In Stitches

Dash lay still, completely unable to feel at all. All she had now was her mind. "Am I dead? Is this it?" She tried to do anything at all and got nothing in return. "Yeah... I'm dead... I can't even feel anything... What happens now, then?"

"Remind me again, Doctor, why we are here?"

"I told you, Cogsworth, we are looking for the flower."

"We have been looking for your stupid flower for two weeks now. You can't even tell me what it looks like!" She listened as best as she could. She was numb, and only had her ears. "Great... I'm dead, and now I am crazy, too..."

"That's because I don't remember exactly... I told you... I'll know it when I see it."

"Ugh... You know this is pointless, right?"

"It is not... You'll see, Cogsworth, you'll see..."

"Yes it is... Hey... Doctor, what is this?"

"What's what?"

"Over here, In the bush. You see that? Is that hair?" She could hear leaves moving. Now she knew she had lost it.

"Hmm... I don't know, Cogsworth... Rope, maybe? Give it a pull."

"Okay..." She could feel burning at all points of her subconscious, everything screaming in pain, and almost every bone feeling broken. She knew there could be voices in her head, but not that she could feel them.

"it's really heavy... Can you give me a hand, Doctor?

"Come on... It's a rainbow-colored rope, do you really need me to get my hooves wet?"

"Well, I don't know... all I could see was a bunch of muddy-colored yarn in the water."

"Well, pull the bush to shore! You can do that with a water weed, you know..."

"Oh, just help me..."

"Fine." She could feel movement, as if the whole world was being dragged around by her tail. She screamed inside her mind. If there was such a thing, she was sure this was pony hell.

"What do you think it could be, Doc?"

"Don't know... Try to untangle it."

"What do you think I have been doing?"

"Hmmm... Looks like you were right about it being made of hair... Synthetic maybe?"

"What, you think there is a wig stuck in the bush, or something?" She listened to the two imaginary voices laugh, and then could hear sticks snapping. Something touched a piece of bone sticking from one of her wings, leaving her screaming into the void again.

"OUCH! There is something sharp in there, alright... Jeez, great, I'm bleeding."

"How do you manage these things, Cogsworth?"

"You know wha-" at that second, her body twitched. "What on earth?! Did you see that?"

"Is there something in there? You've got a knife... Cut the bush open!" Dash could hear more twigs breaking, and leaves being thrown away.

"Doctor, I think there is an animal in here."

"An animal? What kind of animal has rainbow hair?"

"Nothing I know of."

"Is it alive?"

"If it came down that waterfall? Not a chance. It has to be eighty feet, at the least."

"Well? Pull it out! Let's see what we've got here."

"You aren't honestly going to experiment on a dead creature, are you?"

"'Why do you always suspect me of something nasty?"

"Because you often do something nasty." She could feel hooves on her body. They slid over her body painfully touching her many broken bones. She was completely limp, unable to even grunt. The hooves clasped under her chest and begin to pull.

"WHY!? DEAR CELESTIA, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" She screamed to herself as she could feel broken ribs pushing into her insides. Her body made no movement as she was lifted clear of the shrub and promptly dropped.

"Doctor! It's a pony!"

"WHAT?! What is a pony doing down here?!" At the sound of her discovery She tried everything she could think of to signal them to her life. She couldn't move at all. Rainbow Dash had never, even once in her life, felt so completely helpless. Her stomach roared out, and she knew she was dead now. Nothing would help her.

"Was that you, Cogsworth?"

"No, I thought it was you! You don't think it's still alive, do you?"

"Well, check it." She could feel a set of hoofs touching her body again, looking for life signs.

"By the heavens! It's alive, Doctor! Quick! We have to help it!"

"It's alive?! How is that possible?"

"Look at it! It was left for dead!" She could feel herself being lifted onto a back, and then the galloping of hooves. every single bump made She feel like she was being stabbed hundreds of times over. She felt the two ponies slow to a stop, and at this point she was in far too much pain to make out words. The two ponies had a quick exchange with another voice, and she blacked out.