Them

She woke up with an irritation in her left eye. She tried rubbing it, but the eyepatch wouldn't let her.

"Oh, that's right." Rainbow Dash said. "How am I supposed to rub my eye when I don't have it?"

"Rainbow?"

She looked at the lower bed of the bunk bed and saw Applejack looking at her. Her mane was down and spread under her head over the pillow; a sight that was very common nowadays, but still a beautiful sight.

"Sorry, AJ. Did I woke you up?"

"No, Ah wasn't sleepin'. Ah just heard ya and wanted to check if ya was awaken or sleeptalkin'."

"It's just this darn eye. Or lack of one. It's stinging again!" she lied down on her bed again. "This sucks!"

"Ah'm sorry. If it wasn't for me--"

"Stop right there, AJ. I told you once, I told you twice, I told you many times: it WASN'T your fault!"

"But--"

"You were in danger, I saved you and unfortunately lost my eye, but you know what? I don't care! I lost my eye, big deal. But at least you're alive and ok. If I still had my eye, you wouldn't be here and I would probably be using it to cry of regret right now."

"Rainbow..."

"You're my best friend, AJ. I lost my eye for you, and I would gladly give up on a hoof, a leg, even a wing if it was for saving you. And you know how much I love my wings!"

Applejack smiled and wiped a tear of happiness. "Thanks, Rainbow. It's good to see yer still the same, even after everythin' we saw and did."

"Element of Loyalty, remember? And this eyepatch makes me look even cooler."

The former farm mare chuckled. "It sure does!"

"Thank you."

"No, thank YOU!"

"What for?"

"For bein' who ya are."

Rainbow didn't understand what she meant, but just shrugged and closer her eye.

"Now try to get some sleep. We need to wake up early. We have zombies to kill and ponies to protect."

"Darn tootin'!"

"Good night, AJ."

"Good night, RD."

"I love you." Applejack thought as she closed her eyes.

* * *

While she was sleeping, Applejack's mind wandered back to that day. The day she almost lost her friends and family. The day she almost died.

Applejack opened her eyes. She was back in her room in Sweet Apple Acres. Everything was peaceful and she tried going back to sleep, until...

"Applejack!" her brother called, opening the door of her room.

"Big Mac? What's goin' on?"

What's goin' on?

"We gotta get out of here!"

"Why?"

"Leave the questions for later, we don't have time. Go wake Apple Bloom. Ah'll wake up Granny!"

A few moments later, the Apple Family was up and ready to go, Apple Bloom on Big Mac's back, still half asleep. As they exited the house, all of them but Big Macintosh gasped.

"Ponyville is on fire!" Apple Bloom shouted, looking at the orange light coming from the town and the many smoke columns.

"It's a good time to start explainin', Big Mac." Applejack said.

"On the way there." he said, then started running toward Ponyville, followed by his sister and grandmother.

"Why are we goin' toward the fire?" Granny Smith asked, unable to look away from the burning town.

"The train station is our only way out that is not on hoof. Which is not a viable option right now!"

"Why not?"

"Why is Ponyville on fire?" Apple Bloom asked, tears rolling down her face.

"It's hard to explain. Some ponies are sick. They're not themselves anymore. They're attackin' other ponies. The fire is just a consequence."

"What do ya mean by 'sick'?" Applejack asked, fighting back her tears.

Big Macintosh opened his mouth but before he could speak, they heard a scream. The Apple Family looked toward the source of the scream; a maroon mare running, two stallions chasing her. They had no mane and no Cutie Mark. They were growling and drooling while chasing her.

"HELP ME!" she screamed.

"Miss Cheerilee!" Apple Bloom called.

Big Macintosh placed Apple Bloom on Applejack's back and ran to Cheerilee's aid. The teacher mare tripped on the root of a tree and fell. She looked back and saw the stallions getting closer. Knowing what was coming next, she closed her eyes... but nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Big Macintosh standing in front of her, offering his hoof to help her up. The stallions were lying on the ground behind him.

"Bi-Big Mac..."

"Are ya ok?"

"I think so." she grabbed his hoof and got up, but as soon as she touched the ground with her injuried hoof she fell, but Applejack held her, preventing her from hitting the ground. "Or maybe not... I think I sprained my hoof..."

Big Mac wrapped her hoof around his neck. "Sweet Apple Acres is right there. Ah'll put somethin' on yer hoof. Applejack, Granny Smith, ya go ahead. Ah'll catch up with ya later. And don't, Ah repeat, DON'T go near ponies like those stallions Ah just knocked out. If one of them attack ya, run. If it catch up, don't let it bite ya!"

Applejack nodded and ran away, followed by Granny Smith. Big Mac and Cheerilee returned to Sweet Apple Acres. When they arrived in Ponyville, Apple Bloom buried her face in Applejack's mane. She didn't wanted to see what happened to her loved hometown. Granny Smith, even with her usual calm stance, was dying on the inside.

"Ah saw this town rise." she said. "Never thought Ah'd live long anough to see it die too."

"Applejack!" somepony called.

The farm mare looked around and saw Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner's door, pointing her hoof at inside the bakery. She understood what her friend wanted and nodded before running at full speed toward the building. Once all of the Apples were inside, Pinkie Pie closed the door.

"What happened, Pinike?"

"I don't know. I woke up a few minutes ago with Mr. and Mrs. Cake screaming. When I came down there was nopony here and the door was open. I was going to close it when I saw this... Madness!"

"Do ya think they fled?"

"No way! Pound and Pumpkin are still upstairs, sleeping. They wouldn't leave their foals behind. I... I think something happened to them." Pinkie Pie closed her eyes as tears started escaping from them. Applejack hugger her.

"We gotta get out of here, Pinkie. It's not safe. The flames could reach Sugarcube Corner. We're headin' toward the train station. Accordin' to Big Mac, it's the only way out of this nightmare!"

Pinkie Pie wiped her tears, nodded and ran upstairs. She came down a few moments ago with her saddlebags, the Cake twins sleeping in them. "Okie Dokie Lokie! Let's go."

Applejack opened the door and the three mares ran down the street, but there were ponies with no mane blocking the way. The looked at the mares and ran toward them, screaming and growling.

"Ah think we should run." Granny Smith said.

"Hooves around mah neck, Apple Bloom!"

The filly didn't thought twice before hugging her sister as tight as she could. Applejack , Granny and Pinkie ran as fast as they could, maybe even faster than that. Until the elder mare slipped on a puddle of a blood. She tried getting up, but the ponies were faster and jumped on her.

"GRANNY SMITH!" the three mares shouted.

"Run away!" Granny Smith shouted, trying to keep the sick ponies off her.

"A-Ah can't leave you behind!" Applejack said.

One of the ponies noticed them and ran toward them.

"Go!" the elder shouted before a pony sank his teeth in her throat, silencing her.

Applejack didn't wanted to, but her hooves moved on their own accord, taking her away from her loved grandmother. The shouting and running woke up the twins, who were crying.

"Don't worry, little ones." Pinkie Pie said. "Auntie Pinkie is here. She won't let anything happen to you!"

Suddenly more of them appeared. They were surrounded.

"Pinkie..."

"Yes, AJ?"

She placed Apple Bloom on Pinkie's back.

"Applejack, no." the filly said, knowing what her sister was up to. "Don't do that."

"That's Carrot Top's house." she pointed her hoof at a house with the door open, ignoring her begging sister. "Ah've been in there before. It has a backdoor. Ah want ya to go through there, then straight to the train station, do ya understand?"

"Yes, but what about you?"

"Ah'll keep 'em busy!"

The ponies were getting closer. Applejack pushed the pink mare through the door. "Ah love ya, Apple Bloom."

"Ah love ya too, sis. So much!"

"See you later." Pinkie said.

"Assuming that Ah'll--"

"I said," Pinkie interrupted her. "'see you later'."

Applejack smiled, nodded and closed the door. She turned around and saw them getting closer. And closer. And farther. And farther.

"Are you ok?"

She finally noticed she wasn't on the ground anymore. She looked up and her green eyes met a pair of magenta eyes looking down at her.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Guess I just saved your rump!"

"Sure did! Thanks."

"Have you seen Pinkie anywhere? Now that I found you, she's the only one left."

"So the others are fine? Whew, what a relief! Pinkie and I just parted ways. She is on her way to the train station."

"Where's Apple Bloom?" a third voice asked. Applejack finally noticed Scootaloo on Rainbow Dash's back.

"Oh, hi, Scootaloo!" Didn't see ya there. She's fine, she's with Pinkie and the Cake twins."

"Right!" Dash said. "So now, all we gotta do is head to the train sta--"

She was interrupted by something exploding in the house beneath them, maybe a gas cylinder. The explosion sent pieces of the roof flying at them. Rainbow Dash screamed in pain.

"Rainbow Dash, are you ok?" Scootaloo shouted.

She lost control over her wings and the three ponies fell on the street. Applejack got up and went to check if Rainbow was fine. She was still lying on the ground, covering her left eye with her hoof.

"What happened? Are you ok?"

"Something in my eye. Ow!" she got up, still covering her eye. "But that's nothing. Let's go!"

Scootaloo climbed on Rainbow Dash's back and the two mares ran toward the train station in the end of the street.

"She's running instead of walking." Applejack thought. "She's not ok."

Once they arrived at the train station, fortunately the train was still there. Ponies were protecting it with whatever they could; iron bars, rocks, knives, magic... There were even a few Royal Guards helping them.

"Mares and foals first!" one of the guards said, looking at them and pointing his spear at the train.

Applejack nodded and they entered the train. It wasn't crowded, but there was a good number of ponies in there. A filly tackle-hugged Applejack.

"Ya made it!" Apple Bloom said.

"Sure did. Looks like Pinkie protected ya very well."

"Yes. One of those things blocked our way, but then she grabbed her Party Cannon and BOOM!"

"Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo said, jumping down from Rainbow Dash's back.

"Scootaloo!"

They happily hugged each other.

"Where's Sweetie Belle?"

"Right there, with Rarity."

They joined their friends. This time it was Pinkie Pie's turn to tackle-hug Applejack.

"You did it, you did it, you did it!"

"Well, it was you who said 'see you later'."

"Heheh. Yes, it was me!"

Applejack looked at her friends. Rarity was cradling Pound Cake, Fluttershy was cradling Pumpkin Cake and Twilight was petting the asleep Spike.

"Ah'm glad y'all are here." she said.

Twilight gasped. "What happened to your eye, Rainbow Dash?!"

Everypony looked at the cyan pegasus, whose closed eye was bleeding.

"A house exploded, something hit my eye and now I'm half-blind." she said matter-of-factly.

"How can you stay so calm when you're like that, darling?" Rarity asked.

"It's not like I'm completely blind. I still have a good eye!"

"Ah'm sorry, Rainbow. It's my fault."

"Relax, AJ. I don't blame you!"

"A-Applejack..." Fluttershy called in her usual almost-whispering tone. "I-If you don't mind me asking, where's Winona?"

Applejack looked around. She saw Owlowiscious, Opal, Gummy, Tank and even Angel Bunny. She gasped. "A-Ah left her in Sweet Apple Acres!"

They all heard a bark. They all looked at the door and saw Cheerilee and Big Mac, Winona between them.

"Look who I found!" the teacher said, smiling.

The dog barked again and ran toward her owner, who hugger her.

"Ah'm sorry, girl! Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry, so sorry!"

Rarity levitated a piece of cloth from her saddlebag and wrapped it around Rainbow Dash's head, covering her injuried eye.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Much better. Thanks, Rare!"

A few moments later, all the stallions had entered the train. Soon the train started moving.

"Next stop, Canterlot!" Twilight said.