34. - The Truth Part II
Thorax was a good bug.
He was. Really.
Despite the frequent need to remind himself of that fact, he truly was faithful and loyal. Perhaps not as faithful as Bob or Mandible, but those two were a few sparks short of a lightning bolt, in his opinion. Mandible had a bizarre crush on Queen Chrysalis, and he was going to get himself fed to a pack of timberwolves if he didn't behave himself, and Bob was just a fanatic, pure and simple. No matter how twisted or deadly the command, Bob was always the first to act, and he’d proclaim the greatness of his illustrious queen while doing so.
It went a long way in explaining why Bob had allowed his Queen to bash him against the trees that Prince Bean had crashed through, and why he’d allowed Mandible to gnaw on him while disguised as a chimera.
No, Thorax’s main problem was his own rather unorthodox views. Though he mainly kept his odd notions to himself, he did wonder about the methodology employed by his queen, and he often had contemplated what it would be like to have a…
Well, a friend.
The concept of friendship was very poorly understood by changelings in general. There were acquaintances and co-workers, but the idea that two individuals could care about the well-being and interests of another - without thinking about how it would best benefit themselves - ran nearly opposite to the entire changeling way of life. Survival was the most important instinct any creature possessed, and anybug who did not worry about his own life tended to have issues preserving it.
Yet, as Thorax stood guard in the former Princess Suite, he couldn’t help but ponder on what provided Baked Bean with the motivation to resist. Granted, his relationship to Celestia was a bit more than friendly, yet there was the clear impression that the Equestrian prince was fighting just as much for his friends as he was for his love. Baked Bean was worried about what would happen to those whom he knew, and those whom he had stewardship over, and it appeared he was willing to sacrifice everything - up to and including his own life - in order to keep them safe.
Thorax secretly wished there was a bug who could care enough about him to do the same. Most of his fellowlings would have given up by now and begged for Chrysalis’ forgiveness to boot. What could possess any creature to value the life of another above their own? Why would Bean willingly endure this pain?
Even now, Thorax couldn’t feel any of Bean’s feelings. Normally, a changeling could pick up on background emotions, be they happy or sad, concerned or relaxed, or any feeling in between. But trying to pick up anything from Bean was like trying to read emotions from a rock*, and it required an immense amount of willpower to hide one's emotions completely.
*There was that one time Thorax had picked up on a faint scent of loyalty from a small rock that was being carried by Maud Pie, Mandible’s crystal supplier, but he’d promised himself to never think of that incident again. It always gave him the heebie-jeebies.
“How does it taste?”
Thorax glanced around the room, then back to Bean. He wasn't expecting the captive to talk, since normally prisoners were fully encased in the pods. His Queen had left Bean’s head exposed for reasons known only to her, while everything from Bean’s neck down was suspended in the neutralizing goo.
“What?” Thorax asked.
“How does my heart taste right now?” Bean repeated. “Bitter? Sour? Spicy? I imagine it's maybe like raw garlic, or perhaps an onion that’s been on the shelf for too long.”
“Are you referring to your emotions? Because if you are, then you don't taste like anything at the moment.”
“You can't taste my fear?” Bean whispered.
“We don't taste emotions, you know,” Thorax continued. “At least, not like how you ponies taste. It’s difficult to explain.”
“I suppose I lack the proper frame of reference, or something like that.” Bean’s eyes flicked up to met Thorax’s gaze. “I wouldn't be able to understand unless I was a changeling.”
Thorax shook his head. “No, you could probably understand, if I had a way to describe it. I always have a hard time when I try to describe anything.”
“Did you ever try using adjectives?”
Thorax tilted his head to one side. “What’s an adjective?”
There was a pause, but a slow smile crept across Bean's face. “It’s definitely not an adverb. I learned that pretty quickly when I first started out. An adjective is a word or a phrase that names an attribute. You use it to modify nouns.”
“I don’t think that would help with my problem.”
Bean nodded. “Probably not. Maybe a simile would be better.”
“Look, it doesn't matter. Queen Chrysalis will be back when she finishes stewing, and she’s gonna be super upset if she finds me talking to you.”
“I think she’s already past upset. Livid would fit a bit better. Inchoate, maybe.” Bean shook his head. “No, that’s not right. I need my dictionary.”
Thorax hesitated for a moment. “Why are you doing this to yourself? You know you can't do anything to stop my Queen from succeeding. Once she eliminates this marriage issue, she’s gonna have everything she needs.”
“Because I still care.” Bean slumped forward, and he let out a mirthless chuckle. “I’m doing all this because Celly is more precious to me than life itself, and I can't bear the thought of anything happening to her. You know what that’s like, right?”
“No.” Thorax glanced over his shoulder, and lowered his voice. “I mean, our Queen wants us to love her, but she’s always so sarcastic and cruel. I don’t like it when she’s mean. Couldn’t she say ‘please’ every now and then?”
Bean gave a slow nod to this. “So you do know what it’s like, just in a different way. Do you like how your Queen is treating me?”
Thorax took a step back. This conversation was becoming far more personal than he was comfortable with. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I’m just here to follow orders.”
“No, you clearly are not like the others,” Bean replied in a contemplative tone. “If you didn’t care, you’d just stand there and glare at me. You’re not just a mindless drone, and you don’t just follow orders. You don’t like what’s going on, do you?”
Thorax glanced behind him again. The by-laws that governed the changeling universe practically forced Chrysalis to show up at this exact moment to overhear his treachery, yet there was still no sign of her. “I, um … I don’t necessarily condone what’s happening, but I would never think of questioning the beautiful and glorious Queen Chrysalis. Her wisdom is above all, and her reign will be forever.”
Thorax turned completely around as soon as he finished speaking, but there still was no irate queen behind him.
“You’re scared, too,” Bean offered. “You want to please your Queen, and you don’t want to be punished for being a rebel and a nonconformist. But try as you might, you can’t fully suppress your feelings, and you don’t like how the Hive is run.”
“No, the Hive is managed quite well,” Thorax offered over his shoulder while he glanced up and down the hallway. “I get five hours of sick time per year, four hours of vacation, and a half percent match on my retirement fund contributions. Before we left to abduct you, my construction bloc was operating at eighty-three percent of capacity, a full three percent better than the rest of the hive! We got a nice coffee mug and a kudos in our files for that. If the rest of the Hive can match it, we might even get coffee to put in the mugs. Oh, and we have a pretty nice dental package, too.”
“But do you have a friend, Thorax?”
Thorax tried to scoff, but it came out more like a wheezing cough. “Changelings don’t need friends.”
“I would be your friend.”
Thorax closed the door, ‘accidentally’ locked it, and turned back to Bean. “You would? Really?”
“That’s what you want, isn’t it? Don’t try to deny it, I can see it in your eyes and in your body language. You maintain the outward appearance of a loyal changeling drone, but deep down, you don’t want to steal love, or hurt others. You want to have somepony to talk to, a pony - or even a fellow changeling - who will share jokes with you, or maybe go on a picnic, or even just somepony who would give you a hug when you’re feeling sad. We’re not so different, really.”
“Yes, we are. Ponies are nice, and kind, and loving; but changelings are evil. We steal, we maim, and we defeat anyone who stands in our way. Just look at what we did to Princess Cadence’s wedding.”
Bean gave Thorax a knowing look. “Yes, but you didn’t want to have anything to do with that, did you?”
Thorax dipped his head. “Ponies have so many amazing things to teach us, if we would just listen to them! Despite all of the different ideas and opinions that you all have, you can still care about what happens to each other. If anything, being different brings you closer together. If we changelings could learn to share friendship, I bet we wouldn’t have to steal love!
“But, nobuggy around here will listen to me,” Thorax went on in a contemplative tone. “We just want to steal and consume. I tried to leave the Hive after the attack on Canterlot, but everytime I would think about escaping, something would come up that kept me back. If I … if you took me back with you - to Canterlot, I mean - do you think I could make new friends there?”
Bean grunted in pain, and he went rigid for a moment before hissing out the breath he was holding. “I won't mince words. Making friends after everything that's happened here would be as hard as my thick head. Some ponies may never accept you, no matter what. However, if you could show everypony that you're not like the changelings they think they know - that you really want to change and to be a friend to others - then I’m sure you could make all sorts of new friends.”
“But what if you’re wrong?” Thorax glanced back at the door quickly. “What if nopony likes me?”
“We won’t know for sure if we don’t try. Even if nopony else wants to be friends with you, I will be your friend.”
A loud bang on the door made Thorax jump in alarm, and he quickly skittered over to unlock it while somebug shouted unintelligible threats into the room. Once open, Thorax found an extremely irate Trochanter on the other side, a paper in hoof and a scowl on her face.
“You didn’t sign off on your timesheet again, Thorax! This is the fifth time we’ve been over this!”
“I’m sorry! I got so busy trying to tend to the needs of our Queen that—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” Trochanter cut him off. “You had plenty of time to take care of this. It’s not that hard to just put an X on the line. You have to come with me so we can get the coaching session out of the way.”
“I can’t leave, Trochanter,” Thorax protested. “I was told to guard Prince Bean.”
“This can’t wait, Thorax. If I don’t get my documentation in by the end of the day, then Chrysalis will come after me and rip my horn off. Just lock the door. It’s not like the pony can get out of that cocoon anyway.”
“But,” Thorax weakly moaned, and he glanced back towards the Prince.
“But nothing. The longer you stand there and stammer, the longer this’ll take. The pony isn’t going anywhere, so quit worrying.”
Bean nodded and gave Thorax an encouraging smile. “You go ahead, Thorax. I'll just work on my book while you’re gone.”
“Let me double-check the pod really quick.” Thorax buzzed over to Bean, despite the growl of annoyance and the furious hoof tapping that came from the highly irritated Trochanter. He ran his hooves over the surface of the pod quickly, and then he nodded and buzzed back to the door. “Everything looks good. Let's go get this coaching session over with.”
The door to Bean’s prison cell slammed shut, and the rattle of a key in the lock echoed in the room for a brief moment. Silence then permeated the room …
...except for the quiet dripping of green ichor that came from the small incision in the thick skin of the pod.
A gap that grew wider as Bean applied his remaining earth pony strength against it.
Princess Celestia was worried.
This news was rather unremarkable, under normal circumstances. It was no secret that the fair Princess of the Day cared deeply for the happiness and well-being of her subjects.
But there was one who held a special place within her heart, and that pony currently had his face buried in a kerchief, having been seized once again by a sneezing fit.
Bean was broken. Her love, her light, her precious Bean had been dropped and shattered like a priceless vase, and Celestia’s deepest fear was that she would never be able to fit the pieces together in the proper order again.
She was grateful that many of the large pieces that made her beloved who he was were still intact. He still expressed a desire to be helpful and to do whatever work he could, he still showed a great interest in writing and cooking, and he would turn into even more of a limp noodle whenever she would nip in his mane and at the base of his ears than before.
But it was the tiny fragments - the little pieces of his personality that gave Bean his unique flavor - that seemed to be lost, and perhaps they had already been swept away and tossed into the dustbin of history.
The dread that her Bean would never fully be her Bean again had only grown as she had carefully observed his actions and movements. He had lost that charming touch to his pronunciation of words that marked him as a true Salt Licker, for one thing, and he no longer displayed his normal wit and humor. He had become cold and serious, unwilling to engage in conversation for more than was absolutely necessary and never with direct eye contact.
She still loved him, of course, and Celestia reminded herself of that fact every time she saw him, allowing her love to pour over him in the forlorn hopes that it would provide a respite for his suffering. He was still hers, and despite the allergic reaction that had again taken over his body, he would forever remain so. Even if he were nothing more than a vegetable, she would love and care for him.
But how could she fix him? What could she do to bring back what had been lost? It broke her heart to see him groan and sniffle while he blew his nose, and she wasn’t sure she could bear the ache that came with each cough and each used tissue. Celestia hated to see him suffering, and she desperately wanted to just whisk away every ill that had befallen him and snuggle him back to where he had been before this horrible waking nightmare had overtaken both of their lives.
Celestia both heard and felt a few hairs pop out of place in her mane while Bean grumbled and readjusted himself on the checkered tablecloth. Cadence was due to join them at any moment with their luncheon, and Celestia hoped that the meal might help to restore some of those lost pieces.
“Are you alright, my love?” Celestia quietly asked, before receiving another sneeze for a reply.
“Ugh. Yeah, I’m fine.” Bean wiggled his rump again for a moment. “I think I found a rock.”
Celestia’s magic quickly picked him and the tablecloth up, and she gave the grass beneath him an analysis that was more thorough than her review of most laws that came across her desk. “There shouldn’t be any rocks in this private garden area. I will have to have a conversation with the garden staff about letting such things go unnoticed.”
“It’s not a big deal, my love,” Bean replied.
Celestia swept the grass one more time, then tenderly lowered Bean back down to where he had been. “It is a big deal if it will aggravate your injuries, Bean. I don’t want you to suffer any more.”
Bean sneezed yet again, and a few more hairs frayed out of Celestia’s ethereal mane. Was she, in fact, doing more damage by offering so much assistance? Could she possibly be harming her Prince with her efforts to rehabilitate him? The very notion sent a cold chill cascading down her spine, and her hooves went numb. She should be the one pony in all of Equestria who could cure him, not harm him more!
“Celly? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, my love,” she lied, and she forced out a smile that probably looked like it had killed a grimace and was now trying to wear its skin. “I’m just a bit lost in thought, nothing more.”
“Oh. What are you thinking about?”
Celestia’s heart began to race. How could she begin to explain the fears that had possessed her? “Just a little of this and a little of that. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, I guess.” He shrugged, and his gaze moved from her to the ground. “I mean, I’m doing as well as can be expected, all things considered.”
This was her fault. Celestia felt the guilt of her actions pressing down like the whole of Canterlot had just been placed upon her back. If only she had just explained why she wanted him to go to the safehouse, or even if she’d kept him by her side during the entire ordeal. Tirek would have banished him with her, and the two of them could have comforted each other while waiting for Twilight’s victory. All of his pain, all of his injuries, all of the parts of his personality that had been lost…
All because she had not trusted her Bean.
Her sorrow compounded when she realized this had happened before. While the details were different, the core of what had happened to Luna just before her fall was almost exactly the same as now. Celestia had chosen the easy way out once again, and once more a beloved member of her family was forced to suffer because of her selfish ways. Luna had been lost to the Nightmare, and now Bean …
The most perfect pony to ever come into her life, and Celestia had callously pushed him aside. For all of her talk and claims of equality between them, she still had ordered him about like the commoner he had been before he had met her. Celestia had gotten what she wanted, but the price was turning out to be beyond what she could ever hope to pay.
Celestia's gaze drifted to his injured leg, and a piercing arrow of regret struck her heart and froze it solid. If her efforts to help were, in fact, hurting him, then there was the distinct possibility that she would have to leave in order for him to heal.
The very thought elicited a gasping breath that she barely managed to hide. For over a thousand years, she had stood alone and apart, beholden to none and accountable to none. There were times back then when she liked to think of herself as a lone oak tree; one that stood strong and proud by itself and could weather any storm that could come.
Then this exceptional stallion had stumbled into her life and charmed his way into her heart. She had never realized how destitute and forsaken she had felt as that lone tree, but a new and wondrous forest of feelings had grown around her and within her while she became acquainted with his genuine intimacy and devotion.
To leave him now would be a pain that she did not believe she could endure. She would rather tear her own heart out and present it to her most treacherous enemies as a trophy.
But if he could be made whole, either in her absence or because of it, then she would do what had to be done. Celestia would willingly give her life, even, if she knew of a surety that such an act would restore her Bean.
But then there was a faint flutter in Celestia’s stomach, and her eyes widened in horror.
Epiphany.
Bean still did not know about his daughter, and she felt a wave of nausea smash into her like a runaway freight train. How could she possibly tell him about her pregnancy now? How would he react? Would she have to withhold this most precious gift from him? The torrent of concerns, questions, and doubts threatened to drown her, and a cold numbness quickly flowed over her entire body. The very thought of her own flesh and blood being introduced to this shell that resembled the loving father Celestia had fallen head over hooves for was a thought too far.
Both Bean and Epiphany deserved so much better.
Celestia clearly felt her last nerve snap with this thought, and her mind desperately began to claw and scratch for a solution that seemed to be impossible. There had to be a way to restore her Bean and to bring back what he had lost. She needed to have her Bean back. But how? She clenched her jaw tightly and began to grind her teeth, while her mind began to crank out ideas and possibilities.
Bean sneezed again, and Celestia stared at him, hoping that an obvious answer would somehow appear in his yellow coat. Therapy offered only a faint glimmer of hope, and could take years, if it actually worked. Having him visit his family might be an option, but he remembered his parents and cousins, so she wasn’t sure what could be accomplished with that. Maybe she could have Twilight and the other Element Bearers … no. He was not evil, so there was nothing to purge.
Celestia shook her head. There was no quick fix for this; no magic that could undo the damage. The best thing for Bean right now was love, unconditional and undying.
It's so terrible, though. The more I love him, the more he sneezes, which makes me love him more, and he sneezes more, like he's allergic to my—
Ponies could sense emotions on a deeper level, but there was one creature who fed on love by disguising themselves and pretending to love in return. One evil, diabolical, loathsome creature who could not understand just why their disgusting feeding was such a threat to Celestia's loving and trusting ponies. And that creature was—
Celestia’s eye twitched. She couldn't believe it. She refused to believe it. Fate wouldn't dare to be so cruel to her. There had to be another explanation. But how could she know for certain?
"Hey," said Bean with a short blow into his kerchief. "I'm feeling better now. It must be the fresh air of the garden."
Celestia nodded. There was one way she could tell for sure if this really was her Bean. “Tu es très moche, non?” she whispered with a nip of his ear.
“What?”
Celestia saw a spark of panic in his eyes, and that spark lit something within her. “Je sais que tu peux comprendre. Je parle clairement.”
“Oui?”
Celestia giggled, and she began to nibble at the base of his neck. “Oui. Vous ne parlez pas un mot de prançais, n'est-ce pas?”
Celestia then moved up his neck, and she gently kissed a specific spot. It had never failed to elicit a reaction before, and she knew that it would again make him smile and shudder with delight.
She kissed. She nibbled. She begged deep inside that the terrible truth that she suspected was false.
“Um, love?” Bean pulled away and rubbed his neck. “That kinda hurts. Could you not n'est-ce pas so hard?”
Celestia let loose a wild and frantic blast of magic, and the spell struck Bean square in the chest. If this was her Bean, the spell would hurt him badly, but otherwise…
There was a flash of green, and Bean’s yellow coat instantly melted away to reveal a black carapace and a thin pair of translucent wings.
And with that, Celestia no longer felt the cold chill of despair or the numbness of defeat. A furious rage roared to life within her chest, and the ensuing bonfire burned away every other emotion she had been feeling.
“Changeling,” growled Celestia. She stood and rose up to her full height as a wave of heat swept over the garden path, turning the green grass underhoof into blackened dry husks. “Where. Is. MY. BEAN!"
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Looool!!!!
Epic rescue time!
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Cue the Epic rescue music!
Dang!!!!!! Celestia is burning mad now that her bean is a bug! Love it!
Fire!
There's that old noggin working.
Fate? Oh no. Not fate. A certain soon to be X-Changeling Queen? Well, that's another matter entirely.
(Oh my freekin' god, it's about time she figured it out, heh)
And cue all the dramatic fight music...!
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Where did I put that delightfully prophetic video that Georg shared with me during the editing process? Ah yes, here it is.
BRING IN THE SOLAR CANNON!!!!!
And Daybreaker cometh....
Megalovania anyone?
YES! By all that is good, beautiful and pony plots you figured it out Celestia you magnificent mare!
The seeds of friendship have been planted within Thorax and (hopefully) soon he shall ascend to his swag stag form.
OOOOH here we go! Here comes that hellish avalanche comin around that bend!
And now I wish I could get some popcorn for the next chapter.
Celestia ( daybreaker ) VS the Changeling Hive
And. Here. We. Go.
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Actually I think the ending to Independence Day would be more fitting
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Indeed!
i.gyazo.com/4f07079d4ff6fa290d4709504cf3734d.jpg
I hear chocolate cover big is pretty good but that need to be fresh no pr-cooked.
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Yup. And it couldn't come fast enough for Bob.
I was honestly expecting Thorax to have a sudden change of heart in this chapter and let Bean out. While that exactly didn't happen, I am elated that Bean can now escape thanks to the laceration on the door to his cell.
Furthermore, it was very thrilling for me to read how Celestia finally realized that her beloved Bean had been replaced by a Changeling and that same Changeling is about to be scorched like a piece of Hickory-smoke bacon. Plus I'm laughing like a maniac on the inside in knowing that Chrysalis' plan has now ended in failure.
To all Changelings in the hive!
This is not drill!
We detected powerful object heading in our direction!
Please don't panic and brace for impact!
(OK, we did our part, lets get the f*ck out of here before this place turn into molten rock!
Wait... I think the MIC was still on...sh*t.. )
PLOT TWIST! Bean was a changeling this entire time, and Bob was only pretending to be Bean at the hive!
it's about time dang it i would love to read the next chapter allready!!! welp back to waiting
I dedicate this song to Bob.
If Chrysalis isn't turned into background radiation by the time this is over, I'll be surprised.
… RUN!
78.media.tumblr.com/63502c50c4281e13db824b63b99b9ca8/tumblr_ovep22keIc1toamj8o1_400.gif
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I still believe he will have some involvement with the escape plan. I certainly don't think he'll end up part of the glass that will be the changeling hive in a few minutes.
Also, this.
Hi Daybrake, I knew you also loved Baked Bean. Discord owns me 10 bits now.
This is glorious! I hope Bean can quickly get out of the hive and back to Celestia before she turns into Daybreaker. Along with a shadowy remains of a changeling known as Bob from the garden.
I can't wait to see what happens next and I hope that things will go smoother. (I really want to see Bean's reaction when Celestia reveals that she has his little bean in her oven. The squess and dawws from the audience will be amazing!)
For an intimate moment, that really sounds impersonal to address Fake Bean as if he was some sort of customer, or not even to be gross with the imposter, then again she did come to the realization that he isn't Bean, so it was more about letting him hang himself with his own incriminating evidence.
Ill got get the sabaton (Or maybe Slipknot) and the flamethrower. This is gonna be FUN!
Oh Chryssy, you done goofed. Gonna need some SPF 5000000 for this one. I'm just sitting here like
I for one, welcome the new Solar Empress
(if this doesn't end in at least a certain bug queen being deposed, I will be highly disappointed. I think the only thing stopping Celestia from incinerating the entire hive would be Bean's plea.
....which I could see him do; save the hive, but not the leader.
Hopefully Chrysalis gets what is coming though, since she basically is trying to destroy his love
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I'll be a tad disappointed if she isn't!
Thou hath unleashed hell upon thee.
Well it looks like Bob is going to be using his sick leave !
I hope Chrysalis wanted to be cremated, because there's not gonna be much left to bury.
On a related note: It's about bucking time.
Bye Bob
There is a certain irony in a changeling defeated by a love bite and the language of love.
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Bob's dead, meng. He just dun know it yet. XD
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J'accuse!
The one thing is going on in Bob´s mind when she heard him say, were is his bean........was this.
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yes my lord! I shall prepare the shell for firing!
Whelp... he’s dead.
First: Amazing as always
Second: Finally
Third: Im stealing everybuggy that word makes my life.
Oh Bob, my dearest little buggins, you're not going to enjoy what happens next. You should have run while you had the chance. Celly's goig to go full Solar Flare on your carapace.
somewhere in his chaos dimension Discord feels the hair go straight up on the back of his neck. Changing into his Obi One Kenobi costume he looks up and says, "I sense a disturbance in the force. It's a feeling I haven't felt for a very long time and whoever it is Kiki is going to burn their ass."
RIP Bob may the maker have mercy upon his soul.