//------------------------------// // When You Fall // Story: They're Not Bugs, They're Features // by RunicTreetops //------------------------------// “You’re flapping too hard!” Chrysalis’s voice is firm, but not aggressive. She hovers in the air alongside her children, each of which are about ten feet off of the ground. Sweat beads down their foreheads in the hot afternoon sun. While Chrysalis looks completely unbothered, the same cannot be said for her brood. “It’s about a consistent rhythm, not raw strength.” “B-but how… how much strength is enough strength?” Tarsus wheezes, clearly struggling more than his siblings. “Just enough to keep you airborne without tiring you out.” “And how long–” “All day, if necessary. I won’t accept anything less.” Finally at the end of his rope, Tarsus’s wings finally give out. His stocky body plummets to the ground below, but just before he can hit the grass, he lands safely in the waiting arms of Anon. “You’re doing great, bud.” It takes Tarsus a moment to catch his breath enough to speak clearly. During this moment, he calmly allows his father to hold him. It’s surprisingly comfortable, but as soon as his body is able to move again, he remembers his pride and rolls out of Anon’s grasp. “Whatever.” Anon barely has time to think before a purple blur begins to fall from the sky just a few feet away. He quickly dives towards it, his stomach sliding along the grass as he just barely catches Terga before she can hit the ground. Much like Tarsus, it takes her a moment before she’s able to overcome her exhaustion. “Th… thanks dad,” she mumbles, not quite as embarrassed as her brother by her father catching her. “Alright, that’s enough. We’ll take a five-minute break.” Chrysalis lands with practiced ease while Seta, Canthus, and Gena follow her to the ground with much less grace. “Who needs hosed?” Anon asks as he saunters towards the side of the house. All of the children aside from Seta follow him on shaky legs, some with twitchy wings that need some time to recover from their mother’s flight training. “Careful, it’s probably pretty cold.” With a turn of a knob, water begins to pour out of the hose’s nozzle. Unwinding it enough to ensure that there are no knots in it, Anon grins as he points the hose at Canthus. He is almost blown back by the force of the cool water, but he manages to hold his ground. An excited laugh escapes him as he’s hosed down, the sudden drop in temperature feeling extremely welcoming after the test of endurance his mother just put him through. After a few seconds, Anon points the hose at Tarsus. He tries to act stoic, but not even he can hide his growing smile at being rinsed down by his dad. Gena doesn’t attempt to hide her joy, and Terga twirls in the water’s path as though she is taking a shower. Being changelings, the water runs down their smooth, chitinous bodies with little resistance, allowing them to fully embrace the cool relief it brings. “You sure you don’t want any, Seta?” “I’m fine,” she shouts from behind her siblings. “This is nothing.” “You should at least get a drink or something. It’s hot today and I don’t want you getting heat stroke.” Anon tilts his head with concern as he hands out water bottles from a cooler he prepared, tossing one to Seta while pointing the hose back at Canthus again.  “I said I’m fine,” she repeats through gritted teeth. “I can make it just–” “Listen to your father.” Chrysalis speaks up from behind Seta, and her eyes widen as she realizes that her mother, too, is sipping at a bottle of water. “We’re trying to help you get stronger, not kill you. Staying hydrated is an important part of that.” “...Is that how you did things back at the hive?” “No. But you shouldn’t be looking at how I ran the hive as an example of how to act. If anything, I was a perfect example of how to do everything wrong.” “You made strong soldiers, though.” “I did. And they’re still paying the price for my decisions to this day.” Chrysalis’s voice is low, quiet, almost melancholic. Seta blinks. She rarely hears her mother speak like this, and she almost never mentions what life was like back when she ruled the hive. “I… I’m still–” “Tired and thirsty?” “...” “Go get a drink.” After hesitating for a moment, Seta sighs. “Fine.” Unfortunately for her, she barely has time to turn around before she’s blasted in the face with a jet of ice-cold water. Her legs lock up and her wings remain frozen in an outstretched position. After a moment, her wide eyes begin to burn with fury. “DAD!” Anon and the rest of her siblings laugh as he continues to hose her down. Lowering her head, Seta begrudgingly walks towards him and accepts a bottle of water. After a few seconds, he decides that she’s had enough and goes right back to aiming at Gena. Seta says nothing. Her pride won’t let her admit that it felt pretty good. After a few minutes pass and everyone has time to hydrate and regain strength in their wings, Chrysalis whistles. Knowing that that’s their cue, the children all take their positions before jumping into the air and taking to the sky once more. As usual, some struggle more than others. Terga lags behind a bit, and Tarsus is the last to make it to the proper height. Eventually, however, they’re all back in the air as Chrysalis gives them orders and advice to help them fly more efficiently. After nearly half an hour, another changeling plummets to the ground. Surprisingly, it isn’t Tarsus, nor is it Terga. Instead, it’s the tall, green form of Seta that gives out first. Unlike her siblings, however, she doesn’t fall in a standing position. Rather, her form goes completely limp, and the result is her plummeting much faster than they did. She closes her eyes as she falls to the ground. She’s embarrassed, sure, but she’s also ashamed of herself. She’s not obsessed with being the largest of her siblings like they are. Heck, she’s not even particularly interested in impressing her parents like Tarsus or Gena. She just wants to feel competent. Expecting the ground to hit her after the brief instant it takes for her to plummet out of the air, she’s taken aback when she lands on something soft. Finally opening her eyes, she sees the large form of her father face down on the grass below her. Somehow, she landed on his back. “Dad?” “Don’t worry. I gotcha.” His voice is muffled due to being face down in the grass, not to mention how winded he is from placing himself between his daughter and the ground. “You were going a bit too fast for me to catch you properly, but hopefully this is good enough.” “Are you okay?!” “I’m good,” he wheezes as he shuffles onto his knees. “How are you?” “I’m… I’m fine.” “Seta.” Once again, Chrysalis’s voice is firm as she lands next to her daughter. The rest of the children remain in the air, but they look down at their older sister with intrigue. “This is the key difference that makes our family better than the old hive.” “...Wh-what do you mean?” “When you fall, you’ll have us to catch you.” Anon grins. “And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Chrysalis whispers as she places a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “Now, are you ready to try again, or do you need more rest?” “...I-I think I can go again.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” Seta awkwardly clears her throat before glancing between her parents. “Just, uh… stay below me on my way up. Please?” Anon chuckles. “Sure thing. Good luck up there.” With a smile and a nod, Seta leaps into the air one more time, somehow feeling more energized than before. Her mother follows her up, and the next thing she knows, she’s right there alongside her siblings once again. Chrysalis stifles a smile as she watches her eldest daughter confidently hover in the air next to her. She’s finally learned the real lesson.