The sunlight shines against the windows of the Boutique of Carousel Boutique, Rarity was packing her bags, as she turned around to speak with her little sister.
"Now Sweetie Belle, I am leaving for Canterlot on an important business venture, and I needn't remind you that it's of the utmost importance..." she paused as she felt Sweetie's gaze upon her with that longing look, as she curled her lips together, batting her eyelashes, and leaning her forehooves against her forelegs as she spoke.
"Can I come, please?" she begged. She pouted, and gave her best puppy dog eyes.
"No, Sweetie Belle. You cannot come." began Rarity, as she noticed her sister deflate like a balloon as her ears drooped down to her sides. "But it's not because I wouldn't want you along. I have a much more important task for you."
“You do? What could be more important than being at your side, and telling ponies how amazing my big sister is?” she asked, as she tilted her head to the side, looking up at her sister, puzzled.
Rarity gently lifted a forehoof and placed it upon her younger sister’s shoulder, as she beamed down at her.
“I want you to watch over the Boutique while I’m gone. It’s a big responsibility, but I think you’re old enough now to handle it. You will do this for me, won’t you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes, and giving a playful pout.
“Of course! You can count on me!” Sweetie Belle squeed as she bounced up and down and hugged her sister’s forelegs, rubbing her pink and purple mane into her white fur. “I’ll miss you. Promise me you’ll write.
“Always, Sweetie. I’d never leave you out of all the details of a most exciting trip...I mean oh it’s such a bore. You’ll probably have more fun than me. Just do try not to make any messes. Okay?” asked Rarity, cupping Sweetie belle’s jaw, and getting her to look her directly in the eyes.
“I promise. It'll look like I wasn’t even here.” said Sweetie Belle as she gave Rarity one more hug, before watching her levitate her suitcase, as she waved goodbye. And just like that, Rarity was gone.
“Woah. I’m in charge? This is so sweet!” said Sweetie Belle as she hopped up and down giddily. She coughed into her forehoof. “Woah now Sweetie, we mustn’t be too excited. Rarity is trusting me to handle this. Hmm...Let’s see.”
Sweetie Belle walked around the Boutique, making sure that every inch of the place was clean, free of any dust, dirt or even grime. She assured her that she didn’t touch any of her sister’s fabrics. She knew by now not to mess with that. She could just hear Rarity in the back of her head. “Sweetie Belle! I had this perfectly planned out and arranged and you had to ruin everything!”
“Oh I really want to show my sister how grown up I am. I do hope she’s not too bored by her important business trip. I’d probably would have been bored anyway. “My big sister is so generous, she’s always looking out for me.” said Sweetie Belle as she beamed. Her ears perked when she thought she heard the buzzing of wings. Perking up, she tilted her head from side to side, surveying the area for signs of an intruder.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she finally saw the pest as it landed right on one of her sister’s dresses. Immediately her horn lit up, and she was about to levitate a fly swatter over it, but she suddenly remembered that Scootaloo had been having problems with ants and had borrowed it the other day.
“Oh Celestia come on!” she pouted, as her top lip curled over the bottom, and her cheeks puffed out, as her entire face went red with frustration. She stomped around the room, trying to think. What could she do? She couldn’t risk ruining Rarity’s fabrics by swatting it with her hooves, and that was just disgusting anyways. YUCK.
Suddenly, she saw her sketchbook. She had been doodling some designs, trying to mimic her sister, and she blushed at how frilly and girly they looked, since she knew in the back of her mind she was trying to copy the flair her sister had, but she wasn’t Rarity. She was Sweetie Belle, but her sketchbook did give her an idea. She lifted it up, rolling it up, and swatted the bug that was still sitting on Rarity’s dress. Thankfully, no blood or guts got onto the fabric, and the dead beetle looking thing stuck to her sketchbook.
“YUCK. Bugs are sooooooo gross.” she pouted as she went to the window, and shook the book until the dead bug flew off the side of it. Phew! That wasn’t that hard. The bugs taken care of and Rarity’s dresses were safe. She turned around to look at the boutique, her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened so wide to the point that her jaw dropped [collapsed]to the floor. The entire boutique was now swarming with these same beetles.
“Sweet Celestia, Rarity is so going to kill me if any of her dresses get damaged.” she whimpered, biting her lower lip. She had only one choice. She had to fight. She couldn’t let these beetles get the better of her.
“Die, stupid bugs! Die!” shrieked Sweetie Belle over and over as she began flailing her rolled up sketchbook at the pests. One by one, slowly but surely, she started to kill them, but it felt like it could never end. They were everywhere. It was like some kind of nightmare.
“UGH! These little suckers are just like those parasprites Rarity told me about. But these things are so much more...ugly.” said Sweetie Belle, sticking out her tongue, and pretending like she was gagging. She wasn’t going to give up though! I promised Rarity I could handle this, and what kind of sister would I be if I couldn’t handle some pests?
Sweetie Belle smacked her rolled up book against the one hanging near the wall. She felt the paper go whack!, hearing the slight crunching noise, as a bit of it’s blood got onto her book. “Oh no…” she spoke, quickly using her magic to clean up the mess. She suddenly felt stupid, why didn’t she think of it sooner? She could use her magic to put a barrier around Rarity’s fabrics so that she could focus on getting rid of the bugs. She suddenly wished Apple Bloom was here, but she had dance lessons today, and it probably wasn't’ a good idea to pester her. Besides, she could handle a few bugs. It wasn’t that bad right? She was a grown up little filly, and she wasn’t going to let these bugs continue to bug her. She groaned.
She illuminated the light on her horn to protect Rarity’s dresses, she didn’t know how long she could hold the spell, but she had to keep her focus. She swatted at the bugs, getting more angry at them every time she missed one.
“STUPID BUGS. Hold still so I can destroy you like the piece of filth that you are. How dare you come into my shop and try to ruin my sister’s hard work?” she grunted as she smacked at the bugs. Huffing, and panting, she wiped her forehead. She didn’t hear any buzzing. Maybe she had gotten them all.
Suddenly she felt something on her chest. She screamed.
“Squeak!!!!!!!!!!!!!” yelped Sweetie Belle, hitting the sucker with her forehoof. “Ill, yuck. Get it off, get it off!”
Once the bug was dead, and no longer breathing, Sweetie Belle attempted to breathe in and out. She began panicking, fearing that a bug would come out of nowhere and bite her.
She panted heavily as she shivered in fear. She had to stay calm. She had to breathe. She could do this. Finally, she regained her composure. Just then she heard the door to the boutique open the bell ringing, as she jumped up, and clung to the ceiling.
“Rarity? Are you in here?” asked a yellow pegasus with soft pink mane and tail, with three butterflies on her flank. Sweetie Belle dropped to the floor, blushing darkly.
“She’s um on a business trip. Can I help you?” she asked, as she tried to ignore all the blood she had gotten onto her fur.
“Sweetie…” began Fluttershy. “Are you okay?”
“No.” replied Sweetie Belle, clinging to Fluttershy’s chest fluff. “They were everywhere. No matter where I looked, what I did, they kept coming back. The beatles...the beetles. Please Fluttershy, I need help.”
“Oh these are June bugs, they aren’t beetles at all Sweetie Belle, though I can understand how you’d get them mixed up. June bugs are actually harmless, they don't bite. They typically come around in the summertime. They are usually drawn in by the aroma of moistness, or some sort of water in the air.” explained Fluttershy.
“I don’t care what they are. I just want them out of my life. They are trying to make me look like a little scared filly, but I’m not scared!” pouted Sweetie Belle crossing her forelegs around her chest.
“Oh Sweetie Belle, it’s okay to be scared. Bugs can be quite difficult to deal with if you don’t know how to handle them, I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried something terrible had happened.” said Fluttershy, caressing her hoof over Sweetie’s mane.
“So how can I help you Fluttershy?” asked Sweetie Belle just wanting to put this whole bug business in the dustbin where it belonged. It was really bugging her.
“Oh well actually, I just wanted Rarity to help me with something, but I can wait until she gets back. It’s no hurry.”
“Can I help?” asked Sweetie Belle eagerly.
Fluttershy paused a moment, and then nodded.
“Of course you are welcome to help.” said Fluttershy, as she and Sweetie Belle sat together. They talked about fabric, fears of bugs and creepy things, and just enjoying each other’s company.
Sweetie Belle was glad she had just happened to stop by. Fluttershy knew how to handle animals, so she no longer felt like her heart was pounding outside of her chest.
“And that my dear friends, is the story of how I became the bug slayer!” she said to both Apple Bloom and Scoots, on the very next day. They both laughed at her for how ridiculous the whole thing was. Sweetie Belle pouted and her cheeks puffed up, as she huffed, her friends annoyed her at times, but she also laughed too. It was kind of funny.
Author's Note
Inspired by a totally true story of how June bugs kept getting into my room, and I couldn’t find a fly swatter so I used my sketchbook. I figured out the issue and have since resolved my problem, but bugs are just SO annoying. And icky. And yes, one landed on my breast. UGH.
