Lavender Shrub gazed down from her third-floor apartment balcony. From here, she had a clear view of the city park across the street. But even with the afternoon sun shining and the birds warbling in the trees, she did not like what she saw. She never did.
On a bench, a rag-clad hobo lay sleeping. Near the pond atop beach towels lay a pair of college girls clad in swimsuits that shamelessly left little to the imagination. At the picnic area, a pair of middle school boys were carving something onto a tabletop with a pocket knife.
The middle-aged woman twisted her mouth with disgust. Degenerates, she thought to herself. Every one of them!
The park had not always been like this. It used to be such a beautiful place. At least, that was what her mother had once told her years ago. How she longed to take a walk through it without seeing any these reprobates. The thought of even breathing the same air as they sickened her. The sad state of the park was yet another example of how the once-great City of Canterlot was quickly going down the toilet and nobody was doing anything about it!
She was so preoccupied with the nuisances below that she failed to notice a sudden faint green glow emanating from the wall behind her before it faded away.
Something buzzed near her ear. She gave a start as a large housefly hovered near her face. Uttering a curse, she probed the wall for the fly swatter she kept hanging from a nail. At least this was one vermin she could deal with! Her fingers found something, but it was not the familiar flat piece of plastic. Instead, she found herself holding what appeared to be a polished forest green cane topped with a silver flying insect of some sort.
Lavender Shrub blinked. What is this thing? Where did it come from? She had never seen it before in the two decades that she had lived in her apartment.
Suddenly, she noticed that the fly had been joined by two more of its kind. Troublesome insects. Swatter to not, she will deal with them! She swung the cane several times, hitting nothing but air. Flustered, she brought the end of the cane down on the balcony floor with a huff. She took a moment to regain her composure as she ran her finger through her lilac bob cut. That was when she realized that she had more company.
Her entire balcony was now crawling with ants and cockroaches - on the rails, on the floor, and on the wall! Overhead, the trio of flies had become a dozen if not more. A scream formed in her throat but did not emerge. Where did all of these things come from? She staggered back toward her sliding door as the swarm of vermin closed in around her.
Then she noticed it - a faint, barely audible hum emitting from the silver insect on the cane. Her eyes drifted back to the army of creepy crawlies surrounding her. The flies were circling above her in a fixed pattern. Instead of scurrying about, the insects on her balcony held their positions like a hundred chirping and hissing soldiers.
Then a realization dawned on her. She could not explain it, but somehow she knew that these vermin were not here to harm her. In fact, they were waiting for her command.
Lavender Shrub's eyes sparkled with a ghastly green glow as a hideous grin split her face. She knew exactly what she would do with her newfound power!
***
Fluttershy and Sugarcoat sat under the shade of a tree. It was a beautiful day so they decided to meet at the park after classes to take in the songs of the birds and the scents of the flowers. A gentle breeze whistled through the branches as they enjoyed a snack of farm-fresh apples (courtesy of Applejack).
"There's a new exhibit at the natural history museum," said Sugarcoat.
"Really? What is it?"
"The evolution of arthropods." Sugarcoat tapped her phone and pulled up a promotional email containing photographs of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans.
"Oh, I'd love to see that! I'm sure Twilight would be interested too."
Fluttershy's eyes drifted toward a squirrel scampering across the grass that was soon followed by two others. Moments later, all of the ducks in and around the pond began to fly off. Both girls glanced up as more birds took flight from the trees throughout the park.
Sugarcoat blinked with surprise. "What the heck?"
"Something must have spooked them."
The tranquility of the park was shattered by a scream. They glanced in its direction to see a homeless man tumble from a bench and scramble away. Two more screams rang out. Over by the pond, a pair of girls in swimsuits shrieked as they hastily got up from their towels and dove into the water. At the picnic area, two boys cursed and swatted at a tabletop before beating a hasty retreat. All over the park, people were running for the exits.
Then they saw it. Hovering over the pond was a swarm of hornets. The buzzing cloud loomed near the surface of the water, no doubt waiting for the two swimsuit-clad girls to surface for air.
Fluttershy's instinctively reached for the geode around her neck but stopped just short of touching it. Even if any other animals would respond to her call, she could not risk their safety. She then felt Sugarcoat grip her shoulder.
"We'd better get out of here!" Sugarcoat shouted as she pointed to a nearby knoll.
Fluttershy's eyes widened. A swarm made up of various crawling insects - ants, beetles, and cockroaches - was coming their way. She and Sugarcoat leaped up from the grass, abandoning their half-eaten apples to the chirping, hissing mass.
The girls ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Sugarcoat, slightly more agile, pulled Fluttershy by the arm as they headed straight for the nearest exit. They were twenty meters from the gate when someone entered through it - a portly woman with a lilac bob cut. The girls stopped in their tracks when they saw what was following on the pavement behind her - another swarm of crawling insects!
Suddenly, the woman glanced their way, her eyes gleaming with a sickly green light. She pointed at them with what appeared to be a silver-topped cane and the swarm behind her began creeping toward them.
The girls staggered back. They did not know who this woman was, but one thing was certain: she was the one commanding the insect swarms. Desperately, they glanced about. The first crawling swarm was quickly catching up to them. Even if they could scale the fence surrounding the park, they would be engulfed before they reached the other side. They had to find shelter fast!
"The restroom!" Fluttershy whispered.
They ran toward the building that housed the park community center and the public restrooms. In addition to the two crawling swarms following them, the hornet swarm was now closing in from their flank. The two swimsuit-clad girls emerged from the water gasping for air as the hornets pursued their new targets.
Sugarcoat hurriedly removed her purple Crystal Prep Academy blazer and threw it onto the pavement. Bees and hornets instinctively perceived darker colors as a threat. As she hoped, the swarm went after her blazer, thinking it to be another target. That bought her and Fluttershy just enough time to rush inside the ladies' room. She slammed the door shut and turned the deadbolt. Safe inside the restroom, they took a moment to catch their breath and gather their wits.
"This looks like Equestrian magic," panted Fluttershy.
Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "Any idea why that lady is attacking everyone with the swarms?"
Fluttershy took a moment to remember the encounters she and her friends had with Juniper Montage and Wallflower Blush. "From what we know, Equestrian magic sometimes amplifies and twists a person's strongest desires."
"Apparently, her strongest desire is to drive everyone out of this park."
Just then, they spotted something coming under the restroom door. It was a cockroach. Followed by another. And another. The girls backed up to the far end of the restroom as a chirping, hissing puddle of ants, roaches, and other creepy crawlies flowed onto the floor.
Fluttershy touched her geode. Maybe, just maybe, she could use its power to communicate with the swarm. She reached out to the insects and asked, "Why are you doing this?"
The response she heard was like a mob of people shouting in unison: "Must protect the Queen!" No doubt they were all referring to the lilac-haired woman.
"We mean no harm to you or your queen," said Fluttershy.
The swarm slowed to a stop halfway across the restroom floor. The insects seemed to be deliberating whether or not they should heed her plea. She could only hope that her geode's power could override the influence of the woman's silver-topped cane.
Suddenly Fluttershy and Sugarcoat noticed a second swarm of cockroaches climbing up the restroom door. Their eyes drifted to the tilt window above the door where the hornets were buzzing outside. The roaches began convening along the top of the window.
"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Sugarcoat.
Fluttershy swallowed. If she called out to the second swarm, the first one might continue its advance. Several roaches fell from the window as it slowly creaked open, allowing the hornet swarm to enter the restroom. The girls watched in both astonishment and horror as several large hornets gathered at the deadbolt knob.
CLACK!
The door opened to reveal the lilac-haired woman. Holding the cane before her, she stalked into the restroom, her face twisted with hatred. The insects in the air and on the floor parted to make way for their queen. Her eyes gleamed green as she spoke.
"This park used to be so beautiful. Now it is overrun by derelicts and delinquents! But I can fix that. No one will ever despoil this place again!"
Halfway across the floor, she pointed the cane toward Fluttershy and Sugarcoat, which they could now see was topped with a silver flying insect. Slowly, the entire swarm began to advance on them.
"Please, you don't want to do this!" Fluttershy implored through her geode.
It took more concentration and effort than before, but she was able to reach all of the insects inside the restroom - just barely. The hornets hovered in place while the crawlers on the floor halted, all of them wondering whose order to obey.
"Don't listen to her!" screamed the woman. Her insect soldiers hesitantly edged closer toward their targets.
Sweat beaded Fluttershy's brow as she mustered every ounce of her willpower. "She is not your queen!"
The woman grimaced as her insect army halted once more. "Little brat. I'll just have to deal with you myself! Out of my way, you worthless vermin!" With that, the swarms in the air and on the floor cleared a path for her.
That was when Sugarcoat rushed forward and grabbed hold of the cane. The woman struggled to maintain her grip, but the bespectacled girl wrenched it away. Sugarcoat summoned all of her strength and broke the cane over her knee.
There was a bright flash of green light as the two halves of the cane fell to the floor and transformed back into two halves of a white plastic fly swatter. Through her geode, Fluttershy sensed all of the insects returning to their senses. Every one of them wondered as to what they were all doing in the restroom. The woman blinked as the green glow left her eyes. She then yelped when she saw the mass exodus of crawling and flying insects go past her and out the door.
Fluttershy placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. "Are you okay, ma'am?"
The woman's voice now wavered as she glanced about. "W-what am I doing here?"
***
Fluttershy and Sugarcoat escorted Lavender Shrub back to her apartment across the street. Unlike Juniper Montage and Wallflower Blush, the woman seemed to have no recollection of her actions. Apparently, the magic that created the cane from the fly swatter also clouded her memory of commanding swarms of insects to attack the park.
Lavender Shrub was aghast when she learned of what she had done under the cane's influence.
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"
"You were not entirely in control of your actions," Sugarcoat said dispassionately.
"Go on and get some rest, Miss Shrub," said Fluttershy. "We'll come by to check on you in a couple of days."
Lavender Shrub nodded her head as she entered her apartment.
"Thank you both."
Fluttershy and Sugarcoat walked down the stairs and out the lobby doors. The sun was beginning to set over the city, painting the sky a beautiful orange.
Sugarcoat had her blazer folded over her arm. Even after combing it for stingers with a library card, she still managed to find one she had missed. "Her apology sounded genuine," she said as she pulled the stinger out of her lapel.
Fluttershy looked back at the building. "She's scared more than anything. Give her some time."
"Now I can add facing down a magically summoned insect swarm to my resume."
"You handled yourself well back there."
"Sure beats nearly getting eaten by a giant carnivorous plant."
Fluttershy remembered how Sugarcoat managed to avoid getting caught by a giant plant monster during the Friendship Games Tri-Cross Relay. She also remembered how the Crystal Prep students came to the aid of their Canterlot High rivals when Midnight Sparkle opened portals to Equestria. She could never forget how Sunny Flare rescued her, or how Sugarcoat had helped Applejack rescue Tennis Match.
Most folks would have been too frightened to act when faced with Equestrian magic. Despite the power that she and the other Rainbooms wielded, Fluttershy knew that they may not always be together when magic ran amok. It was reassuring to have allies they could trust - ones who could handle themselves without magic.
"Maybe we'll save the arthropod exhibit for another time," said Fluttershy.
Sugarcoat cracked a smile as she pulled out yet another stinger from her blazer.
"I wholeheartedly agree. Let's visit the aquarium instead."
Author's Note
I like to imagine the Shadowbolts being to the Rainbooms what Batman and Green Arrow are to their superpowered teammates in the Justice League. After all, Rainbow Dash once described Crystal Prep students as being "super athletic, super smart, and super motivated." I'd say that makes up for a lack of magical geodes!
After outlining several possible scenarios pairing a different Shadowbolt with a different Rainboom, I ultimately settled on the Animal Shelter Duo of Fluttershy and Sugarcoat.
The antagonist was named for a flower favored by bees.
I hope you enjoyed this quick little tale!
