The return trip to the house was made in almost complete silence. The light of the morning sun was steadily growing brighter as it rose, warming the air and awakening Beebee’s sleep-deprived senses. He periodically glanced to his sides at the Crusaders, ensuring to himself that they were still there. Each and every time he did so, he was met with the positive glows of their auras and the happy smiles on their faces, assuaging his fears. But still, he just had to check.
His house eventually came back into view through the foliage, and a tiny worm of trepidation and uncertainty began to wiggle its way into his heart again. Beebee came to a complete stop at the edge of the forest, his body tensing up, and his wings wavering on his back.
“Beebee?” Sweetie asked him after a moment, kneeling down by his side to get a good look at his nervous face with concern on her own. “Are you okay?”
Beebee stood still for a few more seconds before giving a stiff nod of his head. “Y-yeah, just… I’m nervous,” he admitted quietly, his eyes drifting down to stare at a small, round stone poking out between the blades of grass.
Sweetie lifted her hand and reached out for him, though she hesitated a little just before she would have touched his shoulder. Beebee grimaced when the faintest taste of disgust tickled the tip of his tongue, and he gave her a sideways look. She saw his glowing blue eyes, and whatever disgust she felt quickly faded away. Her hand settled on his shoulder in a feather-light touch. It was hesitant but no less genuine.
And it was enough to impart some bravery back into Beebee. He leaned into the touch a little with, giving off an appreciative chitter, then set his eyes back on his home. “...Okay, I’m ready,” he told them before once again starting to walk.
He led them around the fence, and the three teenagers and one bug approached the front door of the home. As they drew closer, Beebee’s ears perked up a little bit. There was a sound coming from within the house, just audible through the walls. Beebee strained his ears, trying to discern exactly what it was.
It didn’t take him long to figure it out. Eventide was moving around. Judging by the frequency of his steps, he was moving at a brisk pace. But there was more… he was talking. While Beebee could not decipher the words, he could make out the tone - he was anxious, almost frantic. Between that and the faint glow of purple, black, and dark blue through the windows, Beebee quickly put together exactly what was going on.
Swallowing heavily, he turned back to his friends one more time. “...You guys ready?” he asked, his voice shaking with built up anxiety.
Thankfully, his friends came through for him. “Totally,” Scootaloo replied with a confident nod of her head and her fist thumping into her chest.
Sweetie Belle folded her hands in front of her and smiled sweetly down at Beebee. “We’re here for you, Beebee,” she assured him, her voice setting him a little more at ease.
Apple Bloom nodded as well, though hers was far more reserved than Scootaloo’s. She took a step forward and knelt down to be closer to Beebee’s eye level. She met his gaze, and her smile widened. “...Ah’m as ready as Ah’m gonna be. The question is… are you?”
Beebee looked back at her for several seconds, then nodded his head. “I think so…”
Apple Bloom reached out and ruffled his head like he still had hair. “Then let’s do this thing,” she encouraged him before gesturing at the door.
Beebee stared at her for a few more seconds, then smiled. With a quiet chirping noise, he pressed his forehead into Apple Bloom’s chin in an attempt at a nuzzle. She seemed a little confused by the act, but quickly put two and two together and got four. She returned the gesture as if it were a hug, lifting up one of her hands and patting Beebee on the back of the head.
That done, and with Apple Bloom rising back to her full height, Beebee knew there was nothing else for it. There was nothing else he could use to delay this anymore. So, with one more deep breath, he spun to look at the front door of his home.
Under any other circumstance, it might make him feel safe and comfortable. But now, with what he knew he was going to have to confront beyond, the door seemed tall and imposing. His wings twitched one more time, and he had to force himself to not whimper.
With nothing else for it, he lit his horn and pushed the door open.
It creaked as it went, the sound echoing loudly in Beebee’s ears. Just beyond the door, Beebee could see Eventide coming to a stop mid-step in the middle of the room. He was still in his pajamas, and he was holding his phone up to his ear. His aura, which had been alight with anxiety and confusion mere moments ago, had completely stilled. There was nothing coming off of Eventide… a sign of shock, maybe?
Beebee took a few steps forward, crossing the threshold and entering his home. He heard the Crusaders close behind him, but didn’t look. He didn’t need to see them to know they had his back. He could taste it. So instead, he kept his eyes locked firmly on his father’s as best as he could. Eventide looked back at them, his gaze darting between his son and his company, completely at a loss for words.
Suddenly, Eventide jumped as if he had been startled. He took a moment to compose himself, then spoke into the phone. “Sorry, uh… Fluttershy, can I call you back? I…” his eyes settled on Beebee, and his aura slowly began to light up with… something. Beebee wasn’t sure what, just yet. “...I found him.”
Without saying goodbye, Eventide ended the call with a muted bleep, then let the arm holding his phone fall limp to his side. He just stood there for several long seconds, staring at Beebee like a deer at oncoming headlights.
The silence dragged on and on, and with every second that passed, the tension grew thicker. At last, Eventide cleared his throat and spoke to his son. “...Beebee,” he said in a slow, neutral-toned greeting.
Beebee looked down at the floor, his ears drooping. “...Dad,” he replied, his own voice quiet and meek.
The silence and tension came rushing back in, settling over everyone like an oppressive fog. Beebee could just hear the Crusaders shifting uncomfortably behind him, and he could taste their anxiety and fear overwhelming their confidence and determination from mere moments ago.
“Well? How did it go?” Eventide eventually questioned, his tone completely unreadable.
Before Beebee could speak up, Apple Bloom suddenly stepped forward and took a place by Beebee’s side. “Mister Eventide, if yer worried that we might spill the beans about Beebee, don’t worry, we won’t,” she quickly explained, her voice shaking just a little. “He’s our friend, and Ah swear to you right now, Ah won’t tell anybody what he really looks is.”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo piped up, also stepping forward to Beebee’s other side. “Our lips are sealed!”
Sweetie Belle nodded along, taking her place directly behind Beebee. She spread her arms out and clapped her hands against the backs of the other two Crusaders. “Crusader’s honor!”
A few seconds passed in silence before Beebee, grinning like an idiot from the sudden flood of support, managed to look back up at Eventide. “I think it went good,” he replied optimistically. His smile did not last, though, quickly fading away. His face fell again, as did his tone of voice. “...Dad, I’m sorry. You told me I couldn’t do this, but… I had to… It turned out fine, but…”
Eventide hummed in quiet contemplation. He looked away for a few seconds, then addressed the Crusaders. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo… you all wait here. Beebee, come upstairs with me. I need to talk to you in private,” he commanded in a still unreadable voice.
“Is he in trouble?” Scootaloo asked, leaning forward a little. “You’re not gonna ask us to stop being his friends, are you?”
Eventide glanced at Scootaloo, his expression turning stern. “No, I’m not. But I need to talk to my son. Alone,” he repeated firmly before his eyes rested on Beebee.
The two made eye contact, and it was then that Beebee began to see the colors in Eventide’s aura. It was largely a medium grayish blue with a few flickers of violet spread throughout, like flashes of lightning in a cloudy night sky. After a moment’s hesitation, Beebee nodded his head and looked back at the Crusaders. “...I’ll be down soon,” he promised them before lifting into the air on his wings.
“Good luck, Beebee,” Apple Bloom called after him, making him turn around mid-flight. She was offering him an encouraging thumbs up, a hopeful look on her face. Beebee gave her an appreciative smile before spinning back around and flying after Eventide.
The two were completely quiet as they ascended the stairs, the only sounds being Beebee’s buzzing wings and Eventide’s bare feet slapping against the wooden steps. They turned into the bedroom, and Eventide closed the door behind them.
Immediately, Beebee went to speak. “Dad, I-”
“Stop,” Eventide interrupted him, though his voice was remarkably quiet. He looked down at Beebee, and finally, he could make heads or tails of the man’s face. He looked… sad, almost. Like he was resigning himself to something he really did not want to.
Beebee tilted his head to one side. “...Dad?”
Eventide sighed heavily, then turned around and pointed at his bed. “Sit down, Bee,” he commanded simply before walking over and taking a seat himself. Beebee drifted over and did as he had been told, settling down next to Eventide on the edge of the mattress.
To his surprise, he then felt Eventide’s arm draping over him and pulling him against his side. Beebee looked up in confusion and saw Eventide’s face smiling back down at him, albeit still with that edge of resignation visible in his eyes.
They were like that for a short time before Eventide gave off a weak chuckle. “Heh… oh, Beebee… what in the world am I gonna do with you?” he asked quietly before withdrawing his arm.
Beebee’s expression scrunched up in bewilderment. “Wait… am I not in trouble?”
Eventide looked directly ahead, his face slowly shifting to something a bit more stern. “...You did exactly what I told you not to do, Beebee… right after I told you not to do it…” he stated plainly before his eyes flicked to look at Beebee from the side. “ What do you think?”
Beebee wilted and looked down, his ears folding back and his wings drooping. “...I’m sorry, Dad. I’m grounded, aren’t I?” he asked quietly, one of his hooves absently brushing through the fabric beneath it.
Eventide nodded his head. “Yes, you are,” he stated in a firm voice. But then, to Beebee’s recurring confusion, Eventide reached down and lightly pet Beebee right at the base of his fin. “But… that won’t be going into effect until tonight.”
Beebee blinked, too nonplussed to fall prey to the sensitive spot on his neck. He shook his head to send away the invading hand and looked up at Eventide again. “...But… why?”
Eventide looked down, his expression once again becoming unreadable. “...Consider it my apology,” he admitted after a moment.
Beebee’s mind blanked, as did his face. “...Wha?”
Eventide didn’t say anything. He just rose, starting to pace back and forth in front of Beebee. He folded his hands behind his back, and his eyes remained glued to the floor. “...I was on the phone with Fluttershy last night,” he began, speaking slowly and clearly. “And… she told me it would probably be safe to let the Crusaders see the real you if I was there to supervise things. I was going to tell you this morning so we could set up a time.”
Beebee’s eyes widened, and his jaw fell open. So that was what Eventide had been talking with Fluttershy about!
Eventide continued before Beebee could speak. “But then I found your bed empty, and I learned that you weren’t even in the house. You were just… gone,” he continued, his voice shaking somewhat. “I panicked… I thought that maybe I had made you so angry that you ran away. I called Fluttershy, and she was just getting through calming me down enough to think straight when you came back with your friends…”
“I couldn’t keep lying to them,” Beebee repeated for what felt like the millionth time.
Eventide stopped his pacing and looked away, his face contorting with a pained grimace. “...I know… I’ve always figured we could probably trust them, deep down…” he said in a hushed voice, his shoulders sagging.
Beebee’s eyes widened for a moment before narrowing in disapproval. “Wait… if you thought we could trust them, then why did you say we couldn’t? Why did you forbid me from showing them?!” he demanded, his voice incredulous and appalled. Eventide visibly flinched from the questions, and his aura was suddenly flooded with a thick and intense wave of guilt. Beebee froze, his eyes going wide in shock at the sight.
After a moment, Eventide sighed and lifted his eyes back up to his son. “...Let me tell you a little story, Beebee,” he started again, his voice distant. He slowly strolled forward and sat down next to Beebee again, though this time the bug backed away a few steps. Eventide leaned forward, clasping his hands together between his knees.
He sat there for what felt like an eternity but was really only a few seconds. His aura was flickering with so many emotions that it looked stunningly like a wild thunderstorm, and the tension was perfectly reflected in his face. Finally, though Eventide let out a breath and began to speak.
“I love you, Beebee… more than anything or anyone else in the whole world. You know that, right? You’re my son, and you’re easily the best thing that’s ever happened to me…” he glanced sideways at Beebee, a nostalgic look in his eyes. “...Do you remember the old place? The old house where we used to live?”
Beebee’s expression softened into one of curiosity. “Yeah, I remember… I kinda miss it sometimes,” he replied slowly, curious as to what Eventide was getting at.
Eventide gave off a quiet chuckle. “Ha! I don’t. It was small, crummy, and even with that I could barely afford rent because I had such an awful job,” he stated before shaking his head in disbelief. “Yeesh… kinda hard to believe I was happy with that…”
Eventide looked at Beebee again. “Do you wanna know why it was so small, Beebee? Why I lived in such a small and crummy house with such a poorly paying job?” he asked, and when Beebee didn’t answer, he continued. “It was because I was afraid of letting people down. I didn’t want to break my back for someone only to find out I wasn’t good enough. Just like… just like with my mother. I failed her, and I had never felt worse in my life. I never wanted to feel like that again, so I let myself be perfectly content with living a life of mediocrity and borderline poverty. I was poor, had only a few friends, and I never took on any more responsibility than I had to.
“But then, completely out of the blue, you came along…” he continued, and his face relaxed with a nostalgic smile. His aura calmed down as well, simmering to mostly a dim pink shimmer. “Suddenly, I had this new responsibility that, at first, I didn’t want, but couldn’t get rid of. I tried to pass you off to Fluttershy the day you hatched because I didn’t want to look after you, did you know that?”
Beebee nodded his head. “Yeah… I overheard you talking about that last night.”
If Eventide was at all upset by the eavesdropping, it didn’t show. He just looked ahead at the wall, no doubt recalling memories from so long ago. “Right... well, I never got to give you up. You were way too clingy to let that happen. When Fluttershy tried to carry you out, you bit here and scampered right back to me. Buddha and I were the first things you saw, besides the old basement, and… you didn’t wanna be taken away. Fluttershy convinced me to look after you after that, and with no other choice, I did.
“I was still scared, of course. You were adorable, and I was getting used to looking after you, but I thought you were a wild animal. You kept throwing all these surprises at me, what with your molt, your first sparks of magic... Really, I was just waiting for the day you were big enough to be released into the wild so I wouldn’t have to worry about you anymore… But then you showed us that you could speak, that you were a person, and everything changed. I wasn’t looking out for an animal, I was raising a son…
“It wasn’t about me or my happiness, anymore. It was about you and your safety. I couldn’t afford to let you down. I had to devote myself to you, and…” Eventide looked down at the floor, his eyes closing. “...I had to better myself to do that. I had to get a better job, I had to find a new and better home… all to take care of you. For the first time since I left my parents, I had something to work towards, and…” he opened his eyes and looked over at Beebee again with a tear-filled smile. “...Something that made me happy.”
Beebee’s eyes had gone as wide as dinner plates a long time ago. He was silent for a second, trying to find his voice. “...dad…” was all that he managed to choke out.
Eventide took advantage of the silence to keep talking. “I have never loved anyone or anything as much as you, Bee. You came into my life and made it so much better in so many ways…” he looked ahead, and his smile went away, leaving just the tears. “...I don’t want to lose that. Ever… And when I thought you ran away, I… I realized something.
“...I’ve been too hard on you when it comes to showing yourself. I can think of at least six people off the top of my head who could know about you and be perfectly fine. Fluttershy's friends, mainly. They’ve dealt with so much magical stuff in their lives that you wouldn’t even be a blip on their radar.”
Beebee tilted his head slightly, finally regaining enough of his mental faculties to speak. “Uh… so… why not let me, then?” he asked, his voice timid as if he were afraid that being too loud may shatter an immaculate piece of beautiful art.
Eventide sighed and slumped in place. “Beebee… part of what’s made me so happy is that you’ve needed me. I’m raising you because you’re my son, and since day one, you’ve almost always needed me to be there for you. As long as you needed me, I thought, I’d have something to work towards, a responsibility to fulfill…” he lifted his eyes for the door as if he were staring through it. “...I didn’t want to let anything take that away. In the end, I was scared of you not needing me anymore… of you growing up.
“In a sad way, it started being about me again when it should have always been about you. I was just so dead-set on protecting you from anything and everything that might have been a threat, and…” he let off one more sigh. “...And I let your friends fall into that category… so I shut down any desire to show your true self to others because I know… I know it means you’re growing up, and that you won’t need me as much anymore.
“And in doing that, I started making the same mistake my mother did… I started to shut you out… and when I saw your bed empty this morning, I…” he stopped, and to Beebee’s shock, he heard the tiniest echo of a sob coming from his father.
“...Dad…”
“I thought it was too late,” Eventide continued with a sniffle, turning to look at his son again. “I t-thought that I’d already made my big mistake. You grow faster than humans, so, I… I was terrified that I’d driven you away like I felt my mom did to me…” he looked down and shook his head before wiping the back of his hand over his eyes.
With a shudder, Eventide straightened his posture, took a deep breath, and cleared his throat. “..But I learned my lesson. I get it, now…” he declared solemnly before sliding off the bed and kneeling by its side. He faced Beebee directly, locking gazes with him. “I am so, so sorry things got like this, Beebee… but I promise you, right here, right now, it will never happen again. I can’t stop you from growing up… and neither should I try…”
And with that, Eventide finally fell silent. Beebee stared at him, completely shell-shocked by everything he had just heard. His jaw hung open, and he barely had the presence of mind to close it after a solid minute of silence. He then managed to offer his father a tiny, tiny smile. “...I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry I scared you when I left,” he whispered, taking a few steps forward on the bed.
Eventide smiled and nodded his head. “Heh, apology accepted…” he replied before glancing over at the door. “Now… I think you have some friends downstairs to spend some time with.”
At the reminder of his friends downstairs, Beebee’s face lit up with a smile, and his wings gave a short buzz of excitement on his back. “Really?!”
Eventide looked back at Beebee, and a tiny flicker of mirth entered his aura. “Hey, they’re your friends, not mine. This is a big day for you… you should go celebrate. So go on. Play with them, joke with them, laugh with them, talk with them. Just be with them. I won’t get in your way.”
Beebee was still for a second, processing those words. His eyes started to glisten with fresh tears, and his lips began to tremble. Then, with a shaky breath of his own, he kicked off of the bed and launched himself into Eventide’s chest, hugging him around the neck and burying his face in his adoptive father’s shoulder.
The hug was returned immediately, and the love that came pouring out of Eventide this time was pure and untainted. There was just the tiniest edge of sadness left in it, but it was not enough to make the flavor any less appealing. Beebee drank it down, purring with contentment and snuggling closer to his dad.
“...Thank you, dad. Thank you so much. I love you…” he whispered quietly. A low and quiet chitter of unending affection could be heard coming from him when Eventide squeezed him closer.
“I love you, too, Beebee…” Was Eventide’s almost inaudible response.
They stayed like that for almost a minute, basking in their embrace and the peace it brought. Then, with a happy and childish laugh, Beebee suddenly pulled himself up onto Eventide's shoulder and used it as a springboard. He flew right for the door, throwing it open with his magic and shooting down the stairs, his face split by a gigantic, ecstatic grin.
Eventide stayed still for a good few seconds after Beebee left, his eyes distant and his smile gone. He’d committed himself, now. There was no going back. He knew now that Beebee would probably never forgive him if he went back on his promise, thanks to Apple Bloom’s influence.
Apple Bloom… Eventide couldn’t help but smile as he rose back to his feet and started to slowly follow Beebee back down the stairs, thinking on the farm girl and how much things had changed since she and Beebee had met each other. Not in the woods, he reminded himself, but through the window at the old house. That one incident, a meeting allowed only by pure chance, had been the primary motivator for Eventide seeking new and better-paying employment, and a new house.
In a roundabout sort of way, Eventide had her to thank for that decision. He had her to thank for the steps he had taken to finally improve his living situation, all for the sake of his son.
As he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he could hear Beebee and the Crusaders laughing and cheering amongst themselves in jubilation. He stepped into the archway leading to the living room, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He leaned against the frame and just watched for a while.
Beebee was currently hugging Sweetie Belle around the neck, the pale-skinned girl spinning around in circles while returning the embrace. She looked to be a little off-balance, indicating that she had been tackle-hugged. Scootaloo was in the middle of doubling over while pumping her fists in a victorious pose, and Apple Bloom looked like she had just gotten done being hugged by Beebee herself. She was also laughing while adjusting her shirt.
As she finally got herself straightened out, she looked up towards the archway. Eventide and Apple Bloom made eye contact. For a second, everything else faded away for the two of them. They just stared at each other for a long time, searching the eyes of the other. Before Apple Bloom could say anything, though, Eventide just smiled and nodded his head towards his son.
Getting the message, Apple Bloom nodded her head and went to join her other friends in the rapidly forming group hug. Eventide felt the urge to go and join them, but this time, he held himself back.
“...My little boy’s starting to grow up,” he thought to himself, his face falling. “I gotta start letting him go.”
His eyes then drifted over to one of the end tables by the couch, and he saw that his camera was there. Seeing that, and seeing the scene playing out before him, made an idea spring into life in his mind. With his smile returning, he marched over and took the camera up in his hands before turning to the group hug. “Hey, guys!” he called over to them, drawing their attention.
“What is it?” Scootaloo asked, poking her head up from the back of the group.
Eventide held the camera up and over his head in one hand. “Mind if I get a picture of this?”
There was a general and excited vocalization of agreement with that plan, and after some shouting over each other and a lot of scrambling, the Crusaders and Beebee found themselves in a suitable arrangement on the couch.
Beebee sat on his haunches in the middle of the couch, a big smile on his face, and his wings splayed out on either side. Sweetie Belle sat to his right, her hands folded in her lap and a demure smile on her face. Scootaloo stood behind the couch, crouched down with a large and cocky grin. To Beebee’s left was Apple Bloom, one of her hands in her lap while the other rested comfortably on Beebee’s back.
Eventide smiled at the sight for a moment before lifting the camera and taking the picture.