Why Did I Choose to be Trixie?

by Mike the Red

There Were Complications

I scooped Marina up and put her on my back next to Jade, who had started crying.

"Excuse me, please," I stated quite coldly at having been pushed aside. I flared my wings in annoyance and frowned, then lit my horn and summoned my regalia, my aggravation having reached the breaking point. After receiving silent glares from the team wheeling the gurney onto the elevator, I cleared my throat.

"I'm sorry, your Highness, but we have to take this body to the morgue," one of the doctors offered sullenly. "We tried to save him, but we failed."

"Very well then. I'm sorry to hear that. Carry on," I responded, my voice losing the harsh tone I had used earlier.

"Daddy, when are we going to the hotel?" asked Marina. I craned my neck around to smile at her.

"I think we'll be leaving now, Ray," I said, teleporting us to the street level entrance to the Pink Swan.

"That was fun, daddy! Can we do that again?" she asked almost excitedly. I heard Jade gurgle happily.

"Don't get too used to that, Ray -- I only do that in emergencies. Let's get a room -- we can visit your mama later," I replied softly. I trotted to the front counter and got a room, though I made sure to ask the desk clerk to inform hospital staff that I was staying here and would be visiting Trixie regularly. With the evening drawing near, I took the opportunity to take Marina and Jade with me to the hotel's dining area, which consisted of four restaurants. I chose the one which appealed to my daughter, who insisted on a large plate of hay fries and a glass of sarsaparilla.

"Pinkie Pie told me it gives you extra sass!" the filly explained, giggling as she said it. I smiled at her.

"Where I come from, we call it root beer," I noted, taking the opportunity to have one myself with my food. My dinner was a plate of pasta with a tomato-based sauce and a vegetable salad. I took the opportunity to steal some hay fries from Marina's plate, causing her to complain about it. "You're not gonna be able to eat all those," I chided.

"Yes I can, daddy!" she retorted, pouting at me. Jade started crying in his high chair as I tried to feed him, batting away the spoon I held in my pale yellow aura. He lit his horn and his pale green aura grabbed the spoon, dipping it into his food and then bringing it to his mouth, surprising me at his ability.

"Um, Ray, how long has Jade been able to feed himself?"

"Mommy taught him how to do that about six months ago, daddy! You never spend any time with us any more!"

"I'm sorry, Ray -- it's just that I've been so busy, you know," I offered softly, smiling warmly at her.

"Mommy says she wants you to spend more time with her as well."

"I will, I promise," I replied My thoughts turned to Trixie and a hint of worry crept on my face as I began wondering how she was coping in the hospital without me. There was something about that hospital I didn't like and it caused me to ponder the possibility that it too was one of the properties either owned outright or largely controlled by Strong Arc. I had a deep sense of foreboding and my discomfort was evident enough for my daughter to notice it.

"What's wrong, daddy?"

"There's something wrong with the hospital your mama is staying in -- I think I'm gonna have a talk with Celestia about it," I mused.

"I thought hospitals were supposed to be safe!"

"Me too, Ray -- but something doesn't seem right about that place." I took a bite of my pasta, and Jade decided he wanted to try it as well as he grabbed a fork with his aura and speared some of my farfalle with it, taking a few bites. He smiled in approval, though he also giggled at my consternation, which elicited a few giggles from my daughter as well. We finished eating after a little more conversation about Trixie and then headed up to our room.

As I lay in bed trying to get some sleep, I focused my magic on Celestia in an attempt to communicate with her. My car still has a comm link with her -- perhaps I should use that instead. As the thought passed, I received a faint message, something that I was just barely able to make out. The Solar Princess caught the gist of my message to her, one which indicated a sense of trouble -- her reply was to let me know she was on her way to meet up with me. Satisfied by her reassurance, I drifted off to sleep after making sure Marina and Jade were sound asleep as well.

---

In the hospital, Trixie was making some rather unreasonable demands. Her doctors were having a bit of trouble trying to accommodate them and became increasingly more frustrated. The fact that little Velvet had been taken to a nursery didn't help her mood either.

"Trixie wants to have that operation as soon as possible! Trixie does not want to have any more foals!" she demanded of one of the doctors who had been unfortunate enough to have entered to check on her status.

"Ma'am, you need time to recover from foalbirth before we can do that," he protested.

"Trixie doesn't care! She wants this taken care of NOW!"

"I'll talk to the lead doctor about this, Ma'am -- though I'm sure he'll have the same recommendation." He turned and left, causing the show-mare to repeat her demand even louder. The lead doctor returned with a full medical team in an attempt to convince her she needed more time before her requested operation, but she would have none of it.

"I see you're determined to have this operation. Since you have refused to follow the recommended course of action, I have another option for you. Before we proceed, I will have to have you sign this release form, absolving us, the surgeons who will be performing the operation, as well as the hospital itself from any liability resulting from any complications your operation may cause. Are you still willing to go through with this?" asked the lead doctor. He rubbed his temples when she nodded firmly.

"Trixie doesn't care what happens to her -- she wants this operation! No more foals!"

The lead doctor sighed heavily and called upon his team to set up a gurney to have the show-mare wheeled into the operating room. The procedure she wanted was normally a routine matter, but so soon after foalbirth, there were certain dangers -- blood clots, aneurysms, infections -- and the surgical team who worked on her did their best, the entire operation lasting only two hours. She was wheeled back into her room and the monitors reattached to her. The anesthesia would wear off in a few hours and Trixie was expected to sleep another eight hours before breakfast was to be served.

---

The morning sunlight woke Marina first -- she clambered up to me and pulled the cover back from my head.

"Come on, daddy! Wake up! It's time for breakfast!"

I groaned at the thought of having to rise from such a comfortable bed, but groggily rose to my hooves. I went into the bathroom to try to wake myself a little, splashing some water on my face, then wiping off with a towel. I took a moment to brush my teeth, then magicked my mane and tail into some semblance of order.

"Come on, daddy! I'm hungry!" she repeated. Jade said something which seemed to express a similar sentiment, so I hitched the foal carrier to my back again, placing the little colt inside. He cooed softly as he rested snugly on my back. I turned to Marina and motioned for her to come along. She bounced excitedly, eliciting a warm smile from me.

We entered another restaurant to see Princess Celestia seated at a table, something that took me by surprise. She smiled serenely upon seeing me, her smile widening a little when she caught sight of Marina and Jade. She motioned for me to sit beside her.

"I am pleased by how well you're running things here in Las Pegasus," the Alicorn offered warmly.

"Thank you, Celestia. I'll have to admit it was difficult to get everypony on the same page, but I think the amount of progress we've achieved here is worth the costs involved. I'm glad you made it on such short notice -- can you tell me something about the hospital Trixie's staying in?"

"From what I've been told, it's among the best in Equestria, Amethyst. Your wife should be receiving the best of care -- you expressed some concern about it, so what's troubling you?"

"I can't put my hoof on it -- something doesn't seem right about that place. I need to find out if Strong Arc had a controlling interest in that hospital or the construction company which built it, or if a majority of the hospital's staff were in his pocket." My expression turned serious at this point as more troubling thoughts wormed their way into my mind.

"Amethyst, at the risk of repeating myself, that hospital is one of the best in my realm. I believe your fears are unfounded, though I will give your concerns my consideration. I will inform you of my findings when I come to a determination," she stated, though her tone seemed somewhat distant.

"I hope for my sake you're right about this, Celestia -- I would hate to have to do something regretful if something bad happens to Trixie," I responded, my tone one of caution. The Alicorn raised an eyebrow as if to let me know I should back off on making any threats. "I was under the impression I had your permission to run this town as I pleased."

"You've made a great deal of progress, Amethyst -- might I caution you against jeopardizing that?"

"Very well then, Celestia -- but mark my words: if anything bad happens to Trixie, I'm going to --"

"You should not let your emotions cloud your judgment, Amethyst. Being an Alicorn entails restraint and the proper knowledge of when to let loose with that power. I understand your concerns, and trust me, I too have some reservations to some degree -- but if anything unfortunate does happen to your wife, I will provide you whatever support you need to assist you in coping with any loss. You are welcome to visit me at any time." She returned to smiling serenely again.

"I appreciate your kindness, Celestia. I sure hope Trixie and Velvet are doing okay, though I guess I shouldn't let my fears get the better of me. Would you like to join me in visiting? I'm sure you're curious to see my new filly, Velvet Rose," I smiled.

"Of course, Amethyst! I'd be delighted!'

We finished eating breakfast and trotted across the street to the hospital's main entrance. The sight of two Solar Regents caused everypony to bow and scrape to us -- even the doctors bowed politely, though not as effusively as the other staff. I informed them I was there to see my wife and new-born foal and that Celestia was there to inspect the hospital to ensure it was operating at optimum efficiency. We were escorted to the nursery where Velvet was brought to us. The little filly was still wrapped in blankets to keep her warm. We were given assurances that she was perfectly healthy. Then we were escorted to the room Trixie was in -- she was still sleeping, a peaceful expression on her face.

"She needs time to recover from her operation yesterday," the lead doctor explained.

"And what operation was that? I was under the impression she had given birth in the standard fashion," I said in puzzlement.

"After you left, she demanded we perform a tubal ligation to ensure she would have no more foals -- we tried to discourage her from having the operation so soon after foalbirth, but she refused to listen to our concerns, repeating her demand. We reluctantly agreed to comply with her demands, but everything appears to be normal. She should wake up in a few more hours, but we will need to hold her for another day to ensure a full recovery."

"Why did you leave, Amethyst?" asked Celestia.

"The doctors assured me she was resting comfortably -- I was going to have the hospital staff provide us with a room, but things happened, so I decided to take a room in the Pink Swan. I had no idea she was going to make this demand," I protested. "Trixie is very headstrong, so I doubt I'd have been able to dissuade her from that choice anyway."

"I see. I suppose that can't be helped, but I must admit I'm a little disappointed by her impulsiveness."

I chuckled weakly. "You have no idea of just how impulsive she can be when she sees an opportunity," I offered sullenly, shaking my head slowly.

"I understand. I hope my visit has assuaged your concerns, Amethyst. As you know, it has been quite hectic around the Castle without your presence, even with Twilight and Luna providing their assistance as well. I must leave now to return to my duties." With that, she lit her horn and teleported back to Canterlot, leaving me somewhat confused.

"Daddy, is mommy going to be all right?" asked Marina. She gazed up at me quizzically, a slight look of concern on her face.

"The doctors say she's going to be fine, Ray -- we just need to give her some more time to rest," I said softly.

"We'll let you know when she's awake -- she should be able to leave tomorrow, your Highness," one of the doctors stated.

"Thank you, doctor." I turned to my daughter. "Okay, Ray, we're going back to the Visage -- I have a little more work to do and your mama needs some rest." She clambered up onto my back and held on as I teleported us back to our suite on the top floor of the casino hotel. I then called my security team for a quick conference and had Marina's escort take her to her tutor, keeping Jade on my back.

"I'm worried about Trixie," I announced to my team. "I need to know more about that hospital -- find out what you can about it and get back to me as soon as possible, please."

"Yes, your Highness," my security chief stated firmly.

---

Jade slept soundly on my back as I continued taking care of the day's business. I received reports from other casinos on a weekly basis, though I had them staggered so I only had to deal with one weekly report per day -- there were other matters I had to attend to, items which kept my mind occupied. Eventually it was time for dinner, so I took the elevator down to the main level and trotted to one of the restaurants. I had security bring Marina to me so we could eat together. Marina was keen on having pizza for dinner -- to the point where she would insist on having pizza every night. I guess she got that from me, though I had to admit I was in the mood for pizza as well. The scent of pizza woke Jade from his sleep and he yawned and stretched as far as the carrier would allow. I removed him from the carrier and placed him in a high chair at our table. I watched him take a slice of pizza in his pale green aura and began nibbling on it.

"I didn't know he liked pizza," I mused aloud, smiling at the little colt.

"Um, I got him started on that, daddy," Marina said almost meekly.

"As long as he likes what he's eating, I don't mind, Ray," I responded warmly.

Our dinner was interrupted by one of my security team trotting up to me and hoofing me a written report. I took a moment to scan it quickly and frowned deeply at the news.

"What's wrong, daddy?" asked my daughter.

"Just as I feared, Ray -- our suspicions about that hospital have proven correct," I noted, a very serious tone to my voice. "Send a security detachment to the hospital to keep watch on Trixie. Make sure nothing happens to her," I addressed my chief, who saluted me and turned sharply to his left. He barked an order to one of his subordinates, who swiftly flew into action.

"I'm worried, Ray -- I'm really worried now."

"Did the doctors lie about mommy? Is she really gonna be all right?"

"I hope for their sake she recovers and is ready to go home tomorrow." We finished eating and then went back to our suite. Marina's tutor had provided her with a book for her to read, though the language in it was rudimentary. After tucking Jade into his little bed, I had chosen to lay down and contemplate this turn of events and drifted off to sleep. My daughter followed soon afterward, the sound of her light snoring reminding me of her mother.

---

The following morning found us having a rather early breakfast, but I was anxious to get Trixie back on her hooves again -- having her help with running the city had proven to be quite useful and the stress of being without her was wearing on my nerves. I continued to be impressed by Jade's ability to feed himself, though listening to him laugh made me smile. Changing his diaper, on the other hoof, was another matter entirely. After finishing breakfast, we went back to the suite to freshen up before we were to go back to the hospital.

I teleported us to the front door of the hospital again, trotting in with Marina trailing me, Jade back in his carrier I strode to the front counter and asked for one of Trixie's doctors, who was summoned immediately. His expression seemed rather pained, which renewed my state of unease as he trotted up to me.

"Your Highness, I have some unfortunate news about Trixie -- there have been some complications from her recent surgery and she has slipped into a coma -- we have tried waking her, but nothing seems to be working."

I hung my head and exhaled sharply through my nostrils.

"Daddy, what's wrong with mommy?" asked Marina, her expression showing deep worry.

"Your mama is in a coma -- she's going to be sleeping a bit longer than we thought. I'm going to have to have a little chat with Princess Celestia," I grumbled as I scooped my daughter up and put her on my back behind Jade before turning away from the doctor and trotting out of the hospital.