The Stallion Without A Mark

The stallion without a mark

Everyone sacrifices something they hold dear to their hearts. Heroes sacrifice anything to maintain peace in the world.

A week passed quickly as I stayed in Ponyville. Every pony here has helped me smile again. Today, I’m returning to Canterlot to try and resume my duty as captain of the royal offense guard. My friends all met me at the train station to see me off.

“Now, Titan” Rarity said. “Do try and be more level headed with your work and don’t overdo things.”

“Always remember to smile!” Pinkie Pie instructed.

“Never accept anything less than the truth.” Applejack said. “Even at times when it hurts to know things, well, you just can’t go around lying to yourself.”

“Be kind towards others.” Fluttershy suggested.

“Stay loyal to every pony in your life.” Rainbow Dash commanded.

Finally, the last one to give me advice was Twilight. It was short advice, but it seemed to mean a lot to me. “Never forget... Friendship is magic.”

As I boarded the train to head home, I looked out the window to see them waving goodbye to me. The time I spent with those six were the best. They really helped me straighten things out. I would still get depressed at times but I feel better about myself now.

Two months passed by and I felt myself being more active. Mother threw a grand galloping gala a month after my return. I was assigned as a guard to make sure everything was alright. I guess you might say I failed at this assignment as six ponies came by and crashed the party! I never found out who they were, but they must have been pretty brave to do something like that. Now, I find the palace quite peaceful. No major catastrophe and no such disturbance in the way things have been. As captain of the offensive guard, I was to report in with the captain of the defensive guard. The big difference between them and us was that when we were in a crisis, they brought up force fields with magic while we regulated ponies that were visiting. He was located outside of town in a tent. They were currently digging for some metals. I entered his camp and greeted the captain. “Shining Armor; it is with great pleasure to be seeing you again after all this time sir.”

Shining Armor was Twilight’s big brother. He was in the forces long before me and didn’t exactly stay in friendly boundaries with me. I got his letter telling me to report my duties for the last two months, but I had nothing to report. “Good. Then everything is ship shape?” he asked smiling, and I agreed.

I was headed out when he beckoned me to relax with him for a moment. I agreed and sat in one of the chairs.

“So, how long have we known each other? Years right?” he asked. “I just wanna make sure that you’re not trying anything with my sister.” He didn’t like beating around the bush. I told him that I would never do that and that she and I were just friends but then, he said something rather offensive. “I just wanna make sure my Twilight isn’t getting too close with a monster like yourself.”

“What do you mean by monster?” I asked sharply.

“You know, you killed two beasts; one was a dragon... and I remember using a spell to look into your thoughts one day while you were guarding the throne room. You looked a little sad. I thought that if I knew what the problem was, I might be able to help, but instead I hear your thoughts saying your Discord’s son!”

One of my worst secrets had been discovered. He continued. “I confronted both the princesses on that day and they claimed they knew, but I’m more cautious than that. If you ever stop being loyal to the guard, I will take you down!” I stood up and left. The brother of Twilight, my best friend just threatened to kill me...

I walked into the city thinking about my world and said “I wanna go to the beach.” Two days later I got my wish as I asked mother if we could go. “I think that’s a marvelous idea!” she said. We went to Indian hooves beach located some miles away from Manehatten. The sun shined on the sand and water rushing up to the shore only to retreat put a sense of calm feelings through my being. It would be the last time I ever felt calm again in my life. I stood there starring out at the ocean with mother by my side.

The wind felt nice slowly whipping my mane as we stood there. I turned my head and asked “Am I a monster?”

She didn’t answer for a moment. “You… you are a being… of greet power. I am not going to call you a monster but you are as powerful as one.”

The next week in the castle turned out to be the week my life spiraled downward.

DAY 1: first sign of disturbances.

I awoke to find myself upset with my life. Things became frustrating, but I pushed through the day.

DAY 2: aggravation.

Some ponies made an error and I got mad. I yelled at them for a long time, but the error wasn’t as bad as I made it seem.

DAY 3: pushing loved ones back.

Princess Luna passed by me and said good night as she entered the throne room. I didn’t respond. She stopped in front of the door and returned to my location. She asked if everything was alright. I told her to leave me alone and walked off.

DAY 4: considering options.

I’ve been getting aggravated over the smallest little things now. I’m beginning to wonder why I loved this place so much. I’m thinking about running away.

DAY 5: the wrong choices.

I awoke early. Anger streamed through my body as I looked around my room. I decided to run away as I finally reached my breaking point! Where was going to go, I didn’t know. Why I was running, I don’t remember. I gathered my bags and prepared to leave. As I got the first ride to the oasis plains, the farthest location from Canterlot, I still felt angry. As I exited the train, I ran into moth… No, Princess Celestia outside the station standing in the sand. “What do you think you're dong?” she asked me. I walked by her and said “I’m running away Celestia. I have no use for your love anymore.” She just stood there and stared at me as I headed out into the burning dessert.

THE FINAL DAY: Discord returns.

I had been in the desert all night. The days were hot, and the nights were freezing. I was so tired, but my anger just stayed at its peak. I couldn’t get a level head no matter how much I tried. Then, I felt a wave of pain rush through my bones. The agony of it nearly made me pass out! I awoke to the sight of what appeared to be a left leg of a dragon, and the right leg of a horse. I stood to see my worst nightmare before my eyes. “Oh, what’s wrong my son?” he said. The voice brought fear inside of my body. I couldn’t feel my legs as I hesitated to run for shelter from Discord, my father.

“… No, you can’t be here! You can’t be alive!” I said staggering to my fear and trembling before him.

“Oh, but I am. I just awoke and I am currently proud of you my son. Running away from home, abandoning the people who gave you everything, and throwing away your self-confidence only to wander into a barren desert to be either burned alive by the sun Celestia rises during the day or be froze to death by the moon Princess Luna brings forth every night. What a tragic end for such a noble hero.”

I backed away knowing what he wanted. He continued. “I have a few questions for you, my son.”

I told him I had a few questions myself.

“Oh, why don’t you go first? I do love a good and depressing Q&A.” he said.

“Why is it that I always have headaches when I see myself in the mirror?”

“Oh, that’s easy, you see, our minds are connected. It’s like an invisible string of thought is tied around our heads. But here’s the thing, it’s a one way receiver. I see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste everything you do. I truly hate the fact that my plan for a new body was oh so ruined by those princesses but what I hate more is the face that has developed because of the mind you have created. Whenever I see it, I just get so angry that I have to make you stop looking at yourself… in fact.” As the next words were said, I began to get a headache from him.

“I feel very angry staring at you right now!”

I screamed as the headache continued, after five minutes, It dissipated.

“Fun fact about the string of thought.” he continued. “If you disconnect or cut it, both of us die, but if I kill you, I still remain alive! It’s not very fair, but then, life never is fair! Now it’s my turn. When you said I'm going to keep a positive attitude about life, no matter what tragedy may befall my life in future events during that night you were in ponyville... did you?"

"No."

When you began to get mad, did you ever try to laugh?”

“No.”

“When you ran away and bit the hand that fed you for the second time in a row, did you stay loyal?”

“No.”

“Were you kind to anypony in the palace before you left?”

“No.”

“You took things like food and water from the palace and ran away with them… is that generous?”

“No.”

“And the last question, did you keep your friends in your heart?”

“…No.”

“That means you have abandoned the main elements of harmony: Honesty, loyalty, laughter, generosity, kindness, and the magic of friendship. You have become everything I had hoped for in a son!”

As the truth set in, my coat and mane changed from its brown and white colors to gray and bleached. My mind felt empty. Everything I was faded into nothingness and was replaced with everything I wasn’t.

“Well, my test proved successful. Warp the mind into something the pony isn’t and you have the polar opposite. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some elements to steal. Goodbye, for now.”

He teleported to who knows where as I stood in the sand. I walked in the same direction I was heading before Discord showed himself to me. As I trot through the desolated heat in search for shelter, feeling depressed and helpless, I came to a secluded and abandoned town. Sand coated the insides of the buildings and everything was bleak orange. I found a saloon where some seats were placed in front of a bar. As I sat down, I yelled “Waiter… some water please…” No answer.

Call me crazy, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched; and I was. Discord reappeared before me. Mind you, he had been away for some time. He just popped up from behind the bar and offered me a glass of water. I drank it and laid my head down to rest once more.

“Why so glum?” he asked me. “I mean, you should be happy! You’re going to help me in the destruction of Ponyville!”

I scoffed at this statement and claimed “I would never do that… that’s where my friends live.”

“Oh, did I say you were going to… No, no… I plan on putting you in a dark place known as the subconscious of your own mind!”

His paw rose up from the counter and cast a heavy spell upon my being. It was like falling into some void. Darkness surrounded me, and from that point on… I lost my control.

Now, my body belongs to Discord. This new mind he gave me is forming an identity. Lust for blood and rueful intentions clouded his eyes. He wasn’t me… He was his own pony.

“So… what is your name?” Discord asked the newly minded pony.

“M-my… name is… Noname!”

The two left the deserted town in a flash of light and teleported to the Canterlot entrance grounds. Celestia looked over her balcony observing the mayhem taking place on her world. She saw them walking up to the castle and ordered the guards to protect the area.

Noname and Discord approached, both smiling intensively. Dark thoughts were streaming through their minds.

“Now, Noname… I usually use chocolate, but what would you like to rain down upon this town?”

Noname snickered and said “blood.”

(Drip) … (Drip)

Droplets of red blood fell from the heavens and landed upon the stallion and the Draconequus painting them with the colors of demons.

“I’ll leave this to you.” Discord said before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Not only did the fiend implant a new mind inside my body, but power as well. Four sharp lances of black magically appeared floating in circles around Noname, each sharper than a dragons tooth. Guards bordered the entry way, but were immediately sent flying to the far side of town by a chaotic force push. One pony stood his ground though. Shining Armor, holding his lance stood up to the demonic monster that invaded and controlled my body.

“So it has come to this.” He said, blood streaming through his blue mane and white coat. “I trusted you, and you let me down by running away! Now you hurt your fellow guardians… This is not the way of a warrior! Siding with chaos driven villains will get you nowhere, fast!”

Noname chuckled, some blood spilling into his mouth as he did. “You misunderstand. I am NOT Titan… My name is Noname… and this day is mine… ALL days are mine, and this day, you die!!!”

He lunged at the unicorn, lances extended. Blow after blow was deflected by Shining Armor. Few scrapes were left, and in the heat of this moment, all I could see was a friend defending his home.

As he was knocked to a building wall, shining armor looked into the blood thirsty eyes of Noname. The four lances dug into the walls of the building merely touching his body. The last lance, Shining Armor's floated above the fiend’s body ready to strike the fatal blow, but something stopped him.

“Titan!”

Celestia, in all her glory appeared before him, a force field stopped the blood from hitting her. Noname let the blue maned unicorn free and faced the princess, my mother.

“I see… You’re not my son!”

“Your son is dead!”

Celestia gulped, but still looked as furious as the first time we met. The rage in her eyes couldn’t compare with any other. As she approached Noname, the sword she once pointed at me, leaving a faint scar in my chest exited its home and pointed at Noname.

“You have a choice… Give back my son, or die.”

Noname responded with attacks, but was hurled to a light post. As his body knocked it over, he grunted in pain. Getting to his feet, he saw the princess inch closer towards him. The sword was just about to enter his body when he dodged it. He rolled onto his back and felt himself be lifted and pinned to the wall. Concrete surfacing dug into his back, making things unbearable. Blood seeped into his eyes and for everything to end like this would be the worst case scenario for me. Mother walked to him, sword extended. With one final threat, she pointed it at his chest. Right then and there, I knew I needed to break free… but how?

“Do you remember your first birthday?” mother asked Noname.

“I don’t know what you’re yapping about!”

“I’m talking to my son! Now shut it!” With that, her magic cast a silencing spell on his consciousness; shutting only him up. I however would be able to speak if I broke free from this prison.

“I took you to that restaurant…” my mother reminded me. “And then, there was the dragon… you slayed it knowing it was a threat… and how could you forget the funerals? Is it just me, or is all of our memories together sad?”

“Yeah…” I said. My conscious mind was beginning to surface. Now, my coat and mane began to return to normal! My grey mane turned pure white with blood streaks running through it, of course. I felt my soul take charge of my body and push Noname out. Soon, I had my body back.

Celestia asked me “Is it you, Titan?”

I smiled and said “Yeah… it’s me!”

The rain stopped, and Celestia brought me back to the palace. Nothing had changed in the time I was gone. The room I left was still as messy as it was when i left. As I showered, I thought I would never get this amount of blood out. Eventually, I was as clean as ever and ready to return to my post… that is, until Discord grabbed my mind and sucked me out of reality. Celestia entered my room and saw me jolting my head vigorously while gripping it with my hooves. She held me close and asked me what was wrong. Before I could tell her to run, Discord pulled her into the void as well.

We stood there, in the darkness of empty space. No life, sound or light. Discord laughed at me and appeared out of thin air before us.

“Now look at what you did… giving Celestia the cure of harmony. Now I’m trapped in my prison!” His voice became ironically sarcastic. “Doomed to stay here forever, or so you think!”

I remembered that my body is now an empty shell! He could warp in if he wanted and take over!

“I’ll simply do what I planned to do all this time… I mean the only way for you to stop this from happening is if i kill you! So, let’s see that. It would be worth seeing you perish before your mother!”

A lance appeared above his shoulder, pointed itself at Celestia and waited.

“I mean, if you’re truly loyal, which I doubt you are, you’ll put yourself in front of her and save her, not only saving her, but the rest of Equestria as well. You and I are connected. If you die, I can’t get into your body… the decision is yours. Either way, I’ll enjoy watching one of you perish.

As it threw itself toward Celestia, I had no choice but to think fast. If my destiny and fate were intertwined, then this would be it… this would be my resting place.

Just before it hit mother, I jumped in front of it to save her. It sank right through my body, spraying Celestia’s left shoulder with my blood. She caught me and collapsed to her knees while yelling “NO!”

All the darkness withered away, and Discord was nowhere to be seen. We were in my room, alone. The spear was gone, but the wound remained. Once again, blood coated my body, but this time… it was my own. Pain coursed through me, ceasing my every sense and clutching my life with death’s grip.

My hoof raised itself and I felt Celestia grab it with hers. She looked into my eyes, fighting the tears that were beginning to emerge. I smiled, despite the pain I felt, I still knew this was my last moments alive… I had fulfilled my destiny.

“We… sure had some good times, huh?” I asked her, trying to lighten the situation. She just stared down at me. Her lips trembled almost as much as my hoof she held. “Hey, don’t you… go crying on my.”

“But… you’re dying… YOU HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR CHEST!”

I looked down and joked “I’ve had worse.”

“Stop that… Just STOP IT!”

I looked back at her and coughed a bit of blood up. As it slithered down my chin, I said “I did this… to protect you and the city… It’s… not like I did it for myself… It’s just what I expected to happen… I knew I was going to die someday.”

“But not today… not like this!” she argued.

“Heh, like I have a choice… all you need to know… is that I had a good life.”

Her tears finally left her face as I said this. They dripped upon my cheeks and slid down to the floor.

“You took me in… even though you knew who I really was… You protected me… helped me when I need it most… Without you, I’d be nothing.”

My final words would stay within her mind for as long as she lived.

“I love you… mother.”

She shivered a moment after hearing this and replied “I… love you too, Titan.”

As my eyes closed, I embraced the full effect of death. I felt the last breath of life leave my lungs and my hoof she was holding slipped out of her grasp, landed on the tiled floor and laid motionless… after that… everything went black.

Shortly after my death, my cutie mare showed itself to my mother… a golden shield with a banner running across it that said Equestria was the mark I had been trying to achieve all these years.