//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Turmoil // Story: Elementals // by Parodox //------------------------------// "A defibrillator is not designed to start your heart, it's designed to stop it" -Medical Tech Info 101 This was wrong Those three words repeated time and time again in Fawn's head. It's wrong. All of it is was wrong. Fawn sat at the base of the river that flowed to the lake. He watched the fish dance in its current as they were swept away into the lake. But they would return, they would return back to the stream so that they would lay eggs and bring new life into this world. But what they were really doing was returning home. Home. Such a funny word. What was a home? Was it a place where you lived, a place with walls and roof over your head? No, that wasn't a home. Deer never needed walls or a roof, they had everything they could ever need. Nature gave all of her creatures gifts, but there was a clear thought distinction between the two races. The Deer thought, she clothes me, she feeds me, she provides me with shelter. She must be God. The ponies thought, she clothes me, she feeds me, she provides me with shelter. I must be God. The Deer never blamed the Ponies for the First Sin, they were, after all, only mortal. But the true enemy was magic. Only Nature, the one of pure heart, could tame such a wicked and vile force and use it for good. It was clear that Forester had been given magic and he did use it for good, but he lost his way, he no longer believed in Nature. He let himself fall from Nature's grace. "Do you mind if I sit here?" Fawn turned his head slightly to the right to see the Suro herself, Raindrop. "Of course your Grace." Fawn answered. Raindrop thanked Fawn and seated herself next to him. The two stared at the river in silence, only listening to the sound of rushing water and the sound of the forest. "Fawn was it?" Raindrop asked, and Fawn nodded. "You're the kid Forester brought back?" Fawn nodded again. "I thought so...how well do you know him?" "He's my friend, I actually think he's one of my best friends honestly." Fawn admitted. "Good, I consider him one of my friends as well," Raindrop sighed sadly, "you should know that this decision of mine brings me no joy. It breaks my heart, but this must be done." Raindrop said. "Yeah, I just can't believe that he would abandon his faith like that." Fawn said. "Magic truly is the root of all evil and the wicked." Raindrop looked behind her to make sure that there wasn't any prying ears. "Fawn...there's something I must tell you." Raindrop started, "Forester...wanted me to banish him." Fawn stared at Raindrop incredulously. "...what?" Raindrop sighed before explaining, "it was two days ago, while I was meditating at the First Seed, I saw a vision of the future. And it was terrible." Raindrop said, her tone becoming dark and serious. "A darkness is coming, I know not when, where, or why, I only know that Forester would play a major part in what has yet to come." "But..." Fawn stood up quickly, still trying to comprehend what Raindrop was saying, "if what you say is true, then why did you banish Forester? That part doesn't make sense." "No, it does." Raindrop said as she began to explain. "Forester knew that he was now apart of something far bigger and far more dangerous than him, so he wanted to remove himself from his friends and family so they wouldn't get hurt. He sacrificed his dignity, his faith, his pride, his respect from others, all so he could protect them." Fawn should've been furious, but instead, he was relieved. He knew that Forester would never do such evil things, he knew it and he never once doubted him for it. But Fawn's relief was quickly diminished as he realized something. "Why are you telling me all of this?" Fawn asked. "If Forester wanted to keep everyone safe then why would you tell me?" "Because I know Forester. I've known his mother and father for a long time, and therefore, I know their son very well." Raindrop explained. "I know that he should not be alone when the war begins, he should have those closest to him with him when this happens. So, Fawn, I give you two choices. You and everyone that's close to Forester can stay her, live your lives within Redwood Forest and continue to be seen as innocent in the eyes of the Church. Or, you can choose to follow Forester, and be scorned by the Church and banished from every forest that belongs to the Deer." As Raindrop listed off the two choices, she held up a branding iron with the symbol of Life on the end of it. "So tell me, what is your decision, Fawn? Fear. Luna was all too comfortable with the emotion. There were three basic emotions that were common among every living thing. Willpower, Hope, and Fear. Each acted like a piece of equipment to a soldier in battle. Willpower was the armor a soldier wears, Hope was the shield that protected all, and Fear was the sword that struck down any who stands in its way. Fear is a powerful emotion, it is the opposite of hope, and today, Equestria remembered what it meant to know fear. The powerful Goddess of the Sun had fallen, beaten at the claws of the Elemental known as Gideon. Widespread panic erupted in Canterlot as screams of terror echoed throughout the city. The Royal Guard did everything they could to keep the citizens from breaching the castle, but their strength was slowly diminishing under the weight of every citizen demanding to see Celestia. The inside of the castle was in the same kind of panic as the citizens outside. "CODE 1, I REPEAT, CODE 1!" A Royal Guard yelled as he and other guards ran in formation around a hospital bed where Celestia laid and was being tended to by three nurses, as well as Flash and Luna who trotted beside her unconscious sister. "THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! GET THE RED ROOM READY ASAP!" The Royal Guard shouted. "The Red Room is ready sir!" The two guards positioned in front of the heavy metal double doors saluted, opening the doors wide. As the bed was wheeled into the room, one of the nurses stopped both the guards and Luna. "Please wait out here while the doctors and other nurses tend to her highness. Please understand that we can't have any interferences." Luna wanted to protest but nodded solemnly as she waited outside while the professionals did their work. Seconds stretched into what seemed to be hours as Luna paced back and forth between the door. The guards that escorted Celestia to the Red Room stood watch as they were prepared for anything that might come their way. A couple of minutes passed and the doors finally opened, revealing a stallion in a doctor's coat with light brown fur, dark brown mane, light green eyes, wore a pair of black rectangular glasses and a medical paper mask over his muzzle, as well as disposable rubber gloves on his hooves. The moment the doctor stepped out Luna confronted him with a single question, "Is my Sister all right?" She asked frantically. The doctor took off his glasses before answering, "truthfully, your majesty, we're not entirely sure." The doctor said before gesturing Luna to come follow him. "Come with me, I might be able to explain it better visually." "I'll come too." Flash spoke up, receiving the evil glance from every guard in the room. "W-with your permission, of course, your majesty." Flash said nervously from all the death glares he was getting. "I wouldn't mind your company Sentry." Luna answered before she, the doctor, and Flash entered the Red Room. The room was large and filled with tons of equipment that was packed against the wall, but was on wheels so that it could be moved to the center of the room where the bed was. An oxygen mask had been placed on Celestia's muzzle, the top fogged up every now and then which was a clear indication that she was breathing. Tubes had been attached to her right foreleg where a clear liquid, which hung from a metal rack which was also attached to wheels, was being pumped into Celestia. A white pad had been placed over Celestia's chest where her heart was monitored by the machine on the left side of the bed that showed two pulses on its monitor. The nurses were still tending to Celestia despite the absence of the doctor, who explained the situation to Luna. "You see your highness, we're not sure what is wrong with Princess Celestia." The doctor admitted. "Her blood pressure and oxygen levels are normal. We detected no signs of poison, viruses, diseases, or anything harmful on the cellular level. There was also no sign of blunt force trauma, cardiovascular arrest, or brain failure. All in all, she should be fine." "Then there must be something wrong with your machines." Luna snapped. "My Sister is clearly not fine, I don't care what you have to do, just figure out what is wrong with her and fix it." "Hey doctor." Flash tapped the doctor on the shoulder to get his attention. "What's that do-hicky there?" Flash asked, pointing to the machine making a small "beeping" noise "That 'do-hicky' is a heart monitor." The Doctor answered, pointing at the machine. "It monitors the heart rate of the upper and lower part of the heart." "So...its supposed to beat like that?" Flash asked, pointing to the green line on the monitor. "Of course, the upper chamber receives blood while the lower chamber distributes it among the body. Because the upper chamber has to take in blood and filter it out, it takes more energy and therefore it beats heavier than the lower part." The doctor explained before his smile lowered into a confused frown. "Hold on a minute, that isn't right. The ratio is slightly off, the ventricle muscles are beating out of sync than the atriums." The doctor's eyes widened in realization but it was two late as both green pulses on the monitor started beeping fast and loudly. The blue pulse, which monitored her oxygen levels, however was slowly lowering. "Celestia is going into Arrhythmia!" The doctor yelled, quickly rushing to Celestia's side. "Prepare the Defibrillators, set charge to 500 volts! Beginning CPR now!" The doctor yelled as he placed both hooves over Celestia's chest and forced pressure down. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5." The doctor counted off each time he pushed down on Celestia's chest before blowing air into Celestia's body and continuing to force pressure onto Celestia's. "Defibrillators ready, charge set to 500 volts." A nurse stated, holding two metal devices, shaped like steam irons used to smooth out clothes which were connected to a machine by a curvy black wire, with her magic. Another nurse placed two pads over Celestia's chest and the nurse holding the defibrillators placed them over the pads. "CLEAR!" The doctor shouted, giving the nurse the signal to trigger the defibrillators. There was a loud punch sound as Celestia's body was slightly lifted before falling back down. All eyes were drawn to the heart monitor and the two flat green lines that gave off a constant beep. Then the line started to pulse again, and Celestia's once still chest rose and lowered once more. "Phew...time?" The doctor asked. "5.63 seconds." A nurse answered, holding up a stopwatch. "What in Tartarus just happened?!" Luna demanded. "Your sister's heart just started beating irregularly, something that can happen during a heart attack but-GAH!" The doctor screamed as he was struck along the left cheek and sent flying across the room before crashing against the wall. All eyes were directed to Celestia, who's body was twisting and thrashing uncontrollably. "Omigod...SHE'S HAVING A SEIZURE!" One of the nurses screamed. "Restrain...her...quickly.." the doctor wheezed as he picked himself up. The nurses move in to hold Celestia down but they are thrown back as Celestia's strength punches them away. "Princess Luna, you're the only one strong enough to restrain you sister! Use your magic!" Flash yelled. "Um...oh, right!" Luna said, snapping out of her trance she used her magic to pin Celestia's flailing legs to the bed. "Rrrrraaaaaggghhhh!" Luna gritted, clenching her teeth as hard as she could she would tug her head back as she kept her sister restrained. "Whatever you need to do, do it now!" Luna yelled. "Turn her on her side, if she starts vomiting or foaming at the mouth she'll choke on it while laying on he back." The doctor ordered and Luna did just that. "Inject her with a sterilizer, quickly!" "I already did doctor!" One of the nurses shouted, indicating to the needle sticking out of Celestia's chest. "But it's not doing anything, her body isn't reacting to the stimul-" "BLLLUUUUUAAAARRRGGHH!" Everyone groaned in disgust as a puddle of green puke formed onto the floor. The doctor's eyes widened once more in realization, "her body is reacting to the stimulant, it's rejecting it! She's having an inappropriate response to the stimulant! Sentry in the closet over there right next to you, there is a stack of epipens, I need you to bring me one at once!" Flash nodded his head, understanding what needed to be done. But as he rushed to the door, he came to a quick halt when he heard a voice speak inside his head. It won't work. You cannot treat the Descendant with the tools and knowledge you have. You do not understand what is truly happening. "Then show me." Flash growled, causing everyone to look at him like he was crazy. Look at the Descendant. Flash did and what he saw he didn't believe. It was like looking at her with X-ray vision, but instead of bones he say several multicolored veins stretch along Celestia's body and all lead to an organ on the right side of her chest. These veins were carrying magic to the organ on the right side of her chest, but...but it was rejecting it. Flash understood what needed to be done and he immediately flew on top of Celestia. "What do you think you're doing?!" The doctor shrieked. "I told you to bring me an Epipen!" Flash ignored the doctor's yelling and raised his hoof over the right part of Celestia's chest, parallel to where the heart was. His eyes glowed bright gold as multicolored magic rose from her chest like a pillar and into Flash's hoof. "Sentry...stop...this...at...once!" Luna yelled between grunts as her strength began to slip and her grip on Celestia was starting to slip. "Wait, look!" One of the nurses shouted, pointing to the heart monitor. "I don't believe it, she's stabilizing!" The doctor said with amazement, as both pulses on the monitor were returning to their normal readings and Celestia's body had stopped moving but she was still breathing. When the small multicolored pillar vanished from Celestia's body, Flash's eyes returned to normal and he groaned as a large headache echoed in his head. "Did I do it?" He asked wearily, before falling backwards and was caught by Luna's magic before hitting the floor. "I don't understand." The doctor said, rubbing his chin. "I've never seen this kind of reaction before, or what even caused it. But chances are, it's going to happen again and we'll need to be ready. But it would be lots of help if we knew what we were dealing with." "Magic." Flash answered as Luna released him from her magic. "I don't know how...but her body was trying to repel the magic inside of her. Like it was a poison or something." The doctor and nurses looked amongst one another in confusion before the doctor cleared his throat and stated, "that's impossible." "Let's not rule anything out just yet doctor." Luna said. "There's nothing to rule out, it isn't possible." The doctor stated once again, more firmly this time. "Could you explain why?" Flash asked. "You know, for the sake of everyone who doesn't understand." The doctor sighed and rolled his eyes before walked over to the wall and pulling down on a sheet from the ceiling with the picture of a pony with a skeleton and only showing the organs inside. "Now then, as everyone knows, the pony body is comprised of many organs, but the four important ones are located mainly in the upper chest area. The heart, the two lungs, and the polyī. The polyī is like the heart's brother, it functions just like it, but instead of pumping blood throughout the body, it pumps magic instead. There are multiple veins, which transport magic, that are intertwined with the body's blood veins." The doctor explained before continuing. "Magic is everywhere in the atmosphere, we take in magic by breathing in. The lungs absorb the oxygen, but it cannot absorb the magic just like it can't absorb carbon dioxide. Therefore, red blood cells collect pieces of magic and transport them through the heart via the the left atrium. The blood flows through the heart and is eventually transported to the polyī, where the magic is separated from the red blood cells and then flows through the magic veins until it is then used." The doctor said as he pulled down on the screen and released it, causing it to automatically roll back up. "The point I'm trying to make here is that it is simply impossible to have an...inappropriate response to magic. It's like saying your allergic to air, and how do you not know about the Polyī? It's literally inside of you." "I knew what it is, I just never understood what it did." Flash said in defense. "But...is it possible that she could be...you know...allergic to magic?" "............That, is thee stupidest question I've ever heard." The doctor stated flatly. "Sentry may have a point." Luna said. "I mean, how else would he have been able to stop...whatever was happening to my sister?" "CMA." The doctor answered. "I beg your pardon?" Luna asked, very slightly baffled. "CMA, Complete-Magical-Absence." The doctor said, explaining the abbreviation. "As I stated before, the polyī is just like the heart and is connected to the majority of the body. As such, it plays a key role in the immune system as it produces G cells which supercharge white blood cells, as well as preventing any T cells from becoming susceptible to any viruses. The G cells act as a...stepping stool for the immune system, but if you remove magic from the body, you weaken the immune system, which is what you've just done." "Oh..." Flash said looking down with shame. "So I've just single-handedly doomed Princess Celestia." "Normally, yes if there was a virus inside of her. But as I said before, we looked her over and there was no sign of anything harmful equal to and above the cellular level. Therefore, you did the right thing." The doctor explained, which made Flash feel a lot better. "But there's still the problem at hoof we need to address, figuring out what's causing all of this. If we could somehow isolate the problem, we could create an artificial antibody that could somehow repel whatever's doing this." "Doctor, I know you don't believe Sentry when he says that magic may be the cause of this, but allow us to do an experiment." Luna said before explaining. "We'll take some of my sister's white and red blood cells and add a...G cell, you called it?" Luna asked and the doctor's nod confirmed her answer. "We shall add a G cell to a drop of blood containing my sister's white and red blood cells and monitor what happens under a microscope. Sentry, I want you to watch over my sister while I'm gone. If she goes into another seizure, you know what to do." Flash gave Luna a nod and a salute before she began her work. The Griffon Empire was abuzz with commotion. Word had traveled quickly about Gideon's show of power in Equestria and his declaration of war. But the Empire was torn between two sides, on one side, the Griffons were ready to fight the ponies and teach them a lesson, on the other, the Griffons didn't want to fight and feared for their homes, family's, and their lives. Gideon watched the turmoil of Griffons down from the open window in his castle. "Please keep your head forward my Prince." One of the Griffin maids asked politely as Gideon turned his head foward and stared at his reflection, and his reflection stared back. But both eyes were focused on the scar over his eye. A permanent reminder of who was the top dog of this world. But now that top dog has fallen and her position needed to be filled. Currently, Gideon was being dressed before speaking to the public. He wore a professional white military general coat, with a red strap over his right shoulder that reached to his left hip. His hair had been groomed, his eyebrows straightened, and his posture was tall and proud like a king should be. The doors to the room opened and Lexus entered. "Ah, there you are Gideon." Lexus said, sounding slightly more relaxed than usual as he drank his tea. "I see you are all dressed and ready. Are you nervous about speaking to the Griffons ore something?" Lexus asked. But Gideon didn't say a word, he just stared at the reflection in the spotless mirror. Lexus frowned, he ordered the maids to leave and they did so without hesitation. Once the door was closed and there wasn't any prying ears, Lexus spoke, "Something's bothering you. Mind telling me what it is?" Lexus asked, lightly swirling his tea. Gideon remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Why was I born a prince?" He asked. "Well you see, when your mother and father loved each other very much-" "I meant why couldn't I have been just a normal Griffin?" Gideon said, correcting his question. "I never wanted to be a prince Uncle, and you know the reason why." Lexus sighed, taking another sip of his tea before he asked his nephew a very important question. "Tell me Gideon, do you believe in destiny?" Gideon moved his eyes, but not his head, away from his reflection and to Lexus. "If you're asking do I believe that everyone is bound to a certain fate in which they cannot escape, then no." "Destiny isn't like what people think it is." Lexus said as he began to explain. "You see, our lives are like a book. Every minute we live is a sentence, every hour a paragraph, every day 24 paragraphs, and every year a chapter. But in every book there are moments in which something unique happens-" "Get to the point old Griffin." Gideon grunted. "The point I was trying to make, is that only certain parts of our future are set in stone. Not all of it. There will be moments that are bound to happen and cannot be avoided, but there are moments when you get to choose what you want to do and how you will do it." Lexus explained. "Now the only question you need to ask yourself is this, is this moment set in stone? Or am I free to do what I want, how I want?" "That is very vague, you know that right?" Gideon asked and Lexus flashed him a toothy grin. "So...are you ready to face my brother?" Lexus asked. Gideon was silent for a moment, "it feels like years." "Can't disagree there, while the changes are minor, they are still there, and now there's all of this. A war has broken out between Griffons and Ponies, and what's most bizarre is your father and sister agree with it." Lexus lightly shook his head. "Well, lets not keep them waiting. Come Gideon, let's begin." "Right...lets get this over with." Gideon sighed as he and his uncle exited the room. The two Griffons walked down the halls towards a large door leading to a room. The doors were opened by the two Griffin guards and Gideon and Lexus entered. Awaiting them were two Griffins, one of them was Aurora, dressed in a black dress and black black hat that made her appear like she was going to a funeral. The larger male Griffon next to her was the Emperor of the Griffons, Arcturus. He had black feathers, except for on the end of his wings like Gideon. He was dressed in a Royal red uniform with gold features on his shoulders and gold strings draped across his chest with buttons along its sides. "Son." Arcturus greeted briefly. "Father." Gideon greeted back with equal briefness. (Yes, that's a word.) "Shall we begin?" Arcturus asked, walking over to the opening leading to the large balcony. "Come brother, let's not keep father waiting." Aurora said smugly as both she and Gideon walked onto the balcony. Below them was every Griffon in the city, clumped together so that they may get a glimpse of the three royals before them. There was cheering, yelling, screaming, crying, no matter what it was, it was loud. But their deafening sounds were hushed by the raise of Arcturus' claw. With his audience now silent and their attention caught, Arcturus spoke. "My Griffons!" He spoke, his voice amplified by the microphone attached to the bars on the balcony. "I'm not one to mince words or beat around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. We have declared war against the Ponies!" Arcturus proclaimed, causing chatter to erupt amongst the crowd. "But there is nothing to fear, for Celestia, the Goddess of the Sun, has fallen! My son, defeated her and now they are vulnerable! Now is the time to strike!" "But they have magic!" Some Griffin from the crowd shouted. "I am aware. But we too have a powerful magic, one ten times more powerful than Celestia's. My son is the wielder of this magic, and he will be the one to lead our first assault! So here he is now, to say a few words to his Griffons." Arcturus said, gesturing to his son to come forward. Gideon reluctantly approached the microphone, his father stepping aside so that he could speak to the crowd. Gideon looked at the crowd of Griffons and was at a loss for words. Literally, because he opened and closed his mouth like a fish, receiving puzzled looks from the crowd and a frown from his father who decided to intervene. "I apologize, it seems that my son is a bit exhausted. Give him time to rest until he has recuperated." He looked at the maids stationed at the opening and signaled them to take Gideon to his room, which they did at once. As Aurora took her leave, Arcturus also left only to run into Lexus. "Gideon." He stated with a frown. "What about it?" Arcturus asked, not even bothering to stop. Lexus stood in Arcturus' path and made him stop. "His name is Gideon. But not once have you ever called him that." He said with a frown. "It's always 'my son' or 'my child' or 'my descendant', but never Gideon. He is your son, and he deserves the respect he was born with." "He is my son, and I shall treat him as a father is to treat his offspring." Arcturus said. "His name is Gideon you Scheißkopf Miststück!" Lexus cursed in Griffon, receiving a mixture of gasps and glares towards Lexus. Arcturus glared at Lexus and calmly said, "do not mistake your place Lexus." He growled. "My place" he spat, "is as equal as yours. May I remind you that it was I who gave you the throne? Father chose me to be the Emperor, but after my failure in Stalliongrad, I stepped down and gave you the throne." "Yes. Because you were a fool, you still are." Arcturus said before quoting from a history book. "For ten years Emperor Lexus waged siege against the great city in the frozen north. But despite the countless losses he did not stop his assault. It wasn't until the death of his son that Lexus stopped the assault and returned home, only to give the throne to his brother and rot his brain with illusionist tea." Arcturus spat, causing Lexus to lower his gaze to the floor. "Do not think, that just because you lost your child that you can replace him with mine." Arcturus said. Finding no interest in his brother, Arcturus walked past Lexus.