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..."

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!" Next Chapter: The Horror in the Cave Estimated time remaining: 24 Minutes