> The Gift > by The Accursed One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gift Prologue By The Accursed One         During Pre-Equestrian times, some ponies were born with unnatural talents. Some could go through time, some had extreme intelligence rivaling that of the gods, and some had a lifespan much longer than the average, possibly even reaching into the modern era. But the strangest thing about all of these ponies is the fact that none of them were unicorns; in fact, the majority were Earth ponies, long thought of as inferior to the other races. Everypony back then simply considered them gifted by the gods and they wondered about the origin of such a gift.         Being a non-unicorn had some serious disadvantages: all work was physical, transportation was harder, and the average lifespan was shorter simply because of the stress placed on the body. Those with the rare Gift were literally created and placed through time by the Elder Gods to prove that the non-magical could still prove to be powerful. It is believed that the Royal Sisters, Princesses Celestia and Luna, were Gifted themselves, but they were created as a unifying force to prevent a crippling civil war that would have utterly destroyed the pony race.         Anypony holding the power of the Gift was highly revered in society, almost to the point of being deified. Those with temporal power were oracles, and they predicted, quite accurately, the times ahead. They predicted the good harvest seasons, and warned of possible famine. Those with the Gift of intelligence were leaders of tribes, with carvings depicting them as rulers of entire ancient empires. Though they weren’t the longest lived, (They had the shortest lifespans of any Gifted pony), the intelligent ones still moved the world. Some of the greatest poets and writers of the era had the Gift. Those with the Gift of life were not as intelligent as those with the Gift of knowledge, nor did they have any special powers like those with the Gift of time. They just had a longer life, and they never became rulers. They were mostly peaceful farmers, becoming esteemed historians later on simply due to their age and remembrance of the era in question.         “Alright, so this dusty, old book actually proved to be of some use!” I found myself thinking out loud yet again, receiving an odd stare from the other ponies in the library. This report is going to be a really fun project…         After I wrote down some notes on this Gift thing, I went up to the counter to ask the clerk if she had any more information on the Gift. Needless to say, she shot me down immediately. Looks like nopony in Manehattan knows about it, though it’s a predominantly Earth pony town. Surely at least one of the inhabitants is a descendant of one of them! I might just be down on my luck right now, but I figured that a trip to the rural town of Ponyville, which is relatively close by, wouldn’t hurt.          So after asking my parents for some bits so I can take a train to the village station, I thought about what I was researching on the way. I also figured the trip might take a little while, so I could look over the couple books I still have on the subject to see if I could find a little bit of extra info. Why was I even doing this? I thought, before remembering that Manehattan was a predominantly Earth pony city and the history of my lineage was apparently so important.         Let me just get it set in stone now that this has been one of the most repetitive journeys I’ve ever been on. First, I went to the library at school and found next to nothing. Then, I went to the Manehattan library and found the same. After that, I headed home to check if my family had anything… Bet you can’t guess what I found. If you said nothing, you win. Congratulations.         Back to reality now. I arrived at Ponyville Station and asked one of the locals the way to the Golden Oaks Library, then followed where they said to go. Not long after I set out, I got hungry and went to the open marketplace to see if I could find some sort of sustenance.         “Hello there, would you like to buy anything? If you can’t tell by the stand, I’m selling apples and apple products. Wait… You’re not from here, are you? I’m Apple Bloom! Welcome to Ponyville!” She seemed pretty excited that there was a new customer around.         “Yeah, I’m here because I heard that there might be an avid historian living at the library that could help me with this project for my school. I’ll take a couple apples, please,” I replied quickly because that pony made me a little bit nervous. I know us Earth ponies are supposed to be powerful and all, but she looked a little too strong for the average pony of the race.         “Sure, that’ll be,” She paused for a moment to remember the price, “three bits. Have a nice day!” she said as I handed the money over and took my food.         After that small snack, I headed back onto my earlier route. Turns out the library wasn’t just a normal building. It was a tree. A hollowed-out tree. Shaking my head to get rid of my shocked expression, I headed into the building. (Can I call it that if it’s literally inside a living organism?) From what I’ve heard, the bookkeeper was purple, with a darker purple mane, simply styled, that had a pinkish streak. Not seeing the pony in question, I wandered around the lobby hoping to see something on the shelves that could be of use.         Well, that poker face didn’t last long. The librarian’s supposed assistant, which looked more like a pet to me, was a dragon. How it didn’t constantly burn down the place, I didn’t know. I asked it if it knew the locations of any books on the Gift, and was turned down. He said that some Twilight pony would be back soon, so I should just wait around until she comes back.         While I waited, I figured I could take a short walk around the town to see if anything interesting would happen. Aside from the usual “Oh look, an outsider! Welcome!” greeting everypony seems to get in a new town, nothing much happened. I did meet some very interesting ponies though. Heading back towards the marketplace for some unknown reason, I started thinking about what I could have gotten done if I hadn’t come here. The sheer fact that I’d be finding records in a village practically completely run by my race that seems to not have been touched by time worked. Skip forward an hour, I talked to the librarian and she gave me a couple books on the subject. I jotted down the notes I’d need and started to go back home. Ponyville was a pretty nice place to go if I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, it seems. When I got home, I finished my essay and started up my video games with the intention of playing all night long. *****A Week Later...*****         I got my essay back and received a B+ on it! Not what I was expecting because I thought I did a really horrible job, but still. Maybe the research was worth it after all. I guess taking some time out of your day to learn things can actually be beneficial as opposed to staying in and playing video games all day is nothing but detrimental to a pony’s health. I figure getting out more couldn’t hurt, so my parents shouldn’t count on me being home all the time; in fact, I’d probably be out with friends or visiting other areas of the country a lot of the time. > Chapter 1: Discovery > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gift Chapter 1: Discovery By The Accursed One         Looking back to my days in high school, I wonder why I chose to do my essay on that Gift thing instead of something more… normal, like the history of the tribe during Pre-Equestrian times. It made the essay much harder because of the very low amount of information on the topic, essentially fucking me over in the end. It was worth it, though, learning about the Gift. I may have found out more about myself than I realized at the time…         So I’ve graduated college with average grades and haven’t really done much of note since then. I don’t have a job yet, but hopefully I’ll find one soon. That is, if… A long time later…         … I can finally get over this problem I’ve been having. I seem to be… teleporting… a lot. I never know where, or when, but it happens.         “When am I now?” I deadpanned, looking around where I appeared. My home was in ruins, and nopony was around. In fact, the whole city of Manehattan seemed to be deserted!         Running around the deserted streets, a yellowed scrap of newspaper blew past my hooves with the warm winds of the city. I grabbed and read the date on it: June 1st, 2215. Since the ink was also starting to fade away, I estimated it to be at least three years old. Remarking that this was the farthest confirmed time in the future I’ve ever traveled. Since my efforts to find somepony were all but successful, I instead focused my efforts to get to Canterlot and back home, if I can call it that, before I went back to my time. I know the capitol keeps impeccable records of history, so I started running towards the defunct train station. Since technology evolves over time, I knew that by now the trains, if they can still run, would be pretty fast and I could arrive at my destination in a matter of minutes as opposed to the hours it would take in my time. To my disdain, the train neither worked nor was on the track. I guess I’d have to hoof it.         I made it to Canterlot, luckily, but I noticed all too late that the castle was crumbling, almost destroyed. Wellp, I guess finding out anything about this time is gonna be hard. Oh, wait, here comes some nau… A long time ago…         ...sea. Arriving in what seemed like the middle of nowhere in what I hoped to be present-day Equestria, I was quick to empty the contents of my stomach on the ground. This jump had taken a huge toll on me, and I hoped future ones wouldn’t be as harsh. The next jump shouldn’t be coming within the next couple days since they’re always around a week apart, so some information on the problem can hopefully be gathered by then.         Heading back to Ponyville to see some of my old friends, I decided to ask around about time travel. I doubted anypony would suggest anything but “Ask Twilight” or “Why not try to go to the Royal Library?”; needless to say, I was taken by surprise when Pumpkin Cake actually told me to find some of the older Earth pony settlements. She knew what she was doing when it came to history, so I just did what she told me.         Days of exploration in the desert later, I arrived at an oasis-looking area with some ruined buildings. I wondered why the Earth ponies of long ago built their homes in this area, but then remembered it wasn’t as arid in this area at the time. The oasis was at least larger ten thousand years ago. Suddenly, I felt a tugging sensation, like my soul was being pulled into the ground. I had no way to resist this because the mysterious force bound my hooves to the ground they were on. For some reason, my mind and body jumped to the time of the ancient tribes, in the largest Earth pony settlement at the time.         Though their language was vastly different than modern Equestrian, I could still understand a little bit of it. I wondered why the city was so underpopulated, but somepony told me that they were in the middle of a war with another nation. I was called by the leader of the tribe, who somehow knew my name. He said he’s been watching me my whole life. He says I’m the last known pony with the Gift, so passing it down through ancestry is important. Come to think of it, I /have/ seen some random pony appear in a flash of light in my peripheral vision, giving me lifesaving advice. Once I master the Gift, though, I’m going to be on my own, he told me.         Following the chief of the tribe, I came to a dungeon with a barred door. The chief demonstrated what I needed to do, then told me to try it. Concentrating all my willpower into trying to go to the future like he said, I released the concentrated will and… nothing. I was absolutely exhausted, and made no progress. “Why isn’t this working?” I asked the leader. “I did exactly what you said, and nothing happened!”         “Be patient, my apprentice. Forcing your willpower into time travel takes days of practice at least, years at most. Most ponies that have found their way to this time for training through the Gift could timewalk in around two to three weeks of constant practice,” the chief of the Earth pony tribe responded. “Let’s wait for you to recover before we try again.”         My ears perked up at hearing that news, then I collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Waking up hours later, I felt refreshed and saw my master laying down in the grass, reading a book. I told him I was ready to try time travel again, and we both got up. “All right, time to try this again. I got this,” I said, completely determined. This time, I’ll travel through time! > Chapter 2: Training > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gift Chapter 2: Training By The Accursed One         Straining and with sweat forming on my body, I concentrated and put my mind at ease. The latent energies of existence surrounded me as I started crossing into the fourth dimension, that of time. Stepping through the boundary between this plane and the next, I finally could time-walk! Visions of past, present, and future danced before me as I searched for the right moment to cross between dimensions again. Finally, it appeared: the time between the bars opening right when I arrived and when they closed again. Oh, how I wish I could just get used to this time travel already! My teeth are probably going to be worn away by the time I actually get this ability mastered... But anyway, the bars opened in front of me as I walked through the gateway. Light gave way to darkness as I looked down a staircase leading from that portal to the outside world. Thankfully, time-walking keeps me in the same place no matter when I go. Coming back to the time I left behind, I was delighted to see the master of the Gift standing on the other side of the gate from me. “Tempo Kairos, you have taken your first steps towards being able to use your Gift at will. Now, please open this gate using the lever on your left so I can show you your next lesson,” he said to me. The gate opened as I stood aside to let the elder pass. He lit a torch and we descended into the cavern below. Stalagmites and stalactites filled the area, but there was one odd thing about the place. There was a font in the center of the room, filled with… was that blood? “Welcome to the altar of the gods,” my teacher said. “Here, we worship in hopes that our Gift passes on to each successive generation of groundshapers. In this bowl here is the blood of the day’s animal sacrifice. Everyone must drink from the bowl to greater his connection to the gods and the harmony of the universe. Fret not, apprentice, for we all have done it. It is not as terrible as thought to be.” No matter what he said, I’m still uneasy about this whole drinking blood thing. Most ponies would be quick to pass it off as a tradition of our ancestry, but that just doesn’t seem right. Such a ritual wouldn’t fly in today’s society, and I sure as hell know that the ancient ones were vegetarians like the ponies of today. “Excuse me, master Nacah? Just what exactly is this for?” I asked, hoping for a legitimate response and not the same bull he just spouted. “Listen, young one. This tradition is as old as the gods themselves. They taught the mortals how to live off of the quite arid land by using our ability of food production, and they taught us how to worship them. The gods’ ritual is our way of honoring them; we kill an animal, usually a chicken, and its blood connects us to the gods through their creations. We know not how this world works, but this ritual brings us closer to that unattainable goal,” said Donum Nacah, the master of the Gift. “In my time, we have no rituals for our gods. Our gods, our rulers, are the immortal Princesses of day and night. Celestia and her sister Luna, the rulers of present-day Equestria, are physical beings that demand no sacrifice. I’ve read up on the old gods, and the records show no such blood ritual. Seriously, something’s up here.” “Excuse me, mister Tempo Kairos, but you have it all wrong. We honor the gods in the old way, for our tribe predates your written history.” “Whatever,” I said as I turned away from Donum, heading out of the cave to start training to time-walk between millenia as opposed to mere days. This power I have is seriously annoying, and I’m only getting in control of it so I won’t jump between eras when I’m in the middle of something important. “Young one, you have yet to realize your full potential. The blood ritual increases your Gift’s potential. You must drink it if you wish to return to your time as anything but a skeleton,” my teacher warned with a grave look on his face. I knew there was no way of getting out of this now… I turned and walked back down the many stairs into the slightly dark cave, lit only by the light of the moon and the torch on the stairs, where the altar stood. I hadn’t paid attention to its intricacy the first time, but now that I’ve seen it again, it looks quite exquisite. It looks like a bowl held up by the outstretched wings of two pegasi, sort of like if they were moving it like a cloud. Of course, it was filled with blood, but the design of the altar itself looks positively amazing. The dark red blood of a chicken filled the granite bowl about halfway to the top. I gulped audibly as I realized I just sealed my fate: either drink from the bowl and return home, or die here, never to see my friends and family again. On one hoof, I can drink blood and go against everything I’ve known just to return to my rightful time. On the other, I can refuse to drink and stay here, living among the tribe until my end comes. Honestly, this decision is obviously one-sided. “I guess you win, teach. I’ll drink the blood.” “I thank you, Tempo, for choosing the right side in this decision," Donum replied as he lifted a cup off of a rack on the wall. Just the sight of the cup dipping into the blood made me shudder in fear. Apparently the elder gods have a plan for me that connects through this blood, but I can't really say anything for either side. Donum handed me the cup of blood, telling me to drink. So I did, disgusted at the metallic, salty taste of blood. I tried making it go faster, but it seemed like a century before I was able to choke it all down. My vision started distorting, slowly turning black while my stomach turned circles around itself. "M... Master Nacah? Why do I feel so... weird?" "Sleep, young one. Sleep, and you will learn..." Those were the last words I heard before my vision went black and I felt myself collapse onto the ground. > Chapter 3: Visions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gift Chapter 3: Visions By The Accursed One         "Sleep, young one. Sleep, and you will learn..." Those were the last words I heard before my vision went black and I felt myself collapse onto the ground.         Everything was dark, though not so dark that I was entirely blind. A table stood in front of me with a very large book on it. I walked to the book, which was opened to a page with my name at the top. "Tempo Kairos," it read. "Gift: Time. Born: 985. Died: N/A. Kairos was born in the year 985 to parents Ornate Jade and Obsidian Bastion. The elder gods Gifted him with Time, for he is destined to—" The book slammed itself shut before I was able to read my future.         A strange, omnipresent voice tisked at me then said, "Silly mortals, always sticking their muzzles where they don't belong. They try to learn their futures early, and it always brings them suffering. Never before has a Gifted one not looked at the book; even the siblings Dawning Aurora and Midnight Stone, both of whom you know well, looked for their destinies. Anyway, as to why you're here: I will teach you how to master your Gift in your mind. Time is a fickle mistress, and controlling it to travel throughout time is complicated."         "I... I guess... Who in Tartarus are you, though?"         "I am Nako, giver of your Gift and master of the sands of time. Through this training, this... unlocking of your Gift, you will become able to freely timewalk without ill effects. Allow me into your mind as I show you, guide you, how to easily timewalk."         I nodded and stepped away from the book. My brain started physically hurting from the invader worming his way into my head. It felt like my head was going to explode! A sudden silence then rang in my ears. I couldn't even hear myself think. “Young one, listen well. I am unlocking the power of your Gift, but it will be painful. The worst pain you will ever have faced, or ever will face in your mortal life. Being Gifted with Time makes your life burn brighter, but your mental capacities will falter as you realise your power. Are you willing to take this risk, this plunge into your new life?” the voice stated, seeming as if it were a thought of mine.         “Listen, Xeysus, this whole thing still really sounds like a load of bull. I mean, seriously: Time travel? I know, it exists, I’ve done it. But this all seems like it’s a dream, you know? I’m literally talking to a god about time travel. There’s no way any of this shit can be real,” I responded.         “Let me assure you, this is all one hundred percent real. You can either accept or deny your Gift, and it will end the same for you. If you accept, you will become truly Gifted, but you will lose amounts of your intelligence. If you deny, I will remove all traces of the Gift from you, and you will be sent back to your own time with no memory of what transpired here. Another Gifted pony will be born in your place, and you will be stricken from my records. Just know, all those that reject their Gift seem to meet with terrible fates upon return. Are you willing to take the odds of denial right now, young one?” Xeysus explained, seriousness in his voice as he told me of my options.  ‘So, I can either reject everything I’ve done here and forget everything, living a normal yet boring life if I survive the return; or I could accept my Gift and by extension my fate, but I’d lose my already slightly below average intelligence…’ “I’m waiting…” “Okay, fine. I accept my Gift. Are you happy now?!” “Yes.” Remember when I said before about my head feeling like it was going to explode? Yeah, that was a walk in the park compared to this. It seemed like my whole being was replaced with fire, it burned so much. I could swear steam was pouring out of my ears as the god messed around with the wiring in my brain to unlock my true potential. Oh, how much I regretted my decision at that moment which felt like it lasted an eternity… Finally, it stopped. Relief washed over my body as if I jumped into a nice, cold pool on a warm summer’s day as I felt the presence in my head leave and the seemingly endless pain end. A strange feeling replaced the pain and relief, one of raw power. And an odd tugging sensation too, like I was being pulled somewhere. My vision darkened again as the book and lectern it rested upon faded away, only for my sight to return short moments later in the real world. I stood up, rubbing my still aching head. “Okay, so what just happened?” I asked my teacher. “Young one, you spoke with a god. He unlocked your Gift, which you accepted. Not everypony that goes through this ritual speaks with that one, though. Those Gifted with Wisdom speak to Viska, and those with Life to Amidral. Good news, you can return home whenever you like. Bad news, your mental faculties have been reduced. More bad news, you cannot return just yet. You may be mentally able to timewalk freely, but you are not yet physically able. It still takes a lot out of you; I can sense this. Take a night of rest, for we will begin the last part of your training upon the first rays of dawn’s light.” ‘It’s night already?! Damn, how long was I out?’ I thought while turning back to exit the cave. A quick glance upward to the sky was enough to confirm that it was indeed night. As I walked to my hut, I bumped into a pony about my age. She had a deep blue coat and was oddly a blank flank. Maybe cutie marks didn’t exist in this time in pony history? “Hello, stranger. Sorry for running into you, I was just taking a walk and was not looking where I was going,” she told me. “It’s okay, I wasn’t really minding my path either. I’m Tempo Kairos, of the land that will become Equestria to the northeast. And you are?” “Midnight Stone, of… here. We have no name for this place, it is just our land. My sister Dawning Aurora and I have heard of another Gifted one in the village, so it must be you. You have been Gifted with Time, correct? Aurora and I have Life.” “Oh, cool! Anyway, I’ve gotta be going. Think we can talk again some time?” “That would be nice, yeah. Well, I bid you a good night, Tempo Kairos!” “Same to you, Midnight.” I continued the walk to my hut in complete silence, ready for a good night’s sleep before continuing—hopefully finishing—my training. Maybe I can finally return home!