//------------------------------// // Chapter 55: Fall // Story: The Bug In The Basement // by Skijarama //------------------------------// A few hours later, Beebee found himself pacing back and forth with his wings outside the front door of his house. Eventide was leaning against the wall with an amused look on his face, though the occasional flickers of worry in his aura caught Beebee’s attention from time to time. It was the middle of the afternoon, now, and thick clouds could be seen gathering on the horizon. The sun was still shining, but at the rate the clouds were moving, it would probably be smothered in only a couple hours. The forecast had said there would probably be heavy rain later, something nobody was particularly looking forward to. Especially Beebee. It wasn’t that he disliked water - far from it. He loved it, but the same could not be said of his friends and family. When it rained, everyone’s moods plummeted, and so to did the quality of his meals. He did his best to ignore that, though, choosing to instead voice his question again. “When is she gonna be here?” Eventide rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Oh, I dunno… last time you asked me was about a minute ago, and I said ‘around five minutes.’ So, by process of elimination, I think we can safely say-” “Dad!” Beebee whined pitifully, rotating in the air and puffing up his cheeks at his father’s snark. “Not. Helping!” The man did not seem at all deterred by his son’s tone of voice. “Maybe not, but it also doesn’t help to ask me the same question over and over again when I told you the answer already.” “But you, I- GUH!” Beebee did a backflip in frustration and went back to pacing. Eventide laughed at that before turning his eyes away. Beebee huffed quietly to himself, but otherwise said nothing more. Impressively, he was actually able to keep his question contained for more than a minute this time. In fact, he had made it to a solid five minutes of silence before the urge to ask became too much to bear. With another groan, he spun around and glared daggers at the corner he was waiting on. “Is she here yet?” “Eeyup! Ah’m here!” Beebee blinked, taken by surprise by the shouted response. He drifted forward a few feet, squinting. Then, sure enough, Apple Bloom rounded the corner of the house, dressed in a t-shirt and blue jeans while carrying a red raincoat under her armpit. She raised her hand in a friendly wave. “Howdy! Sorry Ah took so long! Had to spend a few minutes lookin’ for this thing,” she held up the raincoat. Beebee blinked a few times, then grinned and drifted closer to her. “Finally! Hi, Apple Bloom! How are you?” “Ah’m good, though Ah’m kinda wondrerin’ why ya called me over with such, uh…” she glanced over at Eventide and raised an eyebrow. “...enthusiasm.” Eventide shrugged and jabbed his thumb in Beebee’s direction. “Let him explain, it’s his big day.” Beebee didn’t wait for Apple Bloom to question it. He flew right up to her face, all but pressing his nose against hers. “So! You know how dad and I have been walking on the Everfree Park trail a lot for a long time, right?” Apple Bloom leaned back slightly from the intrusion into her personal space, then nodded her head. “Er, yeah, Ah remember. Why?” Beebee did another backflip out of sheer excitement. “I finally made it to the top without getting exhausted! We’ve been trying to get there for two years!” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened up a bit, and her face lit up with a happy grin. “Wow! Really?! That’s awesome, Beebee! Did ya wanna celebrate or somethin’? Ah can call the girls-” “Er, actually,” Beebee cut her off, suddenly looking a little sheepish. He drifted back another few inches, his hooves starting to fidget over his chest. “I was kinda hoping it could be just you and me. I mean… I met you first. If I hadn’t, then, well, I never would have started trying to get stronger in the first place.” Apple Bloom visibly hesitated for a minute, her head tilting to one side. She then gave a small nod of her head, a more reserved smile appearing on her lips. “Alright, fair enough. What do we wanna do?” Beebee relaxed somewhat and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, however, a twinge of pain shot through his back and between his wings. His lungs tightened, and he dropped back to the ground with a thud. At once, he heard the two people coming up to his sides to make sure he was okay. He sucked in a deep breath and looked up at them with a reassuring smile. “Sorry. I’m okay, just… a little tired. Nothing too bad.” Eventide and Apple Bloom exchanged worried looks for a minute before relenting. It was Eventide who spoke. “Alright… if you’re sure. Just take it easy, okay? We may have hit that milestone, but you can still have your fits if you aren’t careful.” Beebee nodded. “Right. I will,” he then turned to look up at Apple Bloom. “Anyways, I was thinking we could just go out into the woods and walk around for a while.” The farm girl looked at him for a few seconds, raising an eyebrow. After a moment, though, she smiled and stood upright again. “Sure, that sounds pretty relaxin’, actually.” Beebee turned to his father, his eyes hopeful. “Can we, dad?” Eventide looked between the two for a few seconds before nodding and ruffling Beebee’s head. “I guess that’s fine, yeah. Just make sure you come back if it starts raining, and be back before it gets dark, alright?” “Right. Thanks, dad!” Beebee chirped before launching himself forward and wrapping his hooves around Eventide’s neck in a tight hug. “I love you.” “I love you, too. Now go have fun.” Beebee released his father, nodded, then turned around to head for the woods. He fell into step beside Apple Bloom, the two already launching into a conversation about all of the fun Beebee had at the top of the mountain. They spent a good few hours out in those woods, meandering and talking to one another. The light of the sun had long since been obscured by the clouds, but the rain hadn’t started to fall yet. Eventually, the duo found a nice spot to sit down; a ledge that overlooked a nice rocky outcropping farther down. And there they sat, continuing to talk and reminisce. It was pleasant, and Beebee found it almost impossible to pull the smile off of his face. Not like he wanted to, of course. Smiling made Apple Bloom happy. As their discussion wore on and on, though, Beebee’s mind began to drift away. His attention on the conversation faltered, and he felt a subtle burning in his chest. It was growing more intense, and he felt the indescribable urge to gasp. Suddenly, he was knocked back to his senses when a hand on his shoulder shook him. Blinking in confusion, he looked over to see Apple Bloom looking back at him with some mild concern. “Bee? Y’all okay? Ya kinda went quiet on me.” He shook himself and nodded his head. “Y-yeah, sorry. I just zoned out, that’s all,” he said in a lower voice than usual. Apple Bloom frowned, her aura shimmering with concern. “...Ah guess that makes sense. Ya got a lot to think about. You were playin’ at the top of that trail fer a while, weren’t ya?” “Uh-huh. Dad had to carry me back to make sure I didn’t go into one of my fits,” Beebee explained before looking ahead at the terrain again. “...Still. I’m having a hard time believing that I actually made it…” Apple Bloom’s expression softened into a grin of pride. She lifted a hand and clapped Beebee on the back, right between his wings. “You’ve been at it fer a long time. Ah’m super proud of ya, Bee.” “Heh, yeah. I’ve been trying to get to the top of that trail since you found me out here in the woods. Do you remember that?” “Shucks, how could Ah forget?” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and nudged Beebee in the side with her elbow. “Taking a stroll through the woods and findin’ a little kid all on his own with a hurt leg? Pretty memorable experience.” “It was pretty memorable for me, too,” Beebee nodded along, his eyes slowly turning up towards the forest canopy. “It was the first time I turned into a human, and it was the day I made my first friend…” as he spoke, his eyes began to go distant with fond nostalgia. “...It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since then, isn’t it? A lot has happened...” “And harder to believe that y’all had us fooled about what ya were fer so long,” Apple Bloom remarked with a certain mischievous glint in her eyes. “Makin’ us think y’all were a real boy. Shame on you.” “Oh, quit it,” Beebee turned and lightly smacked her on the shoulder with a pout. “I had to deal with my own guilt over that for long enough! Don’t you go layering on more!” Instead of letting up, Apple Bloom reached over and yanked Beebee over with her arm, holding his head prisoner. “Aaw, yer no fun! Fine, then! I guess Ah’ll just hafta give ya hard time like this!” Beebee let out an indignant chitter when he felt Apple Bloom’s knuckles rubbing into his head right above his horn. “O-ow! Hey! Apple Bloom, lemme go!” he protested, his cheeks turning red from indignation. “Say the magic word,” “Apples?” Apple Bloom paused, her expression flattening into a deadpan. “...No.” That brief moment of disgruntlement provided Beebee the window he needed. With a grunt, he finally tugged himself free of his friend’s hold and glared daggers at her. Completely unphased by his bitter look, she just crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a wry smirk. The two stared at each other for a few minutes before the first cracks appeared in their facades. It began with a small twitch in Beebee’s cheek. Then a tremble in Apple Bloom’s. After only a few more seconds, the two could hold it in no longer, and both broke into a fit of delighted giggles. Apple Bloom pulled herself together first. With her laughs dying down, she reached over and pulled Beebee against her in a warm side hug. His laughs quieted down shortly after, and he happily returned the gesture. A quiet chitter of contentment could be heard from somewhere deep in his voice to go along with the affectionate nuzzle he gave her. “Heh… I’m real glad I met you,” he whispered to her, his eyes drifting closed. He took in a deep breath through his nose, then let it out in a content sigh. Apple Bloom glanced down at him for a second, then squeezed him closer with her own smile growing. “Ditto.” The two fell silent, enjoying one another’s company and the fresh air. A breeze washed by, whistling softly between the trees and branches. The tranquility of that sound was, sadly, disturbed when a single drop of water splat against the back of his head. Frowning in displeasure, Beebee looked up at the sky. Another drop hit him right on his cheek, and somewhere far away, the low rumble of thunder rolled across the world. “Darnit… it’s starting to rain,” he pointed out. Apple Bloom sighed and nodded her head. “Eeyup. Yer dad wanted me to get ya home if that started happenin’. C’mon, let’s hop to,” she relented before releasing Beebee from the hug and moving to stand. Beebee grumbled in annoyance and rose to his hooves. Suddenly, he froze. His entire body went rigid, his chest constricting and his throat tightening up. His eyes flew wide open, and the familiar sensation of exhaustion began to swallow him whole. He barely even had the presence of mind to put together that standing up must have been the last straw before his legs gave out under him, and he fell forward. “Wha- BEEBEE?!” Apple Bloom’s voice rang in his ears, and he heard her scrambling for him. He felt confused by this… until he realized that he hadn’t hit the ground yet. His vision focused for just a second, just long enough to see the pointed stones of the outcropping flying up to meet him. Crack. Agony unlike anything Beebee had ever felt suddenly exploded across his side when he hit the ground. His entire body jerked from the impact before rolling limply down and coming to a rest on the dirt. He might have screamed out, but his lungs were empty of air. His vision began to blur, all colors mixing together into vague blobs. Sounds become muffled and distant, as if cotton were stuffed into his ears. His vision refocused for just a second, allowing him to look up. The rain was coming down harder now, pelting his body and everything around him. But that was of little consequence when compared to the ashen, horrified face of his friend high above him. Apple Bloom was on her hands and knees by the ledge, one palm covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide open, and her entire body was shaking. Beebee’s vision began to blur again, and the last thing he heard was Apple Bloom screaming out his name at the top of her lungs. His tongue twitched at the faint taste of terror and despair. And then he knew no more.