Lying to Yourself

"Lying to Yourself"
By: Darkevony

Prologue
A Lie Worth Life

We weren't chosen. Not by luck or fate. Not by any supreme being. If a god existed, he'd be long gone by now, just like everypony else. It isn't clear to us why we were born, or even why we exist, but we find it within us to be the ones who carry out life's will. "Life will find a way." What we perceive as "truth" goes beyond saying. If you wanted an honest truth, then it would be a total lie.

In this wasteland of a world, truth does not exist. The world is just a rock, floating through a darkness deprived of time and logic. Shelter us from the cold, from above what gives light and life. It does not exist. It shines bright, but no life grows. It shines bright and yet, not a single flower blooms. The black sun that shines and hides the secret of time as it stands in a never ending pose across the bloody red sky.

The truth was that it used to. Stories tell of a time where everything prospered in harmony. It is still there, although far beyond our reach, the lie carries on in an embodiment of the living, of one pony. She... she did this. Took the world away. When she arrived nothing made sense anymore... no one was safe, but its fine... common life ain't for the likes of us anyways.

She wasn't part of this... never meant to be who she is now. The sad thing is... she doesn't even know it, the innocent led astray by a mind so cruel. This is why we have chosen ourselves. To save her. Everyone needs a reason worth fighting... looking at her, I guess you could say I've got my reasons. As for everypony else... they fight a blind battle. Even if we have survived this long, it doesn't mean we are going to succeed.

I can feel it. This unforgiving world grants me the blessing to hear her thoughts; however I do not wish to do so... they are filled with deep confusion. Don't feed the flames of thy own. I can sense it... she is hurting... the emotions are strong. The entrance has been weakened. We stand to follow our solemn pledge. This is it. To end it all is our chosen fate, our faith lies in our own abilities. Live or die it's just the same, but we'll follow life's will to the end.

Here we stand, the hope of the fallen. We who survive. The last standing warriors. We lived what one could call a lifetime and we were happy once, joy was in our behalf. We were alive then. It is time to return that blessing given to us back to the world. In unison, we follow up our chosen fate.

There will always be a way.

That is my faith. My hopes and my life depend on it. In this vast world bare of all life, in solitude and exile, the only drive I have left is my one wish... to save her....

I know who I am. I know what I need to do. I just hope she still knows the name Hazel...

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey" A smooth and warm voice called out. "Hazel are you okay?" An earth pony stallion stood before her, waving his hoof just above the tattered picture frame she held in her own grasp, deep in thought as she had an unbroken line of sight towards it.

Hazel flinched, awkwardly startled by his sudden appearance. She swept off her light yellow bangs out her eye trying to regain herself as the stallion before her chuckled innocently to himself. "I uh... I was just..."

"Reminiscing in the past huh?" He said quietly, cutting her off. He turned to stare at the picture frame she held, dusted by ashes and singed by the flames of the past. Its' outer frame was burnt black and the melted glass was distorted but was still clear enough to see the photo behind it. The frame held the image of a small white Pegasus filly with a sky-blue mane. She seemed more than happy, her smile still clearly visible through the aged photo.

The stallion lifted his head as he spotted small hints of a silver sparkle in the corner of his eye. He stared at the mare looking down at the ash-covered ground. Small sparkling beads come from her eyes that were covered by the large yellow bang that hid her shame of showing weakness.

"Hey c'mon, no need for that," he said gently, trying to find the right words for the situation, and to no avail. "Just don't dwell too much on the past... okay?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears and some still trickling down her cheek. "The past is all I have." She said choking on her tears struggling to maintain emotional composure. "Go away Crescent... just leave me alone. You couldn't possibly understand... You didn't even have family."

Crescent lowered his head."No... I didn't... and I wouldn't want to understand either. If I lost you, I'd be just the same." The determination in his voice startled the mare. He had that same deep seriousness in his voice like the day that he had asked to tag along not too long ago.

His words forced her to stop crying and turn it into a smile. She looked up at him. Sadness, grief, and happiness mixed into her expression.

"Why is it that you are the only one that ever sees me like this?"

"Ah ya know I got a knack for stuff like that." He said innocently rolling his eyes with a bright smile, trying his best to lighten the mood.

It worked. Hazel began to giggle at his loose demeanor. She placed the picture frame respectively onto a clean patch of soil in which she had dusted the ash away with her hoof. Hazel turned towards the stallion and fell into his embrace.

"I don't know what I would do without you... uh without any of you." She said, still held by the friendly presence.

"Well we're just following you. We don't have much to live for, no real purpose to fight. At least we love life and if sticking close to you give us a bit more time on this world then that's good enough for us I guess." He said with the same bright smile.

A gust of wind brushed up against the two ponies, dust picking up as it went. The chill of the air wasn't the reason why both of them shivered.

"You can sense it too? Good, I thought I was going crazy for a second." Crescent said noticing Hazel as she stared into space again. "It's almost time isn't it...?" His voice turned serious almost immediately.

"Yeah..."

"Hey guys!! Let's get going, we have a long trip and your lazy flanks aren't gonna help." Crescent yelled out.

Hazel looked back down at the picture frame. To think, I would've loved to have spent my life living here... I guess... it's too late now...

For Old Time's Sake