One Month Later.
Today was the day.
The sun had risen maybe an hour ago, enveloping the world in its warm glow. Beebee stood out in the driveway in front of the house with his face angled up to feel the warmth on his cheeks and his eyes closed. Along the side of his barrel where his injury had been was a patch of fresh, still-soft chitin that was a few shades brighter than the rest of it. They didn’t know yet if the scar would stick around or if it would fade with time.
A breeze washed over him, and he took a long, deep breath through his nose. He then let it out through his mouth before finally opening his eyes.
A stray cloud was passing by overhead, white and fluffy and looking so soft.
“Beebee, come on, we’re gonna be late!” Eventide’s voice came from not far away, drawing the bug’s attention. He saw his father standing next to the car, the driver’s side door open and Buddha already parked in the back seat.
Beebee swallowed heavily, feeling a small flame of anxiety building up in his heart. He had had all month to prepare for this trip, and he had done so as well as he could. But at the time, it had always seemed so far away. Now that it was actually time to go, now that the day had come… he was nervous.
“Of course I’m nervous,” he tried to soothe himself internally. “I’m only going to meet my biological mom and dad for the first time after almost six years, and I’m only going through a weird magical portal thingy to do it. Being nervous is totally normal. Totally.“
“Beebee?”
Hearing his father’s voice again snapped Beebee out of his reverie. He shook his head from side to side, then offered up a smile. “Sorry. I’m coming!” he called back, breaking into a brisk canter for the passenger’s side. Eventide nodded at him before ducking down into the car.
When Beebee reached his side, he was happy to find the window rolled down. With a quick buzz of his wings, he lifted from the ground and flew right through the window. He made himself comfortable in the seat, then nodded up at Eventide. “Okay, I think I’m good.”
“Nah, not yet,” Eventide refuted before reaching down and poking Beebee on the nose with the tip of his finger. “We’re going into town. Use puppy mode.”
Beebee’s eyes briefly crossed from the uninvited boop. He shook his head, glared pitifully up at his unrepentant dad, then closed his eyes. The green flame appeared in his mind’s eye, then spread out to envelop his body. As swiftly as it appeared, it faded, and the familiar black border collie re-appeared. Beebee opened his new blue eyes and rolled out his tongue. “Puppy mode: Engaged! Ready to bark and slobber at your command!”
“Roger that, Beebee,” Eventide played along with a little laugh. “Sit tight and wait for further instructions. We’re rolling out!”
With that, the car engine swelled into life. After a few quick checks, Eventide put the car into motion. Soon, they were leaving the driveway and coasting down the road for town. All the while, Beebee kept his eyes trained firmly on the landscape rolling by. Buddha did as well, though she seemed to be more interested in shoving her face outside so that the wind would blast at it.
Beebee didn’t get why she did that. It would bug the heck out of him. But hey, it made her happy, and who was he to turn down the free snack?
But he wasn’t really all that interested in that at the moment. He was preoccupied thinking about the trip they were on. With every second that passed, the little flame of anxiety in his heart steadily grew and grew, and questions began to burn at him. Would they like him? What if they didn’t? What if they weren’t good changelings? What if they didn’t get along with Eventide? What if Eventide didn’t like them?
“Bee? You okay?” Eventide suddenly asked, knocking Beebee out of his reverie.
“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I-I’m fine,” he replied, tearing his eyes away from the outside to look up at his dad. “I’m just thinking about m-my parents.”
Eventide looked sideways at him. “You nervous?”
“No!” Beebee lied.
Eventide didn’t even change his expression. His aura spoke for him.
“...Yes,” Beebee begrudgingly told the truth.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, you know,” Eventide told him with a smile. “This is a big day. I’m kinda nervous, too.”
Beebee examined his aura for a moment. Sure enough, barely visible amid his other emotions, he could see a thin layer of anxiety surrounding the man. With a slow nod, Beebee looked out the window again. “I know… I just can’t stop worrying that I might make a bad impression, you know?”
“Beebee,” Eventide addressed him, his voice suddenly firm and commanding.
Curious, Beebee looked back at him to see that his face had turned stern.
“Don’t worry about that. Just be yourself. If your birth parents are any good at all, then that’s what they want to see from you, and that’s what they’ll love no matter what.”
Beebee opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came. After a few moments, he relented with a nod and looked through the windscreen. He could just make out the town in the distance, still a way out.
It was only then that it occurred to him that he hadn’t been back in town since the day they had moved outside of it. Eventide had gone plenty of times to shop for groceries, but Beebee had never gone along with him on those trips. More then that, though, they were going to CHS, the school that had been right across the street from the old home for the entire first year of his life.
“We’re gonna be next to the old place,” he absently mused, drawing a momentary glance from Eventide.
“Yeah… that we are,” he replied, focusing back on the road with a nostalgic smile slowly blooming on his face. “Maybe we can pay the old tree a visit, eh?”
Beebee hummed in response to that but didn’t say anything else. He fell into a quiet, companionable silence for the rest of the drive.
The town hadn’t changed a whole lot in all the time since they had moved. A few buildings had gotten facelifts, some shops had closed while new ones had opened in their places, and some potholes in alleys had finally been filled, but all in all? It was still the same town that Eventide had grown up in. Even Canterlot High School was more or less the same as he remembered it.
Although, there was no denying that some parts were newer than others. The entire front wall of the main building was much newer than the rest of it, the wonder colt statue had long ago become just a marble cube with bevels in it, and a giant circle of the ground in front of the entrance was visibly newer than the land around it. All byproducts of the magical mayhem this place seemed to serve as ground-zero for.
Meanwhile, right across from the school, was the old house. It looked to be just as small and crummy as ever. The grass in the yard had grown considerably, the curtains were all pulled tightly closed, and the ‘for rent’ sign out front made it clear nobody was presently living within its old walls. But aside from that, it was the same house.
He pulled the car to a stop on the sidewalk right in front of his old house, his eyes settling on it more than the school on the other side of the street. Beebee looked at it, too, leaning across the seat to get a better look.
“The grass got long,” the bug-turned-dog mused absently to himself, his head tilting to one side.
“I guess the place has been empty for a while,” Eventide added before looking over at the school. He could make out a small crowd of people standing there waiting for them. He recognized Fluttershy and the Crusaders first, then Sunset Shimmer. Beyond them, he saw Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and one other girl that he didn’t recognize.
She had bright purple skin and dark blue hair that was tied back in a neat ponytail. She had dorky glasses hovering over her deep purple eyes. Most of them were just standing around, but Fluttershy and Sunset looked to be speaking to each other in hushed tones.
With a deep breath, Eventide set about unbuckling his seat belt. “Alright, come on. They’re waiting for us,” he instructed as he opened the door.
Beebee said nothing but instead leaped right by him and down onto the sidewalk. His eyes affixed themselves onto the old house, and for a while, he just looked. Eventide followed him out, silently opening the backseat door to let Buddha out.
The dog immediately began to sniff at the grass the second her paws touched down on the ground. Her tail wagged energetically, and her ears lifted up in recognition. Her eyes then glued themselves onto the old house, and she voiced her appreciation with a loud, happy bark.
Eventide tensed, then looked back over his shoulder at the people waiting for them. They were all looking at him, now, expectant looks on their faces. Fluttershy whispered one more thing to Sunset before waving at Eventide, a smile on her face.
Eventide waved back. “Hey! We’ll be over in just a second!” he called to them before pointing at the house. “Old house. Beebee and Buddha want to have a look. Nostalgia, you know.”
“That’s fine,” Sunset called back with an understanding smile. “Just don’t take long. Everything’s set up over here, so we’re just waiting on you.”
“Got it!” With that said, Eventide turned back to the old house. Already Buddha was frolicking through the old yard, looking quite pleased with this turn of events. Beebee, meanwhile, was simply walking up to the tree his egg had been left under all those years ago. Eventide watched him for a second before stepping forward to join him by its side.
They looked up into the branches and leaves for a minute, and Eventide found himself getting lost in the memories of their time here. A small smile found itself onto his face as one particular night, when the snow had freshly fallen over the world, came to his mind. He looked down at Beebee. “Hey. Do you remember the first time I ever let you outside?”
Beebee was quiet for a second. “...Barely. I was only a few months old, wasn’t I?”
“Yeah, you were,” Eventide nodded, his voice barely breaching a whisper. “But I remember it clear as day. We sat right here, you and me, and I told you how I found your egg under this tree. You asked me if babies came from trees, and then you put your hoof on the trunk, and you said ‘thank you, tree.’”
Beebee’s face slowly lit up with recognition. He looked down at his paw, then looked over his shoulder at the people waiting on them. After a moment of hesitation, he was enveloped in a swirl of green flames. When they faded, the basement bug had returned. He looked back up at the tree and set his hoof on the trunk, his lips curling up into a smile. “Thanks again, tree.”
Eventide felt his heart twist with sheer adoration from that little gesture. But, as he did back then, he placed his hand on the bark next to Beebee’s hoof. “Yeah. Thank you, tree,” he whispered before looking back at the school. “...But there’s one other person we have to thank, now. And she’s waiting for us on the other side of the portal.”
Beebee pulled his hoof back with a slow nod. “Yeah… mom.”
Eventide remained crouched for a few more seconds before rising up to his full height. “Come on. The tree isn’t going anywhere, and your parents have waited for long enough to meet you. Let’s not keep them waiting any longer, alright?”
Beebee nodded before turning to face the school. A quick swirl of flames later, he was back in his dog form. He glanced up at Eventide and vocalized his readiness with a small bark.
Buddha, seeing that it was time to go, ran over and joined Eventide and Beebee as they made their way across the street. The moment her eyes caught sight of Fluttershy, the golden retriever broke into a sprint for her. The pink-haired teenager knelt down and braced herself, her arms wide open. As expected, Buddha plowed right into her and knocked Fluttershy right down, showering her in affectionate licks and sniffs.
“Heh, I think she missed you,” Eventide jeered while placing his hands on his hips.
Fluttershy was barely able to force out a reply between her delighted giggles. “Oh, ha! I can see that!”
Sunset smiled at the adorable sight for a moment before looking over at Eventide, then down at Beebee. “So… you two ready to go through?” she asked before nodding her head at the base of the statue. “The portal’s right here.”
“I am if Beebee is,” Eventide acknowledged before glancing down at his son. “Are you?”
Beebee looked back up at him. “Uh… I think so?”
“You’ll be fine!” Apple Bloom’s voice suddenly piped up as she stepped forward, the other Crusaders by her side. “We’d go with ya, but apparently that’s a no-no.”
“Meh. I’ve been over there. I don’t see what the big deal is,” Rainbow deadpanned before looking at Beebee. “So… this is the changeling?”
Beebee shrank back under those bright pink eyes. “Er… yes?”
“You look like a dog.”
Beebee blinked. “...Oh, right. Dad?”
“Go for it. We can trust these people.”
With no other inhibitions to hold him back, Beebee nodded, then leaped into the air. With one more flurry of fire, the basement bug returned to the world, hovering in mid-air with buzzing winds. He spread his forelegs wide, puffed out his chest, and put on a big grin. “Ta-da!”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. Then she got a cocky grin on her face. “Heh. Wow. That is pretty awesome, I gotta hand it to ya.”
“I think I liked the puppy better…” Rarity mumbled to herself under her breath.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “...huh. So that’s what he looks like.”
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, shot over and got right into Beebee’s face. “Oh my gosh! Look at those cute little eyes! You. Are. ADORABLE! Can I feed you a cookie?!”
Beebee recoiled from the sudden attention. “I, uh...” he looked helplessly over at Eventide, who couldn’t help but find the whole display adorable and hilarious. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to shout ‘no’ and run away?”
Eventide laughed at that before shaking his head. “No, I think you’re good. But, uh, Pinkie? Think you could give the little guy his personal space back?”
Pinkie whined pitifully but did as she had been asked. As she did, the purple-skinned woman came forward. She adjusted her glasses on her face, looking at Beebee with no small amount of scholarly curiosity. She didn’t say anything though, instead deciding to turn towards Sunset.
After a few seconds of quiet, Fluttershy finally managed to nudge Buddha off of her and sat up. Eventide chuckled down at her and reached down to help her up. “You sure you can look after her and the house while we’re over there?”
She nodded once she was steady on her feet. “Um, yes. I took care of her before you did, remember?”
“You’re also the one who made me adopt her,” Eventide recounted before giving her a quick hug. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Fluttershy returned the gesture. “Oh! Uh, you’re very welcome?”
After a few more seconds, the hug was ended. Eventide turned to Beebee to see that he was staring apprehensively at the portal. Sunset was standing by it, looking ready to head through herself.
Nothing else for it, he supposed. Eventide nodded to Sunset. “Okay, I think we’re ready.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll head through with you, just so you have a native handy to help you out,” she explained before turning to the base of the statue. She pointed at the side she was facing. “I’ll go through first, then you guys follow me. Don’t go too fast, or it might throw you out on the other side.”
“Right…” Beebee said, his voice lined with unease. He glanced over his shoulder at the Crusaders and received a collection of thumbs ups in return. Eventide saw his son’s face brighten from that, no doubt as he took some confidence from their show of support.
“Alright, let’s go,” Sunset called over her shoulder before putting her hand on the side of the base. Then, with a faint shimmer of light and a ripple, she passed through it as if it wasn’t even there.
Eventide and Beebee gawked at the spot where she had been for a few seconds in shock. They then exchanged looks.
With a nod, Eventide lifted his hand and held it out for Beebee. Taking the hint, he set his hoof into his father’s palm, allowing the fingers to curl around it. Then, as one, they began to walk for the portal.
“Bye, Beebee! Have fun!” Fluttershy called out from behind them.
Beebee glanced back at her. “I will! We’ll be back soon, Aunt Fluttershy!”
And with that, they passed through the portal.
To say that the trip through the portal was disorienting would be an understatement. The physical world that Eventide was used to was replaced with a formless and abstract tunnel of colors and lights that made his skull ache. His stomach twisted as his body was thrown around, and he was only just able to keep his hold on Beebee’s hoof.
Suddenly, he became aware of a sudden and distinct lack of fingers. Eventide shouted in alarm when Beebee went flying away from him in the colors, his voice lost amidst the tumultuous, aetherial ringing. Before either of them could do anything about it, though, there was a loud pop and a flash of blinding light.
Gravity came back to the world, and Eventide fell forwards onto his face with a shout. His nose cracked into something hard, smooth, and cool, sending a few daggers of pain spiking through his skull. He lay still for a second, his eyes closed as he tried to suppress the thumping in his head.
For a moment, he was reminded of Beebee flying off and away from him, and his heart rate spiked with panic. But then he heard his son’s voice groaning uncomfortably to his right, and his immediate concerns were put to rest.
“I told you it was rough,” Sunset’s voice said in front of him.
“Ugh… yeah, you did,” he admitted before lifting his head to look at her. He froze the second he caught sight of her, his eyes narrowing. “Uh… I must have hit the ground harder than I thought, because, uh… you look like a horse.”
“Pony,” she corrected without missing a beat, turning slightly to put more of her new body on display.
Sure enough, she was a pony, now. Her fur was the same orange hue as her skin, and her hair - or, mane now, Eventide guessed - was more or less the same as always. However, swishing behind her was a tail to match her mane, and on her flank was a stylized symbol of a flaming sun. She craned her neck down to smile at him, revealing a spiraling horn jutting up from her forehead.
“And that’s because I am a pony. And, as long as you’re here, so are you.”
What.
WHAT.
Eventide, not at all believing what she had just said, looked down at his hands. He found a few peach-colored hooves staring back at him.
Hooves.
“...I have hooves,” he babbled uselessly. He looked up at Sunset again before doing the only thing he could think of in this situation.
He screamed at the top of his lungs. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME I WAS GONNA TURN INTO A PONY?!”
Sunset did not seem at all taken aback by his tone of voice. “Welcome to the other side,” she said cheerfully before stepping back. “Welcome to Equestria.”