The Dark Mark

Chapters

Prologue
The Horror in the Cave
The Chase Resumes

Prologue

Through the howling winds and the falling snow, a single unicorn trudged onwards. The unicorn's face was cloaked, but who would really see her out in the barren tundra that she was walking through? As the snow crunched underneath her hooves, she felt like her road would take her to a rather large discovery, one that would likely change the fates of many ponies who were to discover it.

"They say that there's a cave where ponies are instantly granted Cutie Marks, regardless of their age and disabilities..." she said, brushing some of the snow off of her face as she walked through icy world. "I've been scouring this world for years, with all of my attempts at earning a Cutie Mark being in vain... But if this cave grants me a Cutie Mark at long last, then I'll finally have my place in the world..."

Eventually, she crossed a bridge, watching the different pieces of snow begin to fall down a seemingly endless crevasse. She looked down to examine the drop for only a short while, then proceeded across the rest of the bridge with care. For she knew that a fall here would bring a rather shocking development to the already tragic life that she was now leading.

Eventually, the unicorn stopped and looked at her flank. For years, it had remained barren, something that is quite rare for ponies her age. As she shed a tear she began lamenting on her tragic life. "Why...? Why can't I earn a Cutie Mark? What am I doing wrong?"

As she tried to avoid letting her emotions stop her, she also felt the wind pick up, whilst the temperature dropped at the same time. If she stayed out here any longer, then she'd likely die of hypothermia. Determined not to let the snow take her life, the unicorn carried on with her adventure through the tundra.

Her travels eventually brought her to a cave at the end of the road, one that had a volatile arch of snow covering the mouth of it. The slightest disturbance would cause the snow to fall, and cover the cave's entrance entirely. Avoiding to make her movements too precise, the unicorn mare entered the cave, feeling the temperature gradually get better, but only by a small amount.

As the mare moved through the cave, she eventually took her hood down, revealing the true face of the mare underneath. Her face seemed battered and frigid by the cold weather she'd endured. Her hair was rather simply cut, with a bun at the back of it, accompanied with the clean split of hair so her horn was visible. Her hair color was a mixture of two shades of purple, mixed in with stripes of teal. Her skin was a shade of fuchsia, but it lacked a Cutie Mark, something that usually was not the case for ponies her age.

"I've tried earning a Cutie Mark for over fifteen years now, but it seems like all of my attempts bore no fruit..." she said to herself, shedding a tear as she trotted down the caves to try and find some shelter for the night. "No matter what I tried, I always seemed to fail in some way... Whenever I think about it, I feel shades of dismay, frustration, and desperation..." her demeanor then changed into a rather jealous one. "And then there are them..."

"Ponies with Cutie Marks, constantly showing them off like they're playing some cruel, sick joke on me! It's as if they all know that I'm nothing more than an outcast, destined to wander the world of Equestria with no destinies at all!" she ranted, her jealousy building up as she ventured deeper into the caves, echoes of her hoof-steps following her all the while. "They all try to help me out, aid me in getting a Cutie Mark, but all my efforts and collaborations with them failed miserably... And even though they tried to help me out of the rut I dug myself into, it still wasn't enough, as I still wander this godforsaken world, Cutie-Mark-less and alone..."

Eventually, she found a stone pathway that led down into a massive portion of the cave. The stalactites and stalagmites here were beyond anything the unicorn mare could have ever imagined. They seemed menacing, foreboding, warning that something was in here, waiting to strike any innocent pony that would be brave enough, or foolish enough, to enter. However, the mare was unshaken by her new surroundings, and slowly began to walk down the path that led into the caves.

Her hoof-steps seemed to echo even more than usual. They were more consistent, rung louder, and almost sounded to be metallic at times. There were other noises that aided the unicorn through the caves, such as the falling droplets of water hitting the ground, and the slightly muted wind that was still howling in the world outside.

The travel that the unicorn had through the cave eventually led her to a massive lock with black spikes. Just like the portion of the cave earlier, the lock looked evil. However, the unicorn was still unfazed as she examined the lock as hard as she could.

She could see that the lock had many different icons, many different Cutie Marks, even. Was this what the unicorn was seeking? Was her quest to find her Cutie Mark about to end right here? Those were the questions that ran through her mind as she tried looking around for the key to the over-sized lock and chains.

Eventually, the unicorn could see that the key was only barely pushing a part of the wall out. Her perception was quite impeccable for a pony without a Cutie Mark, so it wasn't hard for her to see that the wall was partially uneven to the rest of the cave. She lit up her horn, making the wall piece that stuck out fly out of the wall and hit the floor.

What she saw beyond the wall piece was a key of sorts. Just like the rest of what she'd been through, this key looked evil and malefic. However, at the same time, the key seemed to be the perfect fit for the lock that she had seen earlier. Before she even had time to think about what was about to happen, the unicorn found herself drawn towards using this key on the giant lock, just to see what would happen.

As she put the key into the lock, a small sense of panic washed over her as it slid in with a loud THUD! She was partially thinking on giving up this adventure here, but something in her mind was telling her to continue on, saying that it was the Cutie Mark that she'd been seeking for so long. She turned the lock, hearing the lock click when she'd made a complete twist of the key. Then, it happened...

The whole cave began to rumble as the key was consumed in a black energy. The key vanished into nothingness, and the lock itself was opening up. There were black cracks starting to appear over the already evil lock, spreading out until the entire lock became covered in black cracks. In a burst of black energy, the lock broke completely, shattering the chains that were coming out of it.

The next thing that could be seen was an evil seal, suddenly appearing on the wall that the lock had been bound to. From this seal, black beams of energy poured out of the outer ring, before they all swirled around together and created a menacing black orb inches away from the now frightened unicorn mare.

The black orb remained for a few seconds longer before a menacing growl could be heard. From there, the orb changed shape, revealing a malefic demon made entirely of shadow. It bore a slightly humanoid look, with sharp claws and talons, complimenting the demonic wings that could be seen sprouting out of the monster's back. Red eyes came from the facial area, but that was the only feature about the creature's face. It curled up its' hands, feet, and wings before it craned its' head back and uncurled its' limbs, howling full of malice.

Then, the creature looked down on the cowering unicorn mare, looking at the fear radiate off of her as she gazed up at its' frightening visage. The monster simply waved one of its' claws and said in a deep tone, "Who dares to awaken me from my seemingly eternal slumber?"

"W-What are you?" the frightened unicorn asked, shaking in fear as she gazed upon the malefic creature that she'd just released.

"I asked for your name, little one. Not for another question..." the beast said, unfurling its' limbs to take up a more malefic stance towards the terrified pony. "State your name, unicorn mare. I will ask for nothing more..."

"M-My name's Starlight, Starlight Glimmer..." she said, revealing her identity to the monstrous being. "I came... trying to find a Cutie Mark..."

"A Cutie Mark?" the beast said inquisitively, its' eyes changing as it looked at Starlight Glimmer. "And why precisely do you seek one, Starlight Glimmer?"

"Everypony else in this rotten world seems to get theirs at childhood. I'm in my adult years, and I still haven't earned mine. no matter what I try to do, it all ends in tears!" Starlight said, suddenly bawling out as her dark past was revealed to the monstrous being.

"Ahh... I see..." the beast said, breathing deeply in the middle of its' sentence. "You wish simply to find what you truly are, yet everything you do ends poorly..." it seemed to slowly advance on Starlight, seeming to try strike some kind of bargain with her. "Tell me, Starlight, have you ever heard of the legend of the Dark Mark?"

"The... Dark Mark?" Starlight asked, the tears seeming to vanish from her eyes when the subject came to her. "I-I'm afraid I don't really follow..."

"The story revolves around me," the beast said, slowly pacing around the cave, about to tell his story to Starlight. "I was once a failed experiment of a pony who was trying to create a Cutie Mark. The poor fool finally found the correct formula to create such a mark, but he accidentally invoked Dark Magic in the attempt to stabilize it..."

"The result of the experiment was me, a beast known as the Dark Mark. The combination of Dark Magic and a Cutie Mark enabled me to create Dark Cutie Marks for ponies wishing to conquer Equestria..." the Dark Mark said, stopping pacing as he returned to Starlight Glimmer. "I once created a legion of ponies with Dark Cutie Marks, but Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeated them and me in a titanic struggle..."

"For thousands of years, I was cast away into this darkened cave, never again to gaze at the light of day, nor see another pony for me to convince to join the side of darkness..." the Dark Mark said, putting one of his claws on Starlight's neck. "But you, Starlight Glimmer, you have freed me at long last..."

"So... you'll grant me a Cutie Mark?" Starlight asked, wanting confirmation on the subject matter.

"Correct, I shall grant you your desire of a Cutie Mark, but at a small cost..." the Dark Mark spoke, clicking the fingers of one of his claws to reveal a number of Dark Cutie Marks appear in a black flame. "By taking a Dark Cutie Mark, you shall serve me and my cause. Your power will be magnified to a colossal scale, but you will only be able to use that power for evil purposes..."

"And how long exactly does this whole servant thing last?" Starlight inquired, hoping to get as many answers as possible from the Dark Mark.

"Until I regain enough Dark Essence from your spell-casting to revitalize my body and spirit..." the Dark Mark said clearly. "To grant me Dark Essence, you simply have to perform the power your Dark Cutie Mark grants you. When you do it enough times, I shall be restored completely, so that you can take your conquest to the rest of Equestria," the next thing that it did was get closer and closer to Starlight, making her back up by a short distance. "Now then... Do you, Starlight Glimmer, choose to bear a Dark Cutie Mark, serve me, and finally know your true calling?"

"Yes..." Starlight said, a malicious smile beginning to grow. "All these years, ponies have been showing off their special talents, constantly reminding me that I'm not one of them! Well, no more... I'm going to use the Dark Cutie Mark you grant me to rid the world of these disgusting flank markings once and for all!"

"Very well..." the Dark Mark said, revealing a Dark Cutie Mark that depicted some incense leaving a star of sorts. "This Dark Cutie Mark will enable you to steal a pony's Cutie Mark away, so that you can ensure that they never again have to walk Equestria with them. The more and more you steal Cutie Marks, the more powerful that I become..." a sudden smile appeared out of some malicious black teeth that appeared underneath the Dark Mark's eyes. "And together, we shall conquer Equestria, once and for all!"

The Dark Mark then created black orbs in each of its' hands, smashed them together and fired two large beams of energy onto Starlight Glimmer's blank flanks. With a black flash, the Dark Cutie Mark was on Starlight Glimmer's flank. But that wasn't all that the Dark Mark did to her...

The next step had the Dark Mark breathing some black winds onto Starlight's face and horn. The winds became violent, and made Starlight fight against the howling magic. Eventually, the black winds consumed her completely, before revealing her one more. It was as if something inside of her had changed, making her into a devious denizen of evil, one who would rid Equestria of Cutie Marks that made other ponies different from her.

"Go now, Starlight Glimmer..." the Dark Mark said as it watched Starlight leave the cave that she had found him in. "My new Dark Cutie Mark Warchief..."

The Next Day...

Ever since she'd found the Dark Mark, Starlight Glimmer had found no ponies to try out her newfound powers on. She'd searched every part of the wastelands that she could find, but no ponies could be seen for miles around, even the skies were barren and lifeless. She cursed under her breath, thinking about what the Dark Mark had said. Was it really telling the truth? Or had it lied to her in a sneaky attempt to give her a fake Cutie Mark?

Though those questions ran through Starlight's mind, she still carried on through the lifeless wasteland, until she eventually found herself feeling tired and lifeless. She began panting, breathing heavily, sweating like a sausage on a barbeque. She thought that she would die out in the wastelands, and the fact that she was beginning to lose sight wasn't helping her in the slightest. Letting out one last breath, Starlight collapsed and shut her eyes. She'd failed, and there was no-one coming for her...

Eventually, Starlight found herself being poked and prodded by four new ponies. She slowly opened her eyes and looked upward at the four new faces, seeing that they were quick to help her to her feet and come to her aid.

"Sweet Celestia, how long have you been out here?" said the white pony with grey hair as he began brushing some of the dirt out of Starlight's coat, mane, and tail.

"Hmm... Don't know..." Starlight lied, knowing that her journey had only just begun yesterday. "It could have been weeks, it could have been years... Ever since my friends abandoned me, I've been feeling like there's no hope for me out here..."

"Either way, you look terrible..." said a dark blue pegasus mare with white hair that got gradually darker from right to left. "They must have been some pretty terrible friends, abandoning you and leaving you out here without any food or water..."

Starlight had heard what the pegasus had said, and began to formulate a clever plan to take her revenge on the world. "Oh, they were! Always talking about how they had Cutie Marks and I didn't have any... In fact, I only found this Cutie Mark whilst I was wandering out here... It's the only thing that's managed to keep me going to try and find land..."

"Sounds like a rather rough experience for you miss... uh..." the pegasus said, but then began to find that she hadn't heard Starlight say her name.

"Oh, my name's Starlight Glimmer. A pleasure to meet you all," she said, feigning slight hope when she told them her name.

"Nice to see you, Starlight," the pegasus said, smiling as she and the others decided to introduce themselves. "My name's Night Glider, and this is Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle." she then pointed out the Earth Pony with a white coat and a grey mane, then the light blue Unicorn with dark blue poofy hair. Finally, she pointed out the Unicorn with a pink coat, and purple poofy hair with beads in it.

"Well, it's nice that you've come to help me out, but even I have to ask now," Starlight said, trying to find a clear answer as to why there were suddenly four ponies in front of her. "Why are the four of you out in this wasteland as well?"

"Well, we were trying to see if there was a place to set up a new town," Double Diamond began explaining. "You know, one where beat-up ponies like you can have a fresh new start..."

"We figured that out in the wilderness, there's not really much that can attempt to do you harm except the warm sunlight and hard ground," Sugar Belle said, pointing out the intensity of the sunlight in this particular part of the wasteland. Then, she stomped on the ground, feeling just how hard it was. "Hey! Why don't you become the town's curator?"

"Really? You mean it?" Starlight said, once more feigning happiness.

"Sure," Party Favor said. "You seem like you've got what it takes to build and run a town. You know, despite your Cutie Mark saying otherwise..."

"Yes... that's it..." Starlight said to herself, then addressed the four generous ponies who were willing to help her out, blissfully unaware to the fact that she was about to begin her plans to restore the Dark Mark's power. "I'll help you make a town where there's no more heartache, no more abuse, no more suffering! A town... where everyone is equal!"

The Horror in the Cave

Present Day...

Starlight Glimmer lit up her horn and released a large magical burst, getting her pursuers to shield their eyes whilst she had the time to escape. The blast opened up the cave that she'd once found herself in a while back, so she took this opportunity to escape into it, with only the snow on her hoofs pointing to fact that she'd retreated.

"Meddlesome upstarts!" Starlight cursed under her breath as she ran back into the darkened cave once more, as a tactical retreat this time. "I'll show them... I'll show them all!"

"Hurry! We can't let her get away!" Twilight said, looking at the trail of snow that led into the cave. It was the only lead she had, but it was one that was guaranteed to lead the group to Starlight. "Come on, everypony! Let's go after her!"

"Are you sure about that, Twilight?" Double Diamond asked, staring into the cave that seemed to get darker and darker as it went on. "That cave does seem pretty big..."

"Yeah! It could take days, maybe weeks to find Starlight in there! Night Glider said, complying with Double Diamond on the matter.

"Even so, we can't take that chance, everypony," Twilight said, beginning to explain why she couldn't let Starlight to escape from them. "If we just let Starlight escape us, she could start going out and stealing more and more Cutie Marks from unsuspecting ponies..." Twilight could only imagine in her head how things would play out if they failed to apprehend Starlight. "Who knows how long she's gonna be doing that if she's allowed to escape? She has to be brought to justice!"

"Twilight has a point, everypony," Rainbow Dash said, moving next to Twilight, wrapping a hoof around her shoulder for support. "Starlight Glimmer's been running around, stealing Cutie Marks for too long now. She escapes here, she could go straight for Celestia, Luna, and Cadence's Cutie Marks as well!"

"That's right. If the princesses of Equestria aren't able to fulfill their duties anymore, Equestria's citizens will begin to panic! The nocturnal animals won't be able to come out anymore, the crops won't be able to grow without sunlight, Shining Armour and Cadence's love would begin to fade away, and all of Equestria could be looking at total disaster!" Twilight said, emphasizing just how serious the issue was by placing her hooves on her temples.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem pretty bad to just let her walk out on us like that..." Sugar Belle said, beginning to think about the consequences that would come with Starlight escaping from them. "But Double Diamond and Night Glider are right, this cave is pretty big..."

"And pretty dark..." Fluttershy chimed in, peering into the cave herself.

"Not to mention spooky, echo-y, filled with monsters, and has a Cutie-Mark-stealing meanie inside!" Pinkie said, to be more precise with just how the cave would be for them.

"I know the stakes, but I'm not really sure that we have a choice in the matter..." Twilight said, examining the cave's mouth for one more time. "If we collapse the cave's mouth, Starlight could easily bust out with her advanced magical prowess... But if we let her escape, then she'll likely go straight for Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence when she's out of the cave."

"Which means that there's only one other option," Double Diamond said, showing some vigor as he stepped forward to give Twilight more support. "We need to get in there, and drag Starlight Glimmer out!"

"Yeah! We can't just let her take out the princesses!" Night Glider flew over to the cave's mouth and put one hoof inside. "She's gotta be beaten, and only with our combined efforts will we be able to do it!"

"Aw, shucks," Applejack stepped into the cave as well. "Let's get goin', everypony. We can't just let that Cutie Mark bandit make off with any more Cutie Marks..."

"Who else is in?" Twilight asked the rest of the group. However, it wasn't long before everyone raised their hooves in agreement. "Alright, then. Let's go now, before she escapes!"

And with that, the whole group dashed into the caves, desperate to bring Starlight Glimmer to justice and end her plans at stealing any more Cutie Marks...

Starlight Glimmer found herself beginning to lose her breath as she dashed down the pathway that led into the massive portion of the cave. Despite her power, combined with vastness of the cave, she was starting to run out of breath. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before the group that she was running from would eventually catch up to her. She leaned against a cave wall to catch her breath, then looked back at the path she'd come from.

"Those fools think they've won just because they've restored everypony's Cutie Marks..." Starlight monologued as she walked down the last section of the cave. "Well, the Dark Essence I've harvested from my magic is more than enough to ensure that our plan comes to fruition. I will have the last laugh!"

Suddenly, Starlight heard the noises of chatter and echoing hoofsteps come from the cave that she'd entered through. Her pursuers really were that relentless, risking everything to enter a darkened cave to bring her to justice. However, she took advantage of the short scraps of time she had left to find a shadowed part of the cave's end to hide herself in. Upon finding her hiding spot, she ran into it and blended into the shadows by using her magic to make herself invisible.

The Mane 6, followed by Double Diamond, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider eventually made it to the end of the cave, but Starlight Glimmer was nowhere to be found. They searched every different part of the cave, but it seemed just as empty as one of Starlight's jailhouses.

"Darnit!" Applejack threw down her hat in frustration, then immediately put it back on her head. "That gal's as slippery as a snake covered in oil..."

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is bad!" Twilight started to panic, picking up the search for Starlight herself, "If she's already gone, then she might already be heading towards Canterlot Castle!" Twilight searched faster and faster the more she panicked. It was as if her fears were motivating her to move faster, so she wouldn't lost Starlight at a critical moment in time for both of them.

"She's gotta be here somewhere, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash started kicking different cave walls, trying to see if there was another secret passage that she could have escaped through. "It's just like some dusty horror book. Right before a villain's about to be brought to justice, they activate some secret passage and escape! Starlight must have activated some kind of panel or switch somewhere. If we can find it, the chase is back on!"

Everyone was trying hard to find the switch or panel that they thought Starlight had used to give them the slip, but their search was suddenly cut short when a magical wall of teal flames engulfed the way back out of the cave's end. They began panicking when the wall arrived, as they'd fallen right into another trap.

Starlight, taking advantage of the chaos, remained invisible as she leisurely strolled right past the group and re-appeared on the other side of the caves. She let out a sinister smile as she looked at her captives and said, "You ten are starting to become gnats in my eyes. You look horrible, don't shut up, and won't leave somepony alone when they deserve solitude..."

"Starlight!" Twilight rammed against the wall of magical flames, only to stumble backwards when she felt how solid the burning teal fires had become. "Let us out of here!"

"Hmm... let me think about that..." Starlight mocked, putting a hoof to her chin as she watched her captives show faces of rage. "NO."

"I'm warning you, you lay one hoof on the princesses and I'll-"

"You'll do what? Shake your pathetic butt tattoo at me? Talk on and on about harmony and togetherness?" Starlight taunted, cutting Twilight's rage short. "Spare me the sap, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Your Cutie Marks will lead you on a one-way path to destruction. It told me that differences were evil, and that bringing everyone under the same roof was the pathway to harmony..."

"What exactly told you that Cutie Marks were evil?" Twilight asked through gritted teeth.

"That information is highly confidential," Starlight said, calming down as she stared Twilight directly in the eyes.

"That only makes us more curious!" Night Glider called out, smashing against the wall repeatedly, with no avail whatsoever.

"Curious or not, I took an oath of silence, and I intend to honour it!" Starlight stomped against the cave's floor, making everyone recoil slightly. "But let's just say that it once tried to conquer Equestria, but was sealed away by Celestia and Luna years ago..."

"King Sombra's back?!" Twilight said in a sudden burst of panic.

"Who?" Starlight cocked an eyebrow, informing Twilight that her assumption was incorrect.

"A demon from Tartarus?"

"Keep guessing, princess..." Starlight was beginning to get bored of hearing Twilight's wrong answers

"Your evil twin sister?" was Twilight's next guess.

"Wow. Just... wow..." Starlight said in a deadpanned tone. "You really are that clueless..."

"Look, we're obviously not going to get it right anytime soon, Starlight," Double Diamond said, "Just tell us already. What told you that Cutie Marks were evil, and made it drive you to performing the nasty things you did to us?"

"You're in no position to demand explanations, Double Diamond. Same goes for the rest of your miserable friends," Starlight said, dealing with Double Diamond's request in a manner that she saw fit.

"Now, now, Starlight, I think we should at least tell them who exactly led them to their demise..." an evil voice spoke in Starlight's mind. "They're already locked up in that little portion of the cave, and all of Equestria is yours for the taking..."

"Are you sure about that?" Starlight looked up, addressing the voice that only she could hear. "It's better that they don't know, so you and I can conquer Equestria together, without these fools catching wind of our true intentions..."

"Starlight Glimmer, remember the fact that you were successfully able to use your powers to leech an Alicorn's Cutie Mark," the voice addressed her and only her once more. "This Twilight Sparkle has already been of use to us, feeding me power beyond anything that I could have ever imagined..."

"By sapping their Cutie Marks, I've been growing stronger and stronger with each passing day, my Dark Magic reaching a level that my former self could never have acquired," it monologued further and further. "Taking Twilight's Cutie Mark was the last piece in the puzzle. And now that my power has been restored, we can walk over everypony else who dare to oppress us..."

"Uhh, are we missing out on something here?" This time, it was Rainbow Dash's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?"

"You might as well hear the truth then, pitiful equines..." the voice now reached out to the entire cave, striking the ears of everyone there. "Hear the truth about Starlight Glimmer, how she turned to me in desperation, and how I made her into what she is today..."

Within seconds, a black orb appeared in place of the wall of magical fire. It grew larger and larger until two demonic arms and legs popped out of it, each one with evil claws and talons at the end of them. Some wings grew next, followed by some malefic red eyes, and a twisted smile that sparked up a laugh upon creation. The next thing that happened was that the construct of darkness now turned flesh and bone, revealing an insidious demon standing on two legs, with black spikes poking out of each and every one of its' limbs. The creature breathed deeply as it gazed with its' red eyes, seeing the ten ponies huddle up in fear.

"Mares and Stallions, I'd like to introduce you to the Dark Mark," Starlight Glimmer said, feeling back in a state of euphoria. "It'll be your escort out of this life..."

"The Dark Mark?" Twilight pondered, looking at the beast and tying that name to it. "I've never about a Dark Mark before..."

"That must be because you were probably born millennia after the princesses sealed me away in this cave to rot..." the Dark Mark said, taking a small step forward. "You see, back when Celestia and Luna were just beginning to rule, one scientist pony was nearing the completion on how to create a Cutie Mark," it said, "It had spent tireless weeks on end, testing and perfecting the formula for any Cutie Mark possible, even ones that shouldn't even exist in Equestria yet..."

"But, there was a small... problem..." Starlight said, her smile never fading as the story went on.

"You see, the pony accidentally spilled a phial of Dark Magic onto his finished experiment," the Dark Mark continued. "In doing so, the Dark Magic and that Cutie Mark merged together, creating me, a construct who is capable of creating and distributing Dark Cutie Marks to anypony who wishes to have the world at their feet..." he went on, clicking his fingers to show some visuals of his power appear in a black flame. "You see, Dark Cutie Marks are unlike regular Cutie Marks. They have very unique abilities that allow ponies to tap into Dark Magic beyond anything they could have envisioned. Starlight's Dark Cutie Mark is one example, which I'm sure you all know of by now..." he then showed some images of ponies performing some heinous deeds to other towns. "But there were ponies capable of putting a whole city in flames, ponies capable of poisoning other ponies with simple spells, and my personal favourite; ponies who were capable of turning anything into liquid in the blink of an eye..."

"Together, the ponies with Dark Cutie Marks banded together with the Dark Mark, in an attempt to waylay all of Equestria with their combined power for their own malefic purposes," Starlight took over the end of the explanation. "It was a colossal fight, but it all ended with Celestia and Luna sealing the Dark Mark away, and destroying the Dark Cutie Marks that he'd planted onto their flanks..."

"Much to my disapproval..." the Dark Mark added.

"So, why exactly did Starlight try to find you? And why was she so quick to join your cause for Equestrian conquest?" Twilight asked, addressing the monstrous creature that now stood in the way of her and Starlight Glimmer.

"Simple, because in truth, Starlight Glimmer is a Blank-Flank, much like any foal you can think of..." the Dark Mark removed Starlight's Dark Mark for a short period of time, showing everyone that she had absolutely no Cutie Mark underneath it. Once it was restored, he said, "She'd tried everything in her attempts at earning a Cutie Mark, but it all ended in vain. She eventually embarked on a quest to find me. And when she did, I granted her that Dark Cutie Mark, and tasked her with using her newfound power as frequently as possible..."

"But why would Starlight want to use that power of hers as much as possible?" Party Favor decided to ask, hoping that he could get some more answers out of both the Dark Mark and Starlight Glimmer. "Won't that lead her to destruction as well?"

"No, it won't," the Dark Mark began explaining once more. "You see, the more ponies with Dark Cutie Marks use their new powers, the stronger I become..." he demonstrated by using some of his Dark Magic to create two poles of black energy, which quickly transformed into two giant double-edged lances. "Starlight's power made me stronger and stronger the more Cutie Marks she stole, and now that she's performed her duties, she and I can join together and annihilate this world's free will!"

"Not if we can stop you!" Twilight fired a beam of energy, but she looked shocked when the Dark Mark spun the lances around to reflect the magical blast straight into Twilight's face, knocking her against the cave wall.

"Twilight!" everyone in the group called out in panic as they all rushed to protect her. They put their hooves around the hurt Alicorn, then looked at the Dark Mark and Starlight Glimmer with seething fury in their eyes.

"Forgive me for being so impolite, ponies, but I believe that your entertainment has worn out entirely..." the Dark Mark said as it made the two lances disappear in another flash of black energy. "So, if you don't mind, we'll take our leave..." He put one of his claws on Starlight Glimmer's back and grinned as their bodies began turning into black energy.

"Enjoy your time in the mountains, everyone..." Starlight said in a malicious tone as she turned completely black and became nothing more than an illusion. "Because by the time you get out, Equestria will all be grovelling at our feet!" The two of them shared an evil laugh as their illusions quickly flew out of the cave, back towards the entrance that everyone had ran into.

As the laughter echoed across the cave walls, the ten ponies all felt a massive sense of fear wash over them. Starlight Glimmer and the Dark Mark had escaped from them, and now they were going straight for Celestia, Luna and Cadence. If they didn't think of a plan to stop them in time, then it would be the end for all them, the princesses, and all of Equestria...

The Chase Resumes

"It can't end like this..." Twilight said, puffing out her chest as she looked out at the path which she and the rest of the group had entered the cave through. "After what Starlight's done to the ponies of this town, both her and the Dark Mark can't be allowed to get off scot-free!"

"But how are we gonna find her now?" Sugar Belle asked with a slight hint of defeat in her voice. "Even if we get out, there's no way we'd be able to find her just now escaping. She and the Dark Mark teleported out, so they could already be at Canterlot for all we know!"

"She's not the only one who's been studying magic for years, as I've mentioned before," Twilight said, illuminating her horn for a spell. "I've actually earned my Alicorn role for my skills in magic. So, I've got access to some of the most advanced spells that no single unicorn could ever accomplish themselves."

She then took in a gasp of air. "Alright, I'm going to cast a spell that traces Dark Magic and follows it," Twilight began explaining to the group. "With any luck, it should give us the exact trail that Starlight and the Dark Mark took out of this place..."

"Then what are ya waitin' for, Twilight?!" Rainbow Dash encouraged her. "Cast that spell and let's get after them again!"

Hearing Rainbow Dash's words of encouragement, Twilight's horn lit up and illuminated every portion of the caves, lighting up the walls with a bright shade of magenta. This was only there for one second, but it kept on reverberating, as if it was some kind of sonar for the group of ponies to use in finding Starlight Glimmer.

Eventually, Twilight's magic changed colour, so that it now matched that of Starlight's. She used this to decipher a spectral trail that traveled through the air. That trail was composed of teal and black air, and served as a trail to lead them out of the caves. Twilight smiled when she saw the trail, but kept her composure so that she could continue to maintain the spell for the group to follow.

"I've got the trail, but we've gotta move," Twilight said, getting the group to return to their hooves once again. "Even though this is a direct line to Starlight and the Dark Mark, there's a chance that they might have taken a technical, dangerous, or temporary path to stop us..."

"Either way, it's a risk we'll have to take, Twilight," Double Diamond said, putting one of his hooves around Twilight's shoulders. "If Starlight takes more Cutie Marks from unsuspecting ponies, who knows just how powerful that Dark Mark is going to get?"

"You're absolutely right, Double Diamond," Twilight said, feeling more compelled to bring the unicorn to justice for what she'd done. "If Starlight keeps swindling everyone's destinies, then things could keep spiraling out of control! We've gotta follow her, no matter the risk!"

"Go ahead, Twilight! We're right behind you!" Night Glider said, bumping hooves with Rainbow Dash as the two of them went airborne.

"Thank you, everyone," Twilight said as the entire group went running after Starlight Glimmer once again. "You're all such good friends for helping me out in all this..."

"Don't sweat it, Twilight," Double Diamond said as they climbed back up the pathway in the massive cave portion. "Friendships are sign of unity, not the other way around. Starlight failed to notice that, and now she's about to pay the price for it!"

"Yeah! We'll stand by each other no matter the weather!" Night Glider said with vigor as she zipped through the next part of the caves. "No amount of unity or similarities are gonna stop us now!"

"Our destinies are what we choose for them to be, not ones given to us by some fraud with dreams of equality!" Party Favor added his own words of encouragement to Twilight and her friends' already building morale.

"As long as we're together, we don't need to be the same! That's what makes each of us unique!" Sugar Belle said as they continued to follow the trail that Twilight had traced for them. "Some petty differences won't slow us down anymore, nor will they drive us apart!"

"That's what I like to hear, everypony," Twilight smiled as her confidence peaked with her sudden increase in running speed. "Now come on! Let's put an end to Starlight and the Dark Mark!"

"There's the exit!" Twilight said, seeing the snow-capped mountains appear at the end of the tunnel ahead of them all. "Now we've got them!"

The group all ran back out into the tundra, the temperature already returning to a suitable climate for the terrain around them. This time, though, there were howling winds, signalling that there was a snowstorm inbound. If they didn't find Starlight Glimmer and the Dark Mark in time, then they would lose them in the haze of the snowstorm.

"Where is she?" Twilight asked, seeing that her spell instantly fizzled out when she began to shiver. Once it did, the trail vanished, leaving the group in the dark once again.

Suddenly, a bolt of magic struck the ground right at Twilight's feet, getting her to look at where the shot had come from. She saw her target quite clearly. Starlight Glimmer was firing on her, raring to get a good shot at her. Twilight nimbly dodged out of the way of two more magical bolts, before firing some bolts of her own right back at Starlight.

After one successful hit, Starlight was sent sliding down one of the mountains. Twilight immediately gave chase after the slipping unicorn by riding the snow down after her. She was shortly followed by Double Diamond, Rainbow Dash and Night Glider, with the rest of the group sliding down shortly after they'd caught up to Twilight.

"My, my... you ponies really are the reckless type, aren't you?" Starlight said as she remained serene even though the group were relenetlessly pursuing her down the snow-capped mountainside.

"Why'd you do such a cruel thing to the ponies of this town?!" Twilight demanded as she brushed some snow out of her eyes to keep her gaze on Starlight Glimmer.

"Equines are driven by selfish desires when they're blank-flanks. They think only of acquiring destinies that lead them to eternal servitude!" Starlight spoke out after she landed at the mountain foot and began running once more. "I'm saving Equestria from itself! When ponies realize that all Cutie Marks are evil, there will be NO MORE CHAOS!"

"And what evidence do you have to back this theory up?!" Twilight said, seeing that Starlight was merely raging once more without giving a more logical reason. "From what I see, you're just a traitorous coward who's afraid of what other ponies can do with their Cutie Marks!"

"Starlight Glimmer has a point, fillies and gentlecolts," the Dark Mark appeared next to her like a phantom. "The ponies of Equestria are a selfish race. They only care about their Cutie Marks as fillies and colts, then they become slaves to whatever their Cutie Marks tell them. They really are a fickle bunch..."

"Yeah right! Fickle bunch my flank, Dark Mark!" Rainbow Dash tried to perform a flying kick, but found herself flying straight through him, like he wasn't even real.

"Furthermore, the process of the dark side of a pony's Cutie Mark is more complex than you might think it is," said the Dark Mark as Starlight fired a series of powerful black bolts at the ground, causing small thorns to grow out of nowhere. "Ponies desire Cutie Marks... show their Cutie Marks to the world... become selfish and independent with their Cutie Marks... become eternal, yet blissfully unaware slaves with their Cutie Marks... and finally, the root of everypony's actions are caused by the fact that their Cutie Marks are linked with their destinies..."

"If everypony could only accept the future of a world where no-one has to be a slave to their own Cutie Mark, then we'd all be happy. Can't you see that this is what I've been talking about?!" Starlight fired a wave of energy that would have knocked the pursing group onto their butts if not for Twilight shooting right through it and breaking the wave.

"Yeah, I can see it alright. But it's not a very pleasant world to live in, if you ask me..." Twilight said, in a much calmer tone than before. She could now see what Starlight was talking about, but there was a nightmarish element to this utopian world that she envisioned, almost as if utopia only meant sadness and chaos in a sense. "Which is why you've given us no choice but to oppose you, Starlight Glimmer..."

"Well, that's very brave of you ponies, but me and the Dark Mark... we won't be holding back anymore..." Starlight smirked as she radiated with Dark Magic.

The chase continued through the bottom of the pass, the ponies all swooping and swerving around mountain feet, desperately trying to evade capture or end Starlight Glimmer's insane plot. All the while, Twilight and the Dark Mark were firing at each other, both sides trying to deal a crippling blow that would end the chase. However, it seemed that the Dark Mark had the upper hand, as most of Twilight's shots merely went through it, and didn't deal it any physical damage whatsoever.

"Ugh... You're starting to get on my nerves, ponies..." Starlight lit up her horn, but it now glowed white as the snow around her. "Try this!" Then, without warning, Starlight fired at the ground behind her, causing a massive flash of light to engulf and stun the ponies whilst she could make her escape.

For Twilight and the group of ponies, it felt like they'd just become heavily drugged by the burst of light, as they were quite disoriented with how bright it was. The intense light remained in their eyes for four seconds before they saw Starlight and the Dark Mark make another turn and disappear from their sight.

"We can't let her escape now!" Twilight said, rallying the party for a group effort. "Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! You and... uhh... who are you?"

"Night Glider," she said. "You want us to do aerial recon, right?"

"Yes, that's precisely it," Twilight said, beginning her plan for restarting the chase with Starlight Glimmer. "The four of us will be in the skies, leading the rest of you towards Starlight and the Dark Mark. She may try some defensive measures, but we can't let her abscond with the princesses' Cutie Marks..."

"What are we waiting for then?! Let's get going!" Rainbow Dash said before taking off at incredible speeds, beginning her effort in the aerial search for Starlight and the Dark Mark.

As soon as Twilight, Fluttershy, and Night Glider took to the skies as well, Double Diamond and Party Favour began leading the ground ponies, keeping a close eye on Twilight and the aerial team.

The search was for a decent period of time, but eventually, Twilight found Starlight and the Dark Mark and said, "There they are! Turn eastwards, everypony!"

Complying with Twilight's words, the group chased Starlight into another section of icy mountains, where they were hoping that that would end the chase. They quickly caught back up with Starlight, but she was already launching spells in conjunction with the Dark Mark's own brand of Dark Magic.

Twilight even tried sealing Starlight in a magical cage, but the Dark Mark instantly destroyed it with a single slash of one of his ethereal claws. The two of them began running again, much to Twilight's dismay.

"They're relentless, aren't they?" Starlight said to the Dark Mark as she looked at all ten ponies begin to close the gap between them.

"Yes, quite..." the Dark Mark said, levitating Starlight up before vanishing into her body with a black stream following him. "But then again... SO ARE WE!"

"What the hay's the Dark Mark doing with Starlight?" Night Glider asked, seeing Starlight become enveloped in a ball of Dark Magic once the Dark Mark disappeared into her body.

"Using us for target practice!" Twilight said, noticing that the newly enhanced Starlight Glimmer flew up out of the mountains and was about to fire some deadly spells on the group.

As soon as Twilight finished talking, Starlight fired a large beam of energy and swung it around like a massive sword of energy. In doing so, she took out multiple mountain tops and created avalanches of a colossal magnitude. The scale of all the falling snow was massive, and it made the ground ponies flinch in horror with how much snow would likely bury them if they were caught in the middle of the tumbling masses of snow. Luckily for them, they were flown out of the avalanche area by the air team, then put down in a much safer area.

"Okay, now that was close..." Rainbow Dash and Night Glider said in unison, then looked at each other in surprise. "Jinx!"

Twilight fired a quick shot at the massive sphere of darkness that Starlight Glimmer was concealed in, breaking her concentration for a brief period of time before turning her gaze to that of Twilight. Sparing no warning, the two of them fired colossal lasers of energy against each other, the sparks flying off into the distance and striking some arctic clouds with how powerful the blast was.

From there, Starlight screamed and flew backwards towards a large open area, growing the Dark Mark's wings as a sign that she had fused with the thing. She scorned Twilight under her breath and saw what looked like a massive crater. She believed that that would be the perfect place to defeat the Main Six, as well as the four ponies that travelled with them.

"What's that?" Double Diamond asked, seeing the massive crater that Starlight and the Dark Mark flew into.

"It looks like a crater of sorts..." Twilight said, examining the colossal hole in the ground that could serve as a fitting arena for a final confrontation.

"Well, whatever it is, Starlight and the Dark Mark just flew into it, so we'd better go after her..." Rainbow Dash said, seeing that Starlight and the Dark Mark separated themselves from each other once they landed at the epicentre of the crater.

"Alright then, everypony. But be careful..." Twilight warned them as they slid down the walls into the crater, stopping themselves before the land became even again. "We don't know what Starlight and the Dark Mark are capable of now, besides what we just saw back there. Be ready for anything..."