Spike woke them both by covering their mouths. Pinkie mumbled a bit before Spike turned grey to camouflage them. What looked like a very distressed Fluttershy, covered in blood, was flying up to the cave. A closer look confirmed their thoughts.
Fluttershy was the real thing, not a gory pelt. She looked terrible, though, and looked nearly as impoverished and skinny as Rainbine. Her eyes looked insanely bloodshot, their usual blue turned thirty thousand shades deeper. She coughed up a gob of blood on the ground as she landed, shaking profusely. She collapsed weakly in a heap, her breathing shallow and pained.
"Fluttershy!" yelled Spike, leaping up. "What did Rainbine do to you?"
She choked and sputtered as she spoke: "R...Rainbine…is near-r-r" she coughed.
"Fluttershy! Hang on! It'll all be fine, it'll all be fine…" cooed Spike, kneeling by her side. Pinkie and Rarity tiptoed up, kneeling by Spike.
"You…you need to run. Run!" hacked Fluttershy.
Spike looked out into the distance. A black dot was growing larger against the moon. Spike barked orders quickly. "On my back. Go! GO! Fluttershy, we'll take care of you, but you need to come with us. Alright? Come on, guys. Help her on my back. I can camouflage us, but we need to be fast. Quickly!"
They were slithering away on Spike's back within seconds. He was loose and sinewy on the ground, winding his way around and over obstacles with lithe, inaudible, snakelike grace. They were far away from the little valley in seconds. Not only was Spike the most impressive person either conscious pony knew, he was also the fastest.
Fluttershy was losing blood. Her leg bore a massive cut all the way down its length, and bone was sticking out in many places, fractured and splintering. Spike stopped in a rocky divot and dropped off the three ponies. He slithered away to find some vines and leaves to bind Fluttershy's injured leg while Fluttershy gradually gained consciousness.
"Guys…why-y," sputtered Fluttershy, trying to support herself on her front legs.
"Shhh… It'll all be fine, sweetheart. Rest. Shhh…" whispered Rarity, stroking her hair and gently pushing her back down. Fluttershy didn't argue, and closed her eyes. Her breathing was still shallow, but it slowed as she fell asleep. Spike returned shortly with a bundle of vines and a stack of large, flat leaves. Pinkie and Rarity began wrapping her legs in the massive leaves. Rarity's tailoring skills became essential as she knotted the vines.
"Rarity, I don't really think fashion is essential at the moment…" said Pinkie, staring at the gorgeous and elaborate bow she had knotted.
"Darling, fashion is the reason I was put on this earth. Besides, those knots are entirely indestructible."
Pinkie rolled her eyes. (Then she had Rarity put her hair up; it had been wrapping around her legs).
Pinkie and Rarity lay beside Fluttershy and Spike wrapped his wings around them and camouflaged them. They fell into an uncomfortable doze, their heads resting on rocks and their backs being stabbed by more. Also, the thought of Rainbine finding them was imminent and frightening.