//------------------------------//
// 2: I Promise 
// Story: What Bound Them 
// by Headless 
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Pith fought to regain his balance in the midst of the earthquake. It wouldn't have been an easy task even if he had been unencumbered and could see where he was placing his hooves. As it was, with only the light of his helmet lamp to guide him, the heavy equipment in his saddlebags, and the weight of Compass Rose collapsing against his side, it was all he could do to keep from sprawling headlong into the twisted undergrowth.

The heat that had been rolling off the dragon's scales was intensifying now, becoming so all-pervading and powerful that it was closer to a physical presence than mere temperature. It weighed on him as heavily as the saddlebags, pinning him to the earth as he fought for balance.

He could hear Tailspin flying around above him. "Come on, come on!" she hissed. "It's getting up! We've got to go!"

He opened his mouth to answer, but his mouth was too dry to speak. When he lifted his head to look at her, he saw it.

The dragon was standing up.

It had been lying on its stomach with one wing folded over its upper body. Now it was lifting its wing aside. The massive appendage stretched upward and outward from its body, the bones and pleats creaking with a noise like boulders being ground together as they spread. Its sheer size was nearly unbelievable - that one wing was wide enough to cover almost the entire ceiling of the domed clearing.

That didn't hold his attention long, though. The dragon was lifting its head. Its neck was as long as a street, and its teeth were long, jagged, sharp as knives. Even in the dimness of the clearing, they gleamed. 

Then it opened one eye, and Pith found himself unable to move a muscle. He froze, somehow, miraculously, remaining upright as he found himself transfixed by a gaze that seemed to nail him to the spot.

The eye, large as a carriage. A green iris, sparkling brilliantly, shining with a sinister, sickly light of its own. The pupil, sharp and cat-like, as tall as he was. And a violent, scorching, unmistakeable rage bubbling up from within that watcher's chest.

"Don't. Touch. That."

Each word was a thunderclap. Pith's ears rang with the force of each syllable. Some part of him registered that Tailspin had been knocked out of the air and was sprawling next to him. He looped his hoof around Compass Rose's shoulders and pulled her in closer, glaring defiantly up at the dragon.

It brought its head closer. He could smell the reeking sulfur on its breath, see the serrated edges of its teeth - see himself, reflected in that shining eye.

"Who," it rumbled, "are you?"





"Promise me you'll wake me if you need me."

Twilight smiled at him through her tears. "I promise. I will. I can't... can't do this without you, you know."

Spike nodded. "I know," he said. He could feel his chest hitching. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I just... I need to get away from all this. Just for a while." He turned and glanced back at the Carousel Boutique, and his eyes flickered up towards the terrace at its peak. He gave Twilight a weak grin. "At least I've got an actual treasure to guard now, right?"

Twilight laughed despite herself. "Yeah," she said. "It's a beautiful statue. And the necklace was a nice touch. I'd expected you to keep it somewhere safer."

The dragon shook his head. "It was hers," he said. "She'd want to keep it with her. And this way nopony will ever forget how beautiful she looked." He blinked rapidly for a few seconds.

Twilight nodded. "Nopony will ever forget any of them," she said firmly. "They're all there, in Canterlot. The stained glass. And in the Crystal Empire. And in... in my castle." She stomped one hoof lightly on the grass. Light glinted off the necklace she was wearing, and off the crown sitting just above her horn. "It's going to be very empty around here without you," she said, after a moment.

Spike didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped forward and threw both arms around her shoulders. Even his wings unfurled to try and embrace her more fully. "I know," he mumbled. "I'm sorry. I just... I need some time." His chest heaved again. "I know you need me," he continued, even more quietly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just wasn't ready to... let go. Of any of them."

He felt Twilight put one hoof around his shoulders. "I know," she said softly. "I understand. I wish I could do it, too. Just... turn off for a while. Even with Celestia and Luna, and Cadence, it's not easy. And- and anyway." She pushed away from him just far enough to smile again. "It's not like you're actually... leaving. I'll wake you up if I ever need you."

"Promise?" The dragon pulled her even closer, almost crushing the mare against his chest.

She laughed. "Promise," she said. "I promise, I promise, I promise. I won't forget, Spike." Slowly, her smile faded. "I can't forget. It's... it's just you and me left, Spike. You and me, forever. You're all I've got."





He remembered saying goodbye to Twilight and the rest of Ponyville. He remembered lying down in the grass by the house that he had shared with Rarity. He remembered the feeling of the dragon's sleep coming over him, like his mind was turning into fog, more slowly, deliberately, and completely than with any other sleep he had ever experienced.

He remembered the feeling of, for the first time in decades, being free of grief.

He remembered the odd, detached sensations that came with it, as he experienced the years through the wall of mist that shielded his mind. At first, there had been dozens of voices around him, every day. Then they had stopped, and left him alone to slip into a deeper sleep than ever before.

And now, after so long, someone had come back. The tiny noises they made were deafening compared to the unbroken silence of years. 

He had expected Twilight standing there, beaming at him in the bright sun of a Ponyville summer. But it wasn't Twilight Sparkle, or anyone else that he knew, and this wasn't Ponyville. He was here, in a dark clearing, surrounded by thorns, and Ponyville was gone. There was no sign of anyone, or anything, except the Boutique - and the trio of newcomers in front of him.

The dragon fixed his gaze on the one that was still trying to stand. It was an earth pony with a tan coat and dark mane, wearing an odd hat with a light fixed onto the front and a pair of heavily-laden saddlebags. Even though the rumbling of Spike's movements was making it impossible for him to stand, the pony still returned his stare solidly. 

"Well?"

"Explorers." The earth pony blinked once, slowly. "Not thieves." His voice was a squeak compared to the deafening boom of Spike's own, but still audible over the dull thunder as he shifted around to get a better look.

"And we didn't touch your statue, I swear!" added another. It was the red-coated pegasus mare. She had fallen to the ground during the initial quaking, and was now lying on her back, flailing at the air, trying to regain her footing.

Spike would have laughed, but there were more pressing matters on his mind. He glanced towards the Boutique. Some part of him wanted to rush over and see the truth of his treasure's safety for himself, but even that wasn't the most important thing right now. 

He turned back. "Where's Twilight?"

There was silence for a few long seconds. Then the khaki pony said, "Who?"

It was Spike's turn to blink this time. He felt the shudder run through him, along with the familiar creak of his frame shrinking. His control over his size had never been perfect. He would have chosen to shrink down eventually of his own accord, but now the first tremors of fear were making that decision for him. He could feel his wings receding.

"The princess," he rumbled. "Twilight Sparkle. She was supposed to wake me. Where is she?"

The earth pony just returned his stare blankly. "Never heard of her," he grunted. 

Spike could feel himself shrinking faster now. The heat he radiated was fading, and his movements no longer shook the earth. "But..." He blinked again. "How can you not- where are we?"

The pegasus managed to get upright again, then moved over to help the other two to their feet. It was the unicorn who spoke, this time. Her expression was almost concerned. "The Tangle."

Spike blinked. He was barely taller than the Boutique now. "The what?"

The three ponies watched as he shrank down the rest of the way. When it ended, he stood at almost exactly the same height as the earth pony. That impressed him - or, at least, the part of him that was still paying attention to little details like that. Even Big Macintosh had been dwarfed by him once he had started to grow. This stallion was massive. 

After a moment, the unicorn cleared her throat. "How long," she asked softly, "have you been asleep?"





The inside of the Carousel Boutique was just how he had left it. That was a small comfort, at least. The rest of Ponyville was still gone, he still didn't know where Twilight was, and he had absolutely no idea what was going on, but the familiar sights and smells of his old home helped to soothe his nerves somewhat.

The other three, in contrast, seemed even more nervous than before. They had apparently been prepared to have to run for their lives from a ferocious dragon. What they hadn't been expecting was for said dragon to shrink down to their size, invite them inside, and serve them tea in rather delicate floral-patterned china cups.

Compass Rose, Tailspin, and Pith Helmet. Easy enough to remember. They were apparently exploring the Tangle, whatever that was, which he had somehow ended up in without waking. None of them had any idea how long he had been asleep, what Ponyville had been, or who Twilight Sparkle was.

Spike eased himself into one of the larger chairs at the end of the table. Sweetie Belle had made it for him after he broke the third normal-sized one, and it had held up wonderfully. It didn't make picking up the tiny cups of tea in his talons any easier, though. He managed a tiny sip, then turned his gaze towards Compass Rose again.

The unicorn had her head bowed over the table. More specifically, she had it bowed over a pair of maps. One of them was the one that she had brought with her. That one was largely predominated by the massive black splotch marked "The Tangle". The other was one that Spike had managed to dig out from one of the storage chests in the attic. 

She had a look of intense concentration on her face, and her horn was glowing brightly. Around her, pens and geometer's compasses floated and spun as she made comparative marks on the two pieces of parchment. 

The pegasus, Tailspin, was fluttering nervously in the air just behind Compass. Pith, on the other hand, was still watching Spike with that same slow, even stare. It made him slightly nervous, even though there wasn't any open hostility in it. More to break the silence than anything, he cleared his throat and said, "So... you're a cartographer."

Compass didn't even look up. "Yes," she said curtly. "Mapping the Tangle. Or part of it, anyway. Looking for a castle. This castle, in fact, if I'm not mistaken." The pen came down and jabbed at the marker on his map that denoted Twilight's palace.

"One of our fliers said that he saw something like a castle down there when he went on a deep scouting trip over it a few weeks ago," Tailspin said. She flapped a little faster when Spike turned to look at her, fluttering up towards the ceiling. She obviously didn't want to get any closer than she had to. 

"Nopony'd flown over it before?" Spike tilted his head to the side, a look of confusion spreading over his features.

"Weeeell," answered the pegasus slowly, practically trying to hide in the rafters now, "it's not normally safe to. The vines don't like it. They tend to, uh, snap at ponies flying over. And that's not counting all the manticores and things that want to eat you. Or the changeling flights. They know we can't really scout them over the vines, so they tend to come from-"

Spike cut her off. "Changelings?"

"Uh, yeah," said Tailspin. "They're, like, black, and all full of holes, and they fly in and t-"

"I know what they are." Spike cut across her again, frowning now. "I've seen them before. I was in Canterlot the first time they showed up. But Twilight and Cadence beat Queen, uh, Chrysalis, I think was her name, and they were supposed to be banished. Weren't they?"

The other three were all staring at him with blank expressions on their faces. Even the quills and other tools that Compass had been manipulating had stopped in midair. 

He sighed. "Okay, so, you've never heard of any of them either, I'm guessing."

They all shook their heads. He sighed.

"Okay. So. Changelings are back. Twilight, Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, Ponyville, Canterlot... all gone. And you have no idea how long I've been asleep. Is that right?"

"Not... exactly," said Compass, slowly. She looked down to the maps again. "This map was made last year," she said, pointing to hers with one hoof. "From what I can gather by comparing known landmarks, the Tangle is centered on this area here on yours. The one marked 'Everfree Forest'. It sort of spreads outwards from there in all directions." 

"That'd make sense," Spike interjected, nodding. "Those vines outside look like the ones that grew from Discord's plunder s-"

The earth pony let out a low rumble from deep in his chest. "Let the lady finish." His expression was as blank and measured as ever, but there was something in his tone that said that there wouldn't be any arguing on this. Spike sighed and sank back into his chair.

Compass blinked at Pith, then cleared her throat and continued, "Right. Well. The Tangle's growth has been catalogued before. It's still spreading, albeit slowly. It gains about a quarter of a mile in diameter every year, not counting growth spurts when it, um, overtakes something. It's currently about two hundred miles wide. That means, if you fell asleep before the Tangle started up, and assuming it's been growing at about the same rate, you've been asleep for eight hundred years."

Spike gaped at her. "Eight hundred-"

"At least," she added, in a matter-of-fact tone.

The dragon slumped back in his chair. His hearing seemed to have been overtaken by an odd, muted buzzing sound, and his vision swam. He felt light-headed.

Some part of him registered that the three ponies were whispering rapidly to each other. It sounded like they were having an argument, but he wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to wrap his mind around what he'd just been told - and to keep himself from slipping into panic.

Equestria was gone. Ponyville was gone. Everyone he knew was gone. The changelings were back, Discord's seeds had sprouted again, and he was eight hundred years out of his time. Even Twilight had vanished, so thoroughly that nopony even knew her name.

Twilight.

He blinked.

You're all I've got.

"I've got to find someone," he croaked.