Chapter Twenty-Three:
Realization Breakdown

	They were in a bathroom, one of the royal ones from the look of it. The tile was squeaky clean and all the chrome was shiny. Twilight found Applejack digging through a linen closet. When she turned around her arms were full with a First Aid box, a few rags, and towels. There was as desperate look on her face as she shuffled back, dropping everything into the pile. Twilight forced herself to sit up. The heavy weight on her stomach had been the Draconquus Bible. Applejack managed to grab it before they left the throne room. Twilight touched the book again, her eyes found the seeping wound on her arm. It seemed unreal to her because the pain was already gone, replaced with a cold numbness. The flesh all along the edge of the wound was starting to fester, the infection was moving fast. “Magic, that's how the infection moves so quickly.” Twilight said aloud as that was the answer to the question she'd been pondering for almost the entire night.
	“Oh god, you're awake.” Applejack gasped, nearing dropping a bus tub she was filling in the shower.
	“That's why some of the ponies change faster than the other and why some of them are stronger and more dangerous. It's the magic...” Twilight shook her head slowly.
	“That don't surprise me none at all.” Applejack set the tub down on the floor next to her. “Put your arm in the water. I'm gonna see if I can stop this infection with a little Earth Pony know how.” She took Twilight's hand and pushed it down into the water. It was hotter than she liked and it burned the moment it touched the wound. Twilight chewed at her bottom lips being good about controlling her building scream.
	“If it hurts, lemme know. We can talk about something to take your mind off of it.” Applejack went to work digging through the first aid kit, the first thing she laid out was some gauze and bandages. She picked up a small packet of antibiotic cream, tearing it open with her teeth, setting it aside. 
	“So...” Twilight grunted. “What did you do after you took the handcart?”
	“Oh yeah. Well I rode it all the way to the castle of course, but as you probably noticed the damn gate was closed. The only other door that lead anywhere was locked too.” Applejack lifted Twilight's arm out of the water, dabbing the wound with a damp cloth, trying to clean the jagged bits of flesh on the edge.
	Twilight winced and sucked in a gasp of air filling her cheeks, before exhaling slowly. It hurt so bad she had an overwhelming urge to pee. “Sorry...about...that. I locked it behind me.”
	“When I found Scootaloo's hard hat, I assumed that's what happened. But luckily when I bent down to pick it up, I found open ventilation hatch under the stairs. I thought what the hell and used it to get in.” Applejack pressed a dry rag against the wound, squeezing as tightly as she could hopefully slow the bleeding as much as possible.
	“That would have been so much safer...” Twilight grimaced trying to stay calm. “The maintenance tunnel was one of their quarantine zones. We ended up waking so many of those things.”
	“Oh...that was your handy work. Well, I thank you because they were so worked up, hooting and hollering that they didn't hear me moving around in the vent shaft. Might've been trouble otherwise.” Applejack pulled the towel away. “This is gonna hurt some.” Then she smeared the antibiotic cream into the wound.
	Twilight gasped and flexed as hard as she could. “Oh god....” Tears stung her eyes as she tried to keep from screaming. “It's funny, you can go through all this terrible stuff and still be a wimp when it comes to a little first aid.”
	“Don't I know it.” Applejack tried to smile it off, but Twilight knew she must feel terrible for causing her so much pain.
	“How did...you find me?” Twilight managed to sigh away the stinging pain, relaxing a bit. A throbbing starting in her head, from how hard she flexed.
	“When I was crawling around in the wall I found the security room. That's where I got that riot gun from. On the monitors I saw you and Luna were in some deep trouble so I thought I'd try and get to you.” Applejack folded the gauze up, pressing it against the wound, wrapping it a few times with the bandages, making sure to add pressure. “The craziest thing, I found this wall panel hanging open. It lead to this long hallway that lead right to the damn throne room if you can believe that.”
	“And the rest is history.” Twilight giggled leaning back against the tub, glad that the searing pain had finally subsided.
	“Now all we gotta figure out is how to read this damn thing and save all of Equestria.” Applejack's smile fell away and she sighed. “But first, I gotta know why you did it. Why did you jump between me and that Luna thing?”
	“Because...I couldn't bare the thought of losing you, not again.” Applejack lowered her eyes, her fingers playing along the folds in Twilight's cover all. “In fact the only thing that hurts worse then knowing I'm infected, is the thought that if we can't figure this out, then you're going to be all alone once I'm gone.”
	Applejack was quiet for a long time. Twilight could tell she was considering the situation. Her eyes moving slowly up the outer seam of Twilight's coveralls. The silence between them drug on for a long beat, before Applejack locked gazes with Twilight once again. “Well, then that settles it, Sugar Cube. If we truly can't find a way to beat this thing, then I'll stay right here so when you change, you'll bite me and then we can be together forever. Hell we might even be able to find all of our friends, ya know, get the gang back together.” There was a long pause in her speech. “I'm not the smartest pony, but for all we know this may just be another stage of evolution.”
	Twilight giggled, grabbing one of Applejack's tanktop strap pulling her close so they could rest their foreheads together. Applejack closed her eyes, her body quivered. Twilight just studied her face with wide searching eyes. Every detail from her freckles, to the way her eyelids curved. Even the new scars and scratches she gained tonight. Everything in the filly's face was etched in her mind. If the change was just another part of evolution, if there was something more after she transformed, then one of the memories she wanted to keep, was the memory of this beautiful pony. This pony who had been there with her through it all, putting Twilight's feelings, emotions, and safety above all else. This pony that sacrificed in the name of friendship. Applejack deserved to be a part of Twilight's memory, even if the old Twilight became a fleeting moment in her newly acquired consciousness, she needed Applejack to be there with her so she could carry on.
	There was a jump in Twilight's heart, the more she took in Applejack's face. “I'm glad you're here with me at the end of things. I would hate to have to go through this alone.”
	Applejack pushed Twilight's hair away from her forehead so she could plant soft kisses along her brow. “That's what friends are for, Sugar Cube.”
	Twilight let the words sink in for a long time, they played through her mind like a tiny symphony. It filled her with the same giddy feelings she use to have as a yearling. Before Twilight could stop herself, she traced a finger along Applejack's jawline to her chin, lifting her muzzle to Twilight's waiting lips. It was nothing more than a soft peck, It resembled the same grateful kiss they shared before in the throne room. This time they were afforded a few extra moments to explore the passion behind it. Twilight could feel her face flush bright red. When she pulled away, she saw Applejack's face was the same hue. Twilight pushing there foreheads and noses together, so they could both stare deeply in each others eyes. Neither of them blinked, searching the deepest recesses of their souls.
	Twilight whispered through trembling lips. “Friends will always be there when you need them to most.” It resonated deeply within her. Truer words have never been spoken.
	A voice echoed all around her, emanating from the very walls. The voice was familiar, but incredibly soft and placated. “Well, well Twilight Sparkle, I'm so proud of you, you've managed to figure out my little game after all, bravo.”