Rainbow slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. She squinted when she saw everything was a bright white. She forced her eyes open fully again, against her body's wishes. Everything around her slowly started to take colour and shape as her eyes adjusted. But nothing seemed to be staying in the same place, as soon as she focused on something it would disappear. She kept seeing the colours green and brown, but couldn't seem to place them. Rainbow tried to open her mouth to speak but the simple action sent pain coursing though her body. Rainbow tried again, and her efforts were rewarded with even more pain. Rainbow gave up on trying to talk and decided to see if she would be able to move any of her legs. She was about to try to lift one of her forelegs up when her whole body lifted a few millimetres off the ground and landed back down. When rainbow landed, it felt like she had been hit by a bucking cart. Rainbow opened her mouth and tried to scream ignoring the fact it brought even more pain. She screamed as loudly as she could, which ended up being no more than an barley audial moan. Even so, the soft moan brought the attention of five certain ponies.
Applejack stopped pulling the cart and looked at Rarity. "Was that Rainbow?"
Rarity jumped to Rainbows side as Applejack struggled to uncouple herself from the cart she had been pulling.
"Is she awake?" Applejack called as she fumbled to release the buckles holding her to the cart.
Rainbow saw a blurred image of a white face. 'I must be dead.' Ranibow thought. 'No pony is that white. It must be a ghost.'
But then Rainbow started making out another colour, purple. It looked vaguely familiar. 'Some clothes I saw? No. Some of Rarity's gems? No. Twilight! No, too dark. Somepony's mane or tail? N... Rarity!' Rainbow tried to smile, but ended up grimacing at the pain it brought with it.
"She's awake!" Rarity yelled, suddenly overcome by excitement.
Applejack managed to get the last buckle undone and ran back to see Rainbow struggling to keep her eyes open. "Can she talk yet?" Applejack asked.
"I don't think so. I haven't heard her make any sounds, aside from that groan before." Rarity replied.
The three filly's joined them now.
"Is she awake?" Applebloom asked.
"Has she talked yet?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Is my sister okay?!" Scootaloo yelled pushing past her friends.
She jumped over Applebloom's head and landed in front of the cart. She placed her forelegs on the side of the cart so she was standing on her hind legs. Scootaloo looked down at her sisters almost lifeless body. Scootaloo slowly started to stroke her sisters mane.
"You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay." Scootaloo kept repeating as she stroked her sister's mane.
"That feels good." Rainbow muttered, despite the pain.
Scootaloo stopped and looked stared at her sister, not moving.
"I don't remember saying to stop." Rainbow said weakly.
Scootaloo started smiling and went back to stroking Rainbow's mane.
The two ponies stayed like that for about half an hour before Applejack interrupted.
"Sorry girls, but I think it might be best if we keep moving." She said coupling herself back up to the cart.
"Can I stay with my sister?" Asked Scootaloo hopefully.
Applejack frowned and though for a moment. "Sure, why not? Now that Rainbow is awake, I'm sure that she would love some company." Applejack replied.
Scootaloo smiled brightly and bounced up into the cart, careful not to land on Rainbow. Scootaloo sat down next to her sister and began stroking Rainbow's mane again.
The six ponies continued in silence for a while until Applejack tried to raise everybody's spirits. "Why don't we play a game?"
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle seemed happy to play a game while Rarity remained impassive.
"Whatcha wanna play Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, hoping to get Scootaloo's mind off Rainbow.
Scootaloo continued petting Rainbow's mane.
"Scootaloo!" Applebloom called louder.
Scootaloo jumped slightly and looked at Applebloom. "Sorry, what was that?" She asked, still a bit confused.
"Ah just asked whatcha wanna play." Applebloom responded.
Scootaloo looked back now at her sister and sighed. "I'm fine. You can play something with Sweetie if you want."
Applebloom looked at Scootaloo in worry. 'She hasn't left her side since she woke up.' Applebloom thought to herself as she walked a bit faster to become level with her sister.
"Hey Applejack?" Applebloom asked.
"What is it sugar cube?" Applejack asked kindly, turning to face her sister.
"Are we the only ones alive?" She asked softly, tears swelling in her eyes as she thought of what might of happened to her friends.
Applejack stopped walking and faced her little sister properly. Rarity turned back to see why Applejack had stopped and felt her own eyes swelling as she overheard what Applejack was saying.
"Yes, I think so." She replied staring back at her sister.
Tears started flowing freely down Rarity's cheeks as she heard her friends honesty. She closed her eyes and pictured all her lost friends.
Applebloom looked down and began crying. Sweetie Belle saw this and ran over to see what had happened but Rarity stopped her before she could get to her.
"Let me go." Sweetie Belle squeaked as she struggled to escape Rarity's grip. "Something's happened to Applebloom!"
Rarity turned her sister so that Sweetie was facing her. Sweetie stopped struggling as soon as she saw the tears on Rarity's face. Before Sweetie could say anything, Rarity brought her closer for a tight embrace. Sweetie Belle started crying straight away and clutched Rarity tighter.
Scootaloo looked up from Rainbow towards her friends. She watched and listened to what Applejack was saying intently.
"Applebloom ah know it's hard, buts that's just the truth." Applejack said, looking down at her sister.
"It's not true!" Applebloom screamed as she threw herself into her older sister.
Applejack easily caught her sister and held her there as she began crying uncontrollably.
"You have to stay strong." Croaked a voice from behind. "Not just for yourself, but for your friends as well. They need you, more than ever now. Especially Scootaloo. We've all been though so much, but we have to stay strong. We can't afford to fall apart now. All our friends are gone, all that we know is gone, all that we love is gone. But we still have each other. We still hold the love that we share for each other. Our friends might be gone, they might not, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we keep moving forward and that we hold them in our hearts forever, and never forget them. So long as we remember them, they will always be here with us. In here." Rainbow said touching her hoof to Scootaloo's heart.
Everypony's eyes were glued on Rainbow as she said this. Nopony had expected Rainbow to be awake, let alone stand up and give a speech. Rainbow stepped out of the cart on shaky legs and slowly walked towards Applejack. Applejack was speechless as Rainbow walked towards her and whispered in her ear.
"They need you Applejack." Rainbow said, barely above a whisper. "Now more than ever. You need to be there for them. I won't be able to be there until I'm healed, so until then it will be up to you." Rainbows voice got softer and softer as she spoke, until what she was saying was barely audible. As Rainbow finished she collapsed, falling against Applejack who promptly dropped Applebloom to catch her. Rarity ran over to help as Applejack gently laid Rainbow onto the ground.
"What happened? Is she okay?" Rarity asked worriedly.
"She's fine." Applejack responded not taking her eyes off Rainbow's sleeping form.
One Week Later
It was nearing nightfall and the sun was setting over a large snowy mountain, which would of looked beautiful if they could see it. The group of survivors were still walking though the Everfree forest, which blocked any view of the setting sun. In fact, the forest was almost pitch black even though the sun was just setting. The trees blocked most of the remaining sunlight and cast large knife like shadows across the forest floor.
Rainbow was limping beside Applejack as she refused to sit in the cart. They were still traveling though what seemed like an endless forest. They had surprisingly hadn't come across any dangerous animals or plants besides a patch of Poison Joke, which they narrowly avoided.
"How's your wings RD?" Applejack asked, hoping for good news.
Rainbow flexed her wings slightly and yelped in pain as a loud crack ran out though the forest.
"Sweet Celestia, are you okay there Rainbow?" Applejack asked, thinking Rainbow had broken her wing again.
Rainbow was shaking slightly as she pointed towards a section of the forest. Applejack followed her foreleg and saw what had got Rainbow so worried. A pair of light green eyes stared back at her though the darkness.