Chapter 43: Three's The Charm
Over a month later…
Beebee’s eyes slowly cracked open, revealing the unlit interior of his bedroom. The glowing blue orbs looked around, his mind shrouded in a groggy haze. His gaze soon settled on the alarm clock he had on his end table, reading the time as ten in the morning. With a drowsy grumble, he hauled himself into a sitting position, stretching out his wings as he went.
Up next were his legs and his back, all of which gave a few satisfying pops when he got around to stretching them. He couldn’t help but release a relieved sigh as some of the tension bled out of his stiff muscles. He shook himself and glanced at the clock again, a bewildered frown appearing on his face. “...Wait a minute…” he whispered to himself, taking a moment to think.
10:00 AM. That wasn’t right. He was normally supposed to be up well before sunrise for his walks with Eventide and Buddha at the park. It was a routine he had gotten rather accustomed to at this point, and they had not missed a day yet. So to be waking up so much later than that was baffling and perhaps a little concerning.
He couldn't deny that the extra rest felt great though.
Still, it was unusual, and his muzzle scrunched up. With a simple tug of his magic, he pulled open his bedroom door, revealing that the basement beyond was just as dark as his room. His confusion only continuing to grow, Beebee rose to a proper standing position and squinted through the darkness. Had Eventide just forgotten, Beebee thought?
“Well, I guess I’ll just ask him,” he finally decided before jumping down from his bed and cantering out of his room and for the upstairs living room. He pushed the door open with a quick burst of magic and emerged into the light. His eyes scanned his surroundings, squinting just a little as he adjusted to the change in illumination.
There wasn’t any sign of Eventide. There was, however, a certain pink-haired teenager sitting with her back to him on the couch. An enormous grin appeared on Beebee’s face when he realized that it was Fluttershy. She must have heard the door opening, as she turned around to look at him over her shoulder with a smile of her own. “Good morning, Beebee!” she called out to him.
“Aunt Fluttershy!” Beebee all but squealed, his wings lifting him into the air while his hooves flew up to his cheeks. With an excited laugh, he shot around the couch and directly into Fluttershy’s waiting arms. She let out an ‘oof’ as he plowed into her belly, but all the same, she wrapped her arms tightly around him in a loving hug. “It’s been so long!” Beebee declared, burying his face into her chest.
Taking a moment to regain her breath, Fluttershy gave a weak nod. Her pained expression faded away, and a certain glint came into her eyes. “Yes, it has, and I’m so sorry I haven’t been by in so long. But I would never let myself miss your third birthday, so here I am.”
Beebee’s brain stalled, and he sat back to give her a blank look. “My third birthday?” he asked dumbly, his brain doing a quick reboot.
Fluttershy tittered into her hand. “What, didn’t Eventide tell you this time?”
And then he remembered. It was his birthday today. Eventide had subtly been teasing him about how great his presents were going to be this year for the last few weeks.
“I guess that’s why he didn’t come down and wake me up,” Beebee thought to himself. He was letting Beebee rest up for his big day.
Beebee’s grin returned with gusto at the prospect, and, using Fluttershy as a springboard, he launched into the air to do a few celebratory backflips. “I’m three years old! I’m three years old! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?! I’M THREE YEARS OLD!”
His joyous shouting and acrobatics were cut short when he heard a pained groan from the only other person in the room. Beebee came to a stop mid-spin to look at Fluttershy while upside down. She was doubled over with her hands clutched to her poor, abused tummy, and she was breathing heavily.
Feeling an onrush of guilt, Beebee’s smile gave way to a little ‘o’ and he flipped right-side-up. “Oh, shoot. I’m sorry, Fluttershy. Are you okay?” he asked while drifting down a little closer to her.
“Fine…” Fluttershy gasped breathlessly. She lifted her head and winced before giving Beebee a more timid smile. “You’re getting bigger, Beebee.”
Despite his Aunt’s discomfort, Beebee couldn’t help but swell up a little with pride at the praise. “Thanks! Dad and I go for long walks every morning so I can get stronger,” he declared before doing one more backflip and touching down on the floor.
Fluttershy, finally getting her breath back, leaned forward and clasped her hands together over her chest. “Oh, I know! He told me all about it over the phone. You’ve been making good progress, too, from what I’ve heard.”
Beebee nodded. “Uh-huh. I can go for about, uh, forty-five minutes, now!” he responded, trotting up and lightly pawing at Fluttershy’s ankle. “You should come with us, sometime!”
Fluttershy’s expression became noticeably more apologetic, and she leaned down to pick Beebee up and set him in her lap. “Oh, I wish I could. But it’s so hard to come all the way out here, and I have school when you guys are out on the trail.”
“Aaaw…” Beebee signed dejectedly before nodding his head. “Okay, I understand…”
Fluttershy reached down to pat him on the head, but luckily, his despondency was short-lived. He perked right back up and quickly grasped her hand with his hooves. He held her hand in front of his face to hide his muzzle, so just his big glowing eyes were visible to her. “But if you ever get a chance, you should totally come with us. It’s a really pretty trail, especially now that it’s becoming fall. There are these really pretty rivers, too, and flowers, and birds, and one time, I met a rabbit!”
Fluttershy’s look of pride and affection grew wider and wider with every word Beebee spoke, and the air around her lit up with a kaleidoscope of wonderful emotions. “It sounds wonderful. I’ll try to come with you someday, I promise,” she swore before holding Beebee back a little further to get a better look at him. She then smiled and nodded with approval. “And it looks like the walks are doing you some good. You’re not so skinny anymore.”
Beebee tilted his head and looked at one of his forelegs. He then curled it like one of those weird bulky people in the action cartoons did, while making what he thought was a manly ‘Hwuuh’ noise.
Fluttershy released Beebee in her lap so that her hands could fly up to cover her mouth. A flurry of delighted giggles slipped past her lips and fingers. “Oh my gosh, you’re just so cute sometimes!” she managed to say between her laughs.
Beebee grinned at her again before looking around. His smile fell away to a more perplexed and thoughtful look as he remembered that Eventide was conspicuously absent. “So… where’s Dad?” he asked, spinning in a slow circle and perking up his ears to listen.
Fluttershy, at last getting her chortles under control, leaned forward a little. “He’s off getting you one more present. He should be back soon,” she explained before spreading her arms out wide. “And that means you haven’t had anything to eat yet today. Want some breakfast?”
Beebee didn’t say anything and just tackled her in the chest.
Well, there wasn’t really a much more clear answer than that.
Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Beebee again, closed her eyes, and began to radiate with a gentle pink glow. Beebee relaxed as it washed over him, and a quiet chattering noise came from the depths of his throat. He then looked up, opened his mouth, and began to drink in all of the pink love.
After almost a solid minute, Beebee had had his fill. He clamped his mouth shut and snuggled into Fluttershy’s embrace, happy that she was there again. He didn’t get to see her nearly often enough, so he was going to make this time count. As if she shared the opinion, Fluttershy squeezed him closer and leaned back on the couch.
The two remained like that for a good long while after that, just enjoying the other’s warmth and embrace. Fluttershy, without even realizing it, absently reached up one of her hands to pet Beebee on the back of the head, right next to his fin. Beebee tried to whine in protest to the blatant act of cheating, but all that came out was a pleased little hum.
Eventually, though, Fluttershy nudged Beebee back a little with her other hand, prompting him to look up at her questioningly. “Fluttershy?”
She smiled down at him. “Eventide told me that you can turn into a human boy now,” she said with a knowing wink, giving him a few more light scratches behind his ears. “May I see it?”
Beebee’s eyes unfocused for a moment from the scratches, but then Fluttershy pulled her hands away from him. He sat there for a moment in a kind of trance, then shook himself and gave a quick nod. “Oh, sure!”
Bursting with excitement to show off his newest transformation, he spun around and hopped down to the floor. Although he made sure to be careful and not use Fluttershy as his own personal launch pad this time. He walked about ten feet away from her, turned around to look at her, and gave a cocky little smirk. “You watching?”
“Yes, I am! Go for it!” Fluttershy cheered him on, holding her hands together just under her chin while her eyes shimmered with excitement and anticipation.
Well, all of her was shimmering with excitement and anticipation, but that's beside the point.
Without further ado, Beebee closed his eyes and lit his horn. Then, in a rush and swirl of green fire, the Basement Bug was replaced with a human boy that looked to be around nine or ten years old. This time, he chose to look as if he were wearing blue jeans and a moss-green t-shirt. He gave his head a little shake to let his dark hair stick out a bit and then opened his blue eyes to meet Fluttershy’s.
Her hands had gone from her chin to her mouth, and her smile had grown even wider. “Oh, my…” she breathed out in a quiet voice, and the pink glow around her began to increase in brightness several times over.
Beebee did a little spin in place to show off his appearance, though he wobbled a little at the end. Once he was sure he had his feet solidly under him, he spread his arms wide and grinned at Fluttershy. “Tada! Do you like it?” he asked while gesturing at himself and looking down.
Fluttershy nodded and lowered her hands to her lap. She looked just so happy and thrilled right then, and it was all thanks to Beebee. His heart beat just a little faster with pride at making her smile like that. “Yes, I love it very much. You look great, Beebee!”
Beebee might have backflipped, but he didn’t have wings right now. So, instead, he pumped his fist in the air with a little laugh. He then stood more upright and made his way over to the couch, maintaining his form for the time being. “I’m gonna stay like this as long as I can, okay? Since Dad and I aren’t walking, maybe holding this can work instead.”
“That’s perfectly fine,” Fluttershy agreed before scooting over to give Beebee some more room on the couch. He sat down next to her, he rested his head on her arm without even missing a beat. In response, she wrapped that arm over his shoulders and pulled him closer. The two gave off quiet, content hums from the contact before Beebee looked hopefully up at Fluttershy.
“Can we watch some TV till Dad gets home?”
Fluttershy giggled, her hand going for the remote on the arm of the couch. “Sure.”
A short while later, the tell-tale sound of keys jingling by the lock could be heard. Beebee tore his attention away from the television and watches as the door swung open. Sure enough, there was Eventide, stepping in with a neatly gift-wrapped box in his hands. “Hey, is the birthday boy up yet?” he called while closing the door behind him with his hip, having not quite gotten a proper look at the couch.
“Dad!” Beebee said in a raised voice before springing to his feet from the chair and practically sprinting across the room. Sadly, he was still not as accustomed to two legs as he probably should have been, and as such, he lost his footing a few steps away and began to topple forwards with an alarmed yelp.
Eventide, having heard his son’s exclamation, was quick. He stepped forward and reached out with one hand, catching Beebee and helping him back up to his feet. “Woah, there! Careful,” he said, albeit with a slight chuckle of amusement from Beebee’s enthusiasm. “You okay?”
Steadying himself on his feet again, Beebee blushed just a little bit. That… was not as graceful as it could have been. “Sorry. I’m alright,” he dismissed before his eyes zeroed in on the present. It was almost as big as he was in his normal form. “Present!”
Eventide gave the box a curious glance, then looked at Beebee with an undeniably teasing expression on his face. “That is what that is, yes.”
Beebee opened his mouth and inhaled to speak.
“No, you can’t have it until cake tonight.”
Beebee let out a disappointed groan, his posture sagging. After a moment, though, he shook his head, perked up, and reached out to give Eventide another big hug, one which was happily returned.
“You decided to be a boy today?” Eventide asked after a few moments while backing out of the embrace.
“As long as I can,” Beebee replied with a nod and a hopeful smile. He raised one of his hands and wiggled his fingers in front of his face. “The longer, the better, right?”
“Well, just make sure you turn it off before you go into an episode,” Eventide warned in a firm tone before his eyes drifted away from his son to Fluttershy, who was now rising from her place on the couch. “He behave himself?”
“He’s been very good, yes,” Fluttershy replied simply while coming up to join the two of them. “Buddha’s been napping up in your room all day, by the way.”
“Alright,” Eventide nodded before lightly nudging Beebee back out of the hug. “‘Kay, gimme some room, Bee. I gotta go put your present away,” he pointed out while wiggling his way out of the hug.
Beebee hesitantly did as he was told, not quite wanting to let go just yet. Of course, he also didn’t want to let the present out of his sights just yet. Fluttershy, probably sensing this, (or just knowing him too well) put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from going anywhere. He shot her an indignant pout before his eyes returned to the colorful box.
Eventide carried it along until he passed out of the living room and went upstairs. Only once the sound of his feet reaching the top of the stairs was heard did Fluttershy release Beebee’s shoulder. In response to being freed, he let out a loud, deliberately melodramatic sigh, before wandering over to sit on the couch again. Fluttershy followed close at his heels, trying (and failing) to hide her amusement.
The two sat back down, and a few minutes later, Eventide came marching back into the living room with a certain golden retriever walking along next to him. Buddha caught sight of Fluttershy and immediately ran up to start sniffing at her ankles, her tail wagging in excitement. Fluttershy reciprocated the affection by reaching down and petting her with great enthusiasm.
Eventide chuckled in amusement, then looked at the television. His face lit up with approval as he saw what was on. He then turned his eyes back to the empty cushion on the couch and gestured at it. “You guys mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” Fluttershy replied, both her and Beebee scooting over to make a bit more room. Once Eventide was seated, Buddha followed him right up, eliciting a grunt as her paws met his belly. She then turned and lay down, resting her body on Eventide’s lap and her chin on Beebee’s.
And so the four of them fell into a companionable silence, all of them watching the show on TV. It was some action cartoon or other, Beebee had seen it before. In that moment, though, he was a bit too absorbed in something else to really pay attention.
Specifically, he was too absorbed in just being with his family.
“And many more~!” Fluttershy and Eventide finished singing a while later, much to Beebee’s mounting joy. The cake had been removed from the fridge and put on full display on the dining table a minute previously, and there were three candles poking out of the top of it, each one lit with a small flame.
Beebee stood by the table, still in his human form, while Eventide and Fluttershy stood across from him. As the two finished their song, Beebee lifted his hands and clapped along with them, giant grins plastered on each of their faces. Even Buddha was getting excited, even though she had no clue what was going on.
Eventide was the one to speak up as the claps and cheers died down. “Hard to believe it’s been three years since you hatched, Bee,” Eventide declared proudly as he walked around the table to clap Beebee on the back. “And even harder to think it’s been more than that since I found your egg under that tree.”
“Yeah, but I’m so happy you were the one who found me,” Beebee added enthusiastically while pressing himself up against Eventide’s side, and basking in his father’s warmth. “Now can we please eat the cake?”
Eventide chuckled at that before giving Beebee a firm squeeze. “Sure, bud. C’mon, let’s get to it.”
Fluttershy had already procured the knife to cut the cake with from a drawer, and Beebee mentally noted that Fluttershy with a cake knife was a far more intimidating image than it really should have been. He watched with wide eyes and a watering mouth as the blade bit into the colorful monstrosity of frosting and sweetness, releasing a small puff of a powerful sugary aroma.
In short order, his slice had been placed on a plate, and Fluttershy held said plate out to him. Beebee eyed it for a second, his face scrunching up as he tried to grab it with his magic. Then he remembered he was currently a human and lifted one of his hands, looking at the fingered appendage. He gave it a small frown before uncurling his fingers and taking the plate.
Eventide watched this process for a moment before a look of realization slowly spread on his face. “Beebee… how long had you been a human when I came home?” he asked in a slow and cautious voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
Beebee blinked at that and gave the question some thought. He hadn’t really been paying attention, though, so he could only helplessly shrug his shoulders. “I dunno…”
Luckily, Fluttershy had a better grasp of time. “He turned into one pretty much since he got up, and we got through an episode of Zoboomafoo before you came in,” she answered before giving Beebee a curious look. “So about thirty minutes. Why?”
Eventide’s face lit up even more, and his lips curled up into a big, happy smile. “Well, then… it’s been almost an hour since I got home,” he spelled out in a knowing voice. His gaze turned fully to Beebee. “And what have you been doing the whole time, Bee?”
Fluttershy’s eyes lit up, while Beebee just tilted his head. “Uh… I dunno…?”
Eventide shook his head with a quiet laugh, then reached out and tenderly took Beebee’s hand in his own. Their fingers became interlocked, and he guided both of them up to Beebee’s eye level. Beebee stared at the hands for a second in confusion. And then, finally, it hit him.
Hands.
“I’m… still a human…” he muttered, his eyes slowly widening as it dawned on him just what had happened. He’d noticed that he’d started to get tired, sure, but in all of the excitement for the cake and party, he hadn’t really thought about it, or how long he’d been in this form. His grip on Eventide’s hand tightened, and he looked up into the man’s eyes, almost not daring to hope. “Dad… does this mean I can start seeing Apple Bloom?”
Eventide crouched down a little so that he could look more directly into Beebee’s eyes. His smile grew wider, and his aura lit up like a Christmas tree. “Of course, Beebee. How about we call her tomorrow to set up a time?” he suggested softly, squeezing Bee’s hand right back.
Beebee couldn’t contain it any longer. His face became split with the most gigantic grin Eventide had ever seen on him. With a whoop and holler of joy, Beebee put his plate of cake down on the table and then jumped into the air while being consumed in a rush of green flames. When they parted, the bug had returned, and he was doing flip and spin after flip and spin in celebration.
“I get to be friends with Apple Bloom! I get to be friends with Apple Bloom! YES! WOOHOO!” he hollered as he came out of one of his flips, his face turned towards the ceiling and his forelegs spread out wide.
From below, Eventide and Fluttershy both watched him do his airborne dance of joy with pleased and amused looks on their faces. Buddha just seemed confused, but she wagged her tail all the same. Then, Beebee did one more twist and rocketed himself into Eventide’s chest, giving him the biggest and tightest hug he could.
Eventide staggered back a few paces with a grunt of pain before returning the hug and letting out a jubilant laugh. “Ha! Those walks are doing you some good! You’re getting strong, Bee!” he complimented between breaths, squeezing Beebee closer.
“That’s thanks to you, Dad,” Beebee pointed out with a small flutter of his wings. “You take me to walk in the woods every day. Thank you so much!”
Fluttershy was unable to restrain an adoring ‘awww’ from slipping past her lips any longer, and soon she walked over to join them in their embrace. She slipped in and wrapped her arms around the two of them, her eyes glued on Beebee. “Congratulations, Beebee! I’m so proud of you!”
“We both are,” Eventide corrected gently, giving Fluttershy an appreciative look as she slid in with them. She nodded back at him, and the two then looked down at Beebee, who had his eyes closed and the side of his head pressed against Eventide’s chest, listening to his beating heart.
Of course, Beebee knew they were proud of him.
He could taste it, after all.
“Hmmm… pride doesn't taste as good as cake.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.036 seconds
Total duration
1,006 users online
78,768 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Uh... He didn’t ask her how long Beebee was a human.
9538079
Good catch. Fix'd.
YEEEEEEEE Beebee gets friends!
Heh funny buggy boi dancing in the air gonna be adorrable
Beebee is to the point where he can go see the movies? Only three times longer and he can go to school, but given his transformed age, it would be high school and they would be asking about rest of schooling?
Thats a lot of home side paperwork to make up so many years in so few.
I was hoping Buddah had a good few years yet, even given average doggies.
9538294
Ten year olds don't go to high school! 🙃 but he would definitely be in mid to late elementary.
Speaking of schooling, how has B been doing on his reading? Now that he's stable long term (ish) he can also start writing, which isn't as important but still...
Actually, how have his chats with AB been going? Has she mentioned her other friends?
And we missed presents! Our curiosity demands satisfaction!
Keep going! ;)
woo hoo a grate chapter.
Wow, those walks are definitely paying off.
9538528
Obviously Skyrim, Fallout only goes up to 10 or 11 max.
9538945
Fallout has mainly used the 1-100 system for skills and the 1-11 for S.P.E.C.I.A.L. though given the existence of magic I'd still say Elder Scrolls/Skyrim
They grow up so fast...
Literally.
Why am I now picturing BeeBee becoming a veterinarian, kinda like Flutters?
He's become a real boy!
YOU MONSTER!
So... New Crusader in the making? New Crusader in the making.
9542669
Um... you had posted this. You posted the same commented twice.
The feels are strong with this one haha. I want fanart now of BeeBee getting 'breakfast' from Fluttershy, almost gave me the diabetus.
He needs basic schooling next. Reading, writing, math, science, and history.
First. Why Fluttershy is still in high school?
It's been 3 years!
They gonna make him documents somehow to be able to go to school. What Twilight did was utter bull.