The ice came fast and cold, within seconds submerging a cyan mess once called Rainbow Dash up to her neck. She tried to struggle but was restrained by something heavy on her wings. She braced herself, knowing what was coming. The sound of a large paper bag being torn open echoed around her blind head, it was the sound of pain and misery, of salt. She whimpered in her pain, it was the best she could manage with her mouth tied.

"Ah... 1632, Are you going to behave next time? Or am I going to need to increase your punishment?" the voice of her faceless kidnapper asked.

She stood still trying not to shiver, not wanting to give him the dignity of a response. "Well then. You there, go get us a crate full of fire ants! Oh and muzzle subject 1633 then bring her here as well."

"Yes sir" she heard a voice call followed by the sound of wings flying away.

"Time for another experiment 1632. We’ll get to see how effective giant fire ants are alongside salted ice burns, and we may also learn how many fire ants it takes to kill a pony. You had best hope it is more than one crate." she could hear the sick twisted happiness in his voice. Every word he had said only brought more fear into her now driving her to the point of trembling again.

"What’s the matter? Cold? Or are you just as cowardly as you look?" She could almost feel his smile as he crushed her soul "oh here comes our ants." he continued with some level of excitement. There was a quick exchange between her captors; she missed most of it as she was trying not to freeze.

"You know? It was really nice of you to give us the farmer and the Alicorn, such a special treat, now we can do all sorts of experiments... I can't wait to see what makes Alicorns tick." She swallowed hard. "Wh- What? Th- They have Twilight? A- And Applejack? And it's my fault?" The cyan mare wept bitterly from her blinded eyes. Loyalty has lead her friends to hell. She collapsed into the ice, not caring about the pain in her wings or the chill of her surroundings. Not only was she a dead mare but she brought her friends with her.

Her sorrow was cut short by unbearable physical pain in the form of hundreds of well shaken ants. She screamed into her sealed mouth and slammed her blind eyes closed trying to protect her face. "Heh. I really hope you aren't allergic to those things... watching you whine and squirm brings so much joy to my day. It really is quite amusing."

Rainbow heard a bit of a scuffle. "Aww... how cute... your friend over here is trying to help you. Isn’t that nice of her 1632?" he paused and she heard someone get beaten to the ground. "By the way she lost, I know you aren't very good at seeing." he laughed loud and strong like a maniac. "But don't you worry... I’ll make sure she gets a good long beating for failing you..." he finished menacingly.

"Sir. May I make a suggestion?" the unknown voice from before spoke.

"Lay it on me my fine gentleman." the voice of the devil himself spoke.

"Why not take her muzzle off and break a few bones... let 1632 hear her punishment?" he replied.

"Oh! I like the way you think. You sir have just earned yourself a promotion." he stated like it was office work.

"Why thank you sir. Does this include a pay raise?" he replied

"Depends how well you do. Go ahead... hit her as hard as you can... I want to see the look on her friends face" She could feel the breath in her nose. Fear ran all through her body and she begged to go deaf. It didn't happen. A heavy crack sounded within the room followed by the sound of a pony collapsing shortly after a blood curdling scream ripped out throughout the building. All of this happened in less than a second and everything faded away. All feeling and all pain the scream continued without pause, drilling its way into the depths of her mind.

***

"It’s ok! Shh! please! Calm down... you are going to give yourself heart failure" the voice of the nameless Pegasus spoke. "Just be calm... it was a dream... you are safe... I won't let anything hurt you..." it took an hour of such talk for her to finally calm down.

"Ok, I can't really ask you want happened. I assume you had a nightmare. Can you move at all?" She tried again for the third day in a row to move for the doctor and caused the smallest twitch in her front right hoof. "Was that you? Can you do it again?" she tried again and repeated the pitiful action. "Wonderful! You have no idea what this means! I KNEW you were alive! WOOO!" he was cut off as another pony entered the room.

"Doctor! What’s with all the noise?! Did something happen?! Is her heart failing again?!" the stallion exclaimed in a worried manner.

"Guess who owes me five hundred Renz?" the doctor almost shouted excitedly.

"No way... she is moving? I thought you said she has a broken neck!" he replied in disbelief.

"She does. Having a broken neck doesn't mean you can't move. This is why I am the doctor and you aren't. Now pay up!" the doctor demanded.

"Prove it!"

"What?"

"Show me. I don't believe you." he said flatly.

"Fine. I will." he stated sounding almost offended. She could almost feel him next to her. "Come on miss... do it again please." She sat still not happy of being bet over.

"Doesn't seem to be moving to me Doc." he said in a relieved tone.

"Come on miss... there is so much on the line here. You could make us rich ponies..." he begged.

"See? You were wro-" She moved her foreleg a whole inch just to spite him. "No... You are kidding! but that's like a whole weeks pay!" She smiled in her mind liking being able to influence the world again.

"you bet the money. you brought it on yourself. now pay up." he triumphantly said.

"fine! jeez!" She heard a bag of coins hit the floor.

"I want the rest of it by tomorrow!" the doctor shouted as the door slammed. "thanks miss... you just covered my costs for keeping you alive."

that threw a wrench into Rainbow's mood. "hang on; this doctor who found me dead in a lake is PAYING to keep me alive? out of his own pocket?" she thought feeling like a burden.

"I was just about ready to start selling off some of my things too. you are important to me. I don't really know why but something told me I couldn't just let you die. we only have two days’ worth of medical for strangers just because it is so expensive. anyways glad to see that my faith in you was well placed" he finished

"well now I feel like a sack of air... why go through all this for me?" she thought. she felt someone take her hoof.

"ok. let's try something. I’m going to ask some questions and I want you to squeeze my hoof ok? once for no twice for yes. squeeze twice of you are up to it ok?" he said sounding hopeful.

She weakly squeezed his hoof twice.

"good! let's get started then. are you in pain?"

two squeezes

"did someone hurt you?"

"nooooooo I just did all of this to myself" she thought and gave two squeezes.

"did you see who it was?" he asked

one squeeze

"can you feel everything?" he said as he touched each of her six limbs.

she almost screamed as his hoofs touched her wings and gave two very fast squeezes.

"sorry... ok, you can hear and feel correct?" he said calmly

two squeezes.

"can you smell at all? here try this." she heard something shift and felt something touch her nose. "can you smell that?"

she was still for a few moments. "A rose? where did he get a rose that quick in a hospital?" she thought and gave two squeezes.

"good. have you been having nightmares?" he questioned.

she gave two squeezes.

"ah... that explains a bit. tell you what, we have an experimental drug that hasn't been fully tested yet, we aren't sure if it is fully safe but it can give sleep without dreams. would you be interested?" he said.

"not fully safe? what is that supposed to mean?" she thought "well it would be nice to actually sleep for once... and I am pretty much dead as it is at the moment so it's not like it could really get worse" she gave two squeezes.

"ok. we'll start you on that tonight. for now I just want you to rest. sound good?"

she gave two squeezes.

Author's Note

sorry about the long delay on this one... meant to have it up a week ago but my grandmother died of a heart attack... here it is though! (editing may be shoddy because i edited it instead of my mother for the same reason as above)