Bone Daddy

by Fiaura

Arrives as an Unwanted Package

“Bone! I've got a few more for ya!” the earth pony known as Cold Hoof called down into my morgue. I hate it when he does that, though I am excited by the prospect of more subjects for exam, testing, and experimentation. Six cold slabs were occupied here, four of which I had already determined the cause of death: massive blunt force trauma caused by impact from maulwarf claws. The other two were still covered in a sheet as Cold Hoof attached their cold metal slabs to the wall.

“Oh come on, Bone, don't you at least cover them up when you're done?” I looked at him and grinned… or at least tried to. I’ve been a lich long enough that my lips were almost entirely gone. Naturally, it was because of this that Cold Hoof staggered back.

“I swear, the things you do are just unnatural.” The second he finished saying that, I had the dead Earth pony behind him animate and stand up. The hoof tap on his shoulder made him shrill out and once again Cold Hoof bolted out from the room and out of my hair.

“I do this job because no pony else will. Because no pony seems to want to.” Something under the plain white sheet moved, and I with the flick of my horn, revealed a long since dead pegasus pony underneath. She had to have been that way for probably at least a week, as her coat was almost completely gone, mane too. She had other signs of decay as well, but that wasn't what drew my full attention.

To my shock and surprise, there, under the sheet, and lying snugly against the mare... was a foal. It was a filly, one that looked incredibly malnourished, emaciated, only that wasn't what bothered me the most. She stirred. This foal… this foal whom I initially believed to be just as dead as everything else in this room wasn’t that at all. She was alive.

She possessed a sweet, gentle turquoise coat and an obnoxiously pink mane, both of which shifted and breathed before my eyes. Slowly, her eyes (which appeared too large for her head) fluttered open. The color of her irises were deep reds that spoke of blood and violence; it was like they were hiding some deeper seeded violent beginning that could not be spoken. She stared off at nothing, then blinked a few times before she looked at me with an innocence that penetrated all my centuries of staring at dead ponies. The only ponies I ever spoke to were delivery ponies who, like Cold Hoof, spent as little time in my laboratory as possible.

She didn't speak, just stared at me in wide-eyed wonder. “Something this cute doesn't belong here. Cold Hoof?!” I shouted in the direction of the door. “You've made a mistake!” I stormed away from the foal and my cadavers. The skeleton clangs of angry hooves reverberated up the metal stairway as I emerged out into the blinding sunlight of Canterlot for possibly the first time in nearly three hundred years.

I slammed my eyes shut and groaned. Using my magic, I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head to shield my eyes, then walked towards the castle. Upon seeing a shrouded figure near them, two canterlot royal guards standing outside the tall entryway immediately approached with drawn spears. One, a pegasus, held his weapon in his mouth; the other, a unicorn, gripped his in a magical aura as they crossed over the doorway, denying me entrance.

Passerbys stopped and stared as I squared off against these guards. “I don't have the time nor the patience for this, stand aside. I must speak with Princess Luna immediately.”

The two guards looked at each other, then pointed their spears directly at me. My horn glowed as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a badge older than the legends of Starswirl the Bearded. It was made of pure platinum with the royal seal of the twin sisters. Still in their defensive stances, they eyed it inquisitively. The unicorn cast forth a bolt of energy.

His intentions weren’t hostile, he was checking to see if the badge would react with the proper magic. The badge glowed white at the core, black at the edges. The symbols of night and day, the sun and the crescent moon, reflected outward in a holographic display and they knew know I was an agent of our rulers.

The two guards pulled their spears and stepped aside. The moment I walked through those great doors, however, I was immediately surrounded by Canterlot guards who kept their weapons at the ready. Noble ponies all gasped at my passing them, though I paid them no mind, as I had matters leagues more pressing than their gawks and stares. Each hoofstep I took in this hallowed place left a black mist upon the ground, the marks of necrotic magic.

No pony stood in my way without bolting, quickly finding somewhere else to be, or giving me dirty looks. “You'd think they wouldn't recognize somepony of their own creation,” I teased to the guards. All my light chiding got me was a rough snort in return. Seeing their all white coats, however, made me smirk even more. “I wonder, does Princess Celestia herself still do the color transformation process or does she have unicorn underlings for that and you royal guard types?”

He looked quite shocked, like I wasn't supposed to know that. Stopping in front of some impressive doors, I removed my hood, and it was then the guards had a full look at my shrunken eyes, decayed mane, and necromancy-desecrated face. I stepped through doors and entered the royal antechamber, though I was taken aback to see four thrones when there were clearly two before. Two of them were unoccupied while Princess Luna and Celestia stood upon the two closest to the center.

“Well well,” I started, stepping towards the room’s center while observing the myriad of stained glass murals that weren’t here last time I visited. “I should come up here more often. It appears as though major changes have been made to the number of princesses.”

Celestia seemed startled by my presence. Several of her guards around the royal chamber rushed to barricade me from the twin sisters. Her horn glowed as she bolted onto her hooves, ready to let a magical strike fly loose at a moment’s notice.Luckily, Luna physically placed herself between Celestia and myself, stopping her.

“Sister, no,” Luna said calmly with a shake of her head. “I must speak with you in private. Afterwards, I ask that you then allow me to see to this creature here. I assure you, though frightful his appearance may be, he means no harm.” With that little crisis averted, Luna looked back at me. I opened my mouth ready to answer her, only for Luna to immediately roll her eyes before pulling her sister to the side. The two sisters began whispering to each other, while I shook my head.

Wanting to clear the air a bit, I bowed and quickly said my piece. “Surely you must remember me, Celestia, I've been under your castle since before you banished Nightmare Moon.”

The number of angry grimaces directed at me continued as Luna still whispered to her larger sibling. Right when their conversation appeared to finally be wrapping up, Celestia's face went to one of shock before we all heard, “That’s what became of him? And he's been down there how long?”

Luna reached up and placed a hoof over her sister’s mouth to silence her, then turned to me. Luna may have been the smaller of the two sisters but that doesn’t fool me. Luna is the one I should be very afraid to anger. Luckily, rather than sending me flying out a window for my offence, Luna decided to instead address the reason as to why I arrived in the first place.

“Tell, Bone Daddy,” said Luna, “why have you come up here? What possible purpose could you have for disturbing the royal chambers?”

“Luna, I am only supposed to receive deceased ponies for which you want explanations on how they passed away.” I paused to let the air in the room settle a bit. “And you have been most gracious in this. Your efforts have ensured that for over a millennium I have only received everything I need for research. Said deceased cadavers have benefited all of equestrian sciences, their deaths never in vain. I have even been able to perform experiments to better understand necromancy and the dark arts as well.”

I pushed the spears at my throat away and took a few cautious steps forward. Guards re-positioned those weapons to point right at me once again, ready to strike. “So, explain to me why, right now on a slab, there is a foal curled up against her dead mother. Lastly and possibly most importantly, this foal I’m speaking of is certainly... alive.”

Slowly, the night princess walked down the royal ramp built for the access to the throne, then stopped and stood before me. When it came to our statures, Luna was a head and shoulders above my own, so she was a mere hair’s breath away when she glared down at me

“O... of course,” I uttered nervously, “surely it was only a mistake in the paperwork, dear Princess Luna. B-but as you know, disturbing my work drives me to, em... disturb you.” I ended that with a gracious bow, then slowly rose before taking a chance by once again looking into those midnight fire eyes of the princess. I awaited her decision.

I was escorted out and a set of guards had been sent back to my facility to look after the filly there.

I expected, nay, hoped that she’d confirm it to be an error that took place somewhere along the pipeline. That hope was dashed, however, when Luna placed a hoof against my horn. She pressed hard against my skull and she leaned down to eye level with me.

“Yes there was a major mistake. However, having spoken about it to the other princesses, there is something within this we must allow to play out. I am sorry to say, but the lesson here must be learned! Now begone, back to your laboratory. ” Luna started to walk away, though she stopped and half turned looking at me from over her shoulder. “Oh, and in the meantime, seeing as you’ll be the one to care for her, you may take whatever bits you need from my personal treasury to ensure she is fed and cared for. That is, if you even decide to send her to the orphanage afterward.”

My jaw slacked in shock and nearly detached as a murmur arouse in the royal chambers. I took a step towards Luna, guards raising their spears to my chest to block my path. “P-Princess Luna, I must--”

“And you must obey my orders if I am to continue my work,” she shot back. “This is my royal decree.” Luna paused and took a breath before turning back to Celestia. “I am sure my sister also agrees with it. Now begone!” Luna’s horn glowed as the room flashed with the darkness of night, a shield of black between me and the two princesses.

It slowly pressed outward in my direction and I knew not to anger the smaller, darker sister. Begrudgingly, I took a step back and bowed to her. There was no challenging a princess in this mood. Unlike Celestia, who would guilt you with disappointment, I knew Luna might very well smite a pony if she had to. I was not in the mood for regeneration today.

***

Doctor Horses continued his note taking when Nurse Redheart entered. He took the clipboard she had with her, looked it over, then passed it back to her. “Cancel my other patients today, and how long till those royal files arrive?” he asked, interrupting my recounting of events.

Redheart’s brows knit with concern. “But Doctor, you--”

Horses silenced her with a stare and shook his head. “I know, but this patient requires extra special care and attention. Contact Doctor Nightingale and Doctor Hearts. Tell them that I’m calling in that favor they owe.” He took a breath, then looked to me. It was obvious that he could pick up on my feelings of helplessness written on my face.

Doctor Horses moved forward and sat down in the other chair. He looked at the medical cabinets, his various instruments, and then to me. “Please continue, I need a full history as I await results of the tests.” He paused and took a breath. “I’m going to have the nurse make a few phone calls, just for verification purposes.”

I felt as though I’d been slapped in the face, “What do you mean—”

He raised a hoof and cut me off, “I need to know everything to properly diagnosis her. Also since we are in quarantine till contagion is determined, we have nothing better to do.” He took a long breath, “But immediate tests have come back inconclusive. So please, I’m hoping it is something encountered in your lab.”

I wanted to protest, I wanted to scream at him but he was right. His logic was sound for now and we were stuck here till cause could be determined. A medical procedure I myself suggested over a century years ago. I only nodded back and let out a sigh before I continued...

Comments

[MHBones]

Wait, has his name always been Bone Daddy?

[Fiaura]

8722675
Yes.

[gundamfighter55]

bone daddy has a thing for luna. I see he is a man of culture and class, also i agree with bone daddy this seems a bad idea!

[tsaukpaetra]

Interesting. Luna is being cryptic, but it's troublesome he's been hidden away like some dark secret. Though perhaps he enjoys the solitude...

[Fiaura]

8855042
He does enjoy the solitude but the princess knows what damage is has done to his soul.

[Lenzabi]

But yes, a slight shock to his mind as he now has responsibility, LOL

[A Wild Magikarp]

Luna says she intentionally sent her to Bone Daddy. My one question through all of this then is why Luna had her sent to him malnourished, still hugging her DEAD, ROTTING MOTHER.

[Fiaura]

9094350
There is a reason for this and to be honest, I'm re-writing a large section of this story and breaking the ending into 3 chapters because of it.

[Fragment Soul]

I just got around to reading this, and I really like it so far. Good job man.

[Fiaura]

9316873
Glad I got a seal of approval from you.

[Fiaura]

8722675
NO, read the last chapter ;)

[Fragment Soul]

9316886
Lol. You don't need it though. All theses guy are already saying it's really great. but still. I really like this so far. It's seems well written and descriptive, not to mention the characters seem well developed

[Fiaura]

9323643
Yes but I like hearing each and every person's opinion on the whole story.