Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo could no longer contain themselves. They had been in a state of shock, not letting themselves believe that what they were seeing was real. But when Applebloom had said it, they both knew that it was, and both burst into tears. Applebloom immediately joined them, clutching the horseradish’s leaves to her chest
Twilight jumped back, surprised. “Spike! I don’t know what is happening!”
“He- -he didn’t even have a NAME!” sobbed Applebloom.
“And I- -I never even got to tell him about Rainbow Dash!” wailed Scootaloo. “And I- -I was going to CUDDLE him! I thought he was cute! And I didn’t even tell him!”
“I had a pot picked out and everything,” said Sweetie Belle, quietly. “He was going to be so pretty.”
They then began to cry even louder, and Scootaloo suddenly stamped forward. “Twilight! Fix this! FIX HIM!”
“I can’t!” said Twilight. “I already cut it up! I don’t understand why you’re like this! It was just a root!”
“You’re a root!” screamed Sweetie Belle. It was a terrible insult, but it was all she could think of. She could not take her eyes off the table. He was still there, lying in pieces, slowly oxidizing. There was no motion, and no signs of life. True, he had not been a real pony, but less than an hour earlier he had been walking around, squeaking, and hugging.
Thinking about the hugs only made Sweetie Belle cry harder, and she had planned a tirade of insults against Twilight, but none of them came to fruition. Scootaloo, likewise, felt her anger deflate when she realized that there really was nothing she could do. Applebloom had mostly fallen silent, still hugging the leaves and wishing that she could give anything to take back what Twilight had done.
They continued to cry until they slowed slightly, all looking up as a door in the rear of the preparation laboratory opened. A pale violet-colored pony covered in soot and grime walked through.
“So, Twilight,” said Starlight, turning around to close the door. “I got the chaurus out of the basement and the ducts on the east wing, but there’s a problem. They weren’t the only thing down there. Looks like there’s snorks too. A lot of snorks. And not the little cute ones.”
She turned and saw Twilight dressed in an apron standing over the body of a gutted horseradish, and three fillies weeping in front of her next to Spike, who was still hesitantly eating his bunned carrot with horseradish sauce.
“Twilight, what is going on here?”
“These fillies! They’re crying, and I don’t know what to do!”
“Well, what did you do?”
“Me?! I didn’t do anything! They just walked in while I was preparing reagents- -”
“She cut up our friend!” cried Sweetie Belle.
Starlight looked down at the mess and realized that it still had a vaguely ponyesque shape.
“Twilight, what was that?” she demanded.
“Just some vegetables, I was- -”
“Don’t you lie to me, Twilight.”
Twilight looked at the remains, and then at Starlight. “It was a horseradish.”
Starlight’s eyes widened in shock. “Bloody Tartarus, Twilight, you cut up their horseradish right in front of them? You know those things can feel pain, right?”
This news made the Cutie Mark Crusaders only wail louder. Applebloom grew pale and nearly fainted.
“Well, that explains the screaming,” said Twilight. “Although I would say it was more like terrified squeaking.” She chuckled. “Normal radishes certainly don’t do that when you cut into them!”
Starlight smacked Twilight over the back of the head.
“Ow!” cried Twilight. “You Gibbs-slapped me!”
“Well you deserve it! Horseradishes are sentient creatures, with feelings and dreams and aspirations! And, great job, you just killed one. Probably one of the very LAST of them!”
“But horseradishes are dangerous creatures that hate ponies!”
“Well, sure, if you read all the mage accounts and secondary sources, but that’s all propaganda! Did you even read Roothugger the Green’s account? Or Tuber Talker’s annotated herbarium? Or please, PLEASE tell me at least LOOKED at Fellina Hole the Unlucky’s guide to helpful forest creatures?”
Twilight’s face scrunched. “Well, I was going to get to them, but I was in a hurry, and I prioritized based on alchemical experience- -”
“Don’t tell me you were reading the Gercolt journals? That guy was a psycho! With a thing for redheads, but that’s beside the point! Twilight, that was a sensitive, gentle creature!”
Applebloom touched one of Starlight’s front knees. Starlight looked down, and saw the tear-soaked pony holding the crown leaves of the plant. “Starlight, can…can you help him?”
Starlight took a deep breath, and held out her hoof. “I can try.”
Hesitantly, Applebloom gave her the leaves. Starlight turned them over again and again, inspecting the base carefully. After searching for a few minutes, she did not find what she was looking for and prepared herself to have to tell a little filly that Twilight had just killed her friend.
Then she found it. At the base of the greens, there was a spot where Twilight had made a sloppy cut. Part of the root was still clinging to it, and looking closely, Starlight saw that there was still a bud still attached.
“Spike!” she said, causing the dragon to jump. “I need sulfur powder NOW! And get me the Murashige-Skoog, I’m going to need it.”
“Is he going to be okay?” asked Applebloom.
“I’m going to do my best,” said Starlight. “But this isn’t going to be easy. I can’t make any promises. I’m sorry, but this injury is really, really bad. There are no written records of a horseradish coming back from this. He might not make it.”
“He will,” said Scootaloo. “He has to.”
Starlight looked into their eyes and nodded, wishing that she could share their optimism. Then she took the greens to a clear table and went to work.