Bone Daddy

by Fiaura

Parenting Lesson Number 1

It took almost six days to get her to understand where the bathroom was and how to use it. It also took a considerable amount of effort to get the autopsies done for her parents. I had to find ways to get work done without her interference. I used a ball, a simple hoofball for her to kick around.

She somehow always found a way to kick the ball into the room with me! Anytime I tried to work on any bodies, I had to kick the ball away long enough to keep her searching for it.

If she found me cutting a pony open work was ground to a halt. Her discovery would result in me finding a crying filly attached to my legs. I say legs now because I swear she grew large enough to grasp two at once, or at least learned that I am mostly bones.

She would protest and give me looks as though I’d betrayed her. Then turn to them and look back at me with a look that begged to be comforted. I tried to get away but found to no avail.

She may be a filly, but, nonetheless, an earth pony latched onto your legs is impossible to remove! I also noticed it was incredibly hard for her energy to go down, as her hold wouldn’t loosen for hours.

I began to work on the seventh day when she came up to me with the soccer ball bouncing against her pink mane.

I looked at her, then the ball before batting it away. My effort seemed to have been in vain, as Life Sapphire ran over to it, retrieved it and came running back up to me with it. This lesson of fetch was repeated no less than four times in the span of minutes. Finally, on the fifth occurrence when she brought the ball up to me, I seized it with my magic and put it atop the medical cabinet, far from her reach. “Life Sapphire, look, I am very busy and have work that has to be done. Please go into my office and keep yourself entertained!” My voice was stern, that of the master of this house… er, morgue.

Life Sapphire's burst into tears and give off that wheezing sound as she sobbed. Despite the distraction, I tried to ignore it and continue working.Try as I might, however, the sound of her sobs eventually got to me.

Something about her cries caused pain in my heart, something I hadn’t experienced in all of my centuries as a lich. I felt guilty for her tears, as though her streaks of sadness shouldn't be gracing such a face. Even if I must admit that a foal’s head is simply too large compared to its body! The scene was almost comical. Guilt coursed through me and I wanted to push it away. Emotions were beyond me, this was frustrating to no end to feel them again. To feel interest and delights of cute mixed with the feeling of need to care for another.

Unable to process bodies under such conditions, my frustration steadily built for several minutes. Finally, I snapped and flung my scalpel across the room. “Will you stop crying!?” My shout surprised even me. I watched her eyes get bigger and the expression on her face tense up. I leaned in, ready to strike this little annoyance!

For six days I had played her games, dealt with her, had to train her to use the toilet! The fact that she was my responsibility had not been lost on me in the slightest. The day I could turn her to social services could not come faster!

But Luna had decreed and Celestia had agreed. I had never failed nor disappointed in a millenium, I wasn’t about to start! I hadn't let her out of my sight, even when I had ponies to examine, causes of death to discover, and potential new medical breakthroughs to achieve. Life Sapphire's constant need for attention, nagging, and otherwise interruptions to my research had grown beyond my patience!

I had enough! I could tolerate a whole lot, save for this filly's aptitude for interference. Her crying only got worse and she walked away from me, leaving a river of salty tears in her wake.

“Great, you do realize I'm gonna have to clean this up as well.” I called after her before making for my cleaning closet.

As I was mopping up those tears, Sapphire approached me. Timidly, she pressed a hoof against my own, and I tried to ignore her. Peeved, I stopped my mopping and I lowered my eyes on her. Hate, another emotion I hadn’t experienced in so very long. Once my gaze reached her eyes, I noticed they were full of tears and that she had my scalpel secured in her mouth. It was covered in her slobber, and she was offering it to me.

She looked truly innocent, what with her precious, tear-reddened cheeks. At the mere sight of her, I felt something in my heart give and it beat again--not just once this time, but for several passing seconds. A warmth coursed through me as I reached down and accepted the scalpel into my own mouth from her. I am a lich and a unicorn, so why I did not simply grab it with magic is beyond me. There was some overpowering instinct to use my mouth in the same manner she had done. I ensured to avoid any actual physical contact with her but regardless, she nuzzled my cheek as I withdrew.

I don't know if it had been the seven days at this point--seven days of utter hell I'd been through, I might add--or perhaps it was her sweet and innocent attempt to be nice to me, but something inside me had changed. I couldn't describe what that was, but this annoying brat who couldn't speak a word had, with one action, said more than I could fathom to say to a colleague I had wronged in the most damning of ways and never meant to.

I set the scalpel down and turned to her. She began to tear up, and my vision softened. I… I felt something for her. I didn’t have words for it at this moment, but I felt like I shouldn't be so harsh or angry towards this little filly who didn't understand. Being hesitant at first, I placed a hoof onto her head and gently stroked that obnoxiously pink mane of hers. I realized now the soccer ball matched her mane color. My decaying, centuries-old lich hoof stroked her mane till her tears dried and her sobs subsided.

“Life Sapphire,” I uttered. “I'm sorry. I just, I never planned to take care of a filly. I… I’m sorry I shouted at you. I suppose, after over 1000 years, I have enough vacation time for a little shenanigans.”

Before I could say more, I paused and bit back my decrepit lip. I was at a loss for words, this act was terrifying. The fact that this filly could forgive me so easily made my heart now beat regularly; every eleven seconds my phylactery would pulse and I would feel an accompanying warmth. I kept trying to find the words, though I feared the risk of saying anything that’d disappoint her.

The thought that I had conceived of my next words, and much less that they had passed through my filter and out my mouth, shocked me. “I should learn more about living ponies, fillies specifically.”

At that, her tears departed from those lovely sanguine eyes. Yes, at this point I will admit, I began to realize she has much more to her than what her appearance would have me believe.

Life Sapphire leaned over and happily nuzzled my hoof, then pointed at the ball atop the medical cabinet. I enveloped it in my magic and levitated the object down to her. She happily jumped on it and rolled with the ball that was entirely too large for her. It was like watching a hamster try to pick up its wheel and walk around with it.

“I suppose we should go outside with that; don't want you accidentally breaking my equipment.” Within seconds, I cringed at my own statement.

Outside!? In the sunlight!? Willingly!? I hadn’t been outside for leisure in so long that I doubt I could stand it. In her excitement, Sapphire bounced up against my forelegs and somehow ended up in control of the ball, balanced perfectly on it with her belly.

I was quite amused to see her having to use her entire body to encompassed the ball and hold it still at the same time. Those big red eyes of hers were staring at me in anticipation. With how worked up she was, she was sure to cry again if I didn't take her outside. If she did that, then I would feel that pain of guilt and sadness that I had before.

Great, I was stuck doing this whether I desire to or not.

***

“Hold on a moment, are you telling me you kept a foal indoors for seven days straight? And around dead bodies no less?” Doctor Horses questioned.

Just then, a note was passed under the door as the red bar-plate at the top swirled back inside the room with us. The plate’s color determined that its meaning, whatever the bloodwork had turned up, Sapphire wasn’t going to spread her illness to other living ponies.

There was no physical need for me to clear my throat, but I did so anyhow before answering him. “Well... yes. I had work to do at the time.”

Sapphire coughed, forcing me to pause and consider what may be going on with her. I watched that small filly’s chest rise and fall, her breaths getting more and more shallow than before. Tear glands protested their inability for an undead creature to cry anymore than in small bursts. My heart was beating rapidly inside, its protective safe miles away. Though I could feel it, pounding like it were still inside my chest.

Moments later, I turned back to Doctor Horses, as I was struck with a horrifying revelation.

“Are… are you saying I could be the cause of her affliction?” I asked.

Doctor Horses held up the note and skimmed his hoof over the paper as he read through it. “Mm, that’s a possibility, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Looking at her bloodwork here, all we can determine is that her blood pressure is too low. Other than that, nothing infectious has been found.”

Setting the results down, Doctor Horses’s horn glowed once more as he conducted another examination on Life Sapphire. The resulting light his magic gave off was so bright that I shielded Life Sapphire's closed eyes with my hoof.

“Please, continue with your story,” he said. “She’s still in critical condition. Her pulse and blood pressure are far too low to maintain consciousness. Finding a more likely cause will take time and expertise.”

“Um, would it not be more prudent for me to--” Before I could finish that sentence, I fell silent when the doctor held up a hoof and shook his head.

“I already know what you’re going to say, and the answer is no. You’re an examiner of the dead, not a surgeon for the living. I’ll examine her, but you must give me a complete history of everything that transpired while she was in your care.” Doctor Horses reaffirmed then turned back to examining with his horn as I started to speak once more.

I did notice now though she was growing much slowly, starting at her bulbous head and working methodically over each vein, artery, organ, and bone to find the cause of Life Sapphire's inability to wake up.

Following doctor’s orders, I did just that and continued on with my tale.

Comments

[Vonholtz]

so fare it not bad at all for a cute short story. And I am sure the name make people think the worse about the story. But I think the name add to it when you know what the story is about.

[Fiaura]

8744979
Someone is seeing the hidden meanings.

[gundamfighter55]

getting more swallow, i think it should be shallow,,, only typo i seen in story so far

[Fiaura]

8754103
Wait till the final chapter

[tsaukpaetra]

yes, she's not a cat. Some ponies need more attention...

[Fiaura]

8855066
You're starting to get it.

[Lenzabi]

Interesting to see how this is unfolding and where it is going.

[mustangdrew4]

Just noticed a small error. Otherwise, this story has been excellent thus far.

I did notice now though she was going much slowly, starting at her bulbous head and working methodically over each vein, artery, organ, and bone to find the cause of Life Sapphire's inability to wake up.

I'm pretty sure the doctor was a he

I don't know if you wanted this to be slower or if you forgot to add the word more before slowly.