The search for answers.

And so the search for answers to Applebloom's condition continue with greater earnest in my Equestria dreamscape. Having been admitted to the Ponyville hospital fav.me/d5c4o0x after suffering a serious episode of seizures, the staff were finally able to settle the little filly down. Once she had been stabilized enough she was moved from the emergency room to a quarantine room in hospital for a couple days of observations. Another battery of tests were run and various spells were cast on not only the poor little filly but as a precaution on her family in an attempt to try and determine what was inflicting her. Much to the annoyance of the Apple family the results came back negative. With the staff quickly running out of ideas it was decided to broadened the search for answers. Discrete letters and telegrams were sent to hospitals, doctors, wizards throughout Equestria in hopes that someone might have an idea of what was occurring.

Twilight at the Apple family's request had sent a letter to Princess Celestia and Luna outlining Applebloom's current condition and the family's request for advice. To determine whether her condition was unique or whether it was effecting all of the farm ponies who had been abducted all of them were asked to come in for interviews and testing. While all of them admitted that they were still suffering from nightmares related to their abduction and imprisonment none expressed having the same degree of stress that the little filly was having. This left Twilight, the Apple family, and the hospital staff wondering whether it was just the fact that Applebloom was so much younger than other ponies who had been abducted, or were the other ponies better at lying. At Celesita's insistence all the tests were covered by the Royal Treasury. This included Applebloom's stay at the hospital. The Apple family usually are not ones to look for handouts but they had to admit not having to pay for the rapidly accumulating medical bills was one less stress of the family.

Applebloom said she did not remember what happened in the pantry. She just remembered waking up in a bed at the hospital. Just like her nightmares she claimed to have no knowledge of what caused her attack. However everyone present agreed that whether of her own free will or not Applebloom appeared to be withholding crucial information about her condition. This bothered her family and the staff almost more than her attack or the nightmares which were documented by the nighttime staff at the hospital.

Over the next couple days replies from the letters and telegrams started trickling back in to Twilight and the staff. While a couple interesting ideas were proposed and tried they did not yield anymore useful results. Then one day two armed pegasi couriers arrived from Canterlot with a package bearing the Royal Seal addressed to Twilight. After she had signed several documents, in front of the hospital staff, the couriers surrendered the package to her and left. Very curious she opened the package. Inside the package was letter from Celestia and two small vial with instructions, a small blank journal and a collection of documents. The Princesses were starting to have some of the same suspicions that Twilight, the Apple family, and the staff had. Someone was withholding information and answers were needed. One vial contained a truth potion that could be used to extract answers from an individual who was unwilling or unable to speak about something. The other was the antidote that could be administered at anytime to stop the process.

The use of such potions was for obvious reasons carefully controlled and regulated. The potions were very complicated to make. They have a very short shelf life, and could only be made on a case by case basis. Just possessing one of the potions without written permission was a serious crime. The two sisters wanted the staff and Twilight to administer the potion to not only Applebloom but the other farm ponies to try and get to the bottom of this problem. There was enough potion and antidote for all ponies abducted and no more. The instructions carefully spelled out exactly how to ask questions to a pony under the influence of the potion to avoid accidentally leading the witness. Also there were several standard questions that were asked automatically at the start of the process to make certain the potion had taken effect. There had to be two observers present at all times during the session, and all answers had to be written down in the blank journal. When the last person had been interviewed the journal was closed and special seal was placed upon it. This physically and magically closed it and after that only one of the Royal sisters could reopen it safely. There were also documents stating specifically what questions could be asked, and there were papers pre-filled out that granted amnesty to anything else a pony might say while under the influence of the potion. Also the two observers had to sign a document swearing them to never discuss what occurred during the interview unless with express permission from the Princesses. The Sisters took this stuff seriously. After discussing it with the Applejack and her family they agreed to have Applebloom take the potion. The instructions that came with the potion stated it was very safe and had very few and minor short-term side effects.

So began the process of interviewing the farm ponies. To avoid the possibility of them talking to one another before the all could tested, and therefore tainting the results, they were all summoned to the hospital at once then kept in separate rooms until they were called for the interview. They were somewhat grumpy about the whole process but they were paid for their time and lunch was provided. And it was not hospital food. This did put the hospital in a bind since the Ponyville Hospital is not that big and doesn't have that many rooms. So some ponies got stuck in some odd locations until they got called in. Applebloom was to be the last one tested.

The doctor who was handling Applebloom's case and Twilight were assigned to conducting the interviews. Over the course of a day all the farm ponies were given the potion and asked the prescribed questions. While some new information came to light from these interviews, none of them were able to convey any real useful information that would explain Applebloom's condition. They just sat their and with a blank expression slowly told their tale of abduction to the land of shadow in a monotone voice. They all described meeting the Shadow Mother, a horrifying monster that guarded threshold between the world of Ponies and the Kingdom of Shadows. They described plunging through howling darkness and waking up in a vast desolate gray wasteland. Never meeting any other pony or seeing any settlements. Everypony mentioned harrowing encounters with strange monstrous creatures and a constant sense of being watched.

When it came time to test Applebloom the little filly was initially very reluctant to take the potion. She squirmed and asked if it was really necessary. Twilight was prepared for this and said with a gentle voice. "Yes, because Princess Celestia and Luna are personally worried about you and want to help you. They would never ask you to do this unless they were very concerned for you. You know that right?" Applebloom thought for moment, scrunched her brow then nodded and took the dose of potion.

At first her interview went like all the others before her. After waiting a couple minutes Twilight and doctor started asking Applebloom the standard set of pre-interview questions to determine whether the potion had taken effect. It had. Then they started asking the same battery of questions that had asked the other abducted farm ponies:

Twilight. "Applebloom, what were you doing on the day you were taken?"

Applebloom. "I was helping clear dead branches from the trees so we could get ready for bucking season."

Twilight. "Was anyone else with you?"

Applebloom. "Yeah, my big sis was standing right next to me most of the time."

Twilight. "Was there anyone else there with you?"

Applebloom. "Big Mac came by once or twice to see how we were all doing. Occasionally one of the hired ponies would stop by for instructions."

Twilight. "Applebloom did see you what abducted you from your family and took you from Ponyville?"

Applebloom. "Yeah it was these black snaky things that came out of the shadows of the tree I was standing by. Next thing I knew they'd wrapped themselves around me and I was being pulled toward them."

Twilight. "So they came out of the shadows and took you?"

Applebloom. "Yes."

Twilight. "What happened next?"

At first Applebloom said nothing. Twilight repeated the question. Applebloom remained silent and closed her eyes. Twilight repeated it again more firmly and added the comment. "Applebloom answer the question." Her response was dramatic and horrifying. Applebloom let out a blood curdling scream and fell to the floor in a violent series of convulsions and seizures. Her eyes rolled up until only the whites showed and her limbs flailed around her in reckless abandon. She started frothing at the mouth and her voice became that of a rabid animal.

After a second of indecision Twilight and the doctor launched themselves onto Applebloom in an attempt to restrain her. However Applebloom was flailing around so violently that they were unable to control her. For their effort Twilight took a hoof in the eye and the doctor lost a tooth. Hearing Applebloom's screams and the cries for help three other hospital ponies raced in to assist in restraining the violent filly. It took four ponies plus Twilight's magic to restrain Applebloom enough to administer the antidote. However even after that was done she was still convulsing violently and her heart was racing at a dangerous level. Fearing the use of more magic on her in this state the doctor resorted to using a heavy dose a sedative to just get her pulse down to something resembling a safe level. When it was all done the room was wreck and all the occupants of it looked and felt the same. It was only after the sedative took effect that the staff was able tell that the little filly had dislocated her right hind leg in the struggle.

Into the aftermath of all this came Applejack who had been at the hospital to hear what the outcome of Applebloom interview was. She looked around the room. Saw her shattered little sister being lifted onto a stretcher covered in sweat, blood, bruises, and an obviously dislocated limb and then she turned and glared at Twilight. "You said this was going to be safe for her!" Twilight's face already starting to swell from her newly acquired shiner looked at her. "It should have been! None of the other ponies exhibited any of these symptoms and the instructions mentioned no known side effects like this!" She shook her head and then looked back at her friend. "I don't know what happened. Really." Applejack stepped up to Twilight and growled at her. "Well until you can give some better guarantees that your experiments aren't going to kill my little sisters I'm not going to allow anymore testing of her! Do you understand!" Twilight just bowed her head and nodded. "Good then. Now I need find out what your little experiment has done to my little sis." Then she turned and walked out of the room without looking back at her friend. To be continued.