//------------------------------// // Not a Sparkler, But an Incredible Simulation // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// "Alicornia dust...?" Amethyst Star looked up from a microscope in the middle of her work bench. "You came to the right pony! I happen to have plenty of the stuff lying around. Now, tell me, is a pony sick?" "Erm..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted with her numb hooves. Zecora trotted into view from the far end of the alchemy shop. "In truth, Amethyst, this is simply a test. I am in the process of experimenting with a new brew, and only a meager sample of alicornia dust will do." "Hmmm..." The mare's muzzle scrunched up. "Well, I'm all for helping you, Zecora, but unless you have a clear medical case that you're using the stuff for, my business can't apply the honorable Equestrian discount." "Of that, I am quite aware. To go about it any other way wouldn't be fair. However, I am presently low on both silver and gold. Perhaps in exchange for rare items the dust can be sold?" "Well, that depends, Zecora. What do you have in that saddlebag of yours, there?" "Only the best of my odds and ends. I'm certain something will assist your alchemic trends." "Well, now that you mention it, I've got a pickle of a project that I'm working on. You see, I've been commissioned by Filthy Rich to find a way to neuter parasprites. Apparently his daughter wants one for a pet, but you know how dangerous that could be." "Nnnngh..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her muzzle, sighing. Amethyst blinked up at her. "What, not a fan of parasprites?" "It's not parasprites that bother me," the pegasus muttered. "Neutering parasprites, quite the undertaking!" Zecora smiled. "What sort of progress have you been making?" "Actually, I've come to an impasse," Amethyst Star said with a sigh. She shuffled dully around her laboratory, checking on various vials full of frothy potions as they lingered over burners. "Parasprite hormonal glands—as it turns out—are full of highly adaptable bacteria, which serve as the constituent makeup of parasprite reproduction. The microcellular tissue is constantly mutating at random, and only when given an electromagnetic signal from the insect host's nervous system do they decide to combine into a newly formed creature. I've tried coming up with acidic compounds that would kill the bacteria count until they're too few to properly mold a brand new offspring." "Perhaps the solution is not in diminishing their population stock," Zecora said. "But rather making them impervious to electromagnetic shock." "Hmmm?" Amethyst Star turned, blinking. "Like how? I've tried injecting the organic solution with electrically non conductive materials, but I'm afraid of producing something that would kill the parasprite itself from the inside out." "The key is to use something from nature's supply." Zecora winked. With a smile, she reached into her saddlebag and produced a rattling jar of hard spheres. "Take, for example, a sample of cockatrice eye." "Cockatrice... eye...?" Amethyst's lips pursed as she picked up the jar with her magic and levitated it towards her. "There're... so many inside this container!" She bit her lip and glanced at the zebra. "Zecora, I know it's none of my business, but have you been galloping around the forest, h-hunting cockatrices?" Zecora chuckled, summoning a blinking expression from Rainbow Dash. "Nothing of the sort, my diamond friend. I only take that which Everfree creatures lend. It so happens that cockatrices go through eyes like spent feathers. One can find their organs lying everywhere like marble treasures. Why, a single adult goes through more than ten a year. As a result, I've collected far too many eyes, I fear." "That's remarkable..." Amethyst Star murmured, studying the eyes up close. "I fear that I need to catch up on my biology." "But what use are the cockatrice eyes in... y'know..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "...robbing parasprites of their mojo?" Zecora pointed at the vials on Amethyst's work bench. "The petrification power of cockatrices is stored inside. A nullification affect they're bound to provide. Add a sample of tissue to the parasprite juice, and you'll undoubtedly find the reproductive ability cast loose!" Amethyst Star squinted at the jar, then blinked up at Zecora. "Do you mind...?" The zebra shook her head. "Not at all." Amethyst uncorked the bottle and slid out a single hardened eye. Taking it over to a metal tray on the edge of her table, she floated over a tiny chisel and an even tinier hammer. Chipping at the heart of the eye, she snapped the glass-like marble open, exposing the meaty inside. Rainbow Dash fought to hold her lunch while Amethyst took a sample of the muscle mass and dropped it into one of the vials. The bubbling froth instantly dissipated, and the solution stopped bubbling, even when exposed to the burner's heat. "Incredible..." Amethyst cooed. "This just might work!" She gazed over at Zecora. "You know what this means? Parasprites that can't breed! They'll be the first of their kind to be domesticated! Much less studied without fear of overpopulating an environment!" "Yeesh..." Rainbow Dash winced. "I'm not sure Equestria is ready for something like that." "Oh, what could possibly go wrong?" Amethyst stifled a giggle and looked Zecora's way. "Zecora, I hate to be a bother, but... uhm... would it be okay if I borrow these eyes for a while? I think I may actually be onto something here." "It would be my pleasure to assist you." Zecora smirked. "I assume some dust I have accrued?" "Oh, absolutely!" Amethyst trotted up to a shelf, climbing a ladder with kneading hooves like a happy cat. "In fact, I'm certain a fairly large sample would be fitting in this instance!" "You are too generous—" Zecora began. "Uhm... Sorry to be the proverbial idiot here." Rainbow Dash flew down, waving a hoof. "But were any actual alicorns hurt in the process of getting this stuff? I'm not against neutering parasprites or gouging the eyes out of cockatrices, but—" Amethyst Star giggled. "Don't be silly, Miss Dash." Amethyst shimmed down the ladder with a jar of glittery compound floating alongside her. "Alicornia dust refers to the material of a unicorn's horn: alicornia." She smiled. "Much like a pegasus sheds feathers, a unicorn loses parts of her horn—albeit over a much more prolonged period of time." "Wait..." Rainbow Dash winced. "You mean my friend Twilight sheds her horn?" "Erm... I do believe I've mislead you with that analogy..." Amethyst Star chuckled nervously, then pointed at her own glowing skull. "The alicornia is constantly growing throughout a unicorn's lifespan, but it's too slow to notice. Twice a year, there's a regularly timed growth spurt, during which flakes of the horn's outer layer... uhm... needs to be scraped up." "For real?" Rainbow Dash gulped. "No offense, but, ew." "Heh... I know, right? It's a slightly sensitive conversational topic amongst unicorns. Talking about it used to be downright taboo in the Pre-Classical Era. But, these days, we recognize it as a simple process of unicorn biology, and the basic components of... erm... the horn shavings have magical properties." "Wait, if that's the case..." Rainbow Dash squinted. "Then how come the 'alicornia dust' is so crazy expensive?" "Well, by Equestrian law, the shaved bits have to be donated by the respective host unicorn. Furthermore, only a master level magician is allowed to enchant the material and turn it into refined dust. In this particular case, yours truly," she said with eyelashes batting. "Heehee... But this magician is more than certain that Zecora will make good use of the enchanted sediment. Lemme guess, trying to work together a new healing salve?" "Until I know the potion has a working chance, I cannot pretend to take a medical stance." Zecora nodded. "It was a pleasure bartering with you. I'll be sure to relate the success of the brew." "Hey, whatever it is, I've got full faith that you're doing Equestria and Everfree a favor." Amethyst Star waved as the two ponies trotted out of the alchemy shop. "We should have tea sometime, Zecora, so you can tell me more about your natural remedies." "Oh, absolutely." Rainbow Dash hovered low and whispered in the zebra's ear. "I'd say neutering parasprites is a big enough favor to the world." "Rainbow Dash, do not jest. Surely pigeons are an even bigger pest." "Heheheheh... Celestia, don't get me friggin' started..."