Swarm of the Century

Swarm of the Century is the tenth episode of the first season of Legends of the Multiverse: Friendship is Universe. In this episode, a swarm of pests called Scribbles find their way into Multiville, causing chaos and threatening to ruin Princess Palutena's visit to the town.

Production and development
This episode was originally called "Pied Piper Rapunzel", but was then changed following a later story meeting.

According to Lauren Faust, Swarm of the Century was "initially conceived as just a story about a plague of locust-like creatures, but the parallels to Tribbles became apparent pretty fast. I'm a huge Star Trek dork," she wrote, "so we went with it." Writer M. A. Larson added that he had Gremlins in mind when writing the episode.

A small part showing Rapunzel trying to lure the scribbles away from Multiville with her instruments reappears in Cakes for the Memories.

Spectra discovers a scribbles
The episode begins in a field near the Everfree Forest, where Spectra Vondergeist is gathering flowers for Princess Palutena’s visit to Multiville. A small creature that Spectra has never seen before appears. She offers it an apple, but it devours a bucketful of apples despite its small size. Spectra is surprised, but she adopts the creature and plans on showing it to her friends.

The rest of Nultiville is also preparing for the Princess's arrival. Kairi Sparkle tells Olaf and Navi that the library has to be spotless, and everything has to be perfect. Twilight goes to check on the rest of the preparations. In Corona Sugarcube Corner, she catches Rapunzel eating cakes and other sweets that King Frederic and Queen Arianna have made for the Princess. Rapunzel says that she is sampling the sweets to ensure their quality. Spectra enters the bakery to show Kairi and Rapunzel the creature she found, but inexplicably, two more of the same creatures pop out. Twilight adopts one of them so Olaf and Navi can have a companion. Rapunzel, however, reacts in disgust, calling them "Scribbles." She says that she needs a trombone and leaves the bakery.

In Carousel Boutique, Nene Amano is putting the finishing touches on Sally Acorn's elaborate dress. Kairi enters and praises Nene's dresses that she designed specially for the royal visit. When Kairi takes out her scribbles, she discovers that she is carrying not one, but three of them. Nene and Sally gladly adopt the extra scribbles.

The scribbles multiply
The next day, Kairi Sparkle, Olaf and Navi are shocked to find their house filled with scribbles. The scribbles are impossible to control and they freely destroy books and parchments. Meanwhile, in Sally Acorn's home in Cloudsburg, Sally's scribbles cling to her body, driving her mad. Nene is fond of her helpful swarm until she witnesses the scribbles’ unsightly method of reproduction; namely, coughing up/vomiting new scribbles. Even Spectra has lost control over the swarm in her house. Kairi realizes that if the situation isn’t handled immediately, Palutena's visit will be a disaster. Meanwhile, Rapunzel is busy gathering an assortment of musical instruments, including a harmonica, a banjo, and a pair of maracas. Her friends assume she is just being random and disregard her efforts to collect more instruments.

Sheriff Mulan directs her friends in an attempt to round up the scribbles. The animals succeed in driving the scribbles into the Everfree Forest. Unfortunately, when the friends head back to Spectra's house, a dense swarm of scribblses bursts out. Spectra admits that she had kept a scribble because she couldn't help herself. Sally steps up to the plate by creating a tornado that sucks in the scribblees. Everything is working until Rapunzel walks up to them, sporting a pair of cymbals. The cymbals are drawn into the tornado; Sally tries to dodge them, but they break her concentration and the tornado falls apart. The scribble horde flies into Multiville and the friends run after them, ignoring Rapunzel's attempt to explain why she was gathering the instruments in the first place.

Kairi tries to seek help
The animals watch in horror as the scribbles begin to eat all the food in town. Kairi casts a spell to stop the scribbles from consuming food. However, the scribbles start devouring everything that isn't food: signposts, lamps, Nene's dresses, and even the words from Kairi's books. Kairi brings a scribble to Britney Akiwara's house in the Everfree Forest, hoping the pink mouse can find a solution. Britney easily recognizes the scribble, but even she doesn't know how to get rid of them. Kairi returns to Multiville and sees that Princess Palutena is approaching the town. Frantic and almost hysterical, Kairi begins to formulate a plan to build a replica of Multiville next to the real one before the Princess's arrival, but Palutena's royal procession appears on the horizon.

Rapunzel saves the day
When all seems lost, Rapunzel shows up with a one-pony band, playing the instruments she gathered. Kairi suspected this to be another one of her games, but she and her friends watch as the scribbles become attracted to the music and follow the "Rapunzel Pied Piper" out of Multiville.

At the town's outskirts, the friends meet Princess Palutena, who thinks the orderly, bouncing scribbles are part of a parade in her honor. She informs Twilight that she needs to cancel her Multiville visit to deal with an infestation of some "incredibly bothersome creatures" in Wildelphia. Palutena asks Kairi if she would like to give a report on friendship before she leaves. Kairi tells her mentor that the solutions to one's problems can come from unlikely sources, and that it's a good idea to listen to your friends' opinions and perspectives, even if they don't seem to make any sense. Commenting on how impressed she is with Kairi Sparkle and her friends, Palutena takes off.

The friends apologize to Pinkie Pie for not listening to her. Kairi tells her that she is a great friend even though they don't always understand her, and thank her for saving Multiville. The friends walk back to Multiville, and the episode ends when Rapunzel comically plays a trombone to express their dismay at the ruins.

Quotes

 * Olaf: You know, this would be an awful lot easier if there weren't two of us here getting under each other's feet.
 * Kairi Sparkle: Great idea. You clean, I'll go see how everyone else's scribbles are coming.
 * Navi: Olaf, scribbles are coming here
 * Olaf: Or maybe I should... [groan]


 * Kairi Sparkle: You can't hang a banner that says "Welcome Princess Paluten". Take it down and try again!


 * Rapunzel: I, Rapunzel, declare that these treats are fit for a king, or a queen, or a princess!


 * Rapunzel: UGH! A scribble?! Are you kidding?!
 * Spectra Vondergeist: "Ugh"?
 * Kairi Sparkle: A scribble-what?
 * Spectra Vondergeist: How could you not like–?
 * Rapunzel: UGH! Now I need to find a trombone...
 * Kairi Sparkle: ...A what?


 * Nene Amano: I don't have time for some silly scavenger hunt! I've got a real problem...
 * Rapunzel: You've got a real problem all right, and a banjo is the only answer!


 * Spectra Vondergeist: I tried everything I know. I tried begging, and pleading, and beseeching, and asking politely, and...


 * Sally Acorn: Time to take out the adorable trash!


 * Kairi Sparkle: Rapunzel, what have you done?
 * Rapunzel: I've lost a brand new pair of cymbals, that's what I've done.
 * Kairi Sparkle: Will you forget about your silly instruments for one second? You're ruining our efforts to save Multiville.
 * Rapunzel: Me? Ruin? I'm not the ruiner, I'm the ruinee! Or is it ruinness? Ruinette?


 * Sally Acorn: Hey. It worked. They're not eating the food anymore...


 * Nene Amano: Oh no. If they get inside my store... Everybody for herself!


 * Nene Amano: My outfits! Go on, shoo! Get out of here. Naughty! Naughty! AAH! AAH!
 * Rapunzel: I'll save you!
 * Nene Amano: AAAAAAAAAAH!


 * Britney Akiwara: Oh, monster of so little size! Is that a scribble before my eyes?!
 * Kairi Sparkle: I don't know! Is it?
 * Britney Akiwara: Tales of crops and harvests consumed. If these creatures are in Multiville...you're doomed.


 * Kairi Sparkle: Okay, here's the plan. Sally Acorn, you distract them.
 * Sally Acorn:(being attacked by scribbles) YAAAAAAAEEEAAAA!
 * Kairi Sparkle: Good. Everyone else, we need to build an exact copy of Multiville right over there. We've got less than a minute. [gasp] Zecora was right, we're doomed.


 * Princess Palutena: I'm so proud of you, Kairi Sparkle, and I'm very impressed with your friends as well. It sounds like you're all learning so much from each other...


 * Rapunzel: Hey! What happened to the princess?
 * Kairi Sparkle: Emergency in Wildelphia...
 * Sally Acorn: Some sort of... infestation.
 * Rapunzel: Oh no! Have they got scribbles too? Well... Have tuba, will travel!
 * Kairi Sparkle: I think the princess can handle it...


 * Kairi Sparkle: You're a great friend... Even if we don't always understand you.
 * Rapunzel: Thanks, guys. You're all great friends, too... even when I don't understand me...
 * Kairi Sparkle : You saved my reputation with Princess Palutena and, more importantly, you saved Multiville. [pause] Or not...