The five ponies walked in silence into the town. They had just lost two more of their friends, a fact that didn't even seem to settle in on everypony yet.

It had all happened so fast, Fluttershy thought. It felt like just yesterday they were all sitting around the table at Sugar Cube Corner, having a nice, quiet lunch. In a weird way though, it had felt like so long ago that they weren't fighting. So long ago that they weren't constantly afraid of getting sucked in by one of those evil portals, or worse, having one of your best friends taken away by them. Fluttershy shuddered at the thought. She hated those portals, dark and intimidating . She hated what they had done even more. Fluttershy had lost three of her best friends in a matter of days. She hated feeling so...so powerless. At the very least she had ponies like Gates and Briggs to confide in, but she wondered if all she was doing was slowing them down, just providing another obstacle in the hypothetical mine field they were already trying to overcome.

"Hey," Briggs said from behind Fluttershy," Fluttershy, right? You okay? You don't look too great."

"Oh no," Fluttershy said quietly," I'll be fine. I'm just a little shaken up."

"You really should get some rest," Briggs insisted," in fact, it looks like you all could use some downtime. You've been through a lot."

"He's right," Gates said, overhearing the conversation," we should find a place to rest in the next town." There was something different about Briggs' voice when he heard him talking to Fluttershy. Concern? Gates figured that seemed like the right word. None the less it was a tone he had never heard in his friend's voice.

"The next town?" Applejack asked," why wouldn't we just rest up here?"

"Yeah," Twilight added," and you said you grew up here, right? I'm sure you know somepony here that can help us out."

"Yeah, Gates," Rampart's voice entered his mind yet again," what are you hiding from? It's not like we're gonna come looking for you."

"Shut up," Gates said to himself," just give me one day. One day without having to deal with you two. I've kinda got a lot going on right now."

"How are we supposed to shut up?" Rampart said laughing," we live in your head, foal."

"Good point," Gates said out loud, not realizing that he also answered Twilight's question.

"Good," Twilight said," it looks like there's an inn or something up ahead, let's go check it out." The five ponies picked up their pace as they went into the inn. The door led to a large, cozy room, dotted with tables for dining. A large off-white earth pony stood behind the counter while a small tan unicorn brought food around to the tables. There was a fireplace on the far wall, and scenic paintings and tapestries covered the walls.

The five ponies walked up to the counter as the earth pony introduced himself happily," Hi there! I'm Ace and that over there is my good friend Caramel waiting on the tables. We run this fine establishment, what can I do ya for?"

"Allow me to introduce myself and my friends," Twilight began," My name is Twilight Sparkle, these are my friends, Applejack, Briggs, and... Fluttershy?" Everypony looked back at the yellow pegasus, blushing as she stood as low as she could behind Gates.

"Well, I'll be!" Ace said excitedly before Twilight cut back in.

"You'll have to excuse my friend," Twilight said," she's a bit-" Twilight was interrupted by Ace rushing over to Gates.

"If it isn't Golden Gates!" Ace said, shaking Gates' hoof wildly," it's been years since we've seen you around here! How are you? Nasty business with you and your guard buddies these days, huh?"

"Heh, yeah, that's actually why I'm here, err, we're here," Gates said awkwardly. Twilight was thrown off by the way Gates had been acting since they had gotten to Colt Lake City. Normally he was so confident and unwavering; now he looked a like a scared little foal. She shot a look at Applejack, she clearly noticed it too. It didn't sit well with Twilight.

"Hey everypony," Ace called out to the few ponies in the room," look who's back!" Ace pointed his hoof at Gates as almost everypony walked up to the front of the room, swarming Gates with greetings and hoof-shakes.

"Am I missing something Goldie," Applejack muttered to Gates," Ah thought y'all said that they wouldn't be happy to see ya?"

"I guess I was wrong," Gates said, half-lying. He knew that there wouldn't be any resentment from most of the town after he had left, but they weren't the ponies he was worried about. "I sure as hay didn't expect as warm of a reception as this thought. What gives Ace?'

"Here, you and your friends have a seat," Ace said as the five ponies sat down at table near the reception counter, alongside Ace and Caramel. "You see, after you left with that Dauphin fellow to start your training for the guard all those years ago, you became kind of a home-town hero," Ace began.

"We had never had someone from our little town be brought into the Elite Guard, or anything that prestigious for that matter," Caramel added," you were the talk of the town for a long time."

"You should have heard the stories that the young foals around town would tell, they all aspired to be like you," Ace went on as if he told the story a hundred times," I mean hay, even that one little blue unicorn ran off to start a show or something like that."

"Blue unicorn?" Twilight whispered to Applejack as they exchanged looks.

"Y'all don't think they're talkin' about..." Applejack said lowly as the two looked at each other and said,"No...they couldn't be..."

"A lot of ponies have actually been worried about you since the attacks and what-not," Ace remarked," I'm sure everypony will be glad to hear that you're still buckin'."

"Speaking of the attacks," Gates said," that's what brings me back home. Has there been any Triumvirate presence here? We ran into a little just recently but haven't seen much else."

"Triumvirate? Is that what those foals are calling themselves?" Ace replied," yeah, they were here. They were. A whole bunch of guys showed up here a few days ago. Kind of dispersed over the course of the last day."

"My guess is they were looking for something," Caramel added," they rummaged through nearly everypony's house and then packed up and left just a little while ago."

"Did you hear any word about where they were going?" Briggs asked," Anything you know could help."

"Hmm," Ace placed his hoof on below his muzzle and thought," well, I heard two of the guards say somethin' about the forest shortly after they arrived. That's all I can think of, at any rate."

"The Everfree Forest?" Gates said reluctantly," I was hoping we wouldn't have to go back in there..."

''Where in the hay could they be holding up in the Everfree Forest?" Briggs asked, not expecting an answer. He caught the look Fluttershy and Twilight shared as he asked his question.

"Please don't say it," Fluttershy pleaded nervously with Twilight, she was just getting used to all of the fighting along with everything else. There was one place in the world she didn't want to go back to at this point.

"I think we might know a place," Twilight said slowly before turning back to Fluttershy," sorry, Fluttershy...but we need to do what we can."

"What would you know about a military base in the middle of the Everfree Forest?" Gates asked, curious about how much his friends actually knew about Everfree.

"Well, we can't say for sure that's where they are," Twilight said," but if I were to set up a fortress in the center of the forest, I know where I'd go."

"Y'all ain't talkin' about the castle are ya, Twi'?" Applejack interrupted," Ah don't know if going there is such a great idea."

"It's our only option, right?" Twilight argued," we have to help our friends, we have to help Celestia and Luna, we have to help Equestria. This seems like our best shot, right Gates?"

Gates nodded, and the three ponies walked over to a map that hung on the wall, as Twilight told Gates and Briggs about their adventure through the forest to stop Nightmare Moon.

"So it looks like you'll be heading out soon, eh?" Ace said as he got up from the table," do me a favor, take care of yourselves and Gates. Historically he hasn't had great luck with that dreadful place. None of us have."

"How do y'all know Goldie?" Applejack asked as Ace turned to go back to work.

"Sorry for being so forward," Fluttershy added softly," but we're curious about where Goldie came from, and you recognized him so quickly..."

"I reckon you've gotta know somepony pretty darn well to tell 'em out in a crowd after so long," Applejack remarked as Ace turned back around.

"Gates used to be really close with my son when he was still around here," Ace said, thinking back," he and Rampart used to be inseparable, it's such a shame he had to go. We all miss him around here." Ace let out a sigh as he and Caramel went back to working.

"Wait," Applejack called out to Ace, but he failed to hear the orange mare. Applejack said to Fluttershy," Ah wonder what he meant when he said Gates hasn't had good luck with the forest?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy said nervously," and I don't know if I want to. I'm sure Gates and Briggs can take good enough care of us in there though...right?"

"Not a doubt in my mind," Applejack assured, looking over at three ponies huddled around the map," so it looks like we're goin' back. You gonna be okay Flutter?"

"Well, I can't say I'll be leading the charge in," Fluttershy said," but you can always rely on your friends right?"

"Y'all got that right. Gates hasn't let us down yet, and I don't see him doin' so any time soon," Applejack said confidently," and if worst comes to worst, you've always got me to help ya out."

"Thanks," Fluttershy said with more strength in her voice," I know you do. I'll always be there for you too, AJ."

"I know ya will," Applejack said as she pat her friend on the back with her foreleg," come on, let's go see what they've been talkin' about over there."

"And you're sure that's where it is?" Briggs asked Twilight," I don't wanna be wandering around in the Everfree Forest with no sense of direction."

'I'm positive," Twilight said firmly," there's no way I could ever forget where it is."

"And you trust them this much, Gold?" Briggs turned to his team mate," if this doesn't work out, there's no telling what we could stumble into."

“I trust them with my life," Gates said with certainty," there's nopony I would listen to before her."

"Alright then," Briggs said before he turned to Applejack and Fluttershy," I hope you're all rested up, cause we're in for a long day."

"Ready whenever you are," Applejack replied.

"Ok, good," Briggs ordered," let's go everypony." The five ponies left the inn and followed Gates through the town to a path that led a short way into the forest.

"Leaving again, huh?" Lucy's voice rang through Gates' mind," big surprise there..."

"Lucy...been a while since I've heard from you," Gates said to himself, as the five friends walked out of the town.

"Me. Rampart. What's the difference?" Lucy said bluntly," bottom line is you're leaving again."

"Don't worry," Gates thought," I'll be back here soon enough. One way or another."

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