//------------------------------// // Chapter 41: Weakness // Story: The Bug In The Basement // by Skijarama //------------------------------// 2 Weeks Later. Beebee sat in the computer chair in Eventide’s bedroom, his gaze locked onto the monitor, where a reflection of him stared back. He wasn’t sure how the piece of technology in front of him was able to show him his own face like a mirror. All he knew was that it had something to do with a ‘webcam,’ as Eventide had called it. Whatever the case may be, he could now really look at himself and his new shape. He might have used a mirror, but he was also trying to get used to fingers. He couldn’t help but mentally cringe as he recalled trying to make the many wiggly appendages move the way he wanted them too. He had followed Eventide’s instructions to push keys and ‘click’ the mouse buttons to pull up the ‘webcam’ in the first place. It had been a long process. But it was done, now, and he could see himself. Beebee tilted his head from one side to the other, keeping his eyes trained on his reflection in the screen and taking in all of the details he could and committing them to memory. He wanted to be sure he could accurately replicate this in the future, after all. He was incredibly skinny, of course. That much would probably stay the same for a long time. He had striking blue eyes, much like he did in all of his forms. His skin was similar in color to Eventide’s, if perhaps a shade or two lighter. On his head was a short and messy batch of black hair with some white highlights scattered about. Of course, his clothes were also a part of his body right now, as they had been when he first met Apple Bloom. He appeared to be wearing a really simple bright blue t-shirt and darker blue jean-shorts, along with simple white shoes on his feet. The open gash that had appeared on his hip when he first took this form was long gone, now, having finally fully healed up a couple of days ago. This left his shorts appearing clean and pristine. “So… this is what I look like as a human, huh?” Beebee finally asked quietly while leaving back a little bit and lifting his chin. Eventide, who stood by his side, gave a slow nod. “Yeah, it is,” he said quietly before his face lit up with a small smile. He knelt down and reached out to ruffle Beebee’s new hair, making the bug-turned-boy chuckle and bat his hand away. “And you are really cute.” “Cuter than when I’m a bug?” Beebee asked, affixing Eventide with a genuinely curious look. Eventide just shook his head and poked Beebee on the nose with the tip of his finger. “That, Bee, is not possible. I always think that you are at your best in your natural form. Nothing can beat those glowing eyes, I swear.” Beebee beamed at Eventide at the praise before looking at himself in the screen again. His face twisted a little, and a thought occurred to him. He then leaned back and closed his eyes. Suddenly, there was a flicker of green flames under his eyelids, and when he opened them again, his eyes had changed to be perfect blue orbs that emitted a soft glow. He looked over at Eventide and grinned. “Is this better?” Eventide, to Beebee’s confusion, cringed back, and a flicker of unease filtered into his aura. “Uh, no, that’s just creepy,” he said a little awkwardly, making Beebee wilt a little. “The glowing eyes work for bug you, but, uh… humans don’t usually have glowing eyes.” “Oh,” Beebee blinked, then nodded in understanding. It made sense, he supposed. The bad guys on TV always had glowing red eyes, after all. Not wanting to become a bad guy himself, Beebee closed his eyes and dispelled the glow with another flicker of fire. When he opened his eyes again and grinned at Eventide, they had returned to their previous, non-glowing state. “Sorry, dad.” Eventide chuckled and waved a hand dismissively in the air. “Heh. Nah, you’re fine,” He dismissed Beebee’s apology in a casual tone before standing upright again. He stretched his back, then held out a hand to Beebee. “Now, let’s get you better on your feet, eh?” Beebee’s face fell, and he let off a quiet groan of displeasure. He knew what this meant. He had to walk now. The trip up the stairs to even reach the computer had been awkward and clumsy enough. Add onto that the fact that Buddha had insisted on sniffing the ‘new boy’ all over with great enthusiasm, almost tripping Beebee several times, and he was not eager to be on two feet again. But, he had to do it. With an overly dramatic sigh, he reached out one of his hands, remembering to unclench his fist this time and let Eventide pull him up to a standing position. His legs wobbled a little once he was upright, and he kept a hand on Eventide’s shoulder for balance. “You steady?” “Mhmm.” ”Okay, now, one foot in front of the other,” Eventide instructed in a gentle and patient manner, and the two slowly began to move across the bedroom. “Remember: heel, then toe. That’s it… Try to keep your back straight, you don’t wanna get back pains, and a good posture can help your balance. Try swinging your arms a little when you walk, like this. No, that’s too far, bring it back.” Beebee listened to each instruction intently, following them to the letter and trying to commit the motions to memory. In all honesty, he was more than a little annoyed that it was this hard to move around on two legs. To make matters worse, his weak muscles made the unfamiliar activity quite taxing. In the back of his mind, he was extremely thankful that Eventide was there to offer him some support. He was getting better, though! It was slow, but progress was progress! A fact that was perfectly illustrated when Eventide silently withdrew his hands from Beebee and backed up a few feet, giving the kid free rein to stand and walk under his own power. All the while, Eventide maintained his hushed tone and simple instructions, following along from the side. This carried on for almost five minutes, with Beebee walking in circles in the bedroom and getting somewhat better at walking on his own. Sadly, his progress could not be maintained forever. The combined strain of holding a form as complex as a human boy and walking around without aid soon led to a headache in the back of his head. He tried to ignore it, but it was clearly visible that he couldn’t fend it off for long. He winced and sucked in a small breath between clenched teeth, giving Eventide pause. “Beebee, you okay?” He asked in concern from the side, stepping a little closer and raising his hands, ready to catch Beebee if he fell. “Headache,” Beebee replied quietly, his face twisting before he stopped and reached a hand out to catch himself on the wall. His breath was already getting heavy, and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head. “Tired… dangit…” he said between breaths. Eventide’s face softened a little with understanding. “Oh. Uh, maybe you should change back, now?” he suggested, coming forward and letting Beebee rest against his side again. But Beebee was defiant and shook his head stiffly in disagreement. “No, I can do this. I gotta push myself to get better, don’t I?” he asked, shifting his gaze back up to Eventide, who looked back at him with a frown on his face. “Push yourself, not hurt yourself,” he rebuked, his voice becoming more firm. “I’ll be fine…” Beebee declined before trying to take another step. He had to get better at this. He had to push through the strain and go until he couldn’t go any further. It was the only way he could be Apple Bloom’s friend. He let his mind wander to the teenager in question as he stumbled a few paces forward, coming away from Eventide’s side. A small smile appeared on his face as he let himself be distracted by the thought of her, and his body went into autopilot. They had talked a few times over the phone since he had gotten out of being grounded. He had been required to ‘turn off his buzz,’ as Eventide had put it, which more or less meant shapeshifting into another creature, so his voice sounded less distorted. Their chats had been short and, at times, unbearably awkward, due in large part to Beebee having no idea how to start or hold a conversation with someone he didn’t know. Thankfully, Eventide had sat in on each call so far with his phone on speaker, helping to nudge the dialogue along whenever they started stagnating. Thanks to that, the discussions had been enlightening and enthralling. For example, Beebee now knew that Apple Bloom’s big sister was named Applejack, and she also knew the names of her Big Brother and Grandmother. Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, to be precise. Beebee had also learned that Apple Bloom had two close friends she spent a lot of time with, named Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The first one was, apparently, a bit of a daredevil and stunt enthusiast, while the other had aspirations for singing. They all sounded so interesting… Beebee really wanted to get to know them, too, someday. Sadly, before Beebee could give the matter any more thought, his stamina finally ran out. A sharp gasp tore out of him, the last breath he could take of his own accord. His legs suddenly gave out under his weight, all the strength leaving his body at the same time. Green flames snapped into the air around him, and he turned back to his normal form. He almost hit the floor, but thankfully, Eventide was there to catch him. His breath was coming in rapid, frantic gasps, and his eyes were screwed shut. His hooves were clasped onto either side of his head in a desperate and fruitless effort to push down his headache. A few errant spasms went through his muscles, making his legs kick out and his ears flick around at random. It was a terrible feeling, just like it always was. He was only numbly aware of Eventide setting him gently down on the bed before everything went still for what felt like an eternity. An eternity where all he knew was severe breathlessness, hazy vision, a hammering heart, a fiery pain in his skull, and clouded thoughts. At last, after almost an entire minute of this, he began to calm down from his fit. His vision stopped swimming, and his eyes refocused, revealing Eventide’s worried face staring back at him from next to the bed. “Beebee, are you okay?” he asked in a soft whisper, his voice, and aura both putting his anxiety on full display. Beebee groaned miserably but was able to offer up a weak nod. “Y-yeah… I’m okay…” he mumbled between his still heavy breaths. He went to try and stand, but Eventide was quick to put a hand on his back and gently push him back down into the blankets. “Woah, there. I think that’s enough for today. Why don’t you go ahead and take a little nap? I think you’ve earned it.” Beebee frowned at the thought. But he knew better than to argue the matter at this point. He didn’t think he could stand right now anyway, no matter how much he wanted to. So, sagging in defeat, Beebee just gave a wordless hum and a nod. After a few seconds, though, he let off a loud, frustrated growl before rolling himself onto his back and looking at Eventide in irritation and impatience. “Darnit! I was doing so good!” he whined indignantly, his cheeks puffing up a little. “Well, keep at it, and you can only get better,” Eventide encouraged him while sitting on the side of the bed. He looked down at Beebee and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. Beebee groaned again and covered his face with his hooves, blocking out the world. He spent a little while like that, just trying to catch his breath and relax. Almost a minute passed before his forelegs flopped limply to the sides. Staring up at the ceiling, Beebee gave off a long and dejected sigh. “...I hate being weak.” Eventide’s face contorted with sympathy. He looked down and away for a second, then nodded to himself before laying back on the bed. His weight put a sizable impression in the mattress and caused Beebee to roll into his side. The bug took advantage of the movement to cuddle up to Eventide, who then wrapped an arm around Beebee. He held him there in a side hug, letting the little guy soak up his body heat and affection. “I know you do, Beebee,” Eventide murmured while rubbing soothing circles into Beebee’s shoulder with his hand. “I don’t like it, either.” Beebee hummed quietly and reached out to cling a little closer to Eventide with his hooves. He buried his face into his side and snuggled up to him as close as he could. “Is there any way we can make me stronger faster?” he asked, though he wasn’t exactly hopeful. To his surprise, Eventide actually seemed thoughtful. He frowned, his gaze locked on the ceiling, and his petting motions slowed to a halt. Beebee looked up at him in curiosity to see that his lips had pulled back into a thin line, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds, he gave a slow, tentative nod. “I think so… I’ll need a little time to think it over, though, alright?” Beebee gave Eventide a small smile and nod. “Okay, dad.” Eventide returned the look before giving Beebee another squeeze. He then stood up and reached down for the edge of the blanket. Beebee rolled over onto his belly and watched in curiosity as Eventide pulled the blankets up and over, tucking the little guy in nice and snug. Beebee chittered inquisitively, looking a little confused before he practically melted into the warmth of the blankets. Eventide chuckled at the adorable sight, then knelt down in front of Beebee to look into his eyes. “Anyways, you’re tired. Go ahead and take a little nap, okay? I’ll be right downstairs if you need me,” he said in a quiet and tender voice before leaning forward and planting a kiss on Beebee’s forehead. Beebee giggled from the contact before curling up into the blankets and giving Eventide a slow, drowsy nod. “Alright, dad… g'night…” he mumbled, despite the fact it was still early in the afternoon. Eventide just laughed under his breath as he leaned back. He gently placed his hand on the back of Beebee’s head, his thumb rubbing a few soothing circles into his chitin. Beebee began to quietly chitter and purr from the contact, and soon, his breaths became slow and rhythmic. Satisfied that all would be well here, for now, Eventide then rose to his feet and quietly excused himself from the room, leaving the door open just a few inches so Beebee could get out again if he needed to.