//------------------------------// // Chapter Sixty, Separation Anxiety: Warm Fizzy Feelings. // Story: Airship Mauled // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// -The next day, Ponyville Hospital- Patient: Maries, chimera of clan Bloody (Clan is notably friendlier than it sounds). Maries consist of Mara the saber tiger, Maria the fire breathing goat and Marie the poisonous snake. Species: Chimera. Problem: Patient was magically split into its three differing bodies based on their species when combined together as a chimera. This has cause many and numerous health issues, to make matters worse the three of them were all assaulted by wild animals. Mara Bloody is suffering from chronic migraines. Medication has been relatively inefficient to ease her suffering, the patient is actively trying to remain docile despite the constant aggravation. Has been kept unconscious most of the time up until today while injuries heal. See addendum for more information behind separation of the patient and injuries involved. Current condition: Mostly stable. Still healing from various claw and bite injuries suffered in the defense of her sisters, mildly fractured bones were magically healed, had manticore poisoning and is still suffering chronic head pain. Was suffering blood loss, but thanks to her prior chimeric nature the patient was able to receive blood transfusion from her sister Maria Bloody. Maria Bloody is suffering from cognitive issues. Current medication is effective for the time being, has allowed the patient to rest and regain some lost strength from time spent in Tartarus as well as giving blood to help her sisters. May have gained PTSD from surviving a chupacabra assault, anything that looks like a chupacabra may set her off now. See addendum for more information behind separation of the patient and injuries involved. Current condition: Stable, physically health, unsure mentally, medication methods efficiency might not last forever if goat biology starts adapting to dosages. Under careful watch to make sure mental deterioration does not occur and for possible signs of PTSD involving the encounter with the chupacabra. Marie Bloody is suffering major loss of intelligence and memories. Said memories currently reside in Mara’s head for safe keeping according to Mara. Marie ultimately saved her sisters at a great personal cost and is now rendered relying on instincts and lacking her prior notified sapience. She is still able to eat when presented food, is not in danger or in constant pain, but has lost all higher brain functions reducing her to being almost a normal snake. Genetic tests confirm that she is still a chimera and related to Mara and Maria, needed a minor blood transfusion from Maria. Nurse Fluttershy has been responsible for Marie’s continued good health and is to remain on site as Marie’s personal caretaker until chimera separation issue is solved. See addendum for more information behind separation of patient and injuries involved. Current condition: Balloon Animal, otherwise tentatively stable and physically healthy. Injuries have healed far faster than normal thanks to Nurse Fluttershy’s insight into snake biology. Inquiring into having Fluttershy’s assistance with tiger biology with Mara may soon have positive results. The okay has been given and signed off by both Mara and Maria for today’s attempts to return them to being a chimera. -First cure attempt- First cure attempt: Zecora, zebra alchemist specialist, sympathetic potion used on Marie. No resistance from Marie noted while potion was poured down her throat by Fluttershy, who rubbed her throat gently to get her to swallow. “Was it supposed to do that?” Mara asked as she stared at a happy looking Marie, the balloon snake bouncing around the ceiling. Fluttershy was chasing the snake around trying to catch her and stop her from bouncing around so much. “She looks so happy and yet I feel so sorry for her. She can’t safely wrap herself around me while I’m still injured like this.” “If we are to be quite fair, she does look rather happy up there. I am not sorry for the bliss, but I am certainly feeling sorry for this.” Stated Zecora who watched as the bloated snake bounced around aimlessly on the ceiling, she was feeling an unnatural amount of sympathy for Marie at the moment. “The potion was meant to create a sympathetic magical reaction, it did as advertised in creating sympathy and I hope that these end results gets a… redaction.” “I’m certainly feeling a bit sympathetic for my sister right now, even if she seems to be having fun…” After a moment Maria turned to Zecora. “Can I try some of that stuff? I feel like I could use some sympathy right about now.” End Results: Failure, the potion at least did what it was supposed to do and caused those who drank it to acquire sympathy from others for as long as the odd effects lasted. The original purpose of the potion was to stimulate sympathetic magic to draw all three disparate parts of Maries back together into one being. -Second cure attempt, one hour after the first- Second cure attempt: Kuril, beloved mayor and witch of extraordinarily tasty food, magical alchemy used with phoenix feathers. Kuril launched the magic at Maria and it just rebounded and the magic returned to being a phoenix feather, the Abyssinian then proceeds to pull out two more feathers and cast them all at the three at the same time. Same result, three feathers returning to normal after rendered into magical energy. “I’m sorry girls, it doesn’t seem like I can help here. At least we know that what ails you isn’t curable by phoenix feathers” Kuril hugs Maria tightly, then hugs Mara tenderly to avoid aggravating her injuries. “It is okay matriarch Kuril, you thought it would work and trying wouldn’t hurt us in the slightest.” Stated Mara calmly as she released the motherly witch. Kuril then spends the next five minutes petting a docile Marie, who was thankfully no longer inflated, up until her grandson Gavin wanted her complete attention. End Results: Failure, to cure the main patients at least. The feathers are said to cure all forms of magical or foreign bodily ailments. While this does not heal damage, it can stop further damage from occurring and cure many odd things. Three stoned ponies were cured, five ponies with nasty magical viral infections are now able to leave quarantine thanks to also being cured. Kuril is currently being begged to stay on staff in the hospitals cafeteria, both by the patients and the staff. Kuril’s magical cooking has unprecedented health increasing abilities, ponies with cutie marks specialties in preparing food are now being sought out by local Ponyville Hospital staff due to Kuril declining offers of a job. Said job would have involved immediate life long tenure and unrealistic excessive amounts of money that could have Kuril just buying all of the properties in Ponyville itself. Kuril declined based on inability to watch more than one town and will stick to being Airship Mauled’s mayor and local restaurant owner. Incidentally, vacation days are now being set aside by most hospital personnel in a few weeks to go visit Airship Mauled for a few days. Reasons for said visits may include ‘The Witch’s Fare’ restaurant which is run by Kuril. -Intermission- Patient file hoofed over for second opinion. Patient: Blade Bright. Species: Thestral. Problem: Heavy, possibly magically induced, amnesia. Small magical signature found on patient is unknown and not actually connected to anything on the planet when trace was applied. Continued research of minute magical signature found on patient is thought to be not of this world and beyond current understanding, some lost memories may be retrievable given patients actions around Kurilian La Perm. Current Condition: Stable, physically healthy. Blade and three other similarly effected are reintegrating back into society effectively thanks to Kurilian La Perm. -Third cure attempt, ten minutes after previous attempt- Third cure attempt: Twilight Sparkle of clan Sparkle, Princess, Magister, former Ponyville Librarian, founder and principal of the School of Friendship, ruler of Castle Friendship, attempt using the Staff of Sacanas. “Are you girls ready?” Twilight asked the two attentive parts of the chimera. “We’ve been ready.” Mara groused out while rubbing her head with her right paw. Marie was snuggly wrapped around Maria’s torso instead of hers and was acting like Maria’s tail. “Okay, I have little idea to how this will turn out, I don’t know what I’m trying here.” The staff of sacanas glows as Twilight held it up in her magic and she closed her eyes to start concentrating. “At best, I’m going to try and reorient your magic so that you come together!” A bright glow started to surround the three subjects and the glow started to intensify. Seconds after the glow disappeared Mara, Maria and Marie were still separated and Twilight looked visibly upset. “Well… that felt weird.” A shivering Maria stated. “It’s like you were trying to socket us all back together and for some reason everything felt disjointed.” “It’s more like we were magnets polarized to repel each other.” Whined Mara as she clutched her skull. End results: Failure. Oddly magnetic resistance to being forced back together noted by Princess Twilight and doctors on standby for emergency reasons. -Fourth Cure attempt, two hours after last attempt- Fourth cure attempt: Princesses Celestia, Luna and Twilight working together. Three princesses of Equestria, what did this chimera do to rate this much attention? “Doctor, you have no idea. I owe them for some past failures, I hope to repay some of that today.” Celestia turned away from looking over what the doctor had written down and turned to Luna and Twilight, she nodded to each in turn and lit up her horn. “Let’s see if we can brute force this.” Each princess grabbed a part of Maries and then started to use their magic to forcefully start fusing them together, Maries started to form as the three princesses poured their magic into her. They soon grew tired and as soon as they stopped the chimera pulled apart. End results: Failure. Almost looked like it was working too, princesses suffering from mild magical exhaustion. “I guess that’s it then…” Maria stated sadly as she huddled up against Mara. The tiger carefully wrapped the small goat in her paws. -Hours later, evening, Fizzle- I walked into the room followed by Princess Cadence, I didn’t understand what I was looking at. At least not at first, but it quickly dawned on me who those three were. I was only told that Maries was found and to report to Ponyville Hospital quickly, I had almost been worried sick to hear that they were hospitalized. We both trotted into the room to see Maria as more than a head and rear legs, Mara as more than a torso and Marie as a full length snake. I didn’t care that they were separated from one another, I was just happy to see them all alive at all! I moved over to the terrarium Maria sat at and she looked up at me from being occupied with Marie as I approached them, she had a slightly frightened look. “Who told…” Maria started, she was cut off by Marie suddenly turning towards me and lifted her head in my direction. She lifted her head out of the terrarium and moved her head closer to mine, I lowered mine to look at her. She flicked her tongue affectionately at my cheek making me giggle. “What the… Mara did you see that?” “I was sent a letter by Fluttershy.” I was a little unnerved by Maries being three separated beings, but I was happy that they were here and alive. “She knew how to get into contact with me, but she didn’t tell me what the situation was… believe me, I got here as soon as I could.” -Marie- … Fizz… Fizzy… Love… Fizzy. Want… happy… Things... not… right. Need… better… Pony… better… We… fractured… MAKE US WHOLE… -Mara- “Yes, I’m surprised that she even recognizes you in her state.” I got up from the bed to make my way over to them while looking at Fizzle, she was quite beautiful and it has been so long since we last saw her. She was a taller and her eyes were entrancing, it looks like she’s been keeping up with Sekhet’s training regimen for her. I wondered what she thought of us being separated like we were. The look in her eyes, they held back tears. Those wonderful eyes were sad a few seconds ago, now they were just so warm and inviting. Once I was standing next to the Terrarium, I watched as Marie slither out of the terrarium and up my back. She didn’t assume the tail position, she instead nuzzled her face against Fizzle and then silently rested her head on Fizzle’s neck. My head was aching and my heart was yearning to do the same thing Marie was, so I didn’t hold back and brought our unicorn in for a snuggle. -Maria- Oh my goodness, why was Fizzle here? Fizzle’s here… why did Fluttershy tell her about us?! Why did Fluttershy tell Fizzle that they had found us? She shouldn’t see us like this! Am I panicking? I’m panicking! I start to hyperventilate and then I slowly watched as Mara pulled Fizzle into a hug with her paws, her chin rested on our mare's head. Marie’s head rested on the right side of her neck and now there was just this wide open spot. Fizzle had her hooves wrapped around Marie and Mara, she turned her head slightly and pulled her left leg out Mara’s paws and held her hoof out in an inviting manner for me to join them. I stood up and slowly moved towards her shyly. She still loved us? Even as we were now? I loved her too… so what was I doing standing here by my lonesome? -Fizzle- “I’m happy you three are alive, I’ve missed you…” It wasn’t long before I was wrapping my left hoof around Maria and she dug her face into the left side of my neck and I held them all tightly. “I still miss everyone, all of our missing old friends and I miss what we had. Just know that I still love you… all of you.” With my eyes closed I felt a spark of magic shoot at us from off to the side and slowly the four limbs holding me slowly became two, the weight then became focused in front of me. I felt them, two faces rubbing against me… wait… where’s Marie?! I pulled my head back and blinked when I saw Maries back to their normal selves and not three separate beings. “Ugh… my head… who put it in a blender?” I looked at Marie now returned to being Maria and Mara’s tail, I just pulled my hug on the chimera tighter and smiled. “Where… where am I?” End Results: Success. -Dr. Bones- I blew into a tissue and wiped my nose, I turned to Cadence. “Thank you kindly for the bond strengthening spell there.” I turned to the other doctors who were wide eyed with shock as I tossed the tissue into a nearby receptacle. “If ye’ like the nut, then ye’ll find the way to crack it open!” “I’m thirsty, could someone please get me some water?” When Fizzle asked that, she was likely expecting one of us to do it. “Sure thing.” Maria seamlessly split off from Maries to get some water. She soon put a cup in Fizzle’s hoof and then fused back together with her two shocked sisters without a second thought. I immediately wrote down the words, ‘Needs to be held for further study for unusual side effects’.