Chapters The Grave Digger's Daughter
Chapter 2: Journal Entries
Author's Note
The dates don't mean much, just trying to show age progression to keep up with her age, if I counted the years up right she should be 22.
Chapter 2: Journal Entries
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
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
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
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
Several more entries were along this line the most current entry made her scream in agony in the silent cottage.
August 15, 2012
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!
The Grave Digger's Daughter
Chapter 3: Grave Side Visit
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Grave Digger's Daughter
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.
The Grave Digger's Daughter
Author's Note
Obsidian makes a new friend from an unexpected creature.
Chapter 5: A New Friend
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.
The Grave Digger's Daughter
Chapter 6: Moving Onwards
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Grave Digger's Daughter
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."
Author's Note
Obsidian learns the hard way that your last words you say to some one can be the words they remember when they pass on and feels shame.
