The botany of crystal trees is a very difficult thing to explain, and the Tree of Harmony doubly so.

Your average crystal tree never stops growing. For several centuries, the crystal tree was regarded as a thaumological impossibility, as the Third Trotsani Theorem postulated that an infinitely-reproducing lifeform of any kind could only exist by draining magic from a progressively larger area, until eventually it would consume the entire planet, and yet the specimen growing in Celestia's private garden showed no indication of consuming any more magic than the average Sapient Poplar. However, after the return of the Crystal Empire allowed for a revitalization of the stagnant field of crystal study, the answer to the apparent cosmic riddle became clear.

A crystal tree's infinite, but almost imperceptibly slow growth is not a function of photosynthesis or thaumivorous behavior, but of calcium carbonate aggregation. In laymare's terms, it is the same process which forms stalactites in caves, but in reversed polarity to the normal direction that stalactites form, i.e. growing up instead of down. The reason for this apparently consistent localized violation of all laws of gravity remains one of the great unknowns of crystal botany, continuing to be categorized as Machinanian magic even to this day.

The unique phenomenon of naturally occurring facets which is shared by all crystal trees is thankfully not similarly unknown, being the verified byproduct of Equestria's magically enriched earth using crystal trees as a sort of primitive venting mechanism for excess magic (thus explaining both the magically saturated nature of the Crystal Empire, and may potentially be the source of pegasan weather magic --> further research, possibly another paper entirely, IMPORTANT: don't read this addendum out loud)

From the enigma of crystal trees, we move on to the quintessential mystery of crystal botany, the Tree of Harmony. This magical organism, previously thought to be a normal crystal tree being used as a domicile for the Spirit of Harmony a school of thought which inspired multiple generations of scholars living in trees, so it definitely isn't weird, has been recently discovered to be something else entirely. None of the very few things we know about crystal trees seem to apply to the Tree of Harmony, aside from the most basic and superficial of gardening tips, and even then only if used sparingly.

Perhaps the most significant difference, as well as the most recent discovery, is in growth. With one very notable exception, the Tree of Harmony has not been measured as having grown by any distance in any direction since the date of its discovery in the Squillionth Refraction of Discord. (current theory suggests it was constructed in its current form, but lack of obvious markings makes theory non-credible, do best to avoid speculation in final draft) Instead, the various energies normally associated with growth in crystal trees are channeled into bearing the Tree's unique fruits.

Most notable of these fruits are the Elements of Harmony, the magical [7°] gemstones that continue to be the most powerful naturally-occurring magical artifacts on record (speculation over whether the assimilation of their magic into Bearers can be classified as natural artifacts). However, the Elements are not the only fruit put forth by the Tree of Harmony; they are merely the largest. Since the Tree's restoration to full health at the conclusion of the Plunder Vine Outbreak (Ponyville and environs.), it has been recorded as putting forth several hundred grams' worth of magically charged geodes, most commonly at a rate of one quarter-gram every three weeks (re-adjust language to indicate frequent variance in exact numbers). The majority of observed geodes have displayed a magical value of .0000000000004°, this being roughly the amount of magical energy needed to perform basic telekinesis. Some have exhibited magical values of over .000000004°, but these appear to be a byproduct of external stimulus and should not be used as a benchmark for any expectations of yield (DO NOT IMPLY THESE SHOULD BE HARVESTED, THAT WOULD BE THE WORST POSSIBLE THING) therefore should be treated as outliers.

It is not yet known what the cause, or indeed the purpose, of these 'fruits' is, or indeed why the Tree does not appear to be growing any gemstones on the scale of the Elements of Harmony that we can discern. The current theory is that the geodes are similar to the facets of the garden-variety crystal tree, being the accidental byproduct of excess magical ventilation. There is the possibility that destiny is involved (you forgot to science this sentence) There are some theories suggesting that whatever intelligence inhabits the Tree of Harmony is deliberately producing these geodes for some as-of-yet-unknown purpose, but with the possibility of direct communication a verified non-possibility, it is not yet possible to verify if these theories have any credibility.

In short... uh...

Twilight put down the paper, and grinned sheepishly at her audience. "I kind of didn't write that far." Spike and Starlight smiled back at her, their ears like four black holes doing their best to suck all of Twilight's words out of her mouth. "So, uh, what did you think?"

Castle Friendship suddenly echoed with vibrations, a titanic sound that put Twilight in mind of breaking glass on a galactic scale. The walls of the castle seemed to scintillate and sparkle with light and color that defied classification, and the floor beneath her hooves briefly bucked and rolled like the ocean if the ocean had a lot of trouble getting up in the morning. It all came together to create an effect that seemed to combine raucous laughter with fervent applause.

When the cacophony died down a little, Starlight got up off the floor, fell over, then got up again before sitting in her chair and grinning like she was off her meds. "Well, I think the Tree likes it."

Twilight giggled as she realized that all that ruckus had been the Tree's attempt at congratulations. There was a tiny little niggling voice in the back of her head that was ranting about how there were probably a million sensitive instruments that had been damaged by the Tree's stunt, but for the moment Twilight was content to sit back in her chair and blink rapidly at the absurdity of it all.

In stark contrast to the bubbly Starlight Glimmer, Spike looked to be downright pensive as he sat with his talons steepled in front of his face. That, or he was queasy. It was sometimes hard to tell.

"Please tell me that was just a first draft," was all he said before his gurgling stomach cut him off. Definitely queasiness.

"Of course not, Spike. You know me better than that." Twilight shuffled the papers in front of her, making quick notes with a quill as new thoughts came into her head. "There's sources missing everywhere, every point is woefully unexpanded, and the paragraphs are distributed more like a short story than a scientific dissertation. Good as it is, this version of the report is barely even fit to be called a prototype. If anything, I'd say it's a proof of concept, a slightly expanded outline. There's maybe a few sentences of this that'll make it into the real thing, and even they'll be radically altered."

"So why bother reading it to us?" Starlight asked, her eyes full of that child-like wonderment that could almost make Twilight forget how many emergency procedures and hidden counterspells there were surrounding that mare.

"Everyone needs a sounding board," Twilight explained happily. "Even at such an early stage, feedback is a vital part of the piece's development. Plus, seeing as you've both contributed several hours to the geode project already, you're perfectly poised to make sure I'm not going off on tangents with the report!" There was a sudden feeling of emptiness, as though the walls were soaking up sound. "Also, since the Tree is the subject of the project, I felt it only fair that we allow it a chance to hear the thing." The walls were back to normal, although they somehow seemed a little more self-satisfied.

"I'm curious about that bit where you mentioned the possibility of harvesting," Starlight said. "Or, I guess, where you mentioned that you had to make sure not to make that possibility clear to the readers. I think I must have missed something there."

"What's to miss? The geodes are too hazardous. We have to avoid their use in anything industrial or commercial for as long as possible. End of story." Twilight resisted the urge to slam her hoof on the table.

"But think of the possibilities! Magical enhancement without the need for unstable spells! Self-contained looping spell matrices without the need for constant unicorn input! Automation on an unforeseen scale, enhancement of everything we do, these geodes could change the world!"

"And that's precisely why the world shouldn't have them."

Starlight looked confused and sad. "I don't understand."

"I'm sorry, Starlight. But just like controlling magic can go too far, so can empowering it." Twilight set the paper aside, going from Researcher Mode to Teacher Mode. "I've seen what happens when an earth pony tries to tend a crop they don't specialize in. An entire orchard, dried to a lifeless husk within a day. Now imagine the opposite end of that spectrum. What happens when an earth pony decides to use one of our geodes to help out on the farm, then they go to nurture a little sapling? We could end up with walls of roots as high as the skies themselves."

"Well, those roots would probably have fruit on them. We could make treetop villages, and... stuff..." Starlight trailed off.

Twilight sighed. She hated when dreams got crushed. It was the worst part of trying to make Starlight grow up. "And what about pegasi? If they used some of the geodes we found down there, they wouldn't just end up going supersonic, they might end up going so fast that their magic can't protect them against the G-forces. And as for unicorns... we'd just be creating even more over-powered unicorns who eventually go crazy because they've got more raw power than their brain knows how to distribute. And that's barely scratching the surface of what these things could do."

The two of them fell silent, and Spike looked back and forth between them as though he were waiting for one of them to b Next Chapter: I met a traveller from an antique time... Estimated time remaining: 8 Minutes