//-------------------------------------------------------// The Missing Marks -by The Mare in the Moon- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The Prologue //-------------------------------------------------------// The Prologue I get off the train and watch it fade away with distance. I hope that this was worth it. I don't have many more bits to spare, and I wouldn't want to waste them on a silly train ticket. Walking towards the town, I wonder if it was a good idea to make such a big change in such a little amount of time. For most of my life as a teenager and a fully grown mare, I have been pretty much alone. Other than a few ponies asking me to fix some of their little trinkets, I really didn't socialize too much. As a filly it was different, I guess I really wanted it to be like it was then. I just hope it wasn't in vein. I see the town, maybe two hundred feet away from the small village. I start to get very excited! I don't slow down, I don't pick up the pace. I just go the same speed and look at all of the rooftops. There is bound to be a few nice mares and colts in the sea of houses. Maybe people would accept me here. With my eyes on the ground, I step into the new town with my right hoof. It's night in the town, and the moon illuminates the otherwise pitch black village. Not a single soul in sight. For that matter, I can't see anything that signifies life. decaying dead trees, rotting boarded up houses, and disgusting litter everywhere. I look at my hoof and pick it up out of the ground. The imprint is in the ground clear as day. I don't see any other hoof prints other than that one hoof print that I made. Everybody had said that this town was supposed to be a wonderful, happy, and cheery town where every mare filly and colt is accepted. Everyone said this town was populated with very kind ponies who didn't care how regal and fancy you are, how you looked, or if you are extremely different from every other pony you meet. Everyone said they just cared about your personality and inner kindness. That's why I came! BUT NOPONY IS HERE! I am going to go back. If nobody is here, this move was utterly pointless on so many levels. I regret trying to move to civilization. I was completely happy being solitary. Before there were no now I can't look anywhere without seeing an unfamiliar face. All of the fillies, mares, and colts for as far as I can see are staring at me with the same cutie mark and their eyes letting off white light. No frowns, no smiles, no emotions in sight. When I moved left, so did their heads. Now, I know I'm not dressed like the average unicorn would be, and I'm sure the clothes are part of why their eyes are glued on me, but  I make the flaps fold in my robotic wings, I turn my blinking boot off, and I stop my enchanted gear shaped charm necklace from swooping back and forth. I guess I should TRY to introduce myself to these ponies. "Hi." I say without much enthusiasm "I'm new in town, you can call me Gadget." They keep staring at me, and I don't see any expression on their blank faces. Out of nowhere, their odd stares turn in to fire filled glares. They are all chanting something in perfect unison and walk closer and closer to where I am.  They get closer and closer until I can understand what they are chanting. "A grown mare blank flank. You don't belong Gadget. Leave while you have the chance. A grown mare blank flank. You don't belong Gadget. Leave while you have the chance." I try to fly away with my mechanical wings, but my the the metal plates in my wings shatter. I try to teleport away, but my horn melts, then falls to the ground. I try to run away, but my hooves are stuck in some gooey muck on the dirt road. I try to pull my hooves out of the goo, but completely and utterly fails. They are mere feet away from me and as a last resort, I beg and plead. "Please! No! I can't move! PLEASSEEEE just leave me alone! I never did anything terrible to you guys! I am a pretty good unicorn! I could be of use to you! Just please STOP!" They seise their chanting chanting and stop dead in their tracks. Their eyes stop glowing, but I can still feel their eyes burning a hole into my for  I might be getting some mercy. A few figures emerge from the crowd. One mare, one colt, and one filly all with the same cutie marks and closed eyes. Their cutie marks were big swirls with stars sprinkled . Their eyes and cutie marks start to glow an eerie green, and everyone in the crowd coat, turns pitch black. The ponies in front yell "You are an outcast! You have refused to flee, now we have to take care of you!" All of the ponies in the crowd ponce on me as the three ponies in the front laugh. Everything goes black. And then I wake up to a shake on the shoulder and "Ma'am? Ma'am! You fell asleep." I re-adjust the cloak that covers my flank, so that when I get up, it won't fall off. "Oh. Sorry about that. I guess I just dozed off for a few minutes there." She is an earth pony, relatively skinny, blue coat, curly mane, and the average height for a mare. She had freckles on the bridge of her nose and small square glasses. She gives me a smile and says "That is quite alright miss. You will be boarding is about a minute, I suggest you go outside to the boarding ramp so that you don't miss your train to Ponyville. Wonderful town by the way, I love it there." "I don't know what I would do if I missed that train. I don't have enough bits to get another ticket. Thank you for waking me up!" And with that, I walk to the train ramp, and board my train, and look out the window for the whole ride...