Gates' vision blurred. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly inside his chest. Distant memories rushed into his mind. He could see them. He couldn't see a thing in front of him, but he could see them, standing in front of him. Standing in front of him was everypony he had let down. Gates felt chills run across his body. He cried out, begging for forgiveness. Tears fell from his eyes as fell tot he ground with a whimper, slowly losing consciousness. Gates closed his eyes, opening them to see himself, so many years ago. Gates was there, he was living it again.

He heard a scream...

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Many years ago...

"Gates!" Rampart's voice echoed through his mind," Come on! Get Up!" The young Golden Gates stumbled to his feet, he rubbed the back of his head, it hurt badly, not like somepony had hit him, it was a stinging sensation, like he had been cut.

"What was that?" Gates asked impatiently as Rampart only looked at the three massive wolves slowly approaching. They almost seemed to be grinning at the three friends, standing petrified in terror; smiling at their prey as they knew they had them beat.

Gates was trembling, frozen by fear of the ferocious beasts. He watched as the big black wolf on the far left pounced in on Rampart. Rampart wouldn't let him self be taken down so easily, he picked up a stick in his mouth and jabbed it into the wolf's chest. Rampart jumped back as the leader of the small pack leaped towards him, forelegs extended and claws out, ready to strike.

Lucy lifted a small rock, summoning all of her strength to heave it at Rampart's attacker, saving him, if only temporarily. Gates was impressed with his friends quick thinking in such a dangerous situation. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the barking of the wolf closest to him. Gates' heart raced, he tried to size up the wolf, seeing if there was anyway he could beat it. He had decided his chances at actually beating it in a fight were slim to none. The wolf had to be more that twice his size, and was certainly more equipped for a fight. The monstrous black-and-white beast charged at Gates. He ran a few steps forward, preparing himself for the last fight he would ever be in, before he panicked and dove tot he ground, trembling in fear. The wolf wasn't ready fro Gates' sudden drop and stumbled over the small bray colt, crashing to the ground.

The young pony was kicked a few times before scrambling to his hooves, shocked that he had managed to survive even the first few seconds of his fight. He caught a glance of Lucy out of the corner of his eye. She was backed up against a tree, facing down a wolf with only a stick levitated in the air inf ront of her. She barely managed to hold the stick in the air as her magic was growing weak, she wasn't used to having to use it so much, and these weren't exactly ideal circumstances to be in a magic fight. The wolf reached up and swiped the stick clean out of the air. Lucy shrieked as Rampart dove headlong into the wolf's side, bringing both falling violently to the ground. to the ground. Gates began to run and help his friends before he was tackled by a wolf the same way Rampart had tackled Lucy's attacker.

Gates found himself staring straight up into the eyes of a hungry monster. The kind of thing he would have nightmares about when he was younger, and even still today. He could feel the wolf's breath coming down on him, the razor sharp claws beginning to break through his coat stung like nothing he had ever felt before. Gates could feel his heart go up inside his head, pounding with every passing second. He could barely catch his breath, the only thoughts that ran through his head were, "This is the end, it's all over...No... it can't be, it's all a bad dream, he would wake up at home and everything would be okay. It had to be a dream. Oh Celestia, please let it be a dream."

Gates looked to the side at where his friends were still fighting for a chance to make it. He The other to wolves bound on top of his friends. He felt a pit form in his stomach, it wasn't a dream. It was a flanking nightmare. He had to save them. His thoughts of denial were replaced with only drive to help his friends. He had to save them. He had to.

Gates faced the wolf on top of him, jawing at Gates' face. The wolf cocked it's head back and thrusting at Gates' head. He jerked his head to the side, dodging the strike that would have surely killed him. Gates slammed his head into the wolf's. Sending it staggering off of Gates ever so slightly. Gates wriggled out of the wolf's grasp with the opportunity.

He knew his head hurt from the blow, but he didn't care. His body was pure adrenaline, nothing was going to stop him he thought as he turned and bucked the wolf in the side. The wolf fell to the ground with a soft whimper as the young colt, who didn't even have a cutie mark, turned to go save his friends from a pair of viscous wolves.

Gates could never remember much after that. He knew there was a scream, he could never place his hoof on who had yelled. Gates had always figured it was him, it seemed lie it was him, but he could never be certain. The whole fight was a huge blur to Gates. He could remember the way he felt, the way he had felt nothing but pure, blind rage.

It must have been ten minutes before gates could see anything clearly. He ran forward at the three wolves, all wounded badly and whimpering away from the scene of the battle. Gates could finally feel the wounds that covered his body. He could feel his side, aching horribly. Intense pain shot up his spine as he tried to look at his maimed body. He couldn't see a thing out of his left eye and blood trickled into his right, stinging it with every drop. Gates could fell the cuts on his legs, making him wince in pain with every step he took as he went to walk back to his friends.

"We... we did it, guys," Gates said weakly, yet triumphantly as he approached his friends. As he got closer, he could see them better though the blood sweat and tears in his eyes. They lay there, motionless on the ground, covered in similar wounds to Gates'.

"Guys?" Gates quickened his staggering pace as he rushed to his friends sides," Guys!" Gates ignored the pain that ran through his body as he lowered himself next his two friends. They lay on the ground, still and silent. Gates didn't want to admit what was rushing through his mind. 'They can't be... They can't be..." Gates whispered in denial of what was happening," Wake up Guys... come on, just wake up..." It was a bad dream.... it had to be. Anything other than this. Gates was shaking in a cold sweat.

"Please!" He was shouting, begging for it to be anything then what he had feared," come on guys...you-you can't die... come on, wake up!" He shook their lifeless bodies, calling out for help and for his friends. He buried his head in his hooves between the two of them and began sobbing wildly, begging for them to wake up," please, don't go. I'll do anything... please."

Gates continued crying until he saw a radiant flash from behind him, his head slowly rose up from the dirt. The young, shattered pony looked back and saw something on his flank... two golden swords crossed over a silver shield. He barely caught his breath as he whispered," No...no!" It wasn't fair... this was how he would get his cutie mark... this was how he would always get to remember it: with the death of closest and only friends in the world.

"Take it back! I don't want it!" he wasn't sure who was asking, he just knew he had to ask," it's not worth it... just give them back... please." He sat in the dark, cold and alone he held onto all he had left of the two ponies he loved more than anything in the world. Gates said weakly in a wavering voice before he slipped into unconsciousness in the darkness of the forest," I'm sorry..."

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Present day...

Gates' eyes slowly slid open. His body ached all over, his vision was still slightly blurred. He could still hear the yelling, but it felt more distant now. Tears still slowly crept down his face. The memory of what had happened that night still burned in his mind like it had just happened. For all he knew it had.

Orange sunlight peeked through the trees into his eyes, the sun hung it the same spot it had for so many weeks. Gates wondered if that was the place it would be forever. He wondered if Spark would ever find a way to move the sun and moon the same way Celestia and Luna had.

Gates had given up on defeating Spark. He thought it was a lost cause. He figured that the only he could do in all of this was save himself. That was the only thing he could ever do. He thought back to all of the fights he'd won in the past as he lay motionless on the ground, unable to stand and still in immense pain. He thought of all the times he had come out on top. He had always come out alone. Gates had ever been able to actually save the ponies he cared about, only himself. Every time when the smoke cleared, and he searched for any remnant of what he had before, it was all gone, and he was left a shell of the pony he was to start with.

He had been broken more times than he could count in his life, he figured it was high time he finally shattered. Gates knew he wouldn't be able to beat Spark, it was useless, the only thing he could do and survive was to run as far away as he could. Try to live with the past that haunted him.

His eyes fell upon the golden sun, looking out onto the war-torn Equestria. Gates sighed as he slowly fell back into unconsciousness, he wouldn't run. He was going to be with his friends again soon enough. One way or another, he would be with them again. So he wasn't done fighting. Not just yet. He lost consciousness, his mind set on his goal. He would fight one more fight, and then he was done. And this time, he would actually win.

Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty Four - Rally Estimated time remaining: 43 Minutes