Why Did I Choose to be Trixie?

by Mike the Red

Botched Exchange

We concluded our meeting and decided upon the best course of action. Celestia gave the order to have the ransom collected and a great many ponies began the arduous task of filling bags with bits and diamonds. I was assured of my safety and that the Diarchs would be watching from the shadows, cloaked by invisibility at the meet point. They would remain far enough away to avoid detection and there would be numerous other ponies who would assist as well, mostly those with sniping skills. This was going to be a risky affair, and I seriously hoped it would turn out okay.

We made contact with an intermediary who relayed a message from the Pack Leader. We were informed that we had two days to come up with the ransom or we would be receiving Trixie's body in bits and pieces each additional day's delay incurred. We informed him that work in accumulating the requested ransom was going as quickly as possible, though considering the size of the demand, we were going to be cutting it very close. We asked for one more day to ensure complete and thorough accounting and were told they would consider it.

A virtual army of ponies counted out bits and diamonds, placing twenty thousand each in large canvas bags. We were going to need that army of ponies to transport the ransom to the meet point, about halfway between Ponyville and Hoofington in a large open field. The Pack Leader was informed that the large number of ponies were needed to safeguard the ransom as well as deliver it, news which displeased him, but which he accepted. The process of collecting the complete amount of the ransom took just over two days, including a full accounting of the final amount. We loaded the bags onto a number of railcars to transport it by train. The trip to the meet point took another eight hours, as that location was an hour's trek from the nearest point by rail. I took the point, leading about fifty unicorns using their magic to carry all the bags to the meet point. The Pack Leader was waiting impatiently for us to arrive.

"Took you long enough. Where is the purple pony who was with the blue one?" he asked.

"I am the same," I stated flatly. "I got a promotion."

The Pack Leader growled at me and turned to one of his captains. "Is the mark on his flanks the same as that which was on the purple one?"

"Yes, Commander, it is!" a smaller dog stated as he examined me from his vantage point.

"Your pony has told me she is married to you, Amethyst," the lead dog stated.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of an introduction," I offered. "I am Amethyst Flame, Regent of Canterlot, Stallion Mate to The Great and Powerful Trixie. I demand her immediate release."

"I am Rex Rover, Pack Leader and Alpha Male of Delta Squadron. You will get your wife back when we receive our ransom," he growled. This dog seemed to be a mix of bull mastiff and great dane, about the same size as me in my standard Alicorn form. His fur was a dark grey with black around his muzzle. He wore a black leather collar with long spikes protruding from the strap and something that looked like brass knuckles with spikes on the ends.

Our respective groups were about 50 yards away from each other -- Rex and his army of a hundred dogs; me, with my legion of 50 unicorns. I contemplated several different scenarios of possible outcomes, none very pleasant. My objective was to rescue Trixie without surrendering a ransom for her. I wanted to send a powerful message to the Diamond Dogs that they cannot abduct ponies and get away with it.

"I demand you show me Trixie. Bring her from wherever you're hiding her," I called out to him. Another captain hustled her to the front to stand beside Rex. I glowered at the group of dogs, narrowing my eyes to slits, a deep scowl on my face. "You'd better not have harmed her," I warned.

"We have your pony. Now give us our ransom!" shouted Rex. I stepped aside and allowed the unicorns to bring the bags forward.

"Release my wife, NOW!" I shouted at him. The captain who was holding Trixie kept her close to Rex. I couldn't see very well what was going on, as Trixie was being partially shielded. I caught a glimpse of something shiny -- light glinting off something made of metal, possibly a knife. "RELEASE HER NOW!!!" I thundered, my voice reverberating across the field. There were very few times when I might be called upon to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, but this was one of those times. I saw the dogs shrink back in fear and Trixie broke free of the captain's hold, dashing over to meet me.

"Amethyst! They were going to kill me! Rex had a knife and he was going to stab me in the back!" my wife cried.

"We have given you your wife! Now give us our ransom!" Rex shouted.

"You tried to kill her! You will get nothing!" I shouted back.

"Attack them! Spare none of them! Kill them ALL!!" he screamed. The army of dogs spread out, seeking to outflank us. I removed the inhibitor ring from Trixie's horn and told her not to hold back. The squad of unicorns I had brought with me had been briefed on a contingency, should the exchange go sour and they took positions to cover each other. I considered myself fortunate that most of these unicorns also had a fair amount of offensive spell training.

"Take defensive positions -- try to incapacitate them without killing them," I shouted. I took to the air to get a better view of the situation, but some of the dogs had crossbows and compound bows and took the opportunity to try to shoot me down. I used my magic to turn their weapons into snakes, which they quickly dropped before they had a chance to fire them.

The dogs split into several large groups, trying to encircle us. Some of the unicorns used their magic to erect a barrier to prevent the dogs from getting too close. Rex was barking out orders to his captains, who were directing their subordinates to take certain attack positions. More weapons were brought out by the dogs, though once again I was able to quickly transform those weapons into more snakes.

Some of the unicorns were able to manipulate weather patterns, so they conjured dark clouds to start zapping the dogs with lightning bolts. I was shocked to see Rex produce a whistle to try to call forward more dogs. He blew on a small wooden pipe shaped object and I heard a rumbling coming. I used my magic to turn his whistle into a snake, which bit him on his muzzle before he could get rid of the thing. He yelped in surprise and pain before falling to the ground, clutching his muzzle with his front paws. Which snake had I made of his whistle? A black mamba, just to make sure he suffered.

More dogs arrived as I had not gotten to Rex in time. I wasn't sure how many there were, but it looked like at least another hundred. I teleported to Celestia's immediate location and informed her that things had gone bad and that I was probably going to have to use lethal force against the dogs. She glowered at me, but accompanied me to the field of battle. Trixie was directing the other unicorns to better vantage points, something I didn't know she was capable of doing. The unicorns took turns keeping the barrier up and when Celestia and I returned, we saw many different groups of dogs circling us, growling, readying for attack.

"I COMMAND ALL OF YOU TO STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!" the Sun Goddess bellowed in an amazingly loud form of RCV. I had never heard her use this commanding tone before, and neither had anypony or anydog else. Everything stopped, every pony, every dog stood and paid attention to the Solar Princess.

"You, Diamond Dogs! Return whence you came, unless you wish to incur my wrath!" Celestia shouted, her body glowing brilliantly in the light, her mane and tail lit as though they were made of living flame itself. It reminded me of when I lost my temper. "If you EVER think about abducting another one of my little ponies, I shall not spare your lives!"

"That other white one attacked us!" one of the captains stated. Celestia's anger flared brighter at this.

"You will leave now, and that is final. Any further delay will be met with swift and certain destruction," the Sun Goddess stated in a low voice, one dripping with deep malice and anger.

The dogs started leaving through the tunnels they had dug, every single one of them with their tails between their legs. Celestia stood by and waited until the last one had left. We took the opportunity to seal all the holes, placing magic wards on them so they could not be reused.

"Thank you, Celestia," I stated. The Solar Princess saw one dog laying on the ground, his paws still holding his muzzle. She trotted over to him.

"Why haven't you left?" she asked.

"Uhhh," he groaned in pain. "Bit by a snake. Hurts."

"Amethyst? How did he get bitten by a snake?"

"He blew a dog whistle -- I used my magic to turn his whistle into a snake -- a black mamba snake," I stated flatly. Everypony gasped at that mention and Celestia turned to me.

"You understand how deadly those things are, don't you?"

"Yeah, the snake bit him, and without antivenom, he's gonna die," I replied. "Snake bit him on the nose."

"I suppose that can't be helped. I will use my healing magic on him," she stated and enveloped him in her aura, drawing the snake venom out of him and healing the damaged flesh. Rex resumed normal breathing and stared up at the Solar Princess, who powered down her horn after healing him. "You must leave with the others. Do not return. I strongly suggest you think twice about abducting another pony."

Rex whimpered, looking for a tunnel to retreat to, but was unable to find any. He dug into the ground to make his own tunnel and left us to regroup. Trixie cantered to my side.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Amethyst," she stated softly. "How is my filly doing?"

"Would you like to return to the castle and continue raising her?" I asked.

"Trixie wished to continue with her travels," she stated, "but she no longer feels safe. Please come with Trixie, she needs your help!"

"Who's going to raise Marina?" I asked. "Celestia? Trixie wants me to accompany her, but there will be no pony to raise Marina. I do not wish to accompany Trixie on the road -- I need to look after our filly."

The Diarch instructed the other unicorns to return the bags containing the ransom to return to the Castle and place the bags back into the Royal Treasury. She then trotted over to where Trixie and I were standing.

"Amethyst, I need you back at the Castle. Trixie, I request you return as well so you may continue raising your filly. Your willingness to abandon her to resume your travels speaks of poor judgment and irresponsibility on your part. You cannot run from your obligations, regardless of how difficult the circumstances may appear." The show-mare hung her head sullenly.

"Trixie was born to travel the road performing her magic -- she was never meant to be a mother," she stated sadly.

"So we're back to that Catch-22, Trixie -- you want me to be in two places simultaneously. I have stated before that as much as I want to accompany you, I cannot abandon our filly. I do not wish to risk losing you, but if you cannot return to the Castle, I understand. I will give you a device with which you can summon me at any time. Please remember to use it only in cases of dire emergency and do not use it whenever you're feeling lonely and want some companionship. I will keep track of your location as well to ensure your safety. I don't understand why I didn't take these precautions when I let you leave the last time around."

"You are willing to let Trixie continue on her travels?" she asked.

"As much as it pains me, yes, I will. Take care of yourself," I replied softly. I used my magic to create a special device she could use to summon me immediately. This was little more than a small square black box with a big red button in the center which would send a signal to me when depressed. Trixie grinned at me upon receiving the device.

Suddenly, a cry went up from the group of unicorns who were transporting the ransom back to the Castle. Celestia and I looked over to where the sound originated and saw more Diamond Dogs -- apparently, they had not gotten the message. She and I took to the air and flew to meet them, landing a short distance away from them.

"I thought I told you to leave," the Sun Goddess stated flatly.

"We are here to collect the ransom," one of them responded. "Give it to us. NOW."

Celestia turned her attention to the nearest unicorn and used her telekinesis to take one of the bags of bits, slamming it into the dog with as much force as she dared muster. The bag, which weighed about fifty pounds, impacted the dog with so much force that he was brought to the ground immediately, his rib cage crushed under the force. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he screamed in pain. The other dogs saw this and fled back down the holes from which they had came. She then magically sealed all the holes behind that pack of dogs. She and I escorted the unicorns back to the train tracks to catch the ride back to Canterlot.

"Where is Trixie's caravan?" she asked me. I searched for it from the sky and found it, then teleported it to her location. "Thank you so much, Amethyst! Please take care of Marina for Trixie!" She then got back onto her wagon and used her magic to propel it towards Hoofington, the little black box by her side.

"So, Celestia, do we take the train with our group or do we go ahead of them?" I asked.

"You may accompany them for the ride back. I have pressing matters to deal with, Amethyst. I have a foal-sitter taking care of Marina for you in your absence. Make sure the ransom returns safely to the Castle." She then teleported back to the throne room, leaving me to accompany the phalanx of unicorns carrying the bags. We reached the tracks in short order and boarded the next train to Canterlot, returning to the Castle some seven hours later.

It was dark when we finally reached the Castle and I oversaw the transport of the ransom back to the Royal Treasury. When that task was finished, I trotted to the dining hall to have a light dinner before reconnoitering with Celestia, though by this time she had retired to her bedchamber.

Comments

[LunarWorshipper1]

great no one really got what they deserved i was actually hoping rex would die oh well back to the show

[Buckshot2825]

They would remain far enough away to avoid detection and there would be numerous other ponies who would assist as well, mostly those with sniping skills.

Does that include Rainbow?
s12.postimg.org/53z4tgtvx/rainbow_dash_with_gun.jpg

"I COMMAND ALL OF YOU TO STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!"

Yay someone else uses large text! :D

[Mike the Red]

2620475 Celestia showed herself to be somewhat of a hypocrite -- she spared Rex's life, but took a different dog's life. This fact will be brought to bear at some point in the future.