Challenging Fate

Prologue: The Village

The Village, my village is located at the midpoint of a volcano, which houses a deity. The deity watches over us and keeps us safe, as long as we follow the rules. The rules are few, one is to follow a tradition that our mighty deity has set up.

Everypony here from birth has a duty to play based on who they were birthed by. A woodcutter gets the name Oaken Chop and their child would be named Child of Oaken Chop, or C. Oaken for short. It has been that way long before I was born, someone is born given the name Child of and then when that parent dies, they lose Child of and are then the parent not the child.

The repopulation for the next generation would have a mare adult and stallion have two kids. Each taking over the job’s and names of their parents. The only exception to the name takeover is for the sacrifices to the deity, which happens every eighteen years.

The sacrifice births one child and a short while after jumps into the crater at the top of the volcano. It is a wondrous tradition, so I am told, I've never seen it though. The ceremony last for the entire day and everyone gets the day off from work, the only day off in eighteen years.

There are exactly fifty-one ponies in the population, on the eighteenth year fifty-two, but it quickly drops back down. Parent births child, parent works, dies. Child takes over, repeat. It is predictable here, with everything following tradition and routine. One child for one job, a family is therefore made up of four until the parents die.

My fate was sealed the moment I was conceived, I would follow in my Mothers hoof-step's, and some reason it caused the other kids to ostracize me. I would watch from afar as they would play their games, subconsciously waiting for their turn to take over the job. I suppose it didn't help that I was several years their senior.

Jobs to me seem less desirable, I didn't want to take over any job but tradition set by our great deity dictated it to be. How could anypony truly believe that we had to follow some illusive deity, that for all we knew was long dead? Or never existed in the first place.

I've received special attention since birth from The Village leaders, because unlike the other kids, I was special. I knew that no matter what my or anyone else’s cutie mark was that we would take over the job of our parents. My job however I inherited from birth, I am after all the sacrifice. Next year would be my year. The year in which I follow tradition and jump, appeasing our mighty and illusive Deity.

A few months into the next year a spell would be cast on me, one given to us by our all-powerful Deity, which would impregnate me. Before being forced to birth a daughter, not long after that, I got the… honor of jumping being the sacred sacrifice and all. The Mareden, a holy pony, would accompany me up the mountain to perform the ritual. The Tailor and Jeweler will collaborate to make my sacrificial tenue, I was told the last one was lovely and to die for, I didn't like the joke.

I had gotten my cutie mark two years ago when I reported that I ‘felt’ wolves were slowly burrowing their way under the walls, and sure enough that was exactly what was happening. One of the Sentry Guards had doubted me, “just the damned sacrifice trying to hog attention, fucking outcast.” I truly was ostracized, and an outcast. After that incident a Black Swallowtail Butterfly in a mid-flap lay still on my flank. I thought it was beautiful, being the outcast I am though many called it ugly and that I shouldn't have a cutie mark unless it was about jumping.

It wasn't all that bad, I was on good relations with the Librarian, Pageturner, I would spend hours upon end reading all of the books. Sadly six years ago I finished all of the ones Pageturner had in the library, I mostly socialize with Pageturner now, mainly about the books. Her son was one of the few kids who didn't ostracize me. He mainly just reads books all day rather than socialize with the others, which might be why.

Pageturner has lived for thirty-seven years, she is nearing what is considered as an elder in The Village. Because nopony seems to live long after forty. It is almost a curse, even though curses are just superstition. No pony knows the real reason behind it, some have even said that it too is tradition.

I think that it should be time to fight the normalities of our tradition and give ponies the job that their cutie mark's say they are good at, or better yet let them pick. Like I read in a book by somepony known as 'Clover the Clever.'

I, a Unicorn, have tried my hoof at magic. I've only learned the basic Telekinesis and the advanced Teleportation, I thought that it was weird to have the basic spell every Unicorn knows and the advanced Teleportation. I, in no way have mastered either of them, I can only Teleport once every few weeks and can only travel several meters. I am left far to exhausted by it, and usually collapse. My Telekinesis isn't great either. I can’t lift heavy objects, and struggle to pick up another pony, though I haven't been able to actually try.

My Mother was named Vee. She was easily the best magic user in the whole history of The Village, but it was wasted on her sacrificial ceremony. I didn't inherit any of her magical prowess. She, like me, was allowed to do what I wanted through the day, it was usually spent learning. And unlike my Mother I am the smallest of all the sacrifices to date, Mother was one of the tallest. I looked just like a filly, even though I am the age of a nearly full grown mare.

I nearly forgot. My name is En, and I am the next sacrifice, but I don’t want to be the sacrifice. I want freedom, a freedom that wasn't going to be granted. Freedom to live past eighteen. My cutie mark should allow me to get that freedom, because I believe it represents a sixth sense. I will stand up, and fight to stop my fate.