Princess Celestia herself is so close to the town. More importantly me and Shift, I've always loved her, that beautiful light blue coat and electrifying hair! My mind starts to wander and I think what if she likes me too...... no, no I doubt it, but just that thought and that thought alone lingered in my head.

I rub my head "Its been such a long day, hey Shift why don't we get some sleep? We can head out of here tomorrow."

"Alright, I just feel vulnerable, we can be caught any moment..."

I look at her with a smile "You can sleep next to me if you want?"

"Ok thank you Ember"

She walks over to where I was lying and cuddles up next to me, I throw the blanket over us both.

"Ember?"

"Yeah"

"I... I love you..."

My face blank with expression as she turns and puts her head next to mine...

"I love you too Shift..." I rest my head on hers

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Three months go by fast when you are with the one you love! A constant happy feeling throughout my body. We have grown, not just physically but mentally as well, everyday from that night me and Shift have grown closer. She has that super spell of hers down pretty well, she can actively control it now with the sacrifice of a few woodland creatures and trees, I chuckle at the thought. I have still have yet to get my mark, I have lost complete hope in attaining it, Shift keeps trying to sooth me about it but frankly I don't care anymore. We still haven't gotten to this town yet and since its been three months I'm beginning to think that Shift has no idea where we are going. Thoughts about not being accepted as myself, the very thought of being shunned again and having to move on yet again and restart my life AGAIN made me cringe.

Its about seven am and we are making progress up a large mountain...

"Shift do you even know where we are going?" I ask angrily as we nearly reach the top

She looks back with a pissed look "Yes! I know where we are going, my magic isn't completely useless you know!?"

"Ok ok calm down..." under my breath I whisper "Must be her time of the month!"

Her eyes widen "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?!"

"Oh god..." panicked I say "I'm sorry, I'm just tir-"

"What? What??" She asks over and over as I stared right past her

"Look" I blankly say

"Wha-" she says still angered "Oh sweet Celestia! There it is!"

"Wow... all this time I thought you were crazy! But there it is!" an astonished look in my eyes

"Well Ember? What are we waiting for?!" Shift said excitedly

"Nothing! Race you there!" said with a look of determination

"Your on!"

We make our way eagerly to the town in our sights and I hope, just hope that I will be accepted for who I am!

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