Bone Daddy

by Fiaura

Taking a Vacation

I was waiting at the teleportation point. The park seemed like a suitable point where Morning Harmony could drop off her two foals. There were four of us in total. Canterlot had perfectly good schools but as illustrated by Morning Harmony, keeping her children with their friends was important. She was trying to be a good mother and protect her children, I was trying to let Life Sapphire have these friends and honestly, I was relieved she would have two protectors at school everyday.

Today I would find out first hand. I started to charge the spell, “Alright, everyone get close.” I softly requested of them. The small ponies got close and one of them began to make hoof signs towards Life Sapphire, she laughed. A hoarse squeak that sounded like a chewed chew-toy.

I envisioned the tunnel to the schoolhouse and took my step, there was another bright flash. The fillies and colts were now standing with me, right at the fork in the road to the schoolhouse. I was so incredibly nervous. I had learned already that children could be harsh and blunt. Unlike their parents, who would hold their tongues, they would just blurt out what they thought.

I had to admit, it was a change of pace to care what other ponies thought. However, if I was to be a fit parent for Life Sapphire and hold close to the thing that reawakened my heart; I had to fit a certain role. I had to reintegrate into pony society. This was one more step towards that.

The previous day with Luna testing my limits, my patience was not boding well either. Not to mention I was dealing with children whom were rather loud to say the least. At what point do pony children actually learn volume control is beyond me!

I slowly walked up to the schoolhouse, now with Life Sapphire grabbing onto my hoof and leading me up to the step with a very stern looking Miss Cheerilee standing there. My fashion sense hadn’t changed at all. Cheerilee wrapped it in magic, cleaning it off with her powers first. Then she folded the collar and pulled the hemp up, making the inner cloth that was a lighter shade show out. I looked at her perplexed and she smiled to me.

“Trust me, the kids will respond better to brighter colors. This will really make them show off for you.” She paused and had an idea. “We should let the kids decorate it!” Her voice was very high and cherry on those words.

“If you believe they will find a way to decorate black without making it awful; I would agree.” I replied, the idea of having something a bit more, passionate, to wear sparked an interest to say the least. Even if it was a cloak made by children whom I transported to and from school, it would be better than this drab thing. Funny how when other pay attention to you, you start to care what you look like.

I walked inside and while excited children’s voices continued. They chased and played tagged while others had gotten out several toys ranging from trains to models of discord and the Bearers of Harmony. “Alright class, come on now, Dr. Bone Daddy didn’t take his day off work to watch you all play.” Cheerilee called out. She snickered and looked at me and I stared back.

“I assume you are laughing at the name?” I replied with my own grin.

“It’s pretty funny. I do apologize, I couldn’t help myself.” She said as her laughter calmed down.

“Well it is actually not my name, it’s just what I’ve let everyone call me since before even the pillars existed.” I replied and smiled back at her. I had gotten so used to it, with so little interaction, that it is the only thing the vast majority would ever know to call me.

“Oh, you will have to tell me your real name,” She replied with a nudge against my shoulder which creaked in response.

I smiled back and nodded then began to speak. “Hello, class, how many of you have been to the doctors’?” Some of them nodded, many of them stared at my odd appearance. I smiled as Life Sapphire looked very proud with her eyes wide open at me and her chest pushed out. I gave a small nod to her. “Did you know that much of the medical knowledge they have is from my work with dead ponies?”

There was a chores of whoahs and looks of disbelief. These children were either easily wowed or highly sceptical, with few in between. I really wanted to know what the more inquisitive ones had to say.

“That is correct, I work with the dead to determine why and how we can prevent it in the future. Every doctor, every nurse,” I checked my vocabulary so they would clearly understand what I was saying. “Has had some sort of book that I wrote which they studied, to help you when you are sick.”

The skeptics in the room seemed to only get more skeptical. For children, they certainly were not the easiest to impress and win over. “You may have also noticed my appearance, some of you even shied away from me. It’s okay, I am not exactly a normal pony anymore.”

I paused. How do I tell children how old I really am, and do so without encouraging them to follow a path to dark magic. It has helped me live a very long time. Yet my body had corrupted. The same magic that I had allowed to corrupt my emotions and empathy for others. I had turned nearly into a living machine of doctorial science.

Yet here I am, talking to children about it. I knew if I encouraged it; the decision I had made would be followed by others. I could not allow them to live so long with a life so hollow.

Miss Cheerilee saw my distress and put a hoof against my shoulder, “Hey, go on. You can tell them. The Princesses sent a letter ahead to make sure I would prepare them properly and be ready to answer their questions.” I was surprised and then nodded, they were still keeping an eye on me, even after our argument.

I wanted to be mad at them but my logic side of my brain pointed out the obvious, wouldn’t you do the same thing? I nodded to Cheerilee and then turned my head back to the class that were all staring at me.

“I have been alive since before Nightmare was banished, before the Pillars of Equestria. Back when ponies were desperate for ways to survive and fight off the dangers of our world.” I paused and allowed them all a moment to take that in. “I am a necromancer, someone whose magic is made to work with creatures who are dead. Back in those days, ponies used anything we could to fight off the dangers around us.”

I paused and let it all sink in, “You may have guessed from my appearance that the magical corruption has done much to my body but it has made me stop aging. I have been conducting work for the princesses in the royal mortuary for over 1000 years.” The skeptics faces were changing and the students were clearly wowed by all of this. Life Sapphire had sat up straight and stared at me. She wanted to know exactly what I had to say.

I realized that after saying all that out loud, why I had become as I was before Life Sapphire. I had focused so much upon physical health so much and writing research papers, I had forgotten the things I wrote them for. I had to tell them what I had discovered.

I stared into her eyes and choose my next words carefully. I wasn’t speaking to the classroom anymore. I was speaking just to her. She had to know how much she really meant to me.

“Doctors, Farmers, and Politicians are things you need for society to function. We are required to feed you, take care of the sick, and make laws to protect to you.” I took a breath and my throat felt dry.

Standing in front of Life Sapphire had managed to bring a veteran researcher without peer to a realization that had I missed. “However, there is no point to this without artists, writers, and musicians. Without something as simple as family or love, you lose what it means to be a pony. You lose your equiniti and without those things that evoke our emotions; we would not see just how special each of your special talents truly are.”

I looked at all of them, “Understand that part of my profession is sacrificing much of that for the purpose of making an artist live longer, making a princess healed, or helping a soldier have better armor.” I smiled at those bright red eyes and closed my softly as I said the next words.

“Please know that my job is not one I recommend for anypony but it is a profession that must be done if we hope to understand disease, injury, and prolonging our lives to be happy and healthy.” I opened my eyes because there was a sensation of weight clinging to my leg. I looked down to see her, my daughter, hugging me tight.

I leaned down and nuzzled against her mane, ruffling it. “And in my case, having a family is what helped me to see that.” She stared up at me with big expecting eyes, like she understand just how hard it was to admit any of that to any pony around me.

She embraced me tighter, and I could only smile in return, “Thank you, my Life Sapphire.” With those words I hugged her back. In this moment, I truly knew what it was to be alive, again.

The rest of the day was spent answering their questions. It was refreshing to change my day to be devoted towards educating others. The one question I will always remember from them was: “So how do I get your job?” I didn’t have an answer. I didn’t want to encourage an earth pony to study necromancy and dark arts but I didn’t know how I had achieved my own profession.

If I had more time to reflect on this I would. What happened instead was recess before lunch and that is where Our Story Together, Life Sapphire with me comes to a close.

I learned the rules of hoofball and acted as their referee to host as close to a real game for the foals. The game was going well, with back and forth, the unicorn’s took a bit to understand NO MAGIC but once they got it, the ball was rolling. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her have the time of her life and will admit, I did make a call or two that was in her favor. Sometimes, even objectivity is worth losing.

Author's Note:

Be sure to join me on Discord: https://discord.gg/6AaJk2t

Or Come hang out on Live Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/fiaurathetankgirl

This sort of community is how I'm able to focus upon writing or science research so come on in and join us. Maybe give me suggestions for the next story.

Comments

[rikithemonk]

Well now, I was pleasantly surprised. Few necromancer stories are any good because they are hard to fit into MLP, But there are a few real Gems that do it right. This is one of these Gems done absolutely right. Although this is early on in the story, this has the potential to be up there with Necromancy for Foals and The Scent: Love of Mares.

This Author has done a great job and Im looking forward to more.

The Monk

“To say that Twilight Sparkle went bugfuck would be like saying the Incredible Hulk had some mild anger management issues.” -DustTraveller

[Night Spinner]

The discord link seems to have expired.

[-Brutus]

9314866

There is alot MORE good necromancy fanfic and I was an mod of this group named "Nercomancy" but it seems like it has disappeared; I might have to make new group.

[Fiaura]

9314882
Fixed but here: https://discord.gg/6AaJk2t

[Fiaura]

9314866
I am glad I made you say this much and I hope I live up to your expectations.

[Fiaura]

9314987
Yays! Glad I can make you feel the need to make new content yourself or at least a place for us to put stories like this.

[tsaukpaetra]

Yes, it can be easy to forget the less glamorous and exciting professions.
Cheerilee isn't a unicorn?

[Warrior Kitten]

Cheerilee wrapped it in magic, cleaning it off with her powers first. Then she folded the collar and pulled the hemp up, making the inner cloth that was a lighter shade show out. I looked at her perplexed and she smiled to me.

...Cheerilee isnt a unicorn?

[Silent_Knight]

I slowly walked up to the schoolhouse, now with Life Sapphire grabbing onto my hoof and leading me up to the step with a very stern looking Miss Cheerilee standing there. My fashion sense hadn’t changed at all. Cheerilee wrapped it in magic, cleaning it off with her powers first. Then she folded the collar and pulled the hemp up, making the inner cloth that was a lighter shade show out. I looked at her perplexed and she smiled to me.

Cheerilee is an earth pony why is she using magic?

[PresentPerfect]

I'm glad the bit about his name got mentioned. I had been wondering!

My fashion sense hadn’t changed at all. Cheerilee wrapped it in magic, cleaning it off with her powers first.

There is some kind of logical disconnect here. He's just seen Cheerilee for the first time. Nothing about his appearance is mentioned, so his fashion sense hasn't changed since what? Also, Cheerilee's an earth pony, so...