Years after our world was destroyed, we have thrived. We have prospered. Ponies have lost the ability to obtain cutie marks, so we artifically create marks. When I turn thirteen, I will get marked, and in turn gain freedom. But the Union lies.
Years ago, our world burned. But now, we thrive, we prosper, or so it seems. Ponies have lost the ability to gain cutie marks naturally, so the Union artificially makes them and implants them with a computer chip. When I turn thirteen I will get Marked, and in turn gain freedom. But the Union lies. Deaths regarding the Marks have been occurring. And in a week's time I will have no choice but to be Marked, and instead of gaining freedom, lose it.
NOTE: I marked this story 2nd person cuz there are SOME 2nd-person parts. The whole story is NOT 2nd person, however.
Bloodshed. All that comes from war is bloodshed. When balls of fire fell from the sky, it burned everything.
It burned the lives of innocent ponies.
"-And it would really be better for your-" Silver Suit, the royal adviser, got abruptly cutoff as a deafening screeching sound ripped through the castle. A ball of heat and destruction crashed through the roof of the castle.
"Silver...!" Princess Luna screamed. She looked at her hurt leg and limped, dodging the rubble, towards him. He was motionless, pale and cold, not warm and alive.
He was dead.
"Celestia!" Luna shouted. "Anypony, please!" She looked around, and to her horror, the meteor had almost destroyed the whole castle. Then her eyes landed on the once-beautiful white mare lying on the ground.
And she was not breathing.
Luna was alone.
For ten years balls of fire rained upon Equestria, never stopping for more than a week. The sun, scientists said, was breaking, its pieces raining everywhere. Luna had to carry the weight of leading Equestria through this. When it was all over, half the population was dead. Princess Luna died shortly after the Fire Rain.
That was before the Union.
The Union changed everything. Since nopony wanted another princess, the Union was created. It was their idea to mark ponies. They came up with all the new technology, and owned practically everything in Equestria, or as they call it, New Equestria. No more struggle, They said. No more discontent, only harmony. What did the princesses give us? Disharmony.
The marking, they said, would be necessary to work towards their cause. After all, ponies somehow couldn't earn cutie marks naturally anymore. So, on everypony's thirteenth birthday, they would get marked. It was a strange process, but very fast. Only five minutes. And, of course, it didn't hurt, the doctors would give you some nanodust to fall asleep. Simple.
Now the mark was nothing special or unique. Just a small symbol. And, if you looked closely, you could see small numbers and letters. A code of some sort. One wouldn't pay much attention, of course, but many ponies began to question.
The Union didn't take kindly to those who questioned. So, they got rid of anypony who seemed, ah, curious. After all, curiosity was a dangerous quality to have.
"Blitz, you're going to be late!" My mom calls.
"Ok, ok, I'm coming Mom!" I yell in reply. I'm busy trying to find my nanowatch, which I conveniently misplace when I need it most. I throw clothes around my room, scrambling to find my watch, when I notice something. My window is open, ever so slightly. I don't dwell on it long, of course, after I close it I race downstairs. "Mom, have you seen my nanowatch?"
"Your... Oh, no I haven't seen it, dear. You'll just have to go to school without it. Now, eat your breakfast! School is almost-" Mom is interrupted by the school bell. She sighs. "There's the bell, dear. Late! On your first day..."
"Mooooom!" I groan as I take a slice of toast. I raced out the door, and clambers on to my nanoracer.
"Sweetie! Your backpack!" My mom stands in the doorway, waving my bag.
"Mom, nopony calls them that anymore," I roll my eyes. "But thanks." I snatch my bag and zoom across town.
"Hey, I'm walking here!" A pedestrian shouts angrily.
"Sorry!" I yell. Seriously, that guy should get a nanoscooter or something. Nopony travels by hoof these days.
I screech to a stop as I land at my school's entrance. Everpony is already inside, I probably even missed the welcome ceremony. I really start to wish I had the mark, now, because then I could open the door myself. Reluctantly, I knock on the door.
Great. The principle opens the door.
"Ah," He smiles. "Late again, are we? I remember you from last year. Blitz, correct?" He pauses to let me answer. He doesn't look frustrated, or even annoyed, which is actually kinda strange.
"Yes, sir." I say skeptically.
"Well, since it's the first day, no hard feelings, eh? Come in. The ceremony isn't over yet."
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
The sound of hoofsteps.
You turn around. A shadow. He looms over the doorway, and you hold your breath.
You breathe a sigh of relief. He passes over the doorway. Thank goodness.
You're safe for another week. But even that isn't enough.
"Now, when Commander Sparkle lead the west troops into the Apaloosa Battlefield, what resulted when the Griffon warriors met them?" The history teacher drones.
Some kid with glasses raises his hoof.
"Yes, er..." The teacher looks at his nanopad. "Sheldon?"
"Commander Sparkle tried to make an alliance, but General Fang commanded his griffons to attack!" Sheldon says this like it's the best thing in the world.
"Correct."
At this point I'm not even listening. The Union thought that giving us nanopads would help us study, but I wasted all my bytes on games. I thought it would be more worthwhile, I mean, most of my time is spent with my eyes glazed over in class. Half of the school did it anyway.
This was just going to be another normal school year.
"...Her? Are your sure?" A voice whispered.
"Yes. She already knows more than she realizes." A well-dressed stallion said smoothly. He was slender, with high cheekbones, and eyes that were as sharp as steel.
"How do you want us to proceed?"
"Give her a... Special invitation. Like the others."
"But you said she wasn't like the others-"
The stallion looked at his attendant. His eyes were like daggers.
His assistant gulped. "Yes, sir." She cantered out of the room.
The stallion, leader of The Union, smiled and whispered to himself. "Soon, girl. Soon, you shall see what the Union can do."
And with that, he turned to his laptop. On the screen was footage from the school.
"There you go! Your new mark." Nurse Redheart smiled.
The reciever of the mark gazed at the fresh symbol. The ink was still moist.
The nurse saw his face. "Is something wrong?"
It took the patient a while to answer. "No, it's just..." He paused. "It's nothing."
Redheart smiled sympathetically. "Now, how to use it. In most buildings, you will see a scanner. For example, if you're at a restaurant, you must scan your eye before purchasing." She brought out a scanner. "Try it now."
He pressed the button, and opened his right eye wide. The machine hastily scanned it, beeped, and its light turned green.
"If your mark ever gives you trouble, or any scanner light turns red, contact us." The nurse smiled and showed him the door.
"It's trouble, alright." The newly-marked stallion grumbled.
Finally. It was lunch. I've been sitting in a classroom all day!
"Hey, Blitz." A familiar voice called.
I turned around. It was my BFF, Ashley. (But she hates that, so we just call her Ash)
"Hey Ash," I reply.
"Did you see that new cute guy?" She smiles like a madmare and nods her head over at the new kid. He is kinda cute, but did I mention Ash is a little boy-crazy?
"The dude with the mark?" I ask. I can tell his mark is fresh.
"Is that the first thing you look at when you see a new pony? Wow, Blitz. It's just the mark. Oh, and by the way, I'm getting my mark tomorrow." Ash smiles. She always thinks the mark is the coolest thing since sliced hay.
"Good for you." I say, shrugging. I'm pretty sure I sound nonchalant, but that probably sounded a little cold. "I mean, I'm happy for you, I am. I know how much you want it."
"Yea. But it stinks that everypony has to get it right on their birthday." Ash rolls her eyes. "At least it doesn't take long." She takes a few more bites of her lunch. "When's your thirteenth birthday? Isn't it next week?"
"Uuuuhh.... Yea, yea it is." I sigh. "But, I don't think I want it."
Ash smiles warmly. "I know, Blitz, but it's the law. Hey, why don't we go to the mall on Saturday? I hear they have a new nanoarcade."
Ahh, Ash is the best.
"Yea," I say. "That'd be great."
"Now about that cute guy..." Ash starts. Great. More boy-talk.
"Master... We need more time..." A desperate voice ragged out.
"For what? It doesn't take long to kidnap a girl," A cruel mare replied. "And, after all, you are the best assassin there is." She smiled. "But, of course, if you don't want to do it..." The mare pulled out a nanodagger. "I'll do it myself."
"No, no, it's fine. I'll do it, really." Though this stallion was hardcore, at this moment he was very much afraid.
"Good. I want her by tomorrow, Blade. Midnight. If you are late..."
The stallion, Blade, nodded. "Yes... Miss Shimmer."
The mare growled. "You know I do not go by that name anymore..." Suddenly she stood. "How dare you...!" She turned away from his gaze. "Leave me."
"But Miss-"
"Go!"
"Um... Hi?" I said sheepishly. To whom, you ask? It's a long story.
Here's the short version: In a twist and turn of events, including an argument, Ash convinced me to go over and introduce myself to the new guy. Don't ask me why I agreed. Please.
The young stallion looks up. "Hi," He gives me an awkward smile. Gosh, why is it so cute when guys do that? "Do you need anything?"
Ok, out of dreamland and back to my regrettable conversation.
"No, I just..." I tried to regain composure. "I just haven't seen you around before. I wanted to say hi."
"Which you already did," He notes. "Do you do this to every new guy? Wow, you must be lonely." Wait, was that sarcasm? What's this dude's issue?
I try to keep my cool. "No, I do not do this to every guy, and no, I am not lonely. What's your problem, anyway?"
Good. That shuts him up. I trot away to my table, which thankfully has all of Ash's friends there, so it looks like (at least to the guy) I have lots of friends. So much for calling me lonely.
Seriously, though. What's his issue?!? Guys.
"In one week, you say?" Blade, the so-called leader of the Union, asked his assistant. But actually, he was more of a spokesperson. The true leader of the Union was unknown. But Blade knew her name.
"Yes, sir. In one week."
"Ahh. Perhaps there will be no need to... Ah, dispose of her. The Mark will do that, once she gets it."
"What do you mean?" His assistant was curious. Usually she kept to herself, but once in awhile she would be interested in her superior's doing.
Blade turned and looked at his attendant with interest. "Why, Miss Fluttershy... It is men's business. None of your concern."
With that, the yellow mare trotted out of the room nervously.
One week... One week... You can't possibly escape in one week...
You hear the alarm. Somepony tried to escape again. Did they succeed? Was there still a way to leave this wretched place?
A moment passes... No. He failed. Tried to use magic to look like one of the guards... Sloppy work. Since there are no cutie marks, there is no talent. You hear the scream as the guards do whatever they do to those who try to escape.
Wait... You hear them talk... About a girl... Blitz is her name. Wait... They want to... Kill her? Directly? Why? The Union doesn't usually do this... You must warn the girl. But how?
How can you? Tell her about the Union, its lies? You'll be dead in a week's time.
You listen in again. She's getting marked, in a week. She mustn't get marked! You are determined to warn her.
"It'll be fine sweetie. You're not the only pony who's been nervous about getting marked." Mom says for the millionth time. "I mean, when I was your age-"
"Moooooom! I'm not nervous." I turn my head and look out the window of the minivan. These things are so old... I hope nopony sees me in this.
Mom opens her mouth, but I quickly turn on the radio and crank up the volume. I was getting sick of all the "when I was your age" stories. Mom literally cringes when she hears my choice of music. Whatever.
"Are we almost there yet? I just want to get this over with." I grumble. This would've been much faster if we had taken our family-size hoverboard.
"Just a two more miles, hon. And afterward-" Mom smiles at me with a gleam in her eye. "We'll get ice cream."
For those of you who don't know, my mom loves ice cream. She's always looking for an excuse to get some. I don't like ice cream, and Mom knows it.
I'm more of a cake person.
"Ooooooh! When did you get it???" Ash's friends pined over her mark. It's not anything special, just the generic symbol.
"Yesterday," Ash answers quietly, which wasn't like her at all.
I'm not the best at social situations, and when Ash is upset... Well, it's best to leave her alone. So, naturally, I left her alone.
Which led me to be sitting alone.
And guess who noticed. That's right. I'm gonna say it.
Ok, it was the guy. You know, the guy whom I introduced myself to, and you saw how that worked out.
"So... Where's you're friends your always hanging out with?" He smiles. I can't tell if it's a smirk or a nice smile, though.
"Busy." I say bluntly. I don't have time to deal with him.
"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Don't you have some friends to talk to???" I snap at him, before he can make any snide remarks.
He laughs. It's a nice laugh, I guess, but I'm too annoyed to care. "No, actually."
"Well-" Before I can finish, the bell rings, and the guy rushes off to class. I don't even know his name, but that's probably a good thing.
This all happened yesterday. I was thinking about it while I was in a marking room, waiting to be marked.
"Hi, Blitz!" A way-too-cheerful nurse trots in. She's smiling like she just won the lottery or something. "Are you ready to get marked?"
To be honest, I wasn't. But I just wanted to get this over with, so I nodded.
"Good!" The nurse says. She gets her supplies ready, and lowers the chair I'm sitting in. I take a deep breath. I actually never asked my mom what it felt liked to be marked, so I had no idea what was going to happen.
Then a stallion who I think must be a doctor comes in. "I can take it from here, Redheart."
"But sir-"
The doctor glares at Redheart, and she grudgingly walks away.
"Hello, Miss Blitz. I'm Dr. Mask." He shuts the door and locks it. "And I'm here to assassinate you."
I just sit there. Did he just say what I think he said?
Dr. Mask pulls out a sleek nanodagger. Yep. He's serious.
"I've been waiting for this moment, Blitz Scarlet Light. My master will be proud." Ok, so he knows my full name. Typical bad guy.
I try to think of something brave to say, but of course I can't think of anything.
Dr. Mask (honestly I don't even think he has a degree) smiles. "This should be quick and easy. Unless you make it otherwise." He says.
I'm panicking. I don't know what to do, what to say, and I'm starting to hyperventilate.
"Oh, don't be afraid." Mask says. Why should I not be afraid??? He's about to freakin' kill me!
