Excerpt from notes found in the ruins of the Ponyville Library

Author: Suspect Zero

“Experiment Notebook: Horn Reconstitution

Day 1:

What I'm doing has never been attempted before. To be fair cases like mine come around maybe once every few centuries and the logs on them are sparse at best. Not much better than hearsay and rumor. I know I slowed her down, a lot actually. If my calculations are correct even the considerable potency of her new 'host body' isn't enough to repair the damage I did. Still, it came at a high price. On the upside, no more headaches.

Alright, diagnosis first: I, hereafter referred to as 'the subject', suffered from magical burnout, a rare condition in which a unicorn exceeds the limit of power their horn can safely channel causing, as far as modern medical arts is concerned, irreparable damage to the crystalline matrix that constitutes the subjects horn.

Possible treatments: Utilizing new alchemical methods discovered in the past century I have devised a treatment that may encourage regeneration of the crystalline matrix. Whether the growth will prove to be stable or not is unknown. Further testing is required.

Initial testing stage: over the next week I will attempt to grow several mystically reactive crystals using variations on a formula I developed, the ones which demonstrate the most stable matrix I will move to the next stage of testing.

Day 4:

Last three days uneventful, have attempted fourteen variations on the formula with no viable results, eyebrows still regrowing from attempt #7.

Day 6:

Finally some results, after twenty failures this latest batch of six variants have yielded four positive results, I think I've hit on a viable template for the next solution, tomorrow will prove whether that is true.

Day 7:

Success! Sort of. One of them exploded. Took out one of my favorite lab tables. But the other three variants on the new formula were surprisingly stable! Beginning the next phase one day behind schedule to scavenge a new table from one of the nearby houses. Moving stuff without telekinesis sucks.

Day 9:

Table successfully installed. New variants growing nicely.

Stage Two of testing consists of finding a matrix structure that demonstrates superior resonance with my own. This would be a lot easier if I still had my magic. Well, no use crying over spilled cider as AJ would say.

It has been theorized more and more lately that a unicorns magic does not originate from anywhere in the horn but in fact from our bodies. All ponies show some kind of magical nature, whether it's the weather manipulation of the pegasi, or the fundamental earth magic present in earth ponies. Neither of which have horns. So if I can devise a solution to draw out the magic inherent in my blood I should be able to test the reactivity of the crystals even without my horn. I'll need to let the matrices grow anyway.

Day 11:

Feeling a little light-headed, probably been drawing more fluid than is necessarily healthy. Ample supplies of food and water remain though.

First two solutions were a bust. Mostly. Solution #2 turned fluorescent puce. I'm not really sure why but it reacted to something so I'm going to proceed from that mixture and see if it leads anywhere.

Day 11 (again):

Solution #2 is not viable as a stable growth catalyst. Onto to something though. Grew the crystal to five times normal size. Probably shouldn't test that one on myself.

Day 14:

After a few days of abject failure I think I've found the key. It seems simple now but isn't that the way of things? I've been treating myself as if I were any other unicorn and while I'd like nothing more than for that to be true the events of the past months have obviously proven otherwise. I reduced the amount of my blood I added to the solution and achieved far more stable results. All of the crystals were malformed unfortunately which I predicted would indicate a lack of resonance. Still, with the solution all but perfected it should only be a matter of time.

Day 20:

My last entry may have been a tad over-optimistic. Almost a full week of failure. Still, I've made some progress finally. One of the matrices has shown marked improvement, it's just a matter of fine-tuning the growth of the matrix itself until it achieves maximum resonance.

Day 21:

This report is unrelated to my experiments but I felt I should note it down here anyway. I was returning from a supply run down to the Cafe when I saw something. It looked like my teacher. Except it wasn't I know because I've seen that kind of thing before. It wasn't her. Just like Duplicity wasn't Applejack, and Contempt wasn't Fluttershy. There were other ponies two, they looked like special forces from Canterlot. Dear goddess, what that thing did to them, it didn't just kill them, it took its time. It enjoyed it. I hurled a rock at it just as it was gearing up to finish them all, I think one of them got away but it almost saw me. I barely escaped. I need to be more careful.

Day 24:

SUCCESS! Using a fragment of what's left of my horn and adding it to the growth I was able to encourage the matrix to grow along preset parameters, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. With the liberal application of my solution I've managed to grown a crystal that has achieved what I believe to be maximum resonant capability. I'm going to test a few other patterns to make sure but I think I've done it!

Day 25:

If the goddess wills it this will be my last entry. I'm going to test my the solution on myself now, after nearly a month of solid work I might finally have my horn back. Goddess protect and forgive me.