Gates could barely make out the shapes in front of him as vision blurred red. He knew that he should have been in pain, but yet, he wasn't. He only felt... acceptance. This was what he knew would happen, Gates knew he would end up like this. To end up like he should have so many years ago, lying alone, cold, and bleeding. Dying the way was destined to. Damned to face the same fate his friends had. At least now they could be together again.

Gates felt something in the back of his mind as he lay dying. Hope. He couldn't see much. He knew he was hallucinating after what had happened. He was losing a lot of blood, and he knew that this was one of the side-effects of his brain shutting down. His eyes flashed as he saw his friends, standing before him. But it wasn't Rampart of Lucy, the six ponies who he had met only a short time ago stood looking over him. He felt a flurry of emotions wash over him. He was sorry he had to leave them behind, but in the same sense, he wouldn't be able to let him down anymore. Gates knew they would be better off without him. The whole flanking world would.

There was more flashing as he felt himself being lifted up. "This is it," he thought," this nightmare is finally over." He seemed to float across the floor where he had lay. He had fought so hard to help them all, and now he was actually going to do them some good. The only thing he would ever do that actually makes their lives better. He had finally won.

He felt himself leave the room as there was one final, brilliant flash of light. This was the end. He was going back. He was going home.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

A thick cloud of mist covered the shining lake. The sun shone faintly high above through the thick, gray clouds. The light snow crunched under his hooves as Gates walked towards the place where his two friends had stood for years.

"Hey," he said as he walked past the two ponies now standing behind him," I came back. Just like I said I would."

"Why?" Lucy asked softly as Gates stared down at his reflection in the tranquil lake. Gates looked into his own eyes in the reflection. He looked different than he had before. He knew he hadn't changed, but he knew he wasn't the same.

"I don't remember it ever getting this cold here," Gates said, seeming to avoid the question.

"It doesn't," Rampart replied," why would you leave?" Rampart added to Lucy's question as he walked up to his friend's side.

"I never wanted to leave," Gates explained," but I came back. So we can be together again."

"I told you," Rampart said in the same tone he always had," we never left. We've always been together."

"No, not like that," Gates returned," be together for real. The way we sued to be."

"But why did you leave them?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence that had held for a few moments but felt like an eternity," they needed you Gates."

"Who did I leave?" Gates asked confused and slightly annoyed. He had done all of this to make them happy. To make things like they were before. And now they were fighting him. Again. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be.

"Tell me Gates," Rampart said, answering Gates' thoughts," has anything lately been the way they should be? Do you really remember us like you have been these past few years?"

"We loved you, Gates," Lucy added," the way you remember us, it seems like you've forgotten that."

"I know you did," Gates tried to make his friends understand," I felt the same way. That's why I came back."

"Maybe you've been here the whole time..." Lucy said as she turned and walked away, disappearing into the gently falling snow.

"What in the hay is that?" Rampart said as he turned around and looked at the stones behind them.

"That's me," Gates said softly," like I said, we can all be together again."

"So," Rampart walked up to the headstone and wiped the thin layer of snow off of the stone's face," looks like you've been here longer than you thought."

"I don't know how long I've been here," Gates said as he leaned up against Lucy's headstone," maybe I died a long time ago."

"Maybe you did," Rampart said lowly," you lost yourself somewhere a long time ago. That's for flanking sure."

"I don't remember you ever swearing, Ram," Gates said wryly, changing the subject.

"I don't remember you as much of a fighter," Rampart replied," funny how things change, isn't it?"

"Bucking hilarious," Gates said sarcastically," so, now what? We just, fade off into the distance?"

"We could do that," Rampart said as he walked and looked down at his own grave," it's up to you. It's never too late to go back."

"A day doesn't go by where I wish that could happen," Gates replied, looking back up at the sun, faintly shining through the thick clouds overhead," but I'm just too far gone."

"Like I said, that's for you to decide," Rampart said before leaving Gates alone," so, what's it gonna be?"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Spark crashed into the stairs leading up to the broken throne. He rolled down the stairs below and hit the ground hard. The weakened unicorn looked up and his eyes widened as his heart darkened. He couldn't believe his eyes.

Princess Luna stood in the door way with the seven ponies who had come to her aid. He slowly got back to his hooves and prepared for a fight he knew he would lose.

The eight ponies ran through the door and came to a stop in the center of the throne room, looking around them for Gates and Briggs.

"Holy flank," Firefly said in horror as he eyes fell upon Gates and Briggs lying motionless on the floor," we have to get them out of here."

"Go," Luna demanded," I can take care of things here. Just make sure they make it out of here alright."

"You got it," Firefly said as she waved for her friends to follow," let's go girls...You three carry Gates out of here, we'll take Briggs..." The ponies ran to the far end of the throne room. As they went further away and eventually left the room, Luna couldn't tell who said what, but he picked up certain things that made her uneasy. She saw the gray earth pony bleeding as he was carried away by his friends. Luna felt herself being filled with anger and hatred. But she calmed herself, remembering what she had to do.

Spark's horn glowed faintly as he tried to cast a spell, Luna quickly summoned a dark cloud above spark and let a magical bolt of lightning come down under Spark's hooves. The wounded unicorn was blown high into the air, high enough to hit the ceiling and come falling down. Luna kept Spark from hitting the ground below, holding him up with her magic just a few feet above the ground. Making sure that the fight would end before it even started, Luna slammed Spark into the floor, shattering the ceramic floor where he hit. The broken unicorn crawled away from the moon princess, trying to delay the inevitable. Luna approached Spark and stood, towering above the unicorn lying on the floor.

"So, this is the end for me," Spark said reluctantly, accepting his fate," let's just get this over with."

"I'll decide when we're done here, Spark," Luna said lowly as she sat down next to the static unicorn," tell me. Do you regret it?"

"I think we both know the answer to that," Spark said with a few weak coughs," of course I don't regret it. I know what I was doing was right. Whether you or anypony else sees it as that. So save your lectures, you aren't going to make me 'see the error of my ways'."

"Don't worry, Spark, I already gave up on that," Luna remarked," but there is one one thing I'd like to try to get you to understand."

"I don't think you heard-" Spark began to say before Luna interrupted him in the same manner he had during his talks with her.

"A few days ago, you told me all about how powerful fear is. How it's more powerful than any magic you can find anywhere. More powerful than anything," Luna said as she looked out at the burning sunset," I don't blame you for not figuring this out. It took me over a thousand years to piece it together. But you're wrong. Fear isn't even close to the most powerful weapon in the world. It doesn't even come close. It's something so simple. Something that fuels ponies to put everypony else ahead of themselves to help the ones they care about. Love. You forgot about love. So did I, so did nearly everypony. But in the end, that's what brought you down. I don't know if you lost sight of love a long time ago, or simply never had it. But sure enough, for those who have it in their lives, it was the only thing that lead to your downfall. Those ponies who beat you, that's what kept them going. That's what made them so impossible to stop. Love. It really is an amazing thing..."

Spark's eyes closed as he exhaled deeply," that was nice and everything, Luna, but I don't think that will be helping me much now."

"It's never too late, Spark," Luna soothed, knowing her efforts would be useless.

"For me... For me it is," Spark replied," and now I have to spend the rest of my life in a cell, remembering how it's been over since the start. You understand as well as anypony what that's like. Frankly, I think I'd rather just end it all now."

"I'll tell you what," Luna said slowly," I'll let you make that decision. I know exactly what it's like. I wouldn't damn my worst enemies to that fate. So it's your decision, I'll let you choose your own fate."

Spark sighed as his horn began to glow lightly," I guess that's all anypony can ask for isn't it? We both know what my fate is, Luna." Spark's horn began tog low brighter.

"Yes," Luna said as she began to walk away, sparks horn glowing brighter than it ever had before" yes I do.”

“Goodbye, Spark."

Spark's horn shone brighter than it ever had before, Spark sent forth one final surge of magical energy as he cast his spell. He took a final look at the golden sunset, before a new light took over his vision.

The brilliant white flash of light was the last thing he ever saw...

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