//------------------------------//
// 3-"Mom." 
// Story: Taken in. 
// by PrincessLunas Assistant 
//------------------------------//

"Dad! Where's the cereal!?" 

Trixie and Golden Heart heard the Spring Dancer call her father from the kitchen. Trixie eyed him curiously.

" 'Dad'? You're a father?" Trixie asked.

"Oh...yeah, about that." Golden Heart walked towards the door. He opened it and called to his daughter.  "Spring, honey come here, now!"

Within a few moments of time passed before she came to the room, bowl of cereal following her.

"Yeah, D-." She paused instantly, took a second of silence to process what she was seeing. "Who's this? Wait don't tell me...she's the pony that was on our door step, right?"

Golden Heart saw Trixie's facial expression change to a depressed semi-slouch. Gold gave Spring Dancer a glare, she got the message.

"This..." Gold began. "...is Trixie." He looked to Trixie "Trixie, this is my..daughter: Spring Dancer. "

"Pleasure." Trixie said weakly sitting up and holding out a hoof.

"Umm...pleasure to me you too?" Spring Dancer said shaking Trixie's hoof.

"No I meant, it's a pleasure for you to meet me." Trixie stated.

Gold took a second to comprehend the egotism in what Trixie had just said and then covered for her. Mostly to make sure his daughter didn't think Trixie was a jerk. (Which she kinda was.)

"Very funny, Trixie." He stated with a laugh. Covering for her. He shot her a slight look of agitation. She got the message.

Be polite! Your making a first impression on my daughter!

Spring Dancer gave a lowly sounding chuckle. She looked at her father. "Is she umm....staying for a while?"

"Probably quite some time, dear. She's still roughly forty pounds off of a normal body fat level." Gold looked at Trixie and smiled. He began to get up to leave. "Alright you two, I have work today. Spring, you do whatever Trixie says. She's in charge until I get back."
Spring Dancer and Trixie exchanged glances. One a bit nervous the other a smile.

____________

"So you want your Dad to move on?" Trixie said sipping the tea.

"Yes. It's like he's still trying to bring her back sometimes. I was there watching as she....passed. It was awful, they had her in a big plastic room. Everypony but her was wearing bio-hazard gear.  Dad and her were talking. Even through the suit's face screen thing I could see him crying. He didn't want to let her go, but I saw it her eyes she knew her time was up. She had Dad turn on the intercom between the plastic room and everypony outside and said 'I love you both so much'. Just those last words have haunted me. Dad as soon as her breathing stopped, he didn't hesitate. Her eyes stared into his. Dead. He jumped up and began doing everything he could. He tried CPR. At one point he had ripped off his helmet and was about to give her mouth to mouth when the other doctors had come and pulled him off her. I remember hearing him scream over the intercom. Just the tears.....and all the fear and denial in his voice. He wanted to think he could save her." Spring Dancer said through a few tears of her own. "The last words I heard from him before they sent to decontamination was 'I can save her! Let me go or I'll kill each one of you to save her!'. It took five doctors and 4 nurses to pry him out of that plastic room. Even then he had broken a few legs of some of the doctors and stabbed one of the nurses with a scalpel. Luckily they restrained him and got him to decontamination quick enough. After all that.....he was vegetable for a few weeks. Always either crying or muttering about what he should have done. I remember going down into the basement to find him just staring at the many reports and papers. Either crossing out things and writing in what he should have done or administered. Finally he snapped out of it a week or so ago when he picked up scotch. Although drinking is just......a temporary solution. It's the solution he uses when he just can't take it."

Trixie was tearing up but trying to hold in her sorrow for Golden Heart, he seemed almost over it all. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe Trixie reminded him or her in some way? She pondered this for some time, Gold didn't seem like a depressed alcoholic or workaholic. Maybe it was her. Maybe he was actually trying to fill a void. She understood his scotch usage, it's definitely the last friend when you're suffering inside. Trixie had dabbled with it whenever she either stole it or bought it.

Hmm...this is......I must think about this.... Trixie thought as she and Spring Dancer continued talking about other topics. Since the previously talked about subject made Spring Dancer cry.