//------------------------------//
// Is the Fireplace 
// Story: I Can Still Hear Their Echoes 
// by UnamusedWaffle 
//------------------------------//

Death. Life’s great equalizer. An ever present force that is only rivaled by the living’s disregard for such a preposterous thing. The profound nature of death is lost in all but a few, the few that only partially leave this world, their souls trapped in a different time, seeking gospel in repetition but failing to recognize the fault in such an uncontrollable belief. Those trapped and tortured inside this sinking sand shrouded in darkness are impervious to those who seek to do good in this world, or any world. This holds true for all but a select few, for their gifts and capacity for love far out shines any darkness and far overpowers any dreadful force of nature that once held control over the living. The darkness can be overcome, they say, but only by those who rival their own capacity that is hidden in the depths of their enigmatic soul. They say there is more, that all beings can overcome this, but little do they know that this does not hold true. The only true way to bring your capacity out into the light, is perhaps to engage in, what the rest of them call, repositioning one’s self to fit their desire to retain adequate levels of heat and therefore release dopamine into their body from the heat and companionship. 





My hand shook violently as I tried my best to empty the rest of the vodka bottle into my glass. Just one more, just one more! I desperately tried to retain a shred of dignity. Five minutes later, dignity had left me and the glass was shattered and tears were threatening to spill and the bottle was empty, still feeling cold in my grasp. I dropped the now useless container harmlessly onto the table and, in a futile attempt to remain sane, raised myself up from my couch and limped my way over to the fridge. The best thing in my life. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else was nullifying. Nothing else could provide what that could. 
Extending my blurry appendage towards the handle, I yanked on the door and desperately reached out into the white void, tears streaming. I knew it was wrong, but it was the only way to stop the constant explosions that rocked my house and the dead bodies from littering my floor, flickering in and out of their bloody existence. I keep telling myself that I left that world, that I’m in a better place now, but my soul refuses to believe that. The pain of remembering my brothers and sisters in arms was too much to bear, so this is what I have been banished to do now.
I breathed a sigh of relief as another bottle became half empty faster than I can say “God has left me”. Shaky breaths filled my ears as the ringing died down, the fire vanishing from my torn walls and holes in my egg white ceiling only half repairing themselves. I collapsed down on the cracked tile floor and cradled myself up in a futile attempt to feel something, anything other than the debilitating pain and suffering that tormented me day in and day out. 
Gunfire shook me from my position and to a defensive stance behind the couch, heart racing. A few more tears streamed down my face before I could repress them as I calmed down a little and hastily made my way to my front door, wiping the tears from my eyes with the soft knife on my arm. Peering outside, I was greeted with a multitude of colors that I normally wouldn’t be bothered with, but the red and green that adorned them reminded me.
Oh right, it’s Christmas. My hand still shook as it made its way towards the wooden trigger and fired it, letting in a blast of cold air with no predator to destroy it. Standing before me with grins as bright, if not brighter, than the sun were four pretty princesses. The leader of the squadron was improperly dressed for the occasion. I never understood how anybody could be calm in this kind of environment. Bringing myself back to reality, I addressed the four princesses loitering in front of me.  “Whatsh are yoush doing hershe?” I asked begrudgingly, slurring my speech. I saw Celestia’s nostrils flare for a brief moment before she replied to me. I tried my best to regain my bearings. Military training was always superior to everything else.
“Well, it is Hearth’s Warming Eve, so I wanted to check up on how our resident human is doing.” She announced joyfully with a smile.
“I’m the only human around, Princess.” I replied groggily, shaking my head. I’m so done with this pretty little Princesses’ shit. She’s tried this before. I don’t understand why she thinks this’ll work. Glancing behind her, I could see the Sparkle one, or whatever her name is, frown at the lackadasicality of my answer, but I just mentally shrugged. My porch, my rules.
“Well Damien, can we come in?” She asked, puppy dog eyes in full swing while gesturing to the three other alicorns behind her. Seems like she still can’t resist her urges to be adorable. Sighing the biggest sigh I have ever let out and pinching the bridge of my nose, I reluctantly stepped aside and gestered inside my small one-story house. 
“Please, my house is always open to you, Princesses.” I said, sarcasm heavily laced in my voice causing Cadence to give me that playful “watch yourself mister” look. Giving a slight snort and shaking my head, I shut the door behind myself as the four of them entered into my home, and immediately stopped dead in their tracks. “Princesses? What’s wro- Oh...right.” I had forgotten about the dreadful state of my house. My ceiling was cracked and riddled with water damage and the hardwood oak floor in my living room was covered in stains of questionable origin, a testament to my problem. The once light blue couch that dominated said living room had been reduced to a quarter of its original size and the color had long since faded into obscurity. The brick above the fireplace was cracked, the tile floor of the kitchen was cracked, well, you get the idea. Had gunfire and grenades not interrupted me and I had ample warning ahead of time, it's possible that the decorations I was in the process of putting up would’ve mitigated the staring, if even by a few dozen seconds. God, even the tree is tilted. What have I become?
Sighing, I walked over to the couch and plopped myself down next to it. A quick pistol fire from my fingers was enough to bring the four of them back to true reality as I gestured to the couch next to me. It wasn’t much, and it definitely wasn’t royalty worthy but it was all I had. Why was I being so nice? I’m not sure, but that’s a question for another time. Right now, I have four magical fantasy folk that I need to attend to right now.
I could see Celestia and Cadence slightly cringe at the dastardly sight before them before retreating behind their benevolent smiles. Not that I blame them. I was the first one to speak after they each picked their spots on the couch. “So, what is it that you all needed again?” I asked carelessly, hoping to break the ice. Sparkle opened her mouth first, but Luna beat her to it.
“We are here precisely to check on how you’re doing. And it seems...well…” She trailed off nervously, breaking eye contact with me. I just shrugged.
“It’s fine, you can say it. Yeah it’s not going too well, but it’s going...yeah.” I frowned. Was that really all I could come up with?! They’d never buy that, they just spent a good minute and a half gawking at my mess. Way to go SHERLOCK! What, do I expect them to go ‘Oh you’re right Damien, our bad see ya next time!’? NO, of course not!
I looked over to the four of them, expecting them to continue this train wreck for me. I didn’t believe they would though, not even a tank shell could pierce this. I made eye contact with Cadence, and she gave me that look again. Don’t prove me wrong. Oh no, please don’t.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” She asked innocently. She picked her words very carefully. Smart mare, to an extent. God dammit, they’ve been asking that every week since I got here! I felt my fists clench before I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from exploding with anger or jumping into a combat stance. One of the two, it was par for the course. 
“No, Cadence!” I yelled firmly. That made them flinch, ouch. I’m going to regret that later. “I’m tired of you asking, and the answer will never change, no! It’s none of your business and that will never change!” Clearing from my rage, I looked at them, only to be met with the most heart wrenching sight I have ever seen. Four adorable little ponies with their ears pinned back and their pupils shrunken a little. This outburst had been especially loud, god what was wrong with me?! Sighing, I cupped my face in my hands and let a tear fall. 
“I’m sorry,” I whispered shakily, “but no means no.” I stated at a normal volume this time. Why did I have to be such an asshole? This is exactly why I live on the outskirts of the village! Shifting around on the couch in front of me pulled me out of my thoughts and my head out of my hands. They were preparing a for counter-attack. Oh no. 
“Damien, please,” I heard Luna begin, a slight sob grounding her plead, “I can’t bear to watch a dear friend go through what I subjected myself to. I know it is a lot to ask, but please, for both our sakes just confess to us.” That sobbing broke my heart. Is this really what I reduced them to? And to think, that thinking of myself less would only hurt those closest to me more. Heh, irony. I looked away from them and gave the most conflicted expression I could muster. 
I looked over to my right to Twilight. She looked like she had something to say, as if the others didn’t. 
“Damien, do you remember at the start of this month, when we came to your house and we told you that we were getting you a gift?” She said softly. I simply nodded. Please don’t guilt trip me, please don’t! She took a deep breath, seemingly to clear her head, and continued on.
“And you reciprocated, saying that you’d try your best to get us a gift by Hearth’s Warming Eve?” She asked innocently in a voice barely above a whisper.  My heart shattered. Oh shit. I nodded, much slower this time. Thankfully, I was saved, or fucked even harder, by her next words.
“Well, you could give us a pretty awesome gift,” she chuckled and smiled a little, “if you’d just tell us what is driving you so insane.” Tears were in full swing now. “Let us, as your friends help you. Please.” Her soft toned pleading just did what I asked them not to do. If their pained expressions were anything to go by, I guess that hit me really hard. I just sat there in silence, contemplating an answer.





Guilt, what a strong emotion. The driver of all remedied mistakes but also the destroyer of relationships. What would the world be without it? Emotionless husks would roam the continents just as they do today, not driven by any sensible desire to do any good for the ones around us. Or perhaps, bloodshed would still be the norm, a false virtue held high above the clouds to a point where even an angel would mistake it for something more positive. Something that can be perceived in a variety of different ways, depending on one’s mood. But what would that angel mistaken it for?