Chapter 19: Eye Contact
The next day.
Beebee let out a discontent huff and bored groan from his place on his father’s bed. His eyes were glued onto the far wall, idly tracing what few patterns were to be seen on the surface. The only sounds to reach his ears were the occasional, muffled laughs of someone playing across the street near CHS, and the electrical humming of Eventide’s computer against the wall. Beebee’s ears twitched at every little sound, hoping for something to come along and chase away his boredom. Sadly, there was nothing, and right now, he was all alone.
He thought back on how he had wound up in this situation. He had been playing with his favorite ant in the air when Eventide had pulled him down and told him he was going to be alone for a little bit. Beebee had asked why, of course, and Eventide had explained to him that he had to take Buddha to the vet for a regular check-up. When Beebee asked about Fluttershy, and whether or not she’d be coming by, he was disappointed to learn that she couldn’t come over to babysit right now. School was in session over at CHS, and her lunch period was being eaten up by a project with some of her friends.
He’d been promised that he would be on his own for only thirty minutes, but for a small, active brain like his, it might as well have been thirty hours or thirty years. He let out another long, quiet groan, his eyes flicking over to his ant plushie next to him on the bed. He idly swatted at it a few times, then gave up and puffed out another breath. “...I’m bored,” he declared flatly.
The laughter outside carried on for a while, and Beebee just continued to drown it out. He’d heard the sound plenty of times before, and had always been told it was just kids playing across the street. Freshmen or something at the school, Eventide had said. Not that Beebee really knew what the term ‘Freshmen’ meant in this context. Did they smell like fresh flowers, but the flowers were men? That comparison put the odd image of a lot of Eventide’s rising up out of the soil like flowers. It was… a weird mental image, to be sure.
A loud thunk against the window snapped Beebee from his thoughts, and he sprang into the air with an alarmed yelp, his wings buzzing into life to keep him suspended. Looking over at the window, he saw a big blue ball rolling away from the house. Curious, Beebee drifted closer to the window to get a better look. He pressed his face up against the glass and examined the ball a bit more closely. It was looking a little saggy, like Beebee’s first ant plushie had looked after he had played with it a lot. Beebee squinted to see if he could pick out any other details. “Huh…?”
Suddenly, something ran in front of his field of vision, a blur of yellow and red and green. Beebee cried out in surprise, his wings falling out of sync. He fell back down onto the bed and landed with an ‘oof.’ Grimacing, he straightened his posture and shook his head before looking up again. He went rigid.
Someone was right outside the window.
She was younger then Eventide, and even younger than Fluttershy. She had yellow skin that was a few shades darker than Fluttershy’s, and long bouncy hair that was the color of healthy red apples. Her peach-colored eyes looked back at Beebee, wide-open with shock, and her jaw hung open. One hand was held over her chest, which was covered in a bright green t-shirt.
The two looked at each other for several long seconds.
Then they both screamed.
Beebee didn’t wait to see what the person did. He immediately turned and dove off of the bed, almost hyperventilating with panic. His hooves hit the floor harder than he had been expecting, as, in his panic, he had forgotten to use his wings to ease his fall. He stumbled and fell forward onto his face with a grunt, and colors exploded across his vision. Still, he got back up and broke into a gallop out of the room and down into the basement. He shot down the stairs and shot under his bed, quivering uncontrollably and struggling to calm his frantic gasping.
After a minute or two, he finally began to get his breathing under control. He lifted his ears up and listened carefully, hoping that he wouldn’t hear anything. He heard a few knocks on the door and went stiff. Another minute passed, and the knocking came again. This repeated once or twice before all fell utterly silent, leaving Beebee to wrap his mind around what had happened.
He swallowed heavily to force down the lump in his throat, and a strangled whimper wormed its way out as the reality of the situation dawned on him. “Someone saw me…” he whispered in horror, a whole new feeling building up inside of him: dread.
He wasn’t supposed to let anybody other than Buddha, Eventide, or Aunt Fluttershy see him. He was supposed to hide whenever someone came to the house. Eventide had told him that strangers were dangerous, and if any of them found out about him, he might be taken away and never see his father again. Beebee whimpered again, curling into a ball. “Daddy… please don’t be mad… I didn’t mean to… I don’t wanna be taken away…” he mumbled to himself before going silent and awaiting Eventide’s return.
The wait felt even longer then it had before.
Eventide had only half listened as the vet listed off a few minor concerns with Buddha’s health, telling him that she was not getting quite enough food and that she was starting to lose more weight than was healthy. He passively absorbed that information while his thoughts remained firmly planted on his son. Beebee had never been left completely on his own before, but Eventide couldn’t have rescheduled this appointment with Buddha. He’d put it off more than a few times already, and the vets had been getting understandably concerned with him.
Either way, he was given the instruction to feed Buddha more per meal before being sent home. Now they were walking back towards the house, Buddha tethered to Eventide’s hand by a lengthy, thick red leash. She sniffed at every little thing she came across on the way, happy to be outdoors again. Eventide glanced at her and managed to smile at her enthusiasm. Thinking about it, he had been neglecting to take her for as many walks as he used to ever since Beebee showed up. Maybe it was time to change that.
He looked ahead as they came onto their block, and his brow furrowed with confusion. He saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all watching him from in front of CHS. Apple Bloom had an expression that could only be described as apprehensive, while Scootaloo looked suspicious. Sweetie, however, was looking at those two with a skeptical frown on her face, as if she were impatient with them, or they were being silly.
Eventide gave them a stiff wave as he passed, putting on a friendly smile. The waves were returned but were only half-hearted. Feeling a little creeped out by the kids just staring at him like he were the culprit of some heinous crime, he returned his attention to his home. A few moments later, he was stepping into the living room with Buddha looking eager to dive for her food bowl.
Eventide unhooked her from the leash, and sure enough, she made a break for her dishes, quickly devouring what food was left in her bowl. Once it was gone, which only took a few seconds, she looked up at Eventide with pleading eyes. Eventide sighed and shrugged. “Sorry, girl, you gotta wait.”
Buddha got the point and gave a disappointed whine before shuffling over to the chair and hopping up for some rest. Eventide smiled softly at her with sympathy, then looked around the front room of the house. He raised an eyebrow in confusion when Beebee didn’t immediately come rocketing from wherever he was napping to tackle hug him. That was odd... “Huh… Beebee?” he called out, but no answer came. Frowning, he stepped deeper into the home towards his bedroom. “Beebee, where are you? I’m home!”
Again, there was no answer. Eventide felt his heart rate increase with concern, even as he tried to force himself to not jump to conclusions. Peering into his room, he found that Beebee was absent, albeit the blankets were a little messed up in the center, indicating that Beebee had been napping there earlier. They looked a bit more disturbed near the window, and Eventide frowned.
“Maybe he’s downstairs…” He mused before stepping back into the hall and heading for the basement. He found the door standing ajar, and a sense of unease crept up his spine. Something was wrong. “Beebee?” he called again, his voice now lines with an edge of concern. He began his descent, noting that the light wasn’t on. “Hello?”
He paused halfway down the steps when a sound reached his ears, making his blood run cold. It was Beebee; crying. It sounded like he was trying to keep it down, too, as opposed to his usual loud wails whenever he woke up from a nightmare. Eventide resumed his descent, moving slowly and carefully, not wanting to startle his son. Soon, he was in the bedroom proper. Flicking on the lights revealed that, while Beebee was not on the bed, his cries were much clearer now. Following the sound, Eventide came to a stop by Beebee’s bed.
Taking a deep breath and bracing himself, Eventide slowly and carefully got down onto his hands and knees. He looked under the bed. Sure enough, there was Beebee. Or, rather, there were Beebee’s eyes, the blue orbs looking back at him as the only part of him that was clearly visible in the dark space. “Daddy…?” Beebee asked weakly before sniffling.
“Beebee,” Eventide greeted in a soft, soothing tone while gingerly reaching out with a hand. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Beebee inched forwards, and his face steadily grew more visible from the room’s light. Eventide’s heart plummeted when he saw the expression on his son’s face. He wasn’t just crying; he was terrified of something. He had been crying in fear, not sadness. Beebee hiccuped before finally reaching Eventide’s hand and allowing himself to be guided out from under the bed. Eventide cradled him against his chest, turned, and sat on the edge of the bed. He held Beebee close, giving him reassuring pats on the back of the head.
“What happened, Bee? What’s wrong?” Eventide asked again in a soft voice, starting to rock them back and forth.
Beebee sniffled again before looking up at Eventide reluctantly. He tried to speak a few times, but every time his voice failed him. Clearing his throat, he tried again, this time with results. “I… I’m sorry… please don’t be mad at me…” he pleaded in a whimper, reaching up with his hooves and curling them into the collar of Eventide’s shirt. “I didn’t mean to, I swear!”
Eventide was taken aback by the desperation in Beebee’s voice. He paused for a second, then squeezed him closer. “Shh, you’re okay, Bee. Now, what do you mean?” he asked softly, giving Beebee another reassuring squeeze with his hands. “It’s okay, you can tell me. I won’t get mad, I promise.”
Beebee hesitated, then buried his face in Eventide’s chest. He trembled for a moment before revealing what had caused him such distress. “Someone saw me…” he choked out.
Eventide’s muscles tensed, his eyes widening. As much as he would have loved to, he could not stop the sudden onrush of fear and dread that flooded his veins. Beebee must have felt the response because a pitiful wail slipped out of him.
“I’m sorry, Daddy, I-I’m so s-sorry.”
Eventide mouthed like a fish for a few moments before snapping out of it and pulling Beebee closer, trying to comfort him. “Hey, hey… shh… it’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. I got you,” he whispered, spending almost a minute just soothing Beebee until his cries simmered down. Once he was sure Beebee was calm again, Eventide leaned back. “You’re okay. Now... Who saw you?”
Beebee hiccuped again. “Um… it w-was a girl with yellow skin and red hair… she was smaller than Fluttershy, and she was wearing a green shirt,” he managed to say before looking up at Eventide’s face. “Daddy, am I going to be taken away?”
“No, Beebee,” Eventide assured him, his face relaxing somewhat with recognition. He let out a long, heavy sigh of relief. “It’s okay. You’re fine. That was Apple Bloom. She’s just a kid, and nobody believes the kid. Even if she tells anyone, they’ll just think she’s making up stories or something. You’ll be fine, Beebee. Nobody’s coming to take you away.”
Beebee must have felt his dad’s relief because his own expression lit up significantly. There was still an aura of fear and uncertainty about him, though. He swallowed a lump in his throat and asked. “P-promise?”
Eventide smiled and nodded. “I promise.”
Beebee went to bed early that night, as his time panicking under his bed had worn him out, mentally. Eventide tucked him in, read him a bedtime story, then went back upstairs. Now, he sat at his computer desk with a small plate with an even smaller dinner on the table next to him. It was a basic meal, consisting of some boiled broccoli and a couple pieces of chicken meat. Nibbling on his food, he let his mind wander.
Beebee had been spotted by Apple Bloom. The fact that he had been seen at all was a serious problem, and it had happened so suddenly. As he thought on it, it was a miracle that Beebee had gone undetected for this long. There was a full blown high school across the street, after all. It was inevitable that someone would spot Beebee sooner or later. He figured they were lucky that it was Apple Bloom who made the discovery. As young as she was, nobody would believe her, except for maybe her friends.
That would definitely explain why they were staring at him from across the street…
Eventide let out a humorless laugh as he pictured her telling her friends that she had seen some weird creepy bug monster in the house across the street from the school. He could already see Scootaloo jumping on board the idea of trying to prove there was a monster, and Sweetie Belle having to keep them both in check.
His expression darkened when he considered the former two of the three friends. They were a very persistent and stubborn bunch; especially Apple Bloom. Even if the others gave up on finding Beebee again after a while, she’d still be keeping an eye on him for who knows how long, trying to catch another glimpse of Beebee…
Eventide let out a frustrated groan and dropped his fork so he could bury his face in his hands. He took a few deep breaths as he assessed the situation. They were starting to get dangerously low on money, which was causing Buddha to become low on food, and now that someone had seen him once, Beebee was at greater risk of discovery. Eventide sighed and ran his hands over his face before looking through the window at the night sky outside.
After a few minutes of struggling with himself mentally, his expression hardened with a strange combination of resignation and resolve. “No more excuses,” he said to himself in a whisper. “We can’t stay here…”
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The plot is start to go crazy oh boi we going be in for a ride!
First off: Crusaders + Beebee = Shenanigans, potentially of the not good kind.
Second: They can't stay? Okay... but where would they go?
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Maybe they go through the portal by mistake, I wouldn't mind seeing what Eventide would look like as a Pony with a Changeling for a child and a pet dog too.
To express what I believe might be going through Eventide's mind, I quote Markiplier's song, 'Fly like a Butterfly';
"Where am I gonna go?! I'M FUBBER-KNUCKED ANYWAYS!"
Like seriously, where is he going to go? What's going to happen?
How? He has no money, and BeeBee will be impossible to hide (unless you stuff him in a cardboard box)
Where? He has no place for backup
Why? He would be leaving Fluttershy and all the work he did on the basement behind
Not trying to throw the story off, I'm just bringing up some plot points.
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And all of these will be addressed moving forwards.
This is the 21st century, where Apple Bloom will definitely find some way to take a picture of Beebee and upload it online, 'specially in social media.
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Beebee needs to learn about his ability to transform/disguise.
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With communication, Fluttershy can tell Applejack what's up and Applejack can keep Apple Bloom in check.
It's high time he started networking. But running away won't do much more than delay the inevitable.
It is also somewhat surprising that Fluttershy's inquiries haven't yet (seemingly) triggered Sunset into requesting information via the diary. We guess school is just that busy.
Hmmm, how long until the Sirens arrive?
Keep going! ;)
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!
Gasp! Nooooo just tell Sunseeeet!! Why you so deeerp!! D:
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I think you mean, a pet dragon!
You're running out of money, Eventide; where would you go and how would you afford to move?
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Questions which will be addressed over the next several chapters. It is safe to say that chapter 19 is the incendiary incident to an entire plot arc, if you will.
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This could turn out to be a good thing, pushing Beebee towards finally learning how to transform and, ultimately, hide in plain sight. Necessity is the mother of invention after all.
It can also lead to the rest of the girls, or Applejack anyway, finding out what secret Fluttershy's been hiding the existence of so well. Countering that, there's always pulling out the big guns and making them Pinkie Promise not to blab about Beebee to other people. Er, that is if Eventide even knows about the dreaded Pinkie Promise.
It'll be fascinating to watch this new twist of drama play out.
so just wear are him and Fluttershy going to move too.??
Stay near the school where weird crap happens and no one bats an eye. If you run, you only draw attention to yourself.
Like Eventide said, it's a bit surprising he's kept Beebee completely secret as long as he has. It's time to bring in a few more confidants to keep the secret safe...and Beebee could use some friends, anyway.
Welp...
Unless it catches the curiosity of certain people. Like bacon horse.
Ohhhh. Moving time!
Uh oh.
Except for her sister, who has personally witnessed the school bully transform into a demon and is aware that said former bully is a magical pony from another dimension.
Something tells me this moving plan is going to go South before it goes anywhere else.
somehow, I think that with fluttershy vouching for em'. it might interesting.
A child mostly doesn't understand the rules or the meaning behind them. What they mainly focus on is their parent so Beebee's primal fear would be his dad being angry at him. Beebee would try to hide what happened.
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Except that it has been explicitly stated multiple times that the dangers of being spotted have been explained to Beebee.