//------------------------------//
// 9: Aces High 
// Story: What Bound Them 
// by Headless 
//------------------------------//

Pith Helmet was being herded.

He had noticed it almost immediately after snatching the castle plans from the organ room. Changelings were tailing him en masse, and they weren't attempting to be subtle about it, either. He could hear their chittering quietly behind him, along with the occasional flutter of their wings. Every time he reached an intersection, he found all but one of the paths out filled with glittering green eyes and glistening fangs.

He wasn't sure what they were forcing him towards, and he didn't like that. He had lost the element of surprise during his attack on the organ room. Now, he was beginning to wonder if that was worth it. He had stopped them from controlling the castle's secret passageways, which was a good thing, but now they could force him into whatever sort of trap they wanted, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Well, okay. Technically, he could try to fight his way through the horde and make a break for another part of the castle, but even with the branch, that didn't seem like a good idea. All it would take was one changeling getting in a lucky hit, and he would find himself in a cocoon, unable to do anything to help Tailspin or Compass. The branch was keeping them from attacking for the moment, but he didn't doubt that they would defend themselves if he tried anything. 

For now, then, there was nothing to do but to allow himself to be shuffled along. Trying to force something would only end badly. At least they weren't attacking him at the moment. That was good; the longer that state of affairs continued, the better the chance that he would be able to find an opening.

He had stopped galloping several minutes ago. Now he was walking along at a deliberately calm, even pace. Right now, conserving his energy was a priority. When things did eventually come down to a fight - and he had no doubt that they would - he would need every bit of his strength.

His friends were counting on him.

The changelings were herding him towards a staircase now. He took the steps two at a time, not because he was trying to hurry, but because they had been constructed for ponies of normal size, and trying to take stairs one at a time always caused him to trip up. He couldn't really be certain what floor he was on, because he wasn't sure how many floors down the organ room had been, but if he had to hazard a guess, he would lean towards being back on the ground level.

When he reached the top of the staircase, he stopped. He could hear the crowd of changelings skittering closer behind him, but he paid them no attention. He was more preoccupied with the changelings in front of him.

The walls here were covered in a light coating of resin, which was obviously still drying. It oozed down the stone in thick, heavy clumps and filled the air with the stink of decay. Spike had been right; the changelings couldn't get in without the key. But now the doors were open, and they were moving in to claim this place as their own.

The clung to the walls now, staring at him with wide, blank, insectile eyes. Pith reared up onto his back legs, holding the branch between his hooves, and started to inch forward. 

The changelings just stared at him. A few backed away, their legs clicking softly with each impact against the wall, but none of them made any attempt to attack. They just let him pass. A glance over his shoulder showed that they had returned to smearing the black liquid over the walls, as if forgetting that he had existed at all - but behind them, more changelings were advancing, continuing to force him onward.

He set his jaw and continued down the twisting passageways. 





Spike pressed the necklace to his chest. The weight of it was somehow reassuring, even through the deepening fog. The tiny part of him that still retained a measure of lucidity recognized that the only thing he seemed to be able to see was Twilight Sparkle. She was standing in front of him, frowning, and speaking to him in that exasperated tone that she had employed so often when he was younger.

"You can't even remember why you're refusing me, can you?" she was saying. Her voice was icy now, and Spike flinched at the sound. He didn't want Twilight to be angry at him. 

But... the weight of the necklace against his scales seemed to be anchoring him somewhat. He let out a deep, thunderous rumble. "Because it's all I have of her," he managed. His voice was more than a little slurred. 

"You don't even remember who she is," Twilight spat. Her expression was one of open contempt now, and Spike cowered in front of her. Every angry syllable felt as though he was being whipped. But he still couldn't stop himself from saying these things. Why couldn't he stop?

Why didn't he want to?

"I remember," he croaked, fighting the words every step of the way, "that she was..."

"What?" Twilight's eyes flashed angrily. "That she was what?"

"That she was perfect," he breathed.

The alicorn snorted. "So you loved her more than you love me," she snapped. One hoof stamped on the ground.

"No." Spike was shaking now. He felt very, very small, though he knew that his bulk was still larger than any stallion's. Twilight's eyes seemed to fill the entire world.

"Then why won't you give it to me?" she demanded. Every word was like a blast of ice.

The words bubbled up from within him one at a time. "Because," he said, "I wasn't ready to let go."

Slowly, Twilight's expression changed from her angry scowl to a warm smile. "I know, Spike," she whispered. "I know." She walked forward and draped one leg around his shoulders. Without thinking about it, he lifted his snout to nuzzle against her coat. She stank of rot. He didn't care.

"But you need to, Spike," she was saying. "She's gone, and she can never come back, and trying to hold onto her will only bring you pain."

He shook his head, slowly, but he could feel something in his head starting to crumble. 

"Spike, I've loved you since the moment you were born," Twilight said. She stroked his scales gently with one hoof. "I've always been there for you. I always will be. But you're hurting me, Spike."

Spike blinked. "Hurting you?" Something lurched in his stomach. He felt as though he was about to vomit. The thought of hurting Twilight was too much.

"Because you can't let go of her," she whispered. "You're choosing her over me, and that hurts me so much, Spike. You have to let her go. Otherwise you'll just keep hurting people. Forever." 

There was something in her voice, an odd inflection that Spike couldn't quite place. But he wasn't really trying to. Something was leaking through his brain in icy rivulets, removing the fluffy pink clouds and replacing them with cold blankness. He was slipping away.

But that didn't matter. Twilight was speaking to him. With all of his strength, he focused on what she was saying.

"All I want is for you to prove how much you love me," she said. "I just want to know that you love me more than anyone. That you'd do anything, even give her up, if it meant that you would stop hurting me."

Her eyes filled the world.

"Give me the necklace, Spike."

Mutely, Spike lifted his claws and removed the golden chain from around his neck. He held it dangling from an extended talon, offering it to her. It swung back and forth gently, the ruby reflecting flashes of light from the cocoons. With every tiny motion it made, Spike felt another piece of himself slip away, disappearing into the cold.

Her smile as she took it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

And, as he watched her slip it around her neck, the last piece of Spike that was still himself faded into nothing.





Pith had finally reached what seemed like the end of the line. The changelings had shepherded him to a corridor that only had one entrance and one exit. The former was now blocked off by at least a dozen changelings, with who knew how many more behind them. And the latter was packed full of even more, all of them just standing there and staring, backed by the acid-green glow of their cocoons.

He gripped the branch tighter, ready to start swinging if any of them made a move towards him. Perhaps this had been the plan all along: get him trapped between two forces that he couldn't possibly defeat, then dogpile him when he had no room to maneuver. Well, he'd be sure to take a few of them down with him, at least.

To his surprise, no attack came. Instead, the changelings in front of him parted, forming a pathway for him to enter. He didn't move. Walking in between two rows of changelings less than a yard away on either side didn't sit well with him. Then he heard the hiss behind him, and one of the changelings prodded him on the haunch. Reluctantly, he moved in.

As he stepped into the room, there was a sudden rush of movement from the changelings that had parted for him to enter. They swarmed towards him, and he tensed, but they didn't attempt to strike him. Instead, they rushed past him, back into the hallway, reinforcing the ones that were keeping him from retreating.

Not that he wanted to retreat, at this point. He had spotted the other two ponies in the room.

Compass Rose had been affixed to one wall, trapped by a coating of resin over her chest and forelegs. She gave him a panicked look, but couldn't speak; another thin strip of resin had been placed over her muzzle, keeping her from opening her mouth. But she was alive, at least.

Pith felt the bottom drop out of his stomach when he realized that he couldn't be sure if the same was true for Tailspin.

The pegasus was encased in one of the changelings' cocoons. He had seen what happened to those victims before. Even if they were rescued before they were fully drained, there was no such thing as full recovery. And that was assuming they survived the process. 

He sprinted forward and dropped to his knees beside the cocoon. The branch fell to the floor beside him with a thud, accompanied a moment later by the plans he had stolen from the organ room. "C'mon, Tails," he said, unable to keep a rising note of panic out of his voice. "You're okay. C'mon, wake up." He reached out, put two hooves on the cocoon, and attempted to shake it, to rouse the unconscious pegasus inside, but it wouldn't budge.

Tailspin was curled in on herself, almost in the fetal position. She was, at least, breathing - if you could call inhaling the green slime inside the cocoon "breathing" - but it was shallow and uneven, and she twitched every few seconds.

"Oh, look who's finally decided to turn up," said a disdainful voice. He looked up. 

A regal-looking alicorn with a violet coat and a mane like the night sky was walking into the room from the other doorway. She had a cruel, curved little smile playing across her features. 

And around her neck was the heart-cut ruby necklace that Spike had worn.

She followed his gaze and glanced down at the necklace, then broke into a wide, toothy grin. "Oh, yes," she said, as she strode into the room, "it's his. Quite the treasure, no? There's quite a bit of power in this little brooch. Enough to give me the strength to break your little fortresses beneath my hooves. And it comes with a dragon who bears more love towards me than I would be able to consume in a century. Carefully managed, he'll last an eternity." Her eyes flashed. "It's been a very good day."

Pith's expression changed instantly from one of worry to one of anger, and he reared back, scooping up the branch in his forepaws again. He opened his mouth to say something, but the alicorn had lifted her gaze up from the necklace and was looking straight into his eyes. For a moment, her eyes blazed a brilliant, toxic green rather than gentle violet. The sheer force of her stare drove the words from his mouth.

"That is," she said, sounding much more serious now, "except for you." She began to walk around the periphery of the room, a large and heavy-looking book floating in her wake. "Not only have you managed to escape becoming a light snack for my children as I had planned for you to be, you actually injured one of them during your... escape."

The alicorn dropped down onto her haunches. Rather abruptly, Pith found her stare leaving him and being turned towards the pages of the now-open book that she was levitating in front of her. When she spoke again, it was in the tone of a disappointed schoolteacher. "And, as if that were not enough reason for me to want you to suffer, you somehow came across a weapon that, while rather unassuming in appearance-" Pith gave a brief, confused glance towards the shining crystal branch "-has since caused serious injury to two more of my family. Then, to add insult to injury, you stole the plans for the Organ to the Outside."

The book closed with a snap, and then that stare was back on Pith, but now it seemed cruelly amused more than angry. "You really must want to suffer."

Pith drew himself up. Nothing for it, then, he thought. Can't fight your way out through all of them. Time for the bluff.

"No," he said flatly. "I'm just here to take my friends and leave. And you're not gonna stop me." He gestured towards Tailspin and the struggling Compass Rose. "I don't know who you are," he continued, "but you know who I am, and you know what this-" he hefted the branch "-can do, or you'd be trying to take me down right now. So unless you want me to put it to use, I'd suggest you let them go. All of them. That includes the dragon."

The alicorn simply laughed, high and cold and clear. Pith's face remained impassive, but his heart sank. She wasn't buying the bluff. That meant things were about to go south.

"Oh, no," she said. "I don't think so. You see, I may be a queen, but I am, first and foremost, a mother. And you have harmed my children." That wicked little smile was back. "So now, I am going to make you feel the same thing that I feel."

Her horn began to shine with a sickly green light, and suddenly, Compass was taking great heaving gasps of air from a muzzle that was no longer blocked by resin. The queen glanced over at her, smiled sweetly, and said, "Go ahead, darling. I know you ponies always have confirmation codes when you think you'll be dealing with us. Let him know it's the real you he's going to watch suffer if he doesn't comply."

Compass glanced at Pith, who simply stared back. For a few seconds, the unicorn simply chewed on her lower lip, apparently thinking. Then she sighed, bowed her head, and muttered, "Sherbet."

Pith inhaled sharply and glanced down at the cocoon in front of him for a moment. Then he looked back up at the queen, who was looking immensely satisfied with herself, and said, "You said 'if he doesn't comply'."

"Yes, yes," said the queen, smiling again. "I did. Now, what is going to happen here... well, you're not going to enjoy it for a moment. But if you do as I say - that is, if you surrender to us willingly - I am prepared to release your green-coated friend over there." She waved one hoof towards Compass, who flinched and shot Pith a meaningful look. She's lying.

Pith's eyes flickered downward once more, and the queen laughed again. Then she leaned forward and flashed a brilliant grin at him. "Oh, no. Not her. You see, my unlucky stallion, we remember the two of you. My children have met you before, multiple times. And I know how much this little pegasus means to you. In a few moments, you will be watching her die." She straightened up and folded her forelegs daintily in front of her. "And that is one thing that you cannot change."

Pith knew that phrase should have made him crumble. It was certainly what the queen had meant for him to do. But, instead, he found himself renewing his grip on the branch and setting his jaw again. "Well," he said, "I suppose that leaves me with one option."

"And that is?" The queen sounded more amused than anything now.

Pith turned to face the changelings in the doorway, club at the ready. "I'm not leaving Tails to die," he said flatly. "And there's no way you're just gonna let Compass walk, either. So it looks like this is a rumble." He let his gaze drift over each of the changelings, who simply stared blankly back, unmoving. "So which of you all is first?"

There was another peal of mocking laughter from behind him, and he turned slowly to face the queen again. "What's so funny?"

She smiled at him again. "Oh, just you," she purred. "I told you - I am, first and foremost, a mother. Why would I throw more of my children against you when your weapon can harm them so badly? At least-" she laughed again "-why would I do that when I have another, rather more effective enforcer to make you comply?"

She lifted her head and looked towards the doorway she had entered from. "Oh, Spike," she called, her voice high and sing-song. "Would you come here for a moment, please?"





She was calling.

There wasn't much in the way of actual thought occurring in the mind of the lumbering beast that had once been Spike. He had surrendered himself completely to Queen Chrysalis' will, and she had no need for the parts of him that could think. All she needed - all he needed, now - was to know that he was, in every way, completely and utterly devoted to her.

Now, she was calling him, and his body responded. Muscles rippled beneath his scales, and his skeleton creaked as it shifted again. He felt his wings expand, felt the fire in his gut grow stronger, felt the talons on his hands grow to the length of swords.

Slowly, he made his way towards the call, stone and resin shuddering and shattering with every step he took. The doorway was far too small for him now. He shouldered it aside effortlessly and forced his bulk into the room.

"There you are, dear." Her voice echoed around within his head. "Our guest has decided not to cooperate. Hold him down, please. No flame. I want him to watch as the pegasus dies."

There was a khaki-coated earth pony with a close-cut mane standing a few yards away, gaping up at him with an expression of utter disbelief. It was holding something in its hooves - a length of rotten wood, it seemed, but it was held like a weapon. 

The thing that had been Spike didn't hesitate. He reared up and let out a bellow that shook the castle to its foundations, then charged.





Part of Pith's mind was still busy reeling in shock over the sight of Spike's massive form bearing down on him like a freight train. That part of him, fortunately, was still attached to the part that was thinking, so it got to survive as well when he made a desperate leap to one side just before the dragon's talons impacted the spot where he had just been. He heard the cataclysmic sound of stone being ripped apart, but didn't turn to look. He jumped up and found himself face-to-hoof with Compass Rose.

The unicorn was gaping blankly at Spike as well. "What happened to him?" she breathed. Then she screamed in surprise as Pith swung the branch, hard, and shattered the resin over her right forehoof. 

"Wonder later!" he shouted, as he released her other leg. "Right now, we just have to deal!"

A third blow released her from her prison entirely, and Compass Rose hit the ground with an "oof". Her legs still felt like they were asleep, but they were at least functional. 

Chrysalis was laughing again. "You really are surprisingly quick," she said, nodding to Pith. "It is a pity that you still can't help your other friend." 

Pith ignored her and swung around just in time to see one of Spike's massive, taloned hands come swinging around towards him. The impact felt like he was caught in a rock slide. He heard Compass Rose scream, but he was too dazed to really register it. The blow had lifted him off his hooves and thrown him across the length of the room. When he hit the ground, he felt something snap in his chest.

He fought to stand again, but he was slow and shaky now. Too slow. All he managed to do for several seconds was raise his head, and the sight felt like he had been hit again. The cocoon around Tailspin was pulsating now, like a beating heart, its light growing stronger with each motion.

She was being drained.

Spike let out another deafening roar that left Pith's ears ringing, then turned to charge towards him again. The dragon's eyes were burning the same way they had when he had first woken up to see the three of them, and Pith knew it was no good trying to reason with him this time. 

He forced himself upright on shaky legs, then looked around frantically. The branch was gone, knocked out of his hooves by the force of Spike's blow. He spotted it lying on the ground just a few yards away from Compass, and started to run towards it, but was stopped by the sudden feeling of dull fire in his ribs.

Spike was getting closer rapidly. Pith steeled himself and hurled his body to the side at the last moment again, landing badly. The feeling of fire in his bones redoubled itself, and he gasped at the pain of it. "C-Compass," he grunted. "Get Tails!"

"I'm trying!" The unicorn sounded as though she was sobbing, and Pith twisted his neck around to look at her again. She was kneeling by the cocoon know, hammering on it ineffectually with her hooves. "I can't stop it, Pith! I can't get her out!"

There was another sound of grinding stone. Spike was changing directions again. Pith heaved himself to his feet and staggered towards the cocoon. "Get behind me," he said, his voice hoarse and ragged. Something wet and warm and tasting of copper was leaking into his mouth. "I'll distract him."

The queen laughed again. Throughout the entire thing, she hadn't moved from her original position. She seemed content to survey the action with a smirk. "Oh, yes," she said. "You'll distract him. For all of a minute or two."

Pith saw Compass flinch and stop in her efforts to bash into the cocoon. "Don't listen to her," he grunted, still limping towards the branch. "I'll protect you. And Tails. Promise."

There was thunder behind him as Spike started moving again. He grit his teeth and bent down to pick up the branch, ignoring the screaming agony in his side, then turned to face the charging dragon. 

If this was the end, Pith Helmet was going to go down doing what the only thing he could think of: throwing everything he had at the monster threatening his friends.





The thing that had been Spike let out a triumphant roar. The tiny thing that it had been attempting to catch had finally stopped moving. It was holding the rotten log again, raising it as though it expected to be able to fight back, but even the unthinking dragon could recognize that there was no defense against this. This earth pony was just that: a pony. 

And he was a dragon. He had the strength to tear apart masonry with his bare claws. His fire could burn down a forest. His scales were proof against any attack.

He lunged. The pony swung. Spike felt the dull impact against the scales of one taloned hand.

There was a burst of brilliant, blinding light. Something stirred inside the beast's head.

The light was a mixture, rays of two different colors strong enough to drown out all other hues in the room. They were colors he recognized.

There was a brilliant sky blue, a perfect cerulean. And there was flawless, ivory white.

Something washed through the beast's brain. He knew those colors. Even after so long, he knew those colors.

Spike blinked.





Pith hit the floor again, hard, and let out a pained, bubbling cough. The branch had been knocked out of his hooves once again, and this time, he knew he didn't have the strength to go after it. He panted heavily and stared up at Spike.

The dragon had stopped moving. It was staring down at him, its look of utter rage gone. In its place was... confusion?

"Well?" said the queen, waving a hoof. "What are you waiting for? Turn him over. He's facing entirely the wrong direction, and I would hate for him to miss that pegasus' last gasp."

There was silence for a long moment. Then Pith heard Spike speak.

"You enchanted me."

"What?" Chrysalis blinked up at him, then climbed slowly to her feet. "You- how?"

There was no answer from the dragon. No verbal answer, anyway. Spike simply stepped towards her, lifted one massive, clawed hand, and pinned her to the wall. There was no effort in it, and no great sense of urgency. The movement was almost lazy.

The other hand came up, and Pith saw the talons gleam in the acrid light. For a moment, everyone stared at those claws in silence, and Pith was certain that the alicorn was about to lose her head. Then, with exaggerated care, they moved forward and plucked the necklace off of the queen's neck.

"This," Spike rumbled, "is not yours." He released his grip on the alicorn, who fell back to the floor, still gaping silently up at him, and slipped the golden chain over his own neck again. It seemed to stretch to accommodate him.

The queen shook herself and bared her teeth in a furious snarl. "You have no idea what I'm going to do to you now, you insufferable animal," she hissed. Her voice was low, but filled with murderous intent, and Pith felt a shudder run through him. "I had planned to keep you as a companion, a constant source of sustenance. But you - you have the gall to defy me?"

She drew herself up, her disguise burning away as she did so, revealing the horrible, gaunt creature underneath. "You will suffer like no other has," she whispered, as her wings spread and she lifted herself into the air. "You will-"

"Shut up," said Spike quietly. He wasn't even looking at the queen any more. He had turned away and walked out of Pith's view. Behind him, the pony could hear a series of wet, gurgling sounds, followed by Compass Rose gasping. When the dragon walked back into view, he was cradling Tailspin's limp, slime-covered form in his hands.

Pith's heart skipped a beat, and he struggled to lift his head. Is she breathing? Come on, Tails, please be breathing. Please. His strength failed him again, and he let his head fall back to the stone with a soft thump.

"We're leaving," Spike said flatly. "All of us. And you aren't going to try and stop us, or I will roast your children alive." Pith heard nothing but cold certainty in that voice. It wasn't a threat. It was a simple statement of fact.

To his surprise, the queen did not lower herself to the ground again. She flew higher, her tattered wings filling the air with a low, droning hum. "Do you really think that you can defy me? I am Queen Chrysalis. I was old when your princesses were young. I have power greater than you can possibly imagine."

"And it's still not enough to stop me," Spike said. His voice was still cold and utterly, utterly certain. He didn't even flinch when Chrysalis' horn began to shine once again. He didn't even move. He just stared.

The blast of poisonous green lifted him off his feet and sent him, howling in agony, all the way across the room to crash into the opposite wall. The tremors of impact shook the castle once again, and the air filled with the choking dust of crushed rock.

Pith coughed, unable to do so much as move a hoof to try and push himself upright. He could hear Compass Rose staggering toward him, coughing as well, but he knew that she was in no shape to fight, either, even if she had known how. 

There was the sound of crumbling masonry, and a huge shape loomed up out of the dust. Spike was pulling himself upright, Tailspin's limp body still cradled in one hand. There was a huge, gaping rent in his scales just below his ribs, and something black and foul-smelling was seeping from it.

Chrysalis was grinning again, both fangs fully visible and glinting in the dim green light. "I told you, dragon," she said, her voice as sharp as a knife edge, "I have more power than you could possibly imagine."

Spike swayed, his massive, gleaming teeth clenched, and stared back at her. "Okay," he panted. "Yes. You're strong. Stronger than me. I didn't think you were, but you are."

Chrysalis' grin widened. "Quite."

Spike took a step forward. "But," he said slowly, "you still can't stop me."

Pith groaned and closed his eyes. Chrysalis' horn was shining again. "Oh," she said, "I think I can."

Even Pith, without the natural attunement to magic that unicorns shared, felt the magical backwash sweep over him as she threw her next spell at Spike. He heard the sound of its impact, heard the dragon bellow in agony -

- and then felt talons closing in around him, lifting his exhausted body away from the floor. He opened his eyes.

Spike was spreading his wings, his back turned to Chrysalis. One of his hands held both Compass Rose and Tailspin. The other was clenched around Pith himself.

There was another surge of magic, and Spike bellowed again. Pith could see the flash of green from over the dragon's shoulder, and he wondered how much Spike's scales could withstand. The black tar bubbling out of the wound on his stomach didn't look natural.

"You can shield them for as long as you like, animal," he heard Chrysalis say. "But even you cannot take this forever."

Spike hunched down over the three of them, his wings fully spread now. "You're right," he groaned, eyes shut. "But I don't need to."

Before Pith could brace himself, or even begin to take in those words, the dragon had lifted his wings as high as they could go and slammed them down with as much force as he could muster. All of them rocketed skyward - or, more accurately, towards the resin-coated stone overhead.

There was another thunderous crash, and Spike's wings pumped again as his whole body shuddered. Pith could feel every vibration, see the dragon's heaving chest. Spike was driving them upward through layer after layer of solid granite, using his own body as a battering ram, and shielding the three ponies beneath him all the while. Below them, he could hear Chrysalis screaming, and the mounting thrum of a hundred pairs of changeling wings.

There was a third crash, then a fourth, then a fifth, and then a horrible organic tearing sound. For a moment, Pith was certain that Spike's wings had been destroyed, but then light struck his face, and he realized that the noise had been the thick vines of the Tangle being torn apart by the dragon's rapid ascent. They were out of the castle and into the open sky now, and Spike's wings were still pounding the air, fighting for speed and altitude.

"Wait!" 

Pith blinked and looked towards the source of the noise. Compass Rose was gripping one of Spike's fingers and hammering her hooves on it. There were tears streaking her face. Pith instinctively looked back to Tailspin, and his heart sank.

The pegasus still wasn't moving.

"Wait!" Compass shouted again. "You have to - just - bring Pith over here! Please!"

There was no answer from Spike, but a moment later, Pith found himself being deposited in the dragon's other hand. Compass seized him around the middle and attempted to heave him upright. "Come on, come on!" she said. There was more than a little panic in her voice. "Please! She's dying!"

Pith grunted in pain as one of Compass' hooves pressed against his broken ribs, but he managed to force himself upright again. "No," he said flatly. "She'll live. She's got to live." He had to keep repeating it.

"No, I- she's so weak. I can help her, but I need my magic!" Compass was shouting now, fighting to be heard over the rushing wind and the sound of Spike's wings tearing the air in half with each stroke. She pointed down, and Pith followed the motion to see that the heavy spellbook was sitting there on the dragon's palm beside Tailspin. "There might be healing magic in there!"

"So?" he shouted, looking back up to her. "Use it!" He couldn't keep the faint note of desperation out of his voice.

"I can't!" Compass was sobbing again. She lifted one hoof and pounded it against her forehead, and Pith saw that her horn was covered in resin. "I can't get it off! I'm not strong enough! I need you to- to-"

Pith stared. "To break it?"

She nodded mutely. He flinched. "Won't that hurt you?"

"Yes!" She shook her head rapidly, still sobbing. "But you've got to! It's the only chance she's got. She won't last until we can reach the outpost. Pith, please! I don't care if it hurts me, or cripples me, or whatever! We've got to try!"

Pith hesitated for a moment, staring at her. "You're sure about this?"

"Yes, I-"

He didn't give her a chance to finish. Instead, he reared back, then brought one of his hooves down sharply on her horn. There was a sickening crack that he knew he would be hearing in his nightmares later, and Compass collapsed, screaming and clutching at her forehead. 

"Are you-"

"I'm- I'm fine!" The unicorn's voice was high and shaking, wracked with even more sobs now, pain mixed in with the panic. "It's - I can still - Just-" She trailed off, then dragged herself over towards Tailspin and the spellbook, keeping her face turned away from him. 

"I'm sorry," Pith muttered. He doubted she heard him over the wind. It wouldn't have made much difference if she did. He watched as she flipped the book open and began to scan through its pages. He also noticed that the glow around the book was much weaker than it usually was.

He looked down. There, among the tiny black chips of resin, were a few flecks of green. 

He let himself sink to the ground again. He was utterly exhausted, in agonizing pain, and now he felt as though he was going to throw up. He couldn't bring himself to watch Compass as she turned to Tailspin. He couldn't even bring himself to check if the pegasus was still breathing.

For almost a full minute, he just sat there, staring out into space as Spike picked up speed. He didn't know where the dragon thought he was going, and he didn't care. He didn't even register it when the vines below began to lash upwards and Spike had to bank sharply to avoid them, then climb rapidly to get out of their reach. 

After a while, he became conscious of Compass' sobbing again. The sound had never really stopped, but he had tuned it out for a bit while he attempted to collect himself. He sighed. 

She needs you. They both need you. Tails has been your partner for years, and Compass just let you cripple her to try and save your friend. Don't you dare hold back on them now.

Slowly, he dragged himself over to the two mares and placed one hoof on Compass' shoulder. Together, the four of them sailed off over the Tangle, leaving the ruined castle behind them.