Bone Daddy

by Fiaura

Reviving a Long Dead Soul

The park turned out to be quite the busy scene. Foals played on merry-go-rounds and swing-sets, all while vigilant parents watched from the sidelines. Then, of course, there was us. Mothers shielded their foals as we neared, and stallions snorted at me like I was some sort of apparition to be challenged.

Clearly this only proved how little they understood that my work advances developments for vaccines, armor for our guards, and proper responses to major crisis, like an attack from an Ursa Major for one. Some respect would be nice!

As I opened my mouth to let my thoughts fly loose on them, that little blue ball of playful cuteness smacked the pink ball against my hoof, which then rolled back to her. She wheezed a little, though in a higher, excited pitch as she held a bright smile. Looking down at her, my thoughts were shattered by the sight.

Sapphire kicked the ball again, sending it to bounce off my hoof. In response, I reared my leg back, ready to kick it again, only to have her charge in and headbutt the ball some few yards behind me.

The sprint to the ball must have felt like miles to Sapphire. I had kicked it nearly six times the length of my body. What was just a few hoofsteps for me must have felt like a football field to her. While I watched her run for it, I felt some sort of tug. My heart had begun to beat in rhythm, something I couldn’t remember the last time I felt.

Realizing that I had been staring off at nothing in my pondering, I looked down to see the red eyes of Life Sapphire staring at me, expectantly.

“You... want me to hit the ball back to you?” I asked.

She squeaked, her chest puffed out all proud while her eyes begged for me to do it. Doing as she wished, I approached the ball and took my position accordingly. Dozens of parents had their eyes trained on me. Some foals peeked out from between their mothers’ front legs, which meant the staring was joined by a chorus of eyes too big for their tiny heads.

I looked at the obnoxiously pink, checkered white soccer ball, then at Life Sapphire. With the softest kick, I gently nudged it forward, just enough to get it three quarters of the way to her. For some reason, I thought for a moment that an earth pony of all things could be fragile or easily broken.

Sapphire didn’t seem to mind that kick, as she bounded forward and turned to full-on buck the ball back at me. The effort on her part was titanic for her size, but all it did was bounce off me like a rubber ball hitting a fortified bunker. The ball even squeaked in a similar pitch to her.

I looked around and slowly removed my hood. I didn’t have a real reason. I felt like if Sapphire could see my face in the sun, she would feel safer and open up more as I did to the other ponies around me. I realized I had just revealed my centuries-old undead face, for her. Not because she wanted me to, but because I wanted her to feel better.

I must have looked hideous to all of them. Mothers gasped and clung to their foals to protect them again. Even the fathers looked disturbed by my visage; most turned away, shielding themselves with a hoof. Foals tried to get through, as they tried get closer so they could stare in pure, innocent curiosity. All the children playing on playground equipment stopped what they were doing and looked on in my direction. The groaning squeaks of screws and swing lines punctured the moment as they ground to a stop.

The sun made me uncomfortable. Its light hitting against my centuries-old flesh almost burned like flames. Wincing under the rays, I lowered my sight, allowing my eyes to refocus on the world around me. Life Sapphire looked concerned as she walked over to me, placing a hoof against my leg. I focused on her, then slowly redirected my attention to the ponies around me. That was when something overcame me.

The sun… it… it felt nice. Even the burning sensation against my flesh, was overshadowed by the feeling it caused deep inside my core. I was being revitalized from the inside out by the effect of feeling it upon me once again. It was like a relieving of pent-up stress that had been bottled up for ages and all my work had faded into the background of my mind for once.

How? How had this little foal, who can't even speak, touch me in ways that hundreds of ponies through the centuries couldn't? I felt a need now, the need to be close to this little foal. Within the next few passing moments, I was surprised to find that, for the first time since I became the creature I am, I was hugging another pony. I had a hoof wrapped around her, holding her close.

In response, she looked at me with big meaningful eyes and jumped up to kiss my cheek. The need to bathe was brought to mind by this and I could only stare in surprise that she could jump that high. I felt the need to draw in air into long necrotic lungs and took a breath that tasted sweeter than strawberries perfectly ripe at the moment of harvest time.

Two curious foals approached us and prodded my foreleg that wasn't holding the tiny bundle of cuteness. There, I said it! She’s cute and it had affected me! “Uh, mister… can we play with...” They looked at Life Sapphire, and I understood the nomenclature. They wanted her name.

“Her name is Life Sapphire, and if she’s okay with playing with you, then yes. Just be aware that she can't talk.” The two foals looked two each other, brother and sister if I had to guess. After silently coming to a decision, they looked to me and nodded in unison with big welcoming smiles

“We’ll take care of her, we promise!” They seemed so full of glee that it was infectious. I let out a chuckle, a laugh even. It gave them a frightened sour look, which was understandable given how awful I sounded when I laugh I’ve been told it’s like hooves grinding on a chalkboard with a bass speaker broadcasting it at too high a volume.

“Life Sapphire,” I asked, looking to her, “do you wanna play with them?”

She pulled away from the hug and looked at the two very shyly. She moved to hide behind my hooves, and I felt this parental need to expose her to them.

“Go on, I'm sure...” Now it was my turn to repeat the cultural interrogation of name extraction.

“I'm Sun Bandit!” called out the little pegasus colt with enthusiasm.

His sister, an earth pony, giggled at him and hit his hoof. “Bandit, that isn't how you get a shy one to play with us. Why don’t you join us Life Sapphire? I'm Alluring Flower, it’s nice to meet you.”

Moments later, I observed Sapphire as she slowly started to take steps towards them. What I did next to help encourage her was a whole new kind of pain, as I was the last thing from subtle or shy. I nudged her flank forward, pushing the little blue furred-responsibility towards them.

“Go on, Life Sapphire, I'll be watching from right here,” I assured her.

She looked at me in an uncertain manner, then did the same to them. After Sapphire gave a wheezing squeak in her confusion, Alluring Flower, a yellow earth pony with a mud brown mane, walked right up and hugged her. Sapphire looked just as baffled as I did days ago when she had arrived. Despite looking uncomfortable at first, Sapphire soon hugged back and let out a happy shrill that would have put a surprised bunny to shame.

After the three ran off to play, I picked out a spot and watched her all day. Anytime she fell down I felt this need to run over and comfort her. Not that she needed it, as she was always determined to get back up and resume playing. As for the parents of the other foals, however, well... they spent the day trying to understand Sapphire and me. One by one they approached, until soon enough I found myself the center of a little gathering.

They didn't dare to ask too many questions, but the foals prodded and pestered their parents for additional information. I had given them everything I possibly could think of by the day’s end: a formal biology education on ponies, an informal education on necromancy, Luna's decree concerning Life Sapphire and me as well as a promise to bring her back to play as soon as I could. The subject of Life Sapphire attending school came up, something that hadn’t crossed my mind.

“And how would I go about it? And would a school be properly prepared to teach a student who can't speak?” I asked the parents.

“Oh yes! I'm sure Miss Cheerilee in Ponyville would be an excellent teacher,” was one of their suggestions.

“Ponyville?” I questioned. “That’s a long way way to travel; five days to a week, isn't it?” I never found out that mare's name, but she smirked at me and nodded.

“Yes, but we are originally from there. I would rather have the commute than disrupt their lives by making them switch schools. You are aware of how cruel children can be to new kids aren’t you? It would give my little Alluring Flower and Sun Bandit will have somepony else to ride with.”

She had just made friends with said foals only a few moments ago. What she said made sense, and after I thought about it for a moment, placing a hoof against my lip.

“What if... teleportation was an option?” That comment of mine seemed to have confused her, as she stared and blinked at me a few times.

“Why, that would be lovely, but what unicorn has the magic to...” Once what I was hinting towards came to her, her words trailed off and she looked to me with hopeful enthusiasm.

I had just restructured my life for this foal in the last ten minutes. Ws this truly worth doing? Wouldn’t my work interfere with all this effort? Would trips to Ponyville be worth it everyday? Would I get the same feeling I have now? These are questions that I had no answers to. But I knew one answer and it was meant for Princess Luna.

I must go speak with Luna, now.

***

“Ah, so you're the one providing the Canterlot to Ponyville school teleportation service?” Doctor Horses asked, opening the door so Nurse Redheart could enter and hand him another set of files as well as a medical journal. I read the title, “Genetic Disorders” by Doctor Bone Daddy. 8^th Edition.

The presence of my own book raised some alarm in me. “Doctor Horses, what does she have?”

Without giving a reply, the doctor let out a sigh and opened the book. I couldn't see where exactly he stopped flipping through it, but I could make out from the diagrams that he was either reading the nervous system or cardiovascular section.. Yes, I had read that book that many times. I mean, when you write 8 editions of something from scratch you tend to remember exactly were each section in each edition is.

Appearing to have found what he was looking for, Doctor Horses grimaced, then motioned a hoof to the other chair in the room. Life Sapphire took another long breath accompanied by a wheeze. I could see the pain written on her face and I would give anything now to rectify that. I wanted her to just open her eyes and see me again, to look into the window of her soul and feel my own let out a sigh of relief.

By now, even my long-dead tear glands had reawakened and I was openly crying as I tried to recall what her eyes looked like open. The hope they had, the desire to play, the willingness to be patient. She was a beautiful little foal and I wanted to see her grow up to become a wonderful mare. I knew what a doctor telling you to sit down meant though. It was not something I had even considered or prepared for.

“Let's have a long talk about this,” Doctor Horses uttered softly. “Can you tell me when she started passing out? What exactly happened?”

The sounds of the hospital droned on outside in the hall as I started to recall when she began to sleep a lot longer than what I considered to be normal.

Comments

[A_Storyteller]

Your way of writing is simple and straightforward...and I like that. It's easier to follow the story.
I'm intrigued by the plot, too. I'm eager to see how the story will go on.
I put the story on the "tracking list", hoping to see the next chapter soon.
Cheers :)

[Fiaura]

8776501
Glad you enjoy it, the ending is written. I am currently working on making a song for it.

[Vonholtz]

This is going to get sad and make me cry is it? It a good story so fare. but I can see the hand writing on the wall here. and some thing bad going to happen. Well I will have to come back for the next part and find out now.

[Fiaura]

8778490
The last part is ready and yes it will make you cry or wish you could.

[MHBones]

Fiaura no! No sad ending! I like these two way too much for a sad ending!

[Fiaura]

8791299
It will be an ending worth reading.

[tsaukpaetra]

Hmm, exposure seems to be doing wonders for Bone.
But was it worth the price?

[Fiaura]

8855624
Go on and find out if he thinks it was worth the price in the final chapter.

[Lenzabi]

Oh wow, this is got me hooked hard!

[Cyana Flame]

quite interesting
cute
funny
I feel the tension of a doctor's visit

[Fiaura]

9250387
we're almost done with the rewrites, the final chapters will be up soon.