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THE ROYAL APPLES - Part XV

Twilight carefully mixed several grams of tea leaves into the catalyst. As she watched, the liquid in the beaker changed color from green to dark red. She then poured the contents into a test tube which she capped and placed in a small centrifuge. She spun the device with her magic, setting the spell so it would run for about thirty minutes.

A small clock at the far end of the thaumatorium reminding her it was well past midnight. She was tired, having stayed awake reading all last night. However, Spike's concerns about the 'crystal tea,' as he'd called it, combined with the message she'd received from Princess Celestia only a matter of hours ago had her so wound up she couldn't have slept even if she wanted to.

Trotting upstairs, she went into the kitchen and opened the ice box. She pulled out the other half of a spinach and dandelion sandwich Spike had made for her earlier and poured herself a small glass of pomegranate juice. She returned to the library and removed half-a-dozen books which floated over to a nearby table. They were all on the subject of gems and crystals and she began rapidly skimming through them as she nibbled. When she finished eating, she returned to the thaumatorium just as the centrifuge came to a stop. Twilight removed the test tube and examined it. The liquid had become clear and she could now see a small collection of what looked like black grains of sand sitting on the bottom.

She carefully poured the liquid through a cloth strainer, then placed the grains on a slide and put it under her microscope. On close examination she realized that the 'sand' was actually minute shards of black crystal. A light suddenly went on in her mind and she galloped back to the library, hurling aside the previous books she'd been studying and replacing them with a copy of A Complete History of the Crystal Empire.

As the heavy book slammed down on the table it woke up Spike. The bleary-eyed dragon came out of the second floor bedroom and glared down on Twilight. "Did you just set off another bomb?" he asked sarcastically."

"Sorry, Spike... I didn't mean to wake you, but I think I'm on the verge of finding out what that black powder you found in the tea was."

"I thought it had all dissolved?" said the dragon, now awake and unable to immediately go back to sleep."

"Not quite. I was able to isolate some of the trace residue that stuck to the tea leaves, then modified and distilled it into a form which, with the right reactive agents, converted it from a liquid back to its original solid, molecular form."

"Could you speak Equestrian, please?" asked Spike.

"Uh... I used alchemy to restore the black powder you found. Turns out you were right, it is crystal; shadow crystal."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen it before. Remember our first trip to the Crystal Empire and how my brother's horn was infected by a black crystal?"

"Yes."

"Well... that was shadow crystal, or at least a variation of it. It's not much different from what you found in the tea canister.

"That's amazing," the dragon replied. "Do you think it will help Lady Starlight?"

"I don't know," the alicorn said. She flipped through several pages of the book, checked the index, and then turned to the table of contents. When she found the section she wanted, she quickly read through the tome. "Here it is!"

"What does it say?"

Twilight began reading aloud. "Among the many curses King Sombra brought to this land the most devastating was the Clouded Heart. Ponies afflicted with this ailment would slowly bleed to death after being forced to swallow a poison made from a crystal grown from the horn of the Shadow King himself. There was no known antidote and the ability to create the poison vanished with Sombra following his battle with the Eternal Princesses."

"No antidote? Twilight, I tasted some of that powder. Does that mean I'm going to die?"

"No Spike. Dragons have a natural immunity to poisons, even magical ones, thanks to their fire. That belch you gave off was you expelling the poison from your system, and your bellyache was caused by the backpressure from your fire. You have nothing to worry about, but Lady Starlight and Big Mac do."

Twilight bookmarked the page and returned to the thaumatorium. Grabbing up a saddlebag, she packed a number of instruments along with her notebook, several samples, and a couple of carefully selected chemical compounds. She then stopped in the library where she collected several books along with some scrolls, pens and ink and packed them as well.

"Where are you going?" Spike asked.

"I think I know who might be able to help me with a cure, but before I visit her I need to stop by Applejack's and see how her brother is doing."

Spike looked over at the clock. "Kinda early for a visit,' he observed.

The alicorn just smiled. "They're farmers. They'll probably be up and having breakfast before I get there."

"Well, if you need me for anything, I'll be in my basket asleep," the dragon responded tiredly. He trotted upstairs as quickly as his small feet could carry him.

As expected, the lights of the farmhouse were already on when Twilight reached the gate. She noticed one of the local deputies casually standing watch not too far from the entrance, but being a princess had its privileges and she was able to trot past him without the slightest challenge, aside from a respectful bow on his part.

She spread her wings and launched into a graceful glide down the hill, landing in front of the house without even raising a cloud of dust. It still wasn't easy to fly, but she was slowly mastering the basics. The alicorn went up onto the porch and knocked on the door.

"Ah swear," came a very irritated voice," if this is another one o' them somnambular reporter types, Ah'm gonna buck him all the way back ta Canterlot." The door opened to see a somewhat irritated Applejack. She brightened instantly upon seeing her friend. "Mornin' sugar cube. What gets y'all out and about so early?"

"I came by to see how Big Macintosh was doing."

The farm pony pushed back her hat and scratched her mane. "Mac? Why in tarnation would y'all be worried about Mac?" It was obvious to Twilight that Applejack was trying to side-saddle around the question. The Apples were such honest folk that dodging the truth was difficult for them.

"You know Shadow Starlight. Well, she's extremely ill at the moment and since your brother has been spending a lot of time with her, studying, I thought he might be able to shed some light on what may have made her sick."

Applejack studied the alicorn for a moment, then cut straight to the truth, concern in her voice. "Y'all are worried that he's caught whatever she has, ain't ya?" She stole a glance towards the kitchen were Applebloom and Granny Smith were preparing to carry plates out to the large table outside. She lowered her voice so only Twilight heard. "It ain't contagious, is it?"

"No," the alicorn replied, "but it is virulent. Has Big Mac been feeling alright?"

Applejack came outside on the porch with Twilight and closed the door, then led her over to the side of the house. "Actually, the last few days the big lug's been keepin' somethin' ta himself, until last night that is when he admitted he weren't feeling so good. Granny marched him down ta the hollow and made him soak there fer a while."

"What's the hollow?"

"Can y'all keep a secret?" the farm pony asked. She smiled when she saw Twilight's deadpan expression. "Well, back round that hill is a kind o' hot, mud spring that only the family knows about. Most o' the time, when one o' us ain't feelin' too frisky, a quick dunk in the mud'll whip us right inta shape."

"Interesting," said the alicorn. "I remember Dr. Stable once telling me that the Apples were the healthiest family in Ponyville. That could explain it."

Applejack grinned. "Pa once told me there was a bit o' magic about the place that only worked on earth ponies."

As they rounded the house, Twilight could see a pair of spruce trees with a hammock stretched between them. A large, heavy form lay in the hammock. "You had him sleep outside?"

"Had to. Covered in mud the way he is it woulda made a mess out of the house." The farm pony stepped up to the hammock and shook it gently. "Rise and shine Big Brother. We're burnin' daylight."

There was a muffled yawn, a stretch and the form rolled over, still covered from head to hoof with the blanket. Applejack responded by grabbing the blanket with her teeth and pulling on it. It moved about an inch, then snagged on something and began tearing. "What in tarnation...?"

Twilight used her magic to lift, rather than pull the blanket off Big Mac. What the two ponies saw in the dim light of the pre-dawn made them stare with their mouths open in shock. The red furred stallion was covered from head to hoof in mud and small, sharp, black crystal shards.

Big Mac looked up groggily at his sister, standing above him. "What's wrong? Is my mane all frizzy again?" He rolled out of the hammock, then staggered dizzily and went down on his knees.

"OOF!"

Applejack was immediately by his side. She raised a hoof to his face and felt along his forehead and cheek. "Feels like he's got a fever."

He looked up at his sister and snorted. "Dunkin' me in the mud last night worked well enough for a while, but right about now Ah'm feelin'... unsettled.

"What in tarnation does that mean?"

"Small headache, small stomachache, dizzy, tired... Ah mean really tired, and its hard ta take a really, really deep breath without starting ta cough."

Twilight looked closely at some of the shards protruding from the stallion's neck. "Except for their uniform length and distribution, these look almost exactly like the crystals that were growing from Shining Armor's horn after he was attacked by King Sombra." She gently grasped one with her magic and tugged. It wiggled a bit like a loose tooth, then abruptly popped out, leaving a small, bloody pock mark behind.

Big Mac grimaced, but said nothing.

"This isn't anything like Shadow Starlight's symptoms," the alicorn observed studying the shard

"Lady Starlight is sick?" asked the stallion.

Twilight nodded. "I had a letter from Princess Celestia last night saying that she was in the hospital with something that resembled cancer."

"Tain't possible," Big Mac asserted. "The day Princess Luna proposed she was up and about as if nothin' in the world bothered her... except ma accent."

"She didn't start showing any signs until the day after. By that evening she collapsed." Twilight abruptly stopped talking and looked over at the stallion. "Wait a second... What was that about Princess Luna proposing?"

"Honestly, Twi...," said Applejack, Ya ought ta get out o' that library more and pay attention ta the world. Luna and Big Mac are going ta get hitched."

The alicorn broke out into a wide grin. "I guess congratulations are in order, or will be once I can solve this whole mystery illness thing."

The farmer looked over at Twilight. "Ya know, now that ya mention it, Lady Starlight got sick the same time Ah started feelin a mite poorly. Y'all don't suppose I gave her something."

"If it's what I think it is, then no, you didn't," she replied. Twilight wrapped the small crystal she'd removed from the stallion in a handkerchief from her saddlebag. She then looked at Applejack. I'm going to stop by Zecora's and ask her to take a look at your brother. With her knowledge of herbs, plants and cures she might be able to help."

"And what are you going to do?" the palomino pony asked.

"I'm going to Canterlot and check with Celestia and the doctors at the hospital. I'm also going to send one of the royal sky chariots to pick up Big Mac and take him to the hospital. The doctors treating Lady Starlight will need to examine him as well."

"But what if Ah don't want ta go ta no hospital?" asked the stallion, stubbornly.

"Then consider it a royal command! I'll see you there later..." There was a sudden flash of energy and the lavender alicorn vanished.

The two farm ponies looked at each other and shrugged. "Come on, Big Brother. Might as well dunk ya back in the hollow 'til Zecora gets here." She helped a somewhat unsteady Big Mac to his hooves and guided him in the direction of the mud springs.

**********

"With all due respect... your highness... your area of expertise is magic, not medicine," insisted Dr. Goldleaf.

"Which is exactly why I should be present when you examine the biopsy of Lady Starlight's 'cancer,'" Twilight explained. "If I'm right, I think I may be able to help steer you towards a cure."

"I don't see what harm there is in letting her look," Dr. Bluestar said. "As I pointed out before, the cancer seems to be traveling along our patient's chi path, which is magical. She might be able to give us an insight or two that would be useful."

The two stallions discussed it back and forth for several minutes before coming to a consensus. "Very well, Princess Twilight, you may indeed join us in the lab to examine the biopsy results," Goldleaf conceded. "But remember, strict medical protocols must be observed at all times." The alicorn nodded, then followed the two medicos down into the basement of Canterlot Hospital. Donning sterile garb, the three ponies went into one of the labs and called for an assistant. Within moments, they were taking turns looking thought a standard medical microscope at a series of slides.

"It's just as I explained. The cancerous tissue is spreading rapidly though Lady Starlight's body interfering with the normal function of her organs and chi path. Nothing we've been able to do has slowed its progress."

Twilight glanced through the microscope and adjusted the lens. "Is this the most powerful microscope you have?"

"It the most powerful one available anywhere," Dr. Bluestar explained.

The alicorn nodded then called for the lab assistant to bring two more identical microscopes over and place all three side by side. She had the doctors remove the biopsy sample from their microscope. As they watched, Twilight's horn began glowing. A violet aura surrounded all three devices.

"Your highness... what are you doing?" Goldleaf asked.

"I've put a spell on the microscopes that will increase their magnification by about fifty time their present ability. Don't worry, the spell's temporary and won't last more than a couple of hours. The Alicorn then took out a small test tube, uncapped it and carefully placed some of the dust on a slide. She then used a mortar and pestle to grind up the shard she'd removed from Big Mac and placed a small sample of it under the third microscope. She then had Dr. Bluestar replace the original biopsy under the first one. She quickly checked each, then backed away.

"Would you please look at each slide and tell me what you see?"

The two doctors quickly examined the slides, moving from one to another, then back again. They looked again, then started talking in whispers back and forth. They called the lab assistant over, had her look and got her opinion.

"By Celestia... they're all crystalline, and they're all the same," said Dr. Goldleaf.

Dr. Bluestar joined in quickly. "... Which means that Lady Starlight doesn't have cancer... or at least not a form we've seen before. Where in Equestria did you get the other two samples?"

"One is from a patient who will be arriving sometime this afternoon from Ponyville. The other I extracted from some tea leaves which were imbued with that same crystal. Both patients happened to share the pot of tea in which these leaves were used."

The two doctors looked at each other then back at Twilight. "Wait... are you hinting that they were... poisoned? No WONDER our treatments wouldn't work."

"To be honest, I don't think anything you have would work. You're dealing with something called shadow crystal, and it hasn't been seen for almost a thousand years."

"Then where does it come from and how do we deal with it?"

"That's is what we have to find out," said Twilight.

**********

It was just after three in the afternoon when the sky chariot landed in front of Canterlot Hospital. Twilight, Drs. Goldleaf and Bluestar and a number of orderlies were on hand to meet it. Three figures dismounted from the carriage. One was a large, red-furred stallion who had to be supported by several of the orderlies as he was walked into the facility. He was covered by a blanket and splattered with traces of dried mud. Applejack was the second one and she hovered close to her brother. The final passenger was cloaked in a hood and cape. She carried a pair of extremely large saddlebags filled with earthen jars and other accoutrements. In her teeth she carried a medium sized iron cauldron.

Twilight nodded at her friend. "Dr. Goldleaf, Dr. Bluestar... I'd like you to meet Zecora.

Placing her cauldron on the ground, the zebra pulled back her hood and smiled, bowing slightly to the unicorn and earth pony.

"Your acquaintance I'm glad to make, for there is now here much at stake.

_ Our knowledge needs we must combine, to seek now for a cure most fine."_

The two doctors stared at Zecora for a moment or two before speaking.

"She's a zebra!" muttered Goldleaf.

"She rhymes!" responded Bluestar.

"And she's a Witch Doctor!" both ponies said in unison.

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed even as Zecora looked on with a somewhat bemused expression. "The proper term is Shaman," the alicorn patiently explained, "and if you are seeking a cure for a magical poison, then potions, not medicines, are what you need."

She was suddenly interrupted by a crash coming from the direction of one of the examination rooms. Twilight, along with Zecora, the doctors and several orderlies headed in the direction of the noise. They found one of the orderlies picking himself off the floor, an apologetic Big Mac looking down at him.

"What happened?" asked Dr. Bluestar.

"Ah'm... sorry," the large red stallion slurred. Ah... accidently... kicked... yer... assistant... when... he... tried... pokin'... at... ma... spines. They're... sort... o'... sensitive..."

"Spines?" The doctor's horn lit up for a moment and he lifted the blanket. Even Twilight gasped for there were now at least twice as many of the shards protruding from Big Mac as there had been this morning, and some were starting to leak blood.

"Excuse me," said one of the admissions clerks who was standing nearby with a clipboard, "But I need the patient's name so he can be processed into the hospital.

"Macintosh... Macintosh Apple," said Applejack who was hovering near her brother.

"Macintosh Apple..." the clerk paused. "Wait... you don't mean SIR Macintosh? Princess Luna's fiancée? "

"Yes, Ah do... but let's not spread that around just yet, okay?" asked the palomino pony.

"But somepony will have to inform the Princess. I mean if he's her fiancée..."

"Nnnope!

"What?"

"Ah said nnnope!" the stallion replied firmly. "Ah don't want Luna knowin' about this... worryin' bot this. Not... until they can figure... figure... figure out whaatsss.... wroongg." Without warning Big Mac collapsed to his knees and the world around him faded into an inky blackness.