Bone Daddy

by Fiaura

Deal with the Living

I walked, nearly stormed down the stairs to my laboratory in a huff. I was in a bit of a mood, seeing as I was escorted back by two guards, both of which had forced me into purchasing food for the foal. II can forgo the need for sustenance, but I was not looking forward to having to regularly feed another pony. Do you have any idea how disgusting the act of eating is to an outside viewer?

I arrived back at the lab and took the veggies and other foal items I had been given and placed them in my office. I didn’t have a refrigerator there, as there was never a need for one, but what I did have was a cold storage unit that hadn't been used in ages. I placed the food inside and went to find the foal.

Finding her wasn’t difficult, as she was still tucked up against the chilled corpse of what I assumed to be her mother. I could not tell if she was sleeping, unconscious, or just trying to hide. I levitated the paperwork assigned to the body over and carefully examined it from beginning to end. Life Tender and Sapphire Finder, married, one child. Her name didn’t seem to be listed

“You, child, what is your name?”

Her ear twitched in response to my voice, and her face contorted in the discomfort of laboratory lighting before she stirred. She turned to her other side, then yawned quietly as she stretched her legs out like a cat. As she did so, I noticed the distinct lack of a horn or pair of wings on her.

An earth pony? The parents were listed here as one unicorn and one pegasus. I pulled the back the body’s sheet further, and discovered the mother had a wing wrapped around the foal's midsection. “Hm.” Looking to the neighboring, occupied slap, I pulled back its sheet, unveiling a blue-coated unicorn underneath that strikingly matched this foal's own fur color.

“An earth pony born of a pegasus and unicorn. Strange, if that were the case, then there should have been complications of some degree. Considering that she would have to received double recessive traits from her parents for the Earth Pony to come out. It could be autoimmune.” The Doctor stops as he tried to surmise some simple solution.

The foal seemed more awake and alert, though she didn't answer or speak back in response to my questions. Going by her appearance, she had to be four, maybe five years old at most. I used my magic to lift her off the table, which was unsanitary. I couldn’t help but notice the expression on her face. She looked with a sense of uncertainty, like she knew I meant no harm but at the same time that did not help how my outward appearance was, horrifying to most. Did she harbor the same fear every pony had for me?

I stared at the tiny creature as it lay there, wanting so badly to recoil away from this terrifying new entity that had been dropped into my un-life. She was going to be such a major nuisance for the next 31 days and nights. As for the here and now, however, well... the sound of tears hitting the metal below her was something I couldn’t stand any longer.

I pointed a hoof down at her and growled, “Stop crying, I won't have any of that in my lab!” Something inside my long-dead body warmed for the briefest of moments as I said that. Regardless, I shuddered and watched this foal continue with her silent sobs.

...As a matter of fact, she was being a little too silent.

Acting on a hunch, I lit my horn with magic of a medical scan as I conducted an examination of her physical well being. Moments later, I winced when I detected it. Her vocal cords had been burned out, something that could only be achieved if she had actually inhaled flames. A twinge in my eye distracted me as a tear tried to push its way out. But I was having none of those feelings for such a contemptible creature as this filly.

The soft wheezing of air through her tiny throat while she sobbed was, for some reason, unacceptable to me. I reached down to her with a hoof, trying to see if there was some way to console her. Unfortunately, and much to my displeasure, she latched onto it and began sullying my cleanest robe with those dirty pony tears of hers. I will say this, though: if I were to extrapolate anything from this child’s grip and tenacity to not let go, it’d be that earth ponies today are as strong as the ones from back when I had a pulse.

I wiggled the leg in an attempt to free it, though she maintained her firm hold onto it. After a few more tries, each with no success, I finally detached my forelimb and decided to let her have it. Even if my limbs are not attached, I can still feel everything from them as if they were. Now forced onto three legs, I hobbled away to where I had placed the groceries the guards had purchased for her.

Although I managed just fine, I was forced to bear wet tears dripping onto my detached hoof, as well as the feeling of her wheezing breath hitting my decayed coat. From the grocery bag, I levitated out a carrot, two pieces of bread, and a daffodil, then held them up to her.

It took a moment or two, but she finally opened her eyes long enough to notice the items I was magically extending to her. Additionally, she also noticed that I was across the room, and that she was holding on to my detached leg. She looked at the leg in her hooves, blinked, then looked back to me.

I expected a scream. I wanted one, even. Her being afraid of me for the next thirty-one days would have been my best outcome, at the time. Rather than doing that, however, she took the leg’s hoof with her own... like I were its parent. My leg followed her grasp in the most ridiculously silly hop along I'd ever seen, as she didn’t let go and had that legendary earth pony strength. As difficult as it was to admit this, even a foal-sized earth pony could easily overpower me when it came to physical strength.

Before long, the foal reached a hoof out and grabbed the carrot, though my magical aura around the vegetable remained. “Ah ah ah. Release my leg and allow it to return to me, and then you can have the food.” Yes, I was negotiating with it. I had no choice, lest I be inconvenienced by the day-long regeneration process once again.

She shook her head, her facial expression pure strain as she tried to pull the carrot towards herself. She kept trying to take it while simultaneously holding onto my hoof at the same time. There was no getting through to this creature; I swore she might actually crack the ankle.

I gave the carrot one last tug, then gave up with a sigh. “Fine,” I said before limping over to her. I slid my exposed bone into my severed hoof’s slot, and with a sickening crack it was reattached. I was whole once more, though I wasn’t joyed to be forced into holding the foal’s hoof while she munched on a carrot.

I looked at the cadavers on the table, then the foal. Deciding to give it another crack, I levitated the documentation over to myself and scanned it for any sign of the foal’s name. Other than that of the parents, nothing came forward for me to call her by.

That won’t do; if we’re forced to spend an extended amount of time together, she will have to be called something other than “Foal.” With the forehoof she didn't have in her demonic little death grip, I pointed at her. “You, until I find a more suitable one, your name shall be,” I looked at both of her parents then at the clipboard that contained their names, I choose 1 name from each to form hers. “...mm.... Life Sapphire. Understood?”

After taking one last bite of the carrot, she nodded to me.

I stared down at her for a spell; if I still had the capacity to do so, I would have been biting at the inside of my cheek. “You can't talk, can you?”

She shook her head. Understandable, given the damage to her throat I detected earlier.

“Do you know what happened to your parents?”

She shook her head again, only this time she pointed a hoof at me.

“Why’d you do that? What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

She then nuzzled my leg, which, to my horror, gave me an inkling as to what she was alluding to. I tried to wiggle my hoof free from her grasp, but again she shouldn’t give.

“Oh no. No no no. I am not your daddy--”

She nuzzled my leg even harder and shook her head at me. She pointed at her parents then at me. I looked confused trying to figure out what she was saying. Then realized they might not have even told her, they were dead.

Something inside me pulsed, hard. I wanted to protest, I wanted to break it to her but couldn’t bring myself to do so. I hung my head and growled then thought on how to phrase this to a child.

“Alright, listen. Your parents are gone away for a long time. I’m your caretaker, for now. Do you understand?” I stared at Life Sapphire trying to piece it together in her head, then she slowly nodded at me. She was reaching up for something as I leaned back. “We’ll make the best of the situation. Does your throat hurt from earlier?” She shook her head.

Of course not, her throat would have been burned, cauterization on that level would be almost instant. It was unlikely she could even feel herself breathing. Perhaps I should, my thoughts were interrupted when my magic aura was broken.

Life Sapphire had reached up and swiped the documents from my magical aura with her free hoof. She placed it on the table next to her, pointed to the word ‘Father’ on it, then pointed at me. Either Life Sapphire was delusional, traumatized to an extreme, or desperately wanted me as a surrogate parent. I was scared of all the possibilities in that moment. How was I to actually deal with this?

“I... No.”

I was interrupted by the sensation of warm liquid pooling around my hoof. Oh great, not only was she clingy, but she wasn't house broken yet either. How could this possibly get any worse?

*****

“Hmm, so she stayed with her mother's body for how long? How many days ago was this, if you had to guess?” Doctor Horses asked, continuing to take notes.

“Twenty-Nine days,” I replied, “and she stayed with the corpse for nearly 2 hours, plus however long it took to bring her there.” I looked at the sleeping Life Sapphire and was worried when she let out a wheezing cough.

“You've obviously done some repairs to her vocal cords since then, but has she been able speak?” Horses asked, rummaging through a drawer before producing a needle. I shook my head, watching him as he swabbed an alcohol-soaked cotton ball along a patch of fur near Life Sapphire’s hoof, then pricked her skin underneath with the needle.

I understood the parental instincts of defense now, but intellectually I fought against the need to protect her. This was necessary to ensure her safety and therefore, the logical course was not to rush to her side. I managed to keep myself from doing so when he held up a hoof, however, as he only drew a few drops of blood. Once that was done, the vial was sealed and her wound was gone with a wave of his horn. I glared at him, I wanted to scream at him then and there for causing even the slightest bit of discomfort to her.

“The way you describe it,” he said, dropping the vial into a biohazard bag, then depositing it into the box outside for the nurse to take, “Twenty-nine days ago you wouldn't have lifted a hoof to help this foal. Now you’re rushing to her defense when all I needed was a little bloodwork.” Before coming back inside, I saw him flip up the red, blue, and green small plastic tiles fixed to the door’s privacy window.

Seeing as I had some medical knowledge, I knew the cards were for informing any passing hospital staff outside as to what was in the room. In that same respect, I also possessed an understanding to the hidden meaning behind the colors. Red represented a potential health hazard in the room, while blue meant a medical practitioner was present, and green… green indicated the presence of something life-threatening.

I looked to Doctor Horses and completely balked. My undead heart gave a pulse that surprised me. For the first time in an era, I could feel it in the phylactery: worry for somepony I cared for.

I swallowed down the stone in my throat, then dared to ask, “Please explain to me... what’s happening to my daughter?”

Doctor Horses took his seat once again and fixed me a somewhat curious look. “I will. But first, how about you tell me how long have you’ve been referring to her as your daughter.”

I bite my nearly decayed away lip and let out a distressed winnie the way an overly worried father would. “Until just now, I… haven’t.”

“Hmm,” the doctor uttered, making himself more comfortable. “Well then, seems like you have some explaining to do. Continue.”

Comments

[gundamfighter55]

oh my god you did it,,, i thought you were joking .

[Fiaura]

8722227
Nope dead serious!

[gundamfighter55]

8722228
well crap looks like i am gonna have to start reading even though i got stats class,,,, also in the description i think you mean innocence no innocent, also is the lich a unicorn i cannot see a horn in picture?
ah had to zoom in the angle kinda hid horn

[sailing101]

[Fiaura]

8722482
And I will enjoy the fact you are watching ;)

[Fiaura]

8722609
I imagine you do ;)

[Slavenger Karl]

There are some things that make me question my reality...

This is one of them.

[Fiaura]

8722717
Job done!

[CountessRose]

You have my attention I await more.

[Fiaura]

8725524
Working on more, be out Wednesday.

[CountessRose]

8726921
*rubs hooves together* excellent

[Fiaura]

8727311
You are so excited about that.

[CountessRose]

8727560
Hey fan fiction is kind of my thing, throw in a little bit of a morbid aesthetic and it just makes my day. Also the idea of this creature most would flee from taking care of a little filly I find sweet. Reminds me of this other story that has a similar relationship between Sweetie Belle and Sombra. Sadly that story hasn’t updated in over a year.

[Fiaura]

8727765
This is the first of 8 cute story prompts from my subscribers in addition to the FoE thing.
So once I finish this, expect another cute thing to pop up Soon™

[tsaukpaetra]

Life seems to know more than he does.
Interesting that her vocal chords were burnt out but that seemingly happened before the deaths of her mortal parents. It's also highly suspect that she lived approximately five years with no name...

[Fiaura]

8855053
You have the right to be suspicious ;)

[Lenzabi]

Hmmmm, more to unravel!

[NecromanCREEEEEE]

The last bit repeated itself. may wanna take a look at that

[Fiaura]

9312190
Stupid Copy/Paste error, thanks for mentioning it.

[PresentPerfect]

Do you have any idea how disgusting the act of eating is to an outside viewer?

I do, as a matter of fact...