It took several minutes for Tailspin to realize that she was awake.
All things considered, it wasn't too different from being asleep. She still felt exhausted, and she still seemed to be drifting in the dark. The only real change was the addition of a few sensations that made her feel vaguely uncomfortable.
First there was the feeling of a slight weight on her chest, accompanied by a faint itch. Sheets. Uncomfortable, itchy sheets. And the surface she was lying on was not the softest or most luxurious bed in the world by any stretch, either.
There was also an odd pressure against her right fore hoof. It took her a few minutes of scouring her memory to place it, but she eventually recognized it as someone else's hoof touching her own.
She opened her eyes.
After the room stopped spinning, she realized that she was in one of the fort hospitals. They all tended to look the same, so there was no telling which one, exactly, but it was a good sign regardless. It also explained the itchy sheets and the uncomfortable cot. The medical corps always had to make do with whatever equipment they could scrape together. There was never enough to go around.
Her brain seemed to be turning back on one piece at a time. First came her hearing. In addition to the pressure on her hoof, there was a soft, slow, heavy breathing. She didn't even have to turn her head to know that Pith Helmet had pulled a cot up beside hers. The thought made her smile without really realizing.
There were other sounds, too, ones that were less familiar. The loudest of them - or at least the closest - was the sound of somepony else breathing, but this had a much slower rhythm, and the sound was much deeper, like rocks being crushed together rather than the simple movement of air. Spike was asleep nearby as well, then. Only a dragon could sound like that.
The dividers had been closed around her cot, which kept her from making out much other than vague shadows as other ponies passed by her makeshift sickroom. Every few minutes, one of the nurses would pass by with the sound of hoofsteps on wood.
Gradually, Tailspin became aware of voices at the very edge of hearing.
"...could have blasted a crater into the middle of the fortress for all you know," somepony was saying. Their voice was sharp and strident, by far the most audible of the ones that she could hear.
"It was an experimental medical treatment, Colonel," said a second voice. This one was quieter, more feminine, with an undertone of something that said the speaker had grown tired of the conversation several minutes before it began. "It was not a bomb. The methods with which I treat the patients under my care are mine to-"
"This is not the same as an experimental surgical treatment, Doctor," the first voice cut in. "It isn't even the same as coming up with new medicine. It was an untested, untried spell, created from a spellbook that has not yet been examined by the intelligence division, by a mare who recently lost her ability to use magic, and who is quite possibly mentally unbalanced!" The voice grew louder as it went on, and the last sentence was punctuated by the sound of somepony stamping hard. "You said yourself you have no idea of what the side effects could be, and for all you knew, that spell could have exploded and killed everyone in the infirmary!"
"Tone it down a bit, Rev," said a third voice. Tailspin recognized this one; Long Road, the Recon Corps Captain from Fort Maneholdt. He was the one who had sent them into the Tangle. "Your voice is getting up there again. This is a hospital."
"Thank you, Captain," said the mare's voice.
"Don't get me wrong," Road answered. "Rev is right. You were outta line, Doc. I respect you as a medical professional, and I know you did it to take care of your patient. I'm grateful for it. Tailspin's one of our best flyers, and she's a sweet mare. I'd've been upset if she died. But casting an untested spell created by a unicorn that had to be sedated just to get her to sit still for five minutes and rest, without even running it by your boss beforehand... There's a lotta ways that could've gone wrong."
There was silence for a few seconds, broken only by the continued deep rumble of Spike's snoring. Then the stallion called Rev said, in a slightly calmer voice, "I respect you, Doc, which is why you haven't already been fired. I'll be making a report to command about this saying that you came up with that spell and cast it with my authorization. Any problem they've got with untested magic, they can take out on me. But I want to make one thing very clear: I will not tolerate this happening again."
"Understood. Thank you, sir."
Another silence, then: "How is she?"
There was the sound of three sets of hooves approaching, accompanied by the sound of Doc's voice. "Stable, at least," she said. "I was certain that she wouldn't last the night, but Miss Rose's spell seems to have bolstered her. Her pulse and breathing-"
Miss Rose's spell. Tailspin shut her eyes and let out a long breath. Sounds like I owe her even more than I thought.
"-no idea how long recovery will really take." There was the sound of the divider to the center of the sick bay being pulled aside, and Tailspin opened her eyes to see three ponies standing in front of her, silhouetted against the dim light of one lamp.
She managed a weak smile. Beside her, there was a sudden, sharp intake of breath from Pith, and she heard the stallion move. Then he grunted, stepped off the cot with a creak, and moved to stand at the end of it, saluting with his good leg. "Colonel," he murmured. "Captain. Doc."
Captain Road saluted in return. The olive pegasus beside him merely grunted and said, "At ease, scout."
None of the three new arrivals were looking at Pith. They were all looking at Tailspin. Road was smiling faintly, while the colonel was frowning and the doctor was merely looking surprised.
"I have to say," she said, as she stepped around Pith and made her way over to Tailspin, "I wasn't expecting you to be awake so soon." She lifted one hoof and set it on the pegasus' forehead, then nodded. "Temperature seems normal. How do you feel?"
Pith spun on the spot. When he spotted Tailspin's open eyes, he gaped for a moment, then hobbled over to stand at her side and seized her hoof again. Words had obviously failed him.
They were failing her as well, at the moment. She opened her mouth to try and answer the doctor, but nothing came out except a dry hiss.
"Ah, water," said the doctor briskly. "Of course. One moment."
Tailspin's view of the world lurched suddenly. The unicorn's magic was lifting her up and placing a few pillows behind her, moving her into a sitting position. A moment later, there was a glass of water pressed against her lips, and the doctor was saying, "Small sips, please. I'll have some food brought in shortly."
The pegasus nodded mutely and drank. A moment later, the glass was being lowered, and she realized that it was Pith who was holding it. The stallion was sitting on the edge of her cot, watching her with an odd expression on his face. She wasn't sure whether he looked worried or overjoyed. Maybe both. She smiled at him, then looked back to the officers.
"Colonel," she whispered. Her voice came out as a raspy whisper. "Captain. Doctor. I would salute, but..." She attempted to lift one of her legs. It got about an inch off of the cot before she ran out of energy and let it fall back again.
"Not necessary," said the colonel. His voice was still loud and edged with anger, but he himself looked more concerned than anything. "We're here to check in on your condition, not to strain you."
Tailspin managed to move her head just enough to nod. "I'm... alive," she said. "And better than I felt before. But still..." She shut her eyes and let her head fall back against the pillows. Even talking was an effort.
"Right," said Doctor Grey sharply. "She needs rest right now. Colonel, Captain, I think it is time that you left. I will be keeping Miss Tailspin here indefinitely, until I am satisfied that she is no longer in any danger."
"Of course," said the colonel. "Scout."
"Yes, sir?" It was Pith's voice.
"The next supply shipment will arrive in three days. You'll be able to leave then."
There was a pause, then Pith repeated, "Yes, sir."
"Very good. I advise you to get some rest in the meantime." And there was the sound of the divider being closed, followed by hoofsteps moving away.
Tailspin felt Pith shift on the cot. There was a soft clinking sound as he put the glass of water aside, followed by a sudden feeling of warmth. The stallion had wrapped both forelegs around her and pulled her close. She let out a sigh and turned automatically towards him.
"I thought you were going to die," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
"Can't get rid of me that easily," she answered. Her eyes were still closed. She didn't need to open them; just feeling him there was enough. But there was something else on her mind. After a few seconds, she asked, "Where are you going?"
Pith grunted and shrugged. "Some place called Canterlot. Spike thinks there could be something important there."
Sleep was closing in on her again. It was getting harder to concentrate with every second that passed. She shook herself a bit, trying to focus on her partner's breathing. "You're not going to leave me behind," she whispered, her voice slightly slurred. Even with her eyes closed, it felt like the room was spinning.
The last thing she registered before slipping back into unconsciousness was Pith giving her a gentle squeeze and whispering, "Never."
Spike sat on a bench to the side of a large open area, watching as one of the nurses helped Tailspin to limp around the yard.
He had woken up in what apparently passed for the early morning to find Pith and the pegasus sitting beside each other on a pair of cots that had been pushed together, talking quietly. Tailspin had even managed to eat a bit of food that one of the nurses had fetched for her.
She still looked gaunt and almost corpse-like, but a bit of color had returned to her coat, and she smiled much more than he had expected her to. Physically, she was obviously very much weakened, but she appeared emotionally intact. Spike was grateful for that. He had spent several hours standing outside the infirmary building with Pith, trying to pretend that everything would be all right even if Tailspin had died - or, worse, if he had been right about the cocoon breaking something inside her.
He was intimately familiar with what Pith would have gone through if it had turned out that way. He would have given anything to have Rarity survive when he found her. He thanked the stars that Pith had been spared that.
Now it was late evening, according to the nursing staff, and Tailspin had insisted on making an attempt at walking. Compass Rose was apparently still sedated, and Pith had gone to speak with Captain Road, so that left Spike to stay with her. When she had called one of the nurses over and asked to be taken outside to try and walk, he had tagged along to keep an eye on her.
The pegasus had leaned heavily on the nurse who was acting as her escort all the way out to the yard. Now she was attempting to stand without support.
For a few long seconds, it looked as though she was going to fail. Her expression was one of absolute concentration, her legs shook violently, and she was panting heavily. But she didn't fall.
Before she could take a step, though, the nurse had stepped in again to hold her upright. "That's enough," said the unicorn, frowning. "You clearly aren't in any condition to actually attempt walking unassisted."
"I just started," panted Tailspin in response. She frowned at the nurse, but accepted the offered hoof and allowed herself to be led over towards the bench.
Spike grinned at her as they approached. "That was still pretty impressive," he said. "I didn't expect you to be able to even stand for at least a few days."
The pegasus shook her head, smiled weakly, and lowered herself onto the bench next to him. She was still shaking, and she was starting to sweat. "I don't have time to lie around in bed," she said. Her voice was a dry, sandpapery rasp, but her smile remained. "We're leaving soon. I need to be able to walk."
Spike blinked. "You're coming? I thought you would be staying here and resting."
Tailspin looked up at him and squinted. "I thought Pith told you about us," she said quietly. Then she let out a soft yelp as the nurse pressed a stethoscope against her neck. "A little warning would have been nice."
The dragon shrugged. "Yeah, he did. But... you gave us all a pretty bad scare. And I know he doesn't want to lose you. Putting more strain on yourself than necessary doesn't seem like a good idea right now."
The pegasus lowered her head onto her forelegs and shut her eyes. "Doctor Grey talked to us," she murmured. "Nobody knows for sure how much of me this spell has healed, how long it will last, or whether or not I'll survive when it wears off. I'm living on borrowed time." She opened one eye and smiled up at him again. "I'd just rather spend whatever time I've got with him, doing something that matters, than sitting around in a hospital bed and worrying."
It's gonna be a party, Pinkie had said. I'd rather have my last night be having fun with my old friends than sitting in a bed and being bored. Besides, I want all of you to have your last memories of me be good ones.
"Besides," Tailspin added, "Compass went through some of the most painful things I've ever seen anypony suffer to try and save me. So did you." She glanced at the bandages on his side. "It'd be a poor way to repay you if I stayed here and let you all put yourselves in danger without at least trying to help."
Spike smiled and reached out to rest one claw against one of her hooves. "You don't owe us anything," he said.
"You're my friends," she said, sounding quite serious. "I owe you everything."
"Friends?" Spike blinked.
Tailspin blinked back. "Of course," she said, looking a bit surprised at his reaction. "It's kind of hard to go through what we did and not be friends."
Spike turned away. Now that Tailspin had voiced it, it seemed completely natural. The three ponies were his friends. Or his partners, as Pith would have put it. They had been through a lot together, even if they had only known each other a few days. He just hadn't put words to the thought until she said it.
He nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "It is. But you still don't have to push yourself this hard. Compass is going to be staying here as well. She needs the rest as much as you do."
The pegasus laughed quietly. "She's not staying," she said. "She won't let anypony in need go without - or haven't you seen her horn lately?"
"Absolutely not," said a harsh voice from behind them. The two of them blinked and turned to see Doctor Grey approaching, looking sour. Behind her was Colonel Reveille. Pith Helmet was limping along in the back, frowning and doing his best to keep up.
"Neither you nor Miss Rose are going anywhere until I am satisfied as to your recovery," snapped Grey. "You should not even be out of bed-" she shot a death glare at the nurse, who flinched and backed away slightly "-and Miss Rose refuses to stay in bed unless drugged. I doubt that Miss Rose will be fit for release for at least three days, and you may be more than a week."
Tailspin shot a curious glance at Pith, who grimaced in reply. Apparently this was enough of an explanation for the pegasus, who sighed and said, quietly but firmly, "I'm going, Doctor. And Compass is, too."
"No, you aren't." This time it was Colonel Reveille who spoke. "Doctor Grey and I don't see eye-to-eye on everything, but she's right in this case. This is a time-sensitive, critical mission. You're injured and Compass Rose, even when disregarding her shattered horn, isn't a scout. You'll just slow them down and place yourselves in unnecessary danger."
Tailspin opened her mouth to protest, but Spike set one clawed hand on her shoulder. "Colonel," he said, "I think they should come. We need them."
Reveille gave him a long, measured look. "And what makes you say that?"
Spike frowned. He wasn't entirely certain of what he was about to say, but... "I think that Compass Rose is the pony who can use the Element of Magic," he said slowly. "That means, horn or not, if we want the Elements to be any use at all, we need her with us."
The olive pegasus grunted. He was still staring at the dragon with that same expression of calculation on his features, but he also looked thoughtful now. Spike was mildly surprised when he didn't demand to know why he thought that, but instead asked, "And her?" He inclined his head towards Tailspin.
"I... don't know," Spike admitted. "But I think she should come anyway. She won't slow us down. I'll carry her if I have to."
Tailspin gave him a small smile, then looked back to the two officers. Doctor Grey stamped a hoof in the dirt.
"Absolutely not," she said again. "Colonel, Miss Tailspin and Miss Rose are in no condition to travel. I cannot allow the health of my patients to be jeopardized based on a hunch, especially given that this 'critical mission' may be a wild goose chase. I may have violated protocol in casting the spell to heal Miss Tailspin, but I did it with the well-being of my charges fully in mind. This course of action is both pointless and dangerous."
Reveille didn't answer her. He was still staring at Spike. After what seemed like forever, he nodded. "Fine," he said. "They go with you."
"What?" Doctor Grey recoiled as if she had been slapped. "Colonel-"
"I have made my decision, Doctor," said Reveille sharply, his voice rising to its drill sergeant volume again. He spun on the spot and faced the unicorn directly, scowling. "If they want to go and they may be needed, they go. The dragon knows more about this than we do. That is all."
"I cannot allow-"
The colonel cut across her again. "If you want to make a formal complaint to command about this, Doctor, feel free, but I have made my decision. You are dismissed."
For several seconds, Doctor Grey stood there, mouth hanging open in shock. Then she drew herself up, snorted once, and stormed away towards the post-op.
When she had left, Reveille let out a long sigh and turned back to Spike, a pained expression on his face. The dragon frowned heavily.
"Thank you, Colonel," he began. "For trusting me. Us."
The pegasus shook his head. "Don't," he said sharply. "I just put my career on the line for this, not to mention one of my oldest and most valued friendships. I don't want your sympathy and I don't want your thanks." He took a step forward, his jaw set, and jabbed Spike in the stomach with one hoof, just below the bandages.
"What I want is for you to prove me right," he growled. "The changelings are massing up over the Tangle. They're going to hit us hard, and soon. Our colts are out there dying to keep them from getting to their home base and to bring us scouting reports. And this is all because you wanted to try and fix things."
He lowered his hoof, snorted, and turned to walk away. "What I want from you," he called over his shoulder, "is for my soldiers to not have died in vain. I don't need words of sympathy. I need you to succeed."
And he stalked away, silent.