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You thank the botanists for their time, and bid them farewell, before making your way next door to the Equinculus Project room. As you slowly push the door open, you are met with a far more aberrant sight.
 
A chaotic mess of reagents fills wooden shelves and tables strewn haphazardly along the walls. In a corner, a large glass cell pulsates a greenish light, inside of which appears the floating silhouette of a creature. And in the centre, a lone mare sits quietly at a counter, writing fervidly.
 
You tentatively approach the mare, and ask if she would happen to be Novelty. The unicorn finishes scribbling down the last of her notes, grumbling to herself, before glancing at you over her shoulder.
 
Novelty: “Great, more distractions… (sigh)… Yeah, that’s me. What do you want?”
 
You apologize for interrupting, and after introducing yourself, you ask Novelty if she has the time to answer a few questions.
 
Novelty: “Well, I do now. Make it quick.”
 
You nod, and trying to make it short, you ask her if she knows anything about seeds of the Yggdrasil tree. She raises an eyebrow at that.
 
Novelty: “If anypony does, it’s the Crown. And he sure isn’t going to tell you anything.”
 
When you try asking why not, the unicorn leans against the counter, and gestures derisively with a hoof.
 
Novelty: “Why do you think? It’s bound to be a powerful source of magic, and who knows what you’d do with it. Even I have the Order breathing down my neck because my alchemy is a little too sorcerous for their tastes.”
 
Moonflower: “Oooh! What’cha makin’?”
 
Novelty: “Well, that’s the thing. The whole point of the Equinculus Project is to create an equinculus. That is, a creature capable of interacting with magic the same way we do with physical matter.”
 
You take another look around, and though you don’t see much room for anyone else to work here, you ask Novelty if she is part of a team.
 
Novelty: “A team? Look, I don’t need somepony else’s incompetence sabotaging my experiments. Everything is progressing along just fine, for once.”
 
Novelty’s annoyance suddenly turns to frustration. She grabs a nearby notebook, and begins to sharply flip through its pages.
 
Novelty: “Or was, I should say. Up until a couple of hours ago, everything was perfect. And then, while I was out for lunch, my subject underwent some… unexpected changes. As if by magic!”
 
The unicorn turns to squint at you suspiciously.
 
Novelty: “… But you didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”
 
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