"I think it was over here."
"Naw, it was farther this way."
"I think it was closer to the trees."
"How 'bout we form a line starting over thar. Scootaloo, ya'll get over by the trees, but not too close. Sweetie Belle, get over thar on the other side of meh. We'll walk along the edge of the forest, that way we'll spot whatever it is easiest."
"Yay! Cutie Mark Crusaders Search and Rescue!" One of them cheered loudly.
It was quiet for a moment, then, "Look, over there!"
The voices were much closer now. He could hear soft footsteps on the grassy ground.
"I see it!"
"Celestia!" Cried one of them, "It's a filly!"
Harry tried to move his head, but it was just too much effort.
The voices were right on top of him. "Oh, Celestia," one of them half-whispered, "She looks terribly beat up."
A third voice said quietly, "Is she dead?"
Harry struggled to move his head.
"Her ear moved!" The first voice said excitedly.
"She's alive!" Said the third voice at the same time. "You can see the grass by her muzzle movin'!"
"Look at the blood on her pants, she's hurt bad! We need to get her to the hospital, fast!" Said the second voice. "I'll go get my sister!"
"Wait Apple Bloom! I got an idea!"
"Well, hurry up Scootaloo, what is it?"
They were so excited they were talking over each other.
"I can go faster than your sister can carry her. I'll get my scooter and cart and we can carry her there that way."
"Well, what are yeh waitin' fer? Get a move on!" Apple Bloom ordered.
Harry heard the sounds of two people running away. Breathe in, breathe out, not too fast, not too slow.
"What should we do?" asked the second voice timorously.
"Use your healing spells?"
"I'm not sure they'll help. I mean they're fine for small cuts and such, but for these . . . ," said the other voice. "I'm not good yet."
"Anythin' is better than nothin', AJ always says," came the quick reply. "Start with those cuts on her face."
Spells? Harry thought. Was he dreaming?
A warmness seemed to wrap around his head and a bit of the pain in his face went away. He hadn't even realized his face hurt that bad until the pain lessened.
"Do ya think it helped?"
"Well, it didn't hurt."
"What are those strange clothes she's wearing? They look more like rags!"
"Less fashion talk and more healin'."
"Alright, alright."
"Try each leg separately," Apple Bloom suggested.
He could hear something coming towards them, a clanking, rattling series of sounds accompanied by a flapping, almost buzzing sound. What a strange noise for a motor to make.
"What took ya so long, Scootaloo?"
"Hey, I ran as fast as I could!"
"Park it here beside her. I think we can get her into it if we work at it."
He could hear them walking around him. It sounded like six people, but he only heard three talking.
"Sweetie Belle, do ya think ya can lift her?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Uh-uh. As small as she is she's still too big for me."
"Uh, how about you lift her head and Scoots and I'll lift the rest of her?"
"Maybe," was the uncertain reply.
"Scootaloo, grab her belt. I'll grab her blouse. Sweetie Belle, try to keep her head up."
"Eww. Her pants smell like pee."
Apple Bloom said, "Scootaloo, there ain't exactly any toilets out here, and she isn't in any condition to use one anyway. If'n it bothers you that much, I'll do it."
Harry felt something grab the back of his collar and lift at the same time something warm wrapped around his head. As Scootaloo lifted him by his belt he could hear a constant mumbled, "Eww, eww, eww." He couldn't really hear anything more as waves of pain wracked his body. Breathe in, breathe out, not too fast, not too slow.
It felt like forever, a forever of constant pain, until the three girls finished manhandling him into some type of wagon. They folded his arms and legs to get him to fit lying down on his side. Which was weird, he would have thought they would have placed him on his back. He had tried to open his eyes, but all he could see was the side of the cart. He gave up on that rather quickly, it hurt too much.
"Hey, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said after they placed him in the wagon. "Maybe you should tell your sister what we found. We got ta go right by the house, so why don't you see if you can find her and we'll meet you there?"
"Right!" came the quick answer, followed by the distinct sounds of a horse running off.
"Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo continued, "try to keep her head from bouncing around."
"Okay."
The next few minutes brought more pain for Harry. And a bit puzzling. He couldn't figure out what was moving this wagon. That flapping-almost-buzzing sound wasn't anything like any motor he had even heard before. He didn't think about that too much as the cart bouncing as Scootaloo dragged it across the field introduced a few new bruises and tortured him with the bruises he already had. All he could do was concentrate on breathing.
Fortunately, Sweetie Belle did manage to keep his head from beating the wagon's floor like it was a drum and his head the drumstick. Although, he wasn't sure how she managed to do it as he didn't feel anyone's hands or a blanket cushioning him. He did hear the hoof beats of a horse beside him though. For some reason he smelled apples.
Apple Bloom had found her sister, apparently, for when they stopped, some time later, he heard a woman's voice say, "Celestia! Ya'll're right, she is a real mess!"
"Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, yeh take her on to the hospital. Apple Bloom is going to show me and Big Mac where ya found her. She might have had someone with her who didn't make it out of the forest. Now git!"