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... Next Chapter: The Chase Resumes Estimated time remaining: 11 Minutes