The Fates Have Returned

Several years before the rise of Nightmare Moon...

Star Swirl the Bearded slowly backed away, fear in his eyes. A swirling triangle of golden magic and light opened before him. The first pony to walk through the portal was Constance, the first of the Fates. The cerise unicorn stepped forward and to the right. Her entire eyes were black save for one speck of white, and they were only complimented by her dim, alabaster mane. As the pony stepped aside the next overseer emerged from the magical rift in time and space.

Her balance, or opposite some might say, walked into the room. Scelus took one long step forward before taking one to the left. The smiling unicorn was of a royal blue shade with pure white teeth that were carnivorous, each coming to an end with a sharp point. The top of his left ear had been chopped off, leaving a sort of "v" shape on its top. The back of his head and neck were smooth and bald, showing no hair. But at the end of his flank was an extensive tail. Its center was a pitch black color, but surrounding the darkness was a frame of blue hair. And his eyes...the eyes that seemed to be directed at Star Swirl. In place of his eyes were two pearls as dark as night, all black. Though Scelus's face was turned towards him it was impossible to tell if he was watching him or not.

The next to appear was Iniqua. The yellow unicorn possessed a mane of black and gold. She too stepped aside next to Constance. Her turquoise eyes stared at him with disappointment. She had no pupils or scleroses, instead the entirety of her  vision was filled a turquoise shade.

Pulchra then came forth from the cycling abyss. The orange pony then filled his place next to Scelus. His mane was purple with one streak of pink running through his mane. The frowning unicorn's eyes were a rustic tint and seemed to bore right into Star Swirl's soul.

As the portal closed two more figures appeared together: Tara and Sidium. The female unicorn lead Constance and Iniqua forward, while the male lead Scelus and Pulchra. The female's coat was a bronze shade that blended well with her emerald eyes. Her mane was a copper color and was wrapped in silk in a very specific fashion. Tara's tail was braided into bulbs that ended with a small ponytail. Sidium was a unicorn of auburn and smaller than the others. His eyes were slits of black in pools as red as blood; they glowed with a crimson aura as he approached Star Swirl. On the bottom of his chin hung a small ginger beard, and both of his ears were curved and pointed at both ends. His mane was vermilion with several jets of black running through it. The pony's tail was black in base, but grew hotter and brighter as it extended, eventually becoming a scarlet hue.

Though these unicorns each had their separate personalities they all shared a conclusive trait: none of the six had a cutie mark. After assuming the power of becoming the guardians of the future they bonded eternity with the universe and gave up their own destinies to bring harmony and peace to Equestria.

Constance was to govern and cause good fortune for all the creatures of Equestria. While her opposite, her check: Scelus, was to bring misfortune and ill will to all the beings of Equestria.

Pulchra was charged with overseeing all the justice of Equestria and to ensure that everything was treated fairly and justly. Iniqua, his contrast, was to ensure that while good was active there would also be injustice and corruption to ensure the balance of life stay equal.

Tara was to keep the balance of the life and purity that filled Equestria and safeguard it. Good was to reign supremely, though to keep the magical world alive their would also need to be death and despair. The darkness was to be embraced by Sidium.

The six Fates of Equestria approached the slowly retreating Star Swirl. He felt his back bump into the cold stone wall behind him. All six of the unicorns' horns began to glow and come to life. Constance's turned a hot pink and became surrounded by a visible atmosphere of magic, Iniqua's horn began to give off a small almost nonexistent yellow light, and Tara's became shrouded in a brown cloud. Traveling from the base of her horn to the top, small red lights spiraled up Tara's horn.

Scelus's horn shined a navy blue and tiny sky blue sparkles emanated from it. Pulchra's horn grew bright with a celestial light and became covered in minuscule, shifting white sparkles. Around Sidium's smaller horn swirled a grey cloud that twisted and turned, reflecting the ominous, crimson glow that his eyes gave off. The entire room faded and now Star Swirl was sitting before the six unicorns in a place of magic and destiny. Far above them was a black sky with bright, polychromatic stars, but below them were millions of spheres of light. On the level in which they all were standing there were streaks of silver that faded in and out of the air, and every so often one of the balls of light would float up from beneath them, flying up into the sky right past them. Then Tara stepped forward.

"We've been watching you." She said in a smooth, yet stern voice. "Throughout your life you have created many spells to help the ponies of Equestria but now you have crossed the line. We watched you, and knowing that destinies are sacred magics only to be handled by the Fates you continued with your research. We gave you signs, and you ignored them, now is the time to be direct. You wanted to create a spell that would allow ponies to take their own destinies into their hooves. This we cannot allow."

"And we are willing to do anything necessary to keep you from finishing. Meaning, if you do not comply we *will** kill you."* Sidium said taking a step closer to the trembling unicorn before him. "What say you?" He concluded in a hissing voice, looking down at the magical inventor.

One month after Twilight's ascension into alicornhood...

Twilight closed the door and threw her saddle onto the nearby hanger. The bags under her eyes were dark and heavy. Making sure not to wake Spike, she quietly and tiredly trotted upstairs to her bedroom. She slid under the covers of her soft, sky blue bed. The moment her head touched the pillow she fell unconscious.

A loud, droning, humming woke Twilight from her deep slumber. She sat up and stared at an ever shifting triangle of gold and crimson. The swirling mass was giving off strong vibrations that shook Twilight's bed. The droning sound spiked sharply into an ear splitting screech. A dark pink, but not quite purple, unicorn shot out from the vortex and skidded across the floor. Her mane was a dim shade of pearly white and she was riddled with cuts, bruises, and burn marks. As the taller unicorn struggled to her feet Twilight noticed her right foreleg was twisted into an unnatural position. It looked as though it had been contorted and snapped to the side. She looked helplessly at the alicorn as the portal of yellow and red light, darkened and became stained black. It's motion slowed to a halt and now instead of tendrils of golden light and velvet glow, it was a storm cloud as black as coal.

A steel blue unicorn without a mane stepped forth from the black. He was glaring at the wounded unicorn with his...eyes? Twilight couldn't tell; they seemed to be eyes, but they were entirely black. He advanced on the frightened pink pony.

"You think you can fight fate?" He questioned in a deep, throaty voice. "You think you can defy destiny?" He continued. His horn glowed and plumes of darkness rushed towards the horrified unicorn. It was then that Twilight acted. Thrusting herself in front of the assault and blocking the dark magic. The blast ricocheted off Twilight's shield and collided with the window. Twilight's magical bubble shattered with the awesome force of the spell and she felt her legs give in. The window to her right melted and it's wooden frame burned black and turned to ash. "You brought us here?!? To her?!?" The angry unicorn bellowed. And with that he was gone, lost in a black cloud that was already beginning to fade away. Twilight dizzily stood up and trotted over to the magenta unicorn.

"I'll go get help!" Twilight said turning about.

"No!" The pony shrieked. "Tend to me here." She instructed.

"Umm, okay." Twilight responded, levitating her first aid kit over to her. "Well, uh, what's your name?" She asked.

"Constance." The weakened pony said with a gasp as Twilight applied alcohol to the fresh wounds. "I am the guardian of fortune, the fifth of the Fates, and creator of the Elements of Harmony."