Garden Troubles
Roseluck opened her crusty eyes, her body wrapped in thick blankets as she reclined on her soft bed. She recalled it being midnight not too long ago. However, a patch of bright sunlight glowed outside, passing through her home's window and onto her. She rubbed her eyes, the sudden change in brightness a bit too intense. As Roseluck's vision changed from a blur of watercolors to a crisp image, she rolled to her left. There was her small clock, ticking away the seconds as it rested on a small shelf. But Roseluck noticed something off about the clock. Already, the hour hand was on the eight and the minute hand on the six.
"Eight-thirty already?" Roseluck asked in a dreary tone. She stretched her forelegs and let out a yawn. "Where did the time go?"
Crawling off of her bed, Roseluck shuffled her hooves out of the bedroom, creaks echoing as she made her way down the winding staircase. She clenched onto the smooth railings to the side, her body shifting about a little before straightening out.
Roseluck placed her hoof on the warm, pink carpet that introduced her into her living room. A small, red couch with a coffee table before it, a second pink carpet with the symbol of a rose stitched in the center and an unlit fireplace stood out. However, the cabinet off to the side did give the place more of a pulse. Its bulky frame and intricate floral design etched on it fit with the rest of the room. The photographs of Roseluck and her friends and relatives atop the cabinet also gave the room more life, causing her to smile a little whenever she gazed at them.
Those pictures were all wonderful memories, forever preserved behind glass. Roseluck hoped to add more, but there was tending to her garden on the agenda for the day. It was never something noteworthy as far as she was concerned, but it made her smile and helped time pass by. And to her, that mattered the most.
Trotting toward the front door, Roseluck poked the door, its wooden surface an ice cube in comparison to the air around it, and pushed it. A clicking noise echoed into her ears as the door swung open. Stepping from the mild, wooden floor onto the dew soaked grass tickled Roseluck's hooves for a moment. The slight breeze was rather warm as well, blowing her raspberry-colored mane against her face. The small bit of wind ceased and, with a deep breath, Roseluck trotted to her garden.
"The wind better not bug me," Roseluck said. She thought having a wind-swept mane brush her face like a sheet felt nice the first time. It was the second, third, fourth, and any times after it which made her blood boil, as the instances of having her hair tickle her eyes always made things tougher.
Observing the few houses that resided by her's for a moment— all having the same cross-beam build— she made her way to her garden that rested to the side of her home, which was protected by a white fence. Red and pink roses dominated the flower patches, but white and orange ones were prevalent as well with each color getting their own separate patch. All of them stood tall, their bloomed petals glowing as they basked under the sun's warmth.
Reaching for her watering can, its dark green color somewhat worn out, Roseluck wrapped her hoof around its handle and tipped it slightly toward each flower.
"One, two," Roseluck muttered. She slid her hooves a little to the left and quenched the next portion's thirst. "One, two." She continued down each segment, moving on to the next patch whenever one was completed. As more time passed, Roseluck started humming a tune she once heard at a talent show and bobbed her body to its beat.
With the fourth flower patch watered, she skipped toward the fifth and final one only to freeze in place upon arriving. Roseluck's face turned pale, her eyes widening as she stared at the rare rainbow colored roses. Instead of seeing the flowers reach up to the sun like the ones before it, they wilted with bent stems and drooping petals. The luster that those roses were famous for was nonexistent, their forms dark to where they appeared to have a sheet of shadows sucking the life out of them. And those swollen, wrinkled, yellow orbs dangling in the center made Roseluck's stomach churn.
Roseluck's throat tightened, her body shivering. Thrusting her forelegs forward, she dumped the remainder of the watering can's supply and showered the entirety of the patch. Letting go of the can, all Roseluck heard was its thud upon touching the earth. She raised an eyebrow and rubbed the top of her head. I've been watering them, so why are they so sick?
Roseluck knelt down to the rainbow roses, studying every last detail on them as water dripped from their darkened petals like a leaking faucet. One of the petals fell down and descended toward the grass below it. Roseluck blew some air out, sweat cascading down her mane and onto her cheeks.
What do I do? Roseluck stood up once more, her breath quickening. These things were so hard to get. . . Is my dream of caring for a beautiful garden over? She shook her head, tapping her hooves on the ground. Think, what would the best gardeners do in such a situation? Roseluck's head emptied itself, desperately trying to dig up an answer. Wait, hardly anypony looks after rainbow roses. Where am I supposed to start? Her shoulders sagged. Roseluck let out a deep sigh and trudged back to her front door, head hung low, but as she crawled back to the confines of her home, Roseluck heard the faintest of thuds echo in the air. Was there something happening from far away?
"Help!" a familiar voice shrieked.
Roseluck's ears twitched, her head now upright. "Lily?" she asked. She furrowed her eyebrows and trudged toward the cry's source. "What has she done this time?"
Galloping toward Roseluck was a pink mare, her mouth hung agape. Squinting at the panicked mare, she noticed a slight mark under her left eye. Her tongue stuck out as she struggled to progress in a straight line, her tail whipping about. That was Lily without a doubt, and Roseluck could only muster a groan and a hoof to her face as she awaited her friend's arrival. It's always her. Nevertheless, she noticed a chill run down her spine at the same time. I hope it isn't serious.
"Roseluck, thank Celestia you're here!" Lily shouted, trying to catch her breath. She continued trudging along, stopping directly in front of Roseluck as she panted. Her body sagged somewhat as she tried to catch her breath. "I-I had the most frightful experience."
Studying Lily's appearance, Roseluck raised an eyebrow. That light brown mark under her left eye wasn't too swollen, but her eyes were dilated and her face pale. Roseluck sensed the muscles in her limbs tightening. Perhaps it was dire. "What happened, Lily?" Roseluck placed a hoof on Lily's back. She then ran it down her back, the pink fur smooth and soft. Did she see a ghost?
"Um, a mare accidentally bumped into me and I spilled my drink I almost finished!"
Roseluck let out a sigh. Lily hadn't changed much after all, but she maintained a cool, collected state. Then again, Roseluck herself was easy to scare at times, though that was only for creatures or catastrophes that were horrifying. Dragons, hydras, swarms of parasprites or bees, and herds of sheep or bunnies were what defined sheer terror as far as she was concerned. Especially the sheep and bunnies.
"Lily, that's nothing to worry about. Besides, you were almost done with that drink of yours."
Lily nodded. "But it surprised me and I shook so much I tripped."
Shifting her gaze toward Lily's bruise, Roseluck bit her lip. "It doesn't hurt too much, right?"
Lily clenched her teeth for a second. "I'll be okay. I think so."
"By the way." Roseluck rubbed her muzzle. "What did the mare look like?"
"Oh, that's easy!" Lily's expression switched to a bright grin, causing Roseluck to step back and rub her eyes. "She's a white pegasus with a red and green mane. And she has freckles!"
Roseluck shifted her eyes around. "Okay." She returned her vision to Lily, her lips curling into a smirk. "If I ever see her, I'll be sure to talk with her."
"You don't have to do that."
"Huh?" Roseluck raised an eyebrow, forming a bemused expression on her face. "What do you mean?"
Lily blushed. "She already apologized." She let out a quiet giggle that trailed off into nothingness. "Yeah. Maybe I should have told you that part."
"Oh." Roseluck blinked thrice. "Okay then." Extending her hoof out, she pulled Lily back on all fours, her veins bulging somewhat during the ordeal. "Anyway, I'm glad that you're okay."
"So am I."
"Just—" Roseluck paused for a second "—try not to go too overboard next time." She let out a brief chuckle. "You worry me at times." Feeling the tension inside of her dissipate, Roseluck approached her not so perfect garden. She glanced back to Lily and cracked a grin. "I need to figure out what's wrong with my garden." She brought her focus back to the garden, which maintained the same status as it had before. "Anything else you need help with?"
Lily trotted up toward Roseluck, shaking her head. "No thanks. I'm better now. Thanks for helping me."
"No problem." Sensing a buzzing sensation in the back of her mind, Roseluck stared into Lily's eyes. "Hold on a second."
Shrugging, Lily cocked her head. "What is it?"
"Do you happen to know anything about rainbow roses?"
Lily shook her head. "I've never even heard about those things."
Roseluck pursed her lips, her shoulders drooping. "Okay." She sighed. "Well, thanks for being honest."
"I don't know what's going on, but I bet it will all work out." Lily rubbed the top of Roseluck's head. It felt disconcerting, if a bit rough at times, but Roseluck couldn't help but notice her heart warm. "You're— you know— the best when it comes to this."
"Thanks for the support."
"No problem."
"I know about rainbow roses!' a rapid, cheerful voice chimed in. Roseluck quivered, swiveling her head to the voice's owner. "I can help give you tips on how to grow them. It's hard, but it's doable!"
Standing by the garden was a pegasus mare with a pale white coat, her beaming expression drawing Roseluck's attention. The mare had a red and green mane, not unlike that of a watermelon's colors and a small cluster of freckles adorned her slightly chubby cheeks. The mare waved her foreleg at Roseluck and Lily, though it appeared to be closer to flailing as far as Roseluck was concerned.
"Sorry about what happened back there," the mare said to Lily.
"I forgive you," Lily answered with a straight face.
"That's good! Anyway, I'm Blossomforth. It's nice to meet you." Her speaking accelerated. "I like your garden. It reminds me of some of the ones I've read about in magazines. Roses are some of the most beautiful flowers, you know." With a grin adorning her face, Blossomforth approached Roseluck and Lily, both of whom stepped back a little with taut expressions. "Oh, sorry." Her cheeks flushed. "That happens."
Did she eat too much sugar?
"Anyway, what are your names?" Blossomforth continued in a slower, calmer tone.
"I'm Roseluck," she answered, her expression returning to normal. "Next to me is one of my best friends, Lily."
"Hello," Lily cheered with a wide grin.
"It's nice to meet you all," Blossomforth said. She shifted her eyes toward Roseluck. "Say, what's your favorite hobby?"
Roseluck cocked her head to the left. "Hobby?"
With a shining smile, Blossomforth nodded. "Yeah!"
"What made you curious?"
Blossomforth shielded her lips with a hoof, giggling in a soft manner. "I just wanted to get to know you better, silly. We all have hobbies! Gymnastics is one hobby I like!" Blossomforth tucked her legs in, curling her body into a small, round figure. "See!" She rolled out of her pretzel-like state and stood up.
"Oh." Roseluck shrugged, pursing her lips for a second. "Well, I do like gardening and trotting about the beautiful parts of town."
With eyes sparkling like stars, Blossomforth took a step toward Roseluck. "That's awesome! I love gardening too! And flying is great as well!"
"Yeah, gardening is quite relaxing." Roseluck let out a faint chuckle. "Most of the time, that is."
"So then, what's the problem with those rainbow roses?"
Roseluck trotted past Blossomforth and toward her garden, pointing in the direction of where the roses in questioned resided. "Well, they're wilting and I've done everything I could to get them to grow." She let out a deep sigh. "I've given them enough sunlight. I've given them enough water and then some, but whatever I do, they just wither away." Roseluck brought her focus back to Blossomforth, her frowning expression grim. "I need as much help as I can get." Her eyes shimmered. "Are you sure that you're up to the task?"
Blossomforth nodded at a rapid pace. "Of course I am! I know exactly what it needs."
Roseluck gasped, her face perking up with dilated pupils. "You do?" She rubbed her eyes. "You know how to fix it?"
"Yep!"
Pumping her hoof high in the air, Roseluck's face became adorned with a wide grin. "Perfect. Please tell me what I need to do."
Twitching her wings about a tad, Blossomforth's cheeks flushed. "It requires pollinating them."
"Pollinating?" Raising her left eyebrow, Roseluck gazed at Blossomforth with a stupefied expression. "And how do I do that?"
"What we need is for some bees to come along and pollinate them." Blossomforth flapped her wings and hovered above the ground, a small gust forming beneath her. "I can get some of my friends to help, but it will take some time."
"Bees?" Roseluck gulped, her body shivering.
"Don't worry about it. It'll be perfectly calm."
"Oh." Taking a deep breath, Roseluck straightened her posture."How long do you think it will take?"
Blossomforth stared up toward the sky, as did Roseluck. There was not a single cloud covering the bright blue area above her, the sun's light making it shine as if by magic. Are they going to lead the bees to my garden? Roseluck blinked, then rubbed her eyes as she surveyed the sky's contents once more. A small, pony-shaped silhouette came into view, its wings spread out in a majestic fashion as it glided far above Roseluck.
"Blossomforth, I think I know where this is going," Roseluck announced out of the blue.
"You do?" Blossomforth responded, her tone high pitched.
"You're going to do something that involves flying the bees toward the garden, aren't you?"
Blossomforth bobbed her head. "Good guess."
Roseluck lowered her head, shifting it back to where Blossomforth stood. "But how are you going to do it?"
"We have a way." Blossomforth brought her attention back to Roseluck, her lips curled into a slight smirk. "It's a bit odd, but we'll be ready to start tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Roseluck noticed the cold air escaping her lungs. Her throat tightened and her body quivered. "How can those roses last another day?"
"They'll make it." Blossomforth winked at Roseluck. Hovering toward her, she glanced back at the garden for a moment. "I can guarantee it. Just try to not worry too much."
Roseluck chortled, her voice trailing off and her face becoming taut. "Yeah, I'll try." She trotted back to the front door of her home, waving at Blossomforth. "Well, see you tomorrow."
With a slight nod, Blossomforth waved back to Roseluck. "See you tomorrow!" With those parting words, she flew up toward the heavens, her mane fluttering in the wind as she soared. Roseluck waved once more with a pale, blank stare. She didn't know if Blossomforth could be right about pollination being the issue, but she did recall getting those roses from an exotic florist whose shop gave off a bitter perfume that still itched her nostrils. The strangeness of where she bought them might correlate to that, but maybe it was all just a coincidence. Clearing her mind for a moment, Roseluck brought her attention back to Lily, whose static posture and constant gaze upwards seemed more fitting for a statue.
"I'll see you later as well, Lily," Roseluck added.
"Oh, um, same here!" Lily replied, pressing her hooves against the soil as she meandered toward Ponyville's center.
Roseluck observed Lily until she was out of sight, her stare unblinking as she watched Lily's movements in the hopes that she didn't topple over like a bookcase with three legs. Once everything passed by without a yelp, thud, or crack, Roseluck twisted the doorknob and slipped back inside the confines of her home. With a slight push against the door's wooden frame, she noted the click echoing in her ears and thrust herself onto the couch. Roseluck let out a deep groan, her face long and sour.
"This cannot end well," Roseluck muttered to herself, burying her face into the soft pillows.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. A yawn escaped Roseluck's mouth. She opened her eyes, the world becoming clearer bit by bit. But as she thrust her body off of the mattress, a buzz formed in the back of her mind. Roseluck massaged the top of her head, her hoof surfing over her smooth mane. Her ears twitched, the buzzing becoming more intense and refusing to cease.
The buzz wasn't in the back of her mind as she thought. It was real, and increasing in pitch the more time went by.
"Is somepony there?" Roseluck questioned to herself.
The buzz grew harsher as Roseluck covered her ears, the cacophonous noise polluting the air to where even that couldn't stop the sound from entering her ears. Stumbling toward the front door with clenched teeth, Roseluck stretched one of her hooves out to the doorknob. She twisted it and with a slight nudge, the door's momentum opened Roseluck to the outside world.
The buzzing was harsher than ever, sounding like a million saws grinding on a plate of steel at the same time. Fumbling her hooves outside, Roseluck shoved the door shut, the slam drown out by whatever was attacking her ear drums. She attempted to regain her composure, but the noise kept pounding away as her ears continued to ache.
"What is that?" Roseluck moaned, her eyes widening.
As Roseluck pressed on, clenching her teeth tighter with each step, a small object cut through the air. It produced a harsh hum upon passing by, its body mere centimeters away from Roseluck's nose. More small dots like it appeared in her vision, all dancing about with no clear direction, but, as Roseluck squinted at the tiny, terrible forms, one feature stood out.
Their yellow and black bodies shone under the sunlight, all somewhat fluffy. And those sharp bits at the end tightened Roseluck's throat at the mere sight of them. It worked? Roseluck rubbed her eyes, her face turning soft. It worked too well. Those are. . .
"Bees!" Roseluck shrieked, her head feeling light.
The world around Roseluck slowed to a crawl, speeding up and slowing down at irregular intervals. With her heart beating faster, she kicked her forelegs and dashed toward her garden, the blaring cacophony increasing in intensity as she approached her destination.
"I hope my garden is okay," Roseluck murmured, her face wincing.
With trembling legs, Roseluck arrived at her destination. Her eyes widened upon discovering the sight before her, taking her breath away and almost dragging her down into unconsciousness.
A sphere of bees, humming in circles above her precious flowers, blotted out much of the sky. Standing to the left of what may as well be Tartarus' creation were three figures in protective suits with bee tails on their backs. One of them appeared to be Blossomforth, her ruffled eyebrows and bright red cheeks out of place from what she showed herself as being like last time. The other two, a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and a pale blue mare with a blonde mane that was darker than the other mare's, also had stern expressions. And to their left was Lily, rolling around in the mud like a pig as the bees swooped over her.
"This is much worse than I thought," Roseluck whispered. She shuffled her hooves toward the trio of mares, hoping to listen as to what, or how, such a thing happened.
"Cloud Kicker, if it weren't for you trying to show off, none of this would have happened!" Blossomforth scolded. She approached the pale blue mare, gazing straight into her eyes. "I said a couple of bees, not an entire swarm! Did you think I meant this much? Or did you happen to lose count?"
"Uh, you never defined how many a couple amounted to," Cloud Kicker replied with a grin. "Like, did you want three? Or did you want three hundred?"
"This is more than three hundred," the gray mare chimed in.
"Derpy's right," Blossomforth added. "I don't know your method of counting, but that sure isn't just three hundred."
Cloud Kicker groaned. "So I got a little carried away." She tapped her hooves on the grass below. "I haven't hurt anypony yet, you know."
Blossomforth rolled her eyes. "True, but somepony could get hurt. Look, do you want me to tell Princess Twilight or not?"
Shaking her head to where it looked like a blur, Cloud Kicker's face became taut upon stopping. "Of course not!"
"Then do you have an idea on how to fix it?"
Cloud Kicker shrugged. "We fix it?"
Derpy nodded, her lips arced into a bright smile. "Yeah, I like that idea!"
"That's a start," Blossomforth replied with a straight face. "But how do we fix it?"
"Lead them back to their hives!" Roseluck declared, her forelegs both reaching to the sky.
The trio of pegasi swiveled their heads toward Roseluck, all of them with raised eyebrows and blank stares. Only the humming of the nearby swarm tickled Roseluck's ears as the rest of the world fell silent.
"How is that a bad idea?" Roseluck retorted. "You brought the bees over here in the first place, so why not send them back home?"
Blossomforth massaged her muzzle, closing her eyes. "Hmm. That could work," she replied. "I mean, it's the most straightforward idea."
"But these bees are being a burden," Cloud Kicker responded with a slight smirk. "I mean, we should be careful of the bees."
Blossomforth rolled her eyes. "Cloud Kicker, you do realize this is a serious situation."
Covering her lips with a hoof, Cloud Kicker snickered. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." She straightened her expression, shifting her eyes toward Roseluck. "Okay, so how are we going to do this?"
"We could just fly around with those bee tails we were wearing," Derpy suggested, her tone cheerful.
"That's kind of what we're going to do." Blossomforth ruffled her wings about, biting her lip at the same time. "Okay, maybe we can go to the hive where we started from." Blossomforth twisted her body, facing Derpy and Cloud Kicker, and furrowed her eyebrows. "Are both of you ready?"
Derpy and Cloud Kicker nodded together, neither saying a peep.
"Let's do this."
Blossomforth hovered upward, wiggling the bee tail attached to her suit. In a split second the mess of buzzing bees slowed down, staring at her as though they were infatuated. Flapping her wings in a gentle motion as not even the slightest gust formed behind her, Blossomforth took to the sky with hundreds of bees following her path.
Roseluck's mouth hung agape, her eyes widened. Blinking a few times, her vision then followed the trail of insects that chased Blossomforth. The bees became a winding, black river as opposed to a swarm.
And just like that, the population of bees crashing Roseluck's garden was reduced in half. The once eternal humming that polluted the air was now a mere murmur compared to what it was before, even if Roseluck's ears still twitched and cried at the noise.
"All right, time to show my stuff," Cloud Kicker boasted. Wiggling her bee tail, she approached one of the larger remaining swarms. Copying the same dance that Blossomforth did earlier, the bees focused on Cloud Kicker and followed her every move with grace.
"How?" Roseluck inquired. She mumbled a few inaudible words, her brain struggling to unearth a proper theory to her question.
"It's easy," Derpy replied. Roseluck twirled her head toward her, her beaming smile still present. "The bees that reside in Equestria are drawn to such things. Fluttershy told me that once!"
"Fluttershy?" Roseluck rubbed the top of her head, the image of a timid, yellow pegasus returning to her. "Oh. The animal expert." She cracked a smirk and chuckled for a brief moment. "That's Fluttershy. I completely forgot for a moment."
"It's okay." Derpy glided to the last remaining bees and, copying the same dance as Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker, captured the insects' attention and convinced them to follow her without a single syllable.
And just like that, all was tranquil once more. Not a single buzz echoed into Roseluck's ears. Letting out a sigh, she collapsed onto the soft, wet grass below and grinned.
Peace and quiet at last.
Roseluck closed her eyes for a moment, taking in every last ounce of that wonderful silence.
Peace and quiet at last.
"Hey there, Roseluck," Blossomforth called out.
"So much for that," Roseluck muttered. She budged her legs a tad, lifting her body upright with clenched teeth. Standing before Roseluck was Blossomforth, the costume she once adorned now behind her in a sagging heap. Trotting toward her, Blossomforth cracked a smile, her cheeks flushed.
"So, we managed to get them all away from your garden." Blossomforth wiped her forehead, releasing a long sigh from her mouth. "We did it."
"I guess so," Roseluck replied, her lips now curled into a smile. A warmth entered her heart, one that loosened the tension in her muscles. The reason escaped her mind, but whatever produced this sensation, it was more than welcome to take refuge inside of her.
"One more thing." Blossomforth glanced her hoof across the grass below, kicking the air with a gentle motion at times. "I'm sorry for the chaos I made back there. I never planned for it to get this out of hand. You know how crazy things can get." She paused. "I only wanted to help."
Roseluck nodded. "Apology accepted." Turning to her garden, Roseluck focused on the brown mass that was Lily. Only bits of her blonde tail poked through the pile of mud she rested in. "Other than Lily getting, well, dirty, nothing bad happened."
"Oh Celestia," Lily whined. "How am I ever going to get this off of me?"
"Will she be okay?" Blossomforth queried, pursing her lips.
Giggling, Roseluck covered her lips with a hoof. "Of course she will. That's just classic Lily for you."
Roseluck pivoted toward Blossomforth once more. Behind her, Derpy and Cloud Kicker descended with not a single bee following them. Both mares had wide, bright smiles on their faces. Upon touching the ground, the pair shuffled their forelegs around, twisting their bodies until the costumes they wore flew off into the air and plopped onto the earth below.
"We did it!" Derpy cheered, kicking her hind legs as though she were dancing.
"That we did," Blossomforth replied. "Thanks for your help."
"No problem," Cloud Kicker said with a smirk. "I like being the hero."
"Um, we were all heroes here."
Cloud Kicker snickered, her cheeks blushing. "Oh, sorry. We were the heroes."
"And you were great as well, Roseluck. You stopped us from doing nothing but argue."
Roseluck's shimmering eyes widened. Her jaw hung agape, her hoof placed on her chest. "Well, um, thank you." Her cheeks turned a rosy pink as her smile widened. "I appreciate the compliments."
"You're welcome." A rumbling roar echoed in the air. Blossomforth giggled and licked her lips. "All that flying made me hungry."
Another growl made itself known, tickling Roseluck's stomach. "Me too. Say, how about we all have lunch together?" Roseluck glanced at the three pegasi and nodded. "You know, as friends."
Blossomforth jumped up, hovering in the air as she flapped her wings. "That sounds wonderful!"
"Great!" Roseluck shifted her attention to Lily, shaking her body like a dog as mud flew into the air. "Let's just wait for Lily to clean up first."
Well, I guess today and yesterday were memorable. We should all take a picture at the restaurant we go to. Then again, I'm not forgetting this for a long time. With a skip in her step, Roseluck returned to her abode to prepare for the fantastic lunch awaiting her and her new friends.