I woke up to the sound of running water in the distance, and my entire body was in pain. It was like a few years back when I fell and mom picked me up. Only this time, mom wasn’t around and the pain felt much, much, worse than it did before. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. The pain unrelenting even as my eyes began to water and uncontrollable tears rolled down my cheeks.

With what little strength I managed to muster, I looked around. Darkness as far as the eye could see. No sign of where the running water I could hear was coming from. “Azurinne?” I called out for my familiar weakly, “Azurinne, where are you?” When there was no response, my tears started flowing more.

“Honestly,” said an unfamiliar voice, “I thought you were much more mature than that.” As those words came out, I felt a warm paw move across my cheeks, drying my tears. I looked up to see a rather interesting hybrid creature. It could only be described as a winged-horned dragon with an extremely long neck and tail. It's hind legs were of a bird with talons, maybe an eagle, and it's for legs were feline in origin, strong and powerful like a lion's. She was gold wearing a silver crest that held a strange symbol. The symbol in question was that of two spheres, a Sun and a moon, touching at their edges with a red and gold dagger crossing from left to right behind them.

For all of the staring I could do, there was one simple phrase that came to mind, "I'm pretty sure I taste terrible."

“I am sure that I would agree,” she laughed with added hissing from her serpent tongue for certain words, “but you will be happy to hear that I do not require sustenance. Now Princess Celestia, that old Sun Butt, her and her confections would have anyone worried.” I look at her quizzically. “I am Mammešhu(1), and I am the Guardian of Fate and Destiny. It is my whim and duty to control and monitor both for all living creatures.”

"Control and monitor?” I began by asking as another sharp pain erupted through my body, “how does that work?”

“For the most part I simply guide creatures on their destiny, and while I don’t normally craft it,” she began to explain, “I do make changes to it depending on my mood, and that’s where fate comes in.” I stare at her in disbelief. My pain subsiding enough that it was tolerable.

“Is that why I’m here, and Azurinne isn't?” I ask.

“Well, yes and no,” she begins, “your familiar is tied to your essence. It can only manifest if you are… how do I put this nicely?” She thought for a moment, “It only manifests if your essence can interact with other living essences.” I give her another quizzical look. “As to why you’re here before me? Simply put, I am correcting a mistake.”

I winced at that, though not because of another pain surge, but because Mom and Dad used to call me the greatest 'mistake' they ever made, a phrase that both made me feel happy and a little sad at the same time. "Do... you mean me?" I asked expecting her to respond in a similar fashion.

"Not you," she stated, "you are a product of what I wished and the foolish meddling of those who do not understand the way life is created." Her horn then began to glow as something began to be drawn out of me. At first it was slow, but quickly began to increase in speed. By the time it was done, her magic was holding a large volume of liquid that came out of me. She then bottled it and put it away somewhere behind her. "That was what I wished to correct," she began again, "that was both the destiny and potential fates of a pony who has yet to come into existence."

"So that was accidentally added to mine?" I asked.

She stared at me. I stared at her. She blinked a few times, and then had on last blink after a long period of staring. "No, you see you were created without either, admittedly not uncommon though," she corrected me bluntly, "you were simply supposed to be a failed by product of the experiment, but due to the meddling of a certain-"

As she continued to explain certain aspects of my 'creation', I was able to pick up certain bits and pieces as my mind started to wander and panic. She wasn't treating me like a filly or even a foal. Her explanations had the suggestions that she never saw me as even alive by throwing out the occasional 'doll' or 'tool' at me. The more she spoke, I began to feel less and less physical pain. The more I listened, I began to feel something inside me begin to boil. Then she said something that finally made me snap, "You truly look as if you have real emotions."

"STOP IT!" I shouted. This stunned her into looking at me quizzically. I could only imagine what I must look like to her. Some pony not even naturally born, wasn't ever supposed to do anything with the life jokingly given to her, and shouting while crying like some spoiled foal. I caught my breath before continuing my 'childish tirade' if that's what she will call it, "I have had enough of being told I'm some kind of accident! I have had enough of being told I'm not even real! And I have had enough of your condescending attitude! I was just killed by some colt I never even met, and yes, I am well aware of what a fall from that height is supposed to do to a filly my age, ESPECIALLY when I was rendered unconscious by said colt! If I was never supposed to be destined for anything then why create me!? Why give me enough potential to earn a familiar!? Why not make the experiment a success AND BE DONE WITH IT!?" As I finished, I fell to the floor and began crying.

For her part, if any of this had affected her, aside from my initial outburst, it didn't show. "First of all, I did not create you. I manipulated fate enough, so that the successful attempt at creating artificial life was part failure. Also, you are hardly the first given life with no fate, and I assure you that you will not be the last. Your power is a product of all of those, and you can hardly blame me for that. You see this as a curse, but dear, with no fate or destiny predetermined you are free to create one for yourself-"

"Now that I'm dead you mean," I counter while interrupting her. In hindsight, it was not my best response.

"YOU DARE INTERRUPT ME!?" She roared in a tone that immediately had me crouching on the ground, ears flat against my skull, "You mortals are all the same. You blame me for your woes, even when things are perfectly fine. You say that death is blocking you from enjoying your freedom? Then you shall have your life back. You will live without my interference, those who interact with you shall be free from Fate's guidance and Destiny's path for any decisions involving you. Even with this I have no doubt that when next we meet you will still be cursing me," that last statement made solemnly, "however, do note that this return does not come without a price. As such I will ensure that you will never achieve that which in natural for most ponies."

When she finished speaking, her horn began to glow again, as did my body. The glow began to fade as it traveled down to my backside where I saw a red 'X' on my flank where my cutie mark would go. As the mark also fade, I looked back at Mammušhu. "As the one who holds the power to change one's fate or destiny, I have seen fit to wash my paws of you completely," she said with stern authority, "your Cutie Mark, while a sign of your special talent, also was under my power to attain. As such, you will no longer have the opportunity to acquire one. Now begone from my sight."

I felt the world around me start to spin as I fell asleep.

Author's Note

(1) She's a hybrid of two parts of Babylonian Mythology. The first part is of the goddess Mammetum who controlled destiny and fate from the underworld, and the second was of the mythological creature, the mušḫuššu.