diff --git a/lib/ace/keyboard/emacs.js b/lib/ace/keyboard/emacs.js
index 25f22a52..9bb30f6b 100644
--- a/lib/ace/keyboard/emacs.js
+++ b/lib/ace/keyboard/emacs.js
@@ -95,17 +95,15 @@ exports.handler.attach = function(editor) {
     $formerLineStart = editor.session.$useEmacsStyleLineStart;
     editor.session.$useEmacsStyleLineStart = true;
 
-    editor.session.$emacsMark = null;
+    editor.session.$emacsMark = null; // the active mark
     editor.session.$emacsMarkRing = editor.session.$emacsMarkRing || [];
 
-    editor.emacsMarkMode = function() {
+    editor.emacsMark = function() {
         return this.session.$emacsMark;
     }
 
-    editor.setEmacsMarkMode = function(p) {
-        var prevMark = this.session.$emacsMark;
-        if (prevMark)
-            this.session.$emacsMarkRing.push(prevMark);
+    editor.setEmacsMark = function(p) {
+        // to deactivate pass in a falsy value
         this.session.$emacsMark = p;
     }
 
@@ -113,12 +111,18 @@ exports.handler.attach = function(editor) {
         var prevMark = this.session.$emacsMark;
         if (prevMark)
             this.session.$emacsMarkRing.push(prevMark);
-        if (activate) this.session.$emacsMark = p;
+        if (!p || activate) this.setEmacsMark(p)
         else this.session.$emacsMarkRing.push(p);
     }
 
+    editor.popEmacsMark = function() {
+        var mark = this.emacsMark();
+        if (mark) { this.setEmacsMark(null); return mark; }
+        return this.session.$emacsMarkRing.pop();
+    }
+
     editor.getLastEmacsMark = function(p) {
-        return this.session.$emacsMark || this.session.$emacsMarkRing.reverse()[0];
+        return this.session.$emacsMark || this.session.$emacsMarkRing.slice(-1)[0];
     }
 
     editor.on("click", $resetMarkMode);
@@ -209,7 +213,7 @@ exports.handler.handleKeyboard = function(data, hashId, key, keyCode) {
     var editor = data.editor;
     // insertstring data.count times
     if (hashId == -1) {
-        editor.setEmacsMarkMode(null);
+        editor.pushEmacsMark();
         if (data.count) {
             var str = Array(data.count + 1).join(key);
             data.count = null;
@@ -263,7 +267,7 @@ exports.handler.handleKeyboard = function(data, hashId, key, keyCode) {
         args = command.args;
         if (command.command) command = command.command;
         if (command === "goorselect") {
-            command = editor.emacsMarkMode() ? args[1] : args[0];
+            command = editor.emacsMark() ? args[1] : args[0];
             args = null;
         }
     }
@@ -272,7 +276,7 @@ exports.handler.handleKeyboard = function(data, hashId, key, keyCode) {
         if (command === "insertstring" ||
             command === "splitline" ||
             command === "togglecomment") {
-            editor.setEmacsMarkMode(null);
+            editor.pushEmacsMark();
         }
         command = this.commands[command] || editor.commands.commands[command];
         if (!command) return undefined;
@@ -401,28 +405,38 @@ exports.handler.addCommands({
         editor.multiSelect.toggleBlockSelection();
     },
     setMark:  {
-        exec: function(editor) {
-            // Emulate emacs highlighting behaviour in transient-mark-mode.
+        exec: function(editor, args) {
             // Sets mark-mode and clears current selection.
             // When mark is set, keyboard cursor movement commands become
             // selection modification commands. That is,
             // "goto" commands become "select" commands.
             // Any insertion or mouse click resets mark-mode.
             // setMark twice in a row at the same place resets markmode
-            var markMode = editor.emacsMarkMode();
-            if (markMode) {
+            var mark = editor.emacsMark(),
+                transientMarkModeActive = true;
+
+            // if transientMarkModeActive then mark behavior is a little
+            // different. Deactivate the mark when setMark is run with active
+            // mark
+            if (transientMarkModeActive && (mark || !editor.selection.isEmpty())) {
+                editor.pushEmacsMark(editor.getCursorPosition());
+                editor.pushEmacsMark();
+                editor.clearSelection();
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (mark) {
                 var cp = editor.getCursorPosition();
                 if (editor.selection.isEmpty() &&
-                    markMode.row == cp.row && markMode.column == cp.column) {
-                    editor.setEmacsMarkMode(null);
-                    // console.log("Mark mode off");
+                    mark.row == cp.row && mark.column == cp.column) {
+                    editor.pushEmacsMark();
                     return;
                 }
             }
             // turn on mark mode
-            markMode = editor.getCursorPosition();
-            editor.setEmacsMarkMode(markMode);
-            editor.selection.setSelectionAnchor(markMode.row, markMode.column);
+            mark = editor.getCursorPosition();
+            editor.setEmacsMark(mark);
+            editor.selection.setSelectionAnchor(mark.row, mark.column);
         },
         readonly: true,
         multiSelectAction: "forEach"
@@ -459,7 +473,7 @@ exports.handler.addCommands({
         multiSelectAction: "forEach"
     },
     killLine: function(editor) {
-        editor.setEmacsMarkMode(null);
+        editor.pushEmacsMark(null);
         var pos = editor.getCursorPosition();
         if (pos.column == 0 &&
             editor.session.doc.getLine(pos.row).length == 0) {
@@ -513,7 +527,7 @@ exports.handler.addCommands({
     },
     keyboardQuit: function(editor) {
         editor.selection.clearSelection();
-        editor.setEmacsMarkMode(null);
+        editor.setEmacsMark(null);
     },
     focusCommandLine: function(editor, arg) {
         if (editor.showCommandLine)