THE GRAVE DIGGER'S DAUGHTER
> The Grave Digger's Daughter
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> One Last Good-bye
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Obsidian was a young mare of sixteen, she was wanting to gout and hang out with some other old friends from school; her father had said, "No Obsidian, not today, I would like for you spend time with me today maybe tomorrow and.......this is really" he was cut off with a sharp retort:
"You've said that for weeks! Damn it! It feels like you just want me not to make friends or the very least keep the ones that I have!" After a few more outbursts she stormed out of the small house into the brisk autumn weather turning her head around and yelled, "Hope you die soon!!"
As she sat with her friends drinking sodas and talking about everything, even the fight she had with her father; she noticed that a pain in her heart that had been there the whole day was getting worse. It suddenly kicked in sharp and she placed a hoof over her heart and cringed.
"Obsidian, somepony close to you is about to die..........you did the same thing when your mother passed away."
She knew her friend was right, with her cutie mark came a link to other ponies' souls and she could sense when they were going to die. She teleported home and crashed through the door and saw her father on the sofa and breathing slowly and his body felt cold.
Obsidian said softly, "Father?"
"Obsidian.......I um..... surprised you came home." He closed his eyes and he gasped for air and as he gave his daughter one last hug.
"Father, I'm so sorry..........I'm so sorry for what I said, I love you please don't go I still need you!" She sobbed, and her body shook as she sensed his heartbeat stop and she felt like a wretch; last her father heard was her wishing he'd die soon.........she didn't or couldn't be sure if he had heard her apology.
With her magic she conjured a shovel and began digging his grave by her mother's grave.......all the while talking with the tombstone:
"Mother I've done fucked up this time. The last words I'm sure father heard me say was that I wished he died soon. Why did I say that? Hell, I felt it, the pain in my heart when somepony is about to die. I felt it the whole day and I fucking ignored it! I'm not even worthy to be your daughter. Once the grave was dug, and she placed the coffin (come to think of it her father had built this coffin months ago and put his name on it. Had he known his time was close?).
"Good-bye father, I hope to make you proud of me one day."
> Chapter 2: Journal Entries
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Obsidian sat at her father's desk and noticed a large book was set in a prominent place in the center and was colored a bright red. She took it off the shelf and realized that it was a journal with several pages marked. As she opened to the first marked page and was horrified at what she read:
January 2, 1990
Today our dear Obsidian lost her mother, she is not yet a year old but seems to be blessed or cursed and yet I can't decide which. The last time one of our lines was gifted in this way was ten generations ago........
the gift of sensing the death of somepony. For the entirety of a week, Obsidian has been more clingy and having chest pains. The day the pains stopped was when my wife & her mother died. Someday I'll tell her this; she may hate me for not telling sooner if I don't tell her when I die.
The entry made her cry, and cry a lot. Why hadn't father tell her this? Was he afraid she'd get enraged and storm out of the house as she did before his death?
The next entry was equally hard to take like all the rest. The next entry marked was around when she was about eight years old.
July 3, 1998
Today Obsidian got her cutie mark, a broken heart with angel wings wrapped around it. She was meant to be a comforter of some kind, it happened on a day when visiting a sick friend of mine that she wouldn't leave his side, as I had business to tend to I let her stay. As I returned several hours later I saw her cutie mark had appeared whilst I was away and it was made known that my friend had passed away when the cutie mark appeared. I don't know how to tell her that she was born to comfort those ponies who are living their last hours. Sweet Celestia, I hope I get the courage to tell her soon!
Just great! Comfort those ponies in their last hours. "I failed that one," she thought as she thought about her father dying alone when he needed her most.
June 5, 2003
Today, Obsidian and I knocked heads; I didn't feel comfortable with her hanging out with certain colts in her class who were known to be bad company. How did I go wrong? She had snuck out and the next thing I know I'm being summoned to the police station where she was sitting in hoof-cuffs. I easily could've bailed her out but I had warned her and didn't listen. I must say it broke my heart to leave her there to learn her lesson the hard way. This was the fifth time this year this happened I finally broke and walked out without her............she begged me not to leave her but I had to tell her that this was for her good.
She remembered this day, why was she so dumb and ignored her father's warning; five times ignored him. She kicked herself realizing that her younger teen years caused such heartache.
October 4, 2006
Today I had to tell Obsidian that for a season I wasn't able to afford to send to school, she was enraged, to say the least; she got busted for theft.........again! I wish her mother was here, but alas she isn't. I hope she levels out soon this rollercoaster is gonna kill me if old age doesn't.
Several more entries were along this line the most current entry made her scream in agony in the silent cottage.
August 15, 2012
Obsidian and I fought again today, I tried to convince her to stay home but she walked out the door saying she wished I would hurry up and die. I should've told her long ago but I have lung cancer and I could die any day now. Today I could tell was gonna be my last; those bits I've saved for her education would've been enough to get the treatment I needed, but I'd rather try to help her along to get out of making a skimp living digging graves. She's a good mare really, strong-willed like her mother but has a kind heart like her too. I have a feeling she'll read this journal when I'm gone and will have plenty to say at my gravesite. I'd bet my life she'd say something along the lines of saying that I should've used those bits from the trust fund for her education to get the medical care I needed.
Her heart stopped, she had bailed on her father when he needed her most! She felt horrid, if she could she would swap places with her father seeing between the two of them she didn't deserve to live for causing heartache and pain most of her life for a stallion barely making ends meet give his all for her.........what did she give in return? Absolute nothing! When she went to sleep that night she cried realizing she was the worst daughter in Equestria!
> Chapter 3: Grave Side Visit
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Early the next morning Obsidian visited her parent's graves. She sat silently at first quietly telling her mother how much she missed her and wished that she was still there with her.
She then turned to her father's grave and broke down in tears. Father.........I could tell something was wrong and never bothered asking what, for the last few months I sensed somepony was about to die and didn't give two bits who until one of my friends mentioned that certain telltale signs that somepony I was close to was about to die were the same signs when mother died......how they knew that I guess saw them all those years ago and remembered to this day. You're right though, I'm gonna ask, why didn't you use those bits for medical treatment? If I had known I'd get a job or two help pay for the medical treatment..........I've failed you so miserably; all I can ask for now is that can you forgive me? I don't know if that's possible in the after-life.
After a while, she went to town bought two arrangements of flowers and placed them at her parent's graves and sat silently for a bit longer, and then tended to some chores that needed to be tended to.
> Chapter4: School
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Obsidian looked at the pile of homework in front of her, she wanted to make her father proud. She was studying to be a counselor and to be a healthcare giver to work in a retirement home.
After four hours she finished her homework. She felt the chest pains again. She wandered around town until the pain kicked in n sharply to let her know she was where she needed to be. This pony to her already breaking heart was just a little colt. He couldn't be much older than six; by this time all the ponies in her village knew about her unique gift. The mother of the colt let her sit with him. The parents were also present and watched as their son's time grew closer Obsidian held tighter and humming a tune that could put any pony no matter the age to sleep.
Within a few days, Obsidian had buried the colt. Obsidian was almost about to graduate top of her class in Psychology and Medicine. She always made time to visit her parent's graves telling them of the news. Even though the writing in her father's journal was hers she'd write updates of her life in the journal from his perspective.
It was a total of four years and she finally finished school, Obsidian was a registered counselor and an RN. She was able to make photocopies of her diplomas and set the copies at her parent's graves. She worked at the local nursing home until it had to close and the occupants relocated to the far side of town into a smaller building and she was let go due to financial problems. She'd counsel ponies after they lost loved ones.
> Chapter 5: A New Friend
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Obsidian was visiting her parents' graves over Hearth's Warming Eve, she was just about to leave when she turned and saw a creature sitting alone on the hilltop across from where she stood on the far end of the large cemetery. She walked up and saw that it was a bug like a creature with fangs and large buggish eyes.........it was a changing. She walked up and sat beside it quietly. It turned its head and looked surprised at the pony beside it. The crudely cut tombstone was labeled with the name Aphrodite; she recalled that name her studies in mythology. The name belonged to the goddess of love, beauty & pleasure. Changelings feed off of the love of others. This change looked so forlorn and thin, after wracking her brain she realized that this creature had been in the form of a pegasus all year and she now just took the time to visit it. She realized she had cut herself off from the world, over the past six years she became a hermit. She broke down and sobbed realizing that the only time she was out was for work. She wrapped a foreleg around the changing and drew him close.
"Hi, I'm Obsidian. I'm the caretaker of the grounds and also I'm the one who buries the ponies most of the time. What's your name?"
The changeling replied, "I'm called Zeus, I've seen you here often.........what made you decide to come over?"
"Well Zeus, I felt a tingling of pain and I saw you on the hilltop and I finally came up to see ya. I can..........feel when a somepony is close to death or about to die. Come, I'll get you food and to get you warmed up."
The changing followed her down the snow-covered hill and into the cottage. Obsidian had put the soup on the hearth to cook by this time it was ready to eat. Zeus knew that all ponies knew that Changelings feed off love and yet he could feel that he was being given love by this pony. Most ponies he encountered had run him off. Being in his near starving state his magic ability to change form wasn't working.
"Obsidian......." He began, "besides feeding off love I can tell when some creature is dealing with loss. How long has it been?"
"Six years since my father passed on, granted I've never spoken to any pony about it. How'd you know?"
"I could sense it from the love you've given me.........I easily took your father's form months ago and taken the love from you but I couldn't. Knowing what it was like losing a parent that would be the cruelest thing is to take the form of one's deceased parent."
"May I ask? Why aren't you not with your hive?"
"I was kicked from it..........I wouldn't steal love, I asked for it.......let's just say it wasn't popular. My mother was of the same view and off we were sent. However, ponies showed us kindness and love through their actions. My mother passed at the beginning of this year of old age. I knew you saw me when I took my pony form, just counted the days until you were ready to come to my hilltop.
> Chapter 6: Moving Onwards
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Obsidian and Zeus became close friends and he was also introduced to Obsidian's other friends after she reconnected with them. Zeus was popular with the whole lot. The crazy mares hadn't changed they still met at their favorite ice cream parlor hoping that Obsidian would join them again........and finally Obsidian accepted their invitation and came back to the land of the living. Zeus was welcomed with a massive group hug and he could barely breathe. He saw Obsidian grin and mouth, "Better get use to this, cause this is how they are".
After a few months Obsidian's friends began placing bets on if Zeus would propose to Obsidian, to the which she said if it did happen she'd say yes.
I mean after time I developed feelings for the changling whose personality was much like my Father's. He finally did ask and I was escatatic and and my friends quickly exchanged bits, Zeus and I laughed when they did because we knew they were betting on us..........Zeus exchanged bits too I looked at him incredulously.
"We bet that I wouldn't propose in year.........but it hasn't been a full year soooo I lost the bet. I told em it would be a year and half before I asked......." We both laughed. I knew he developed feelings I saw it in his actions, but I didn't want to embarrass him.
Obsidian and Zeus got married and had twins, their son they named after Obsidian's father, they named him Triton, and their daughter they named Aphrodite. They had to move to a larger cottage and somepony took over the job of digging graves.
Obsidian & Zeus took their kids to visit their grandparents' graves and telling them stories of their grandparents. Their little family had the addition of a other daughter and they named her after Obsidian's mother; they named her Jade.
They lived happily and for both of them they'd go through certain times of the year a pang of sadness but the pain never lasted. Over time they realized that their kids had combined gifts, being part changling could absorb love and senses when somepony was gonna die from Obsidian but they all shared a unique gift that neither parent had..........they could absorb your sadness and replace with happiness by supressing the sad memories and having you remember only the happy memories. They let their kids know that they had these gifts, but they were incredulous. Jade had a unique gift that none of the others had...........she could communicate with the dead via memories. So between her and Obsidian, Obsidian was able to be at peace with her father's passing being able to know that he had her apology all those years ago.
The family grew to be a large one over the years over the span of generations an they lived happily for a good long while