Line #101 Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury


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3	%% SEEN IT BEFORE?: If it happens in different episodes to the same character, you could put the trope in that character's description on the Characters page.
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6	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Swarm-of-the-Century_9550.jpg]]
7	[[caption-width-right:350:[[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles Tribbles?]] Amateurs.]]
8
9	->''"Tales of crops and harvests consumed. If these creatures are in Ponyville... you're doomed."''
10	-->-- '''Zecora'''
11
12	-> Written by M.A. Larson
13
14	Fluttershy is wandering around near the Everfree Forest, picking flowers to present to Princess Celestia for her upcoming visit the next day. However, as she's about to head back to Ponyville, she's startled by a tiny, adorable, fly-like creature. She offers it an apple, only for it to eat an entire bucketful in an instant. Her reaction? [[FriendToBugs Fawn over its adorableness and take it with her to show off to her friends.]]
15
16	Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle is overseeing preparations, making sure everything is proceeding flawlessly. Which, barring a few details, seems to be going quite well. However, when she checks on the progress of the food over at the Sugarcube Corner, she is dismayed to find [[BigEater Pinkie Pie devouring everything under the pretense of taste-testing.]] Twilight's about to give her a piece of her mind when Fluttershy barges in. Fluttershy shows them her new pet, only to find that two others like it have shown up out of nowhere. Twilight's more than happy to adopt one, but [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Pinkie is surprisingly intolerant:]]
17
18	->'''Pinkie Pie:''' Ugh! A Parasprite? Are you kidding!?
19
20	Confused, Fluttershy and Twilight ask why she doesn't want one, only for Pinkie to declare [[NoodleImplements "Now I have to go find a trombone!"]] Twilight dismisses this as "[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} typical Pinkie Pie]]" behavior.
21
22	Moving on, Twilight checks in at Rarity's shop to see how the outfits are coming along, and finds Rainbow Dash there, reluctantly modeling. Twilight's new pet shows itself and...wait a minute; there's three of them again! Fortunately, Rainbow Dash and Rarity are more than willing to each take one for themselves. Pinkie bursts in, asking for help in finding an accordion, but leaves in a huff when the girls are too overwhelmed by the creatures' inherent cuteness to give her any heed.
23
24	Nothing major happens for the rest of the day, and everyone goes to sleep for some well-deserved rest for tomorrow's celebration...
25
26	However, the next day, everyone's in for a rude awakening when they find that their new pets have greatly multiplied overnight. They proceed to make a mess of Twilight's room, get a little ''too'' affectionate with Rainbow Dash, and gross out Rarity by showing her [[VomitIndiscretionShot how they reproduce]]. Pinkie shows up again, but soon runs off in anger after remarking that she's going to need a lot more instruments and nopony will join her. Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash soon meet up; they head to Fluttershy's to see if she could help keep them under control, only to find her under a ''flood'' of parasprites.
27
28	->'''Fluttershy:''' I've tried everything I know! I've tried begging, and pleading, and beseeching, and asking politely, and...
29
30	Twilight begins to panic, fearing the worst if they can't get the bugs under control before Celestia arrives. Applejack then shows up with a cart full of apples (which gets promptly eaten), and soon joins their cause. They manage to herd the swarm into the Everfree forest, only to find ''another'' swarm at Fluttershy's because [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe she had secretly kept one for herself]]. Rainbow Dash generates a tornado to whisk them away, but it gets interrupted when Pinkie's new cymbals get sucked in, raining the insects over Ponyville. Tensions escalate when Pinkie Pie is obsessed with finding instruments instead of helping the others, resulting in the herd outright ignoring her due to Princess Celestia's impending arrival, making her furious.
31
32	Over in Ponyville, the bugs have descended and are eating every food and crop, causing Applejack to run back home to protect her farm. Twilight casts a spell on the creatures to get them to stop eating the food. It works, but now they've started eating ''everything else'' instead... buckets... tents... lampposts... '''everything.''' Panicking, the ponies break off to defend their homes, only to find themselves helpless against the horde. Twilight snatches a parasprite and rushes to Zecora for help, but the zebra can only tell her that they're doomed.
33
34	As Twilight rushes back to Ponyville, she spots the Princess already on her way from the castle. The town itself is a wreck, and the ponies are too panicked to be able to do anything about it. Just as Twilight starts to completely lose her mind, she hears a musical procession start up, and at its source is... Pinkie Pie!?
35
36	Before she can admonish Pinkie, Twilight notices that the parasprites have become entranced by the music, and begin to fall in line marching behind her. Meeting up with the rest of the team and following Pinkie, Twilight and the others rush ahead to greet the Princess, who just landed outside of town. Celestia is nonplussed to see Pinkie marching with the parasprites behind her, but is touched that they're holding a parade in her honor. Unfortunately, Celestia has to cut her visit short due to some sort of infestation in a nearby town. After Twilight gives her weekly report (that the answer to your problems may come from an unlikely source, even if it doesn't seem to make sense), Celestia heads off. The team checks with Pinkie, who finally tells them that she did know about the parasprites and their weakness to music from the beginning, but no matter how hard she tried to warn everyone, nobody paid attention to her. After Twilight and friends apologize to Pinkie Pie, they all head back to Ponyville victorious.
37
38	...or not, as the town is still a huge mess. [[LosingHorns WAH-WAH-WAH-WAAAAAH]]
39	----
40	!!Tropes:
41
42	* AcquiredErrorAtThePrinter: The welcoming banner.
43	-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' You can't hang a banner that says "Welcome Princess ''Celest''". Take it down and try again.
44	* ActingUnnatural: Twilight and her friends minus Pinkie to Celestia upon her arrival.
45	* AdoringThePests: In this episode, Fluttershy finds a cute parasprite, feeds it, and brings it home. On the way, it multiplies. The parasprites keep multiplying until they eat most of Ponyville. The only one who does not fall for them is Pinkie Pie.
46	* BerserkButton: Pinkie totally has hers pushed when nopony listens to her and won't come to find her instruments, which makes it look like she's being her [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} typical Pinkie self.]]
47	* BigDamnHeroes: Pinkie showing up with her one-pony-band, which causes the parasprites to stop what they're doing and follow her all the way back to the Everfree Forest.
48	* BigEater:
49	** The parasprites, to the point where magically ruining their appetite for food will cause them to go after objects and buildings instead.
50	** Not to mention Pinkie Pie, who devours an entire cake in one bite. After having eaten nearly all the sweets and cakes meant for the next day's banquet in honor to Celestia.
51	* BigEntrance: The parasprites are eating Rarity's life's work and she screams for help. The door bursts open, revealing a glowing Pinkie Pie, ready to save the day. [[{{Anticlimax}} Who promptly recovers a recorder/flute from a table and leaves.]] Rarity breaks and screams even louder.
52	* BittersweetEnding: Pinkie leads all the parasprites out of Ponyville...but they still have to rebuild it due to the damage.
53	* BrickJoke: The trombone that Pinkie Pie originally went in search for wasn't part of her marching band, but instead was used [[LosingHorns at the end to close out the episode over a ruined Ponyville.]]
54	* CannotSpitItOut: A lot of trouble could have been averted if Pinkie Pie had simply explained why she was looking for musical instruments.
55	* CartoonBugSprayer: Part of the equipment mustered for the abortive defense of Sweet Apple Acres.
56	* ChekhovsGun: Applejack's herding skills, though it's not what ultimately solves the problem.
57	* CluelessAesop: Probably not entirely clueless, but as more than one viewer has noted, the aesop of this episode, if taken as the face value "you should listen to what your friends have to say instead of dismissing them", almost falls flat when one remembers that Pinkie Pie hardly ever actually tried explaining that she knows what parasprites are and how to get rid of them, giving up after one attempted explanation. In particular, Twilight specifically ''asks'' Pinkie if she knows anything about the Parasprites, only for Pinkie to mutter that she needs a trombone and leave without explanation. Considering all things, of course, this could more or less lead to a DoubleAesop, as Pinkie pointing out at the end how she tried to tell them when they wouldn't listen makes it evident that she did learn the importance of explaining herself properly.
58	* ContinuityNod: Rainbow Dash's headgear was first seen on Twilight for a split second in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon the first episode]].
59	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: If Pinkie had simply told her friends why she was finding instruments in the first place, or if her friends just stuck around and listened to her, then the parasprite situation would've been fixed quicker.
60	* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, was the only one in Ponyville who knew of the parasprites, and how best to get rid of them.
61	* CutenessProximity: Everyone's first impression (except for Pinkie Pie and Zecora) of the parasprites is to fawn over their adorableness. Even Rainbow Dash goes all girly, basically the only time ever.
62	* DidntSeeThatComing:
63	** Uttered by Applejack when the parasprites descend upon Sweet Apple Acres... and eat ''the barn'' thanks to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Twilight's spell]].
64	** No one was expecting Pinkie's bizarre musical instrument hunt to actually pay off.
65	* DistractingDisambiguation:
66	-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' Will you forget about your silly instruments for one second? You're ruining our efforts to save Ponyville.\
67	'''Pinkie Pie:''' Me? Ruin? I'm not the ruiner, I'm the ruinee! Or is it ruiness? Ruinette?
68	* DramaticIrony: "No woodland creature is gonna eat the Apple Family's crop!" Oh, Applejack, how right you are. They eat the ''house'' instead.
69	* ExplosiveBreeder: Parasprites are shown to reproduce in a quick and [[{{Squick}} disgusting]] way. Although Fluttershy only kept one in her house for a few minutes, it was able to produce at least a hundred more.
70	* ExtremeOmnivore: Use magic to inhibit their appetite for real food? The parasprites will simply eat everything else instead. And we mean EVERYTHING else. They even start eating the words from Twilight's books!
71	* EyeScream: A newborn parasprite is shot right into Rarity's eye.
72	* {{Facepalm}}: A Double while Rainbow Dash is being fitted for her outfit with Rarity.
73	* FakeTown: Discussed but not used. When Twilight realizes she can't get rid of the parasprite infestation in time before for official visit from Princess Celestia, she goes crazy from panic and suggests that they build an exact replica of Ponyville and trick Celestia into visiting that instead.
74	* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Pinkie Pie plays the harmonica, you can see the parasprites in Rarity's bag react to the sound.
75	** Also when Twilight briefly goes crazy [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero during the climax]].
76	* FriendToBugs:
77	** Fluttershy and Twilight each find parasprites endearing when unaware of the devastation they cause… and even after that, Fluttershy in particular [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe still decides to keep one]].
78	** Rarity deserves special mention as well; not only does she not seem particularly freaked out to have so many in her house all of a sudden (although, we never actually ''see'' her waking up to them like we did the others) she somehow even gets them to start helping her around the shop. She only stops liking them when she finds out exactly ''[[VomitIndiscretionShot how]]'' [[EyeScream they]] [[ExplosiveBreeder multiply]].
79	* FromBadToWorse: After Twilight's attempt to cast a spell to get the parasprites to stop eating the food in Ponyville, they instead eat everything ''but'' the food.
80	* GoneHorriblyRight: Twilight casts a spell to stop the Parasprites from eating the food. It works. They eat ''everything else'' instead.
81	* GRatedSex: Parasprites reproduce (presumably) asexually by coughing up fully developed offspring.
82	* HandOrObjectUnderwear: The parasprites seem to form this briefly on Rainbow Dash when they cling to her body. {{Lampshaded}} by the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTPqjKk_xCo Equestria Girls]]" commercial.
83	* HordeOfAlienLocusts: Horde of Impossibly Cute Locusts.
84	* IdiotBall: Even after getting rid of the parasprites the first time, Fluttershy decides to keep one because of how cute they are. They multiply by the time she and her friends return to her house and become harder to cast out.
85	* ImagineSpot: Twilight has one, where she envisions Princess Celestia being forcibly whisked away by the parasprite swarm.
86	* ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: Fluttershy's reaction to parasprites, even after the devastation they cause is clear.
87	* JawDrop: Applejack open her mouth wide, dropping the CartoonBugSprayer she was holding, upon seeing the parasprites devours the whole barn.
88	-->'''Applejack:''' Didn't see that one comin'...
89	* LiteralGenie: Twilight casts a spell to make the parasprites stop eating all the food in Ponyville. They stop eating the food, all right...
90	* LosingHorns: At the end of the episode, courtesy of Pinkie Pie.
91	* LostFoodGrievance: Lyra Heartstrings is about to eat a slice of pie, but the parasprites swarm in and eat it before she can get a bite. Lyra doesn't say anything, but she looks like she's on the verge of tears over this loss.
92	* MagicalNegro: Subverted with Zecora. Twilight visits the African-themed zebra for advice. Zecora quickly identifies the name of the troublesome species and, just when it seems like she will reveal a key bit of ancient tribal wisdom, she tells Twilight "...you're doomed".
93	* MythologyGag: Rainbow Dash is made to dress in style.
94	* NaiveAnimalLover: While Fluttershy is usually good at dealing with animals, she becomes this here when she decides to adopt a cute parasprite, which then multiplies and very nearly destroys Ponyville by eating everything (even buildings) in sight.
95	* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
96	** Twilight Sparkle uses her magic to stop the parasprites from eating all the food in Ponyville. It works, except that the spell makes the parasprites ignore the food [[ExtremeOmnivore and start eating the TOWN instead]].
97	** And Fluttershy holding onto just ''one'' of the parasprites while Applejack is leading the others out of Ponyville with a cartload of apples. As soon as she opens the door a ''tidal wave of parasprites come out of her house''.
98	** And Rainbow Dash's tornado seems like an effective way to control the parasprites, but Pinkie shows up at the wrong time with a pair of cymbals, which get sucked up and behave as flying buzz-saws, causing Dash to lose control. This in turn results in the tornado flinging the parasprites ''right into Ponyville''.
99	* NoodleImplements: Pinkie spends all episode gathering random objects to deal with the parasprites, but her friends treat her method as "Classic Pinkie Pie". They turn out useful in the end.
100	* NoYou: This exchange.
101	-->'''Pinkie:''' Now follow me. ''(leaves, but no one follows her)'' I said, follow me!!\
102	'''Rainbow:''' Pinkie Pie...you are so random.\
103	'''Pinkie:''' And YOU are all so STUBBORN!!
104	* OneManBand: Apparently the best way to get rid of parasprites.
105	* OnlySaneMan: Pinkie Pie was the only character in the episode not fooled by the parasprites' cuteness, and the only one aside from Zecora who immediately recognizes them and knows their weakness.
106	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
107	** Zecora is so miffed when Twilight disturbs her concentration that she doesn't rhyme, though she only says one line without leading to another for said rhyme.
108	** The normally cloudcuckoolandish Pinkie Pie is unsurprisingly vigilant and down to earth in this episode, as she's the only one not fooled by the Parasprites' cuteness, possibly due to dealing with them some time before.
109	* PoorCommunicationKills: Goes both ways here. If Pinkie Pie had bothered to explain more about the parasprites before rushing off to find the instruments from the beginning, or if her friends weren't too caught up in their business to listen to her during the times she ''did'' try to explain, the damage wouldn't have been nearly as bad. So infamous that the first episode of ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'' mined a ''lot'' of material out of reversing the dynamic, with Pinkie completely upfront about what she's trying to do while the others insist she's making no sense.
110	* ThePowerOfRock: Or in this case, oompah music.
111	* ThePratfall: When Twilight disturbs Zecora's meditation, the latter falls on her plot. She's so annoyed she forgets to rhyme.
112	* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Rainbow Dash: "Time to take out the adorable trash."
113	* ProperlyParanoid: Pinkie's first reaction of a Parasprite is disgust and heads out for a solution. It's soon revealed why she doesn't find these creatures cute.
114	* RageBreakingPoint: Pinkie completely loses it as her friends refuse to listen to her.
115	* RewatchBonus: Everything learned about Pinkie finding instruments becomes important in later viewings as she isn't being crazy as her friends thought; she's finding them because it's how to get rid of the parasprites.
116	* RiddleForTheAges: How does Pinkie know about parasprites?
117	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: The parasprites.
118	* SanityBall: Again, Pinkie Pie. She's the only one in Ponyville who did not fall for the Parasprites' cuteness, not wanting to adopt one for herself, and began setting up her plan to get rid of them.
119	* SanitySlippage: Briefly occurs to Twilight during the climax. May count as {{Foreshadowing}}; "Lesson Zero" reveals that Twilight becomes ''very'' unstable when faced with the prospect of disappointing Celestia.
120	* SceneryGorn: The parasprites reduce Ponyville to this.
121	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Pinkie Pie does this twice. First when Twilight won't follow her to get some maracas and a tuba, and again when she finds some tambourines and realizes no one is listening.
122	* ShoutOut:
123	** The entire episode is essentially a WholePlotReference to ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'''s "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles The Trouble with Tribbles]]".
124	** The parasprite at Twilight's house starts multiplying when Spike [[Film/{{Gremlins}} feeds it after midnight.]]
125	** [[Film/BlazingSaddles "We need to build an exact copy of Ponyville right over there. We've got less than a minute!"]]
126	** The idea of using music to lure all the pests out of town comes straight from ''Literature/ThePiedPiperOfHamelin''.
127	** [[Series/HaveGunWillTravel Have tuba, will travel.]]
128	** The parasprites reproduce by [[Film/{{Tremors}} eating and then vomiting up new parasprites]].
129	** When Spike tries to gather the parasites in the library, he trips and shouts "[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons D'oh!]]"
130	** Part of Applejack's roundup music sounds a lot like the theme from ''Series/{{Bonanza}}''.
131	* SnapBack: The town has been destroyed, but all other episodes begin with it perfectly intact, as if nothing had happened.
132	* StateVisit: Princess Celestia is planning to visit Ponyville, and the Mane Six, along with the rest of the town, are preparing for the event. Fluttershy going to collect flowers is what kicks off the plot, as she winds up bringing a Parasprite with her.
133	* StealthPun: Pinkie Pie leads an infestation of pests away from the town using musical instruments, making her The Pinkie Pied Piper.
134	* SuddenAnatomy: A parasprite projects a "nose" and nostrils to sniff at an apple.
135	* SureLetsGoWithThat: Celestia mistakes Pinkie Pie's leading the parasprites away as a parade in her honor. Twilight runs with it.
136	* TailSlap: Twilight swats a parasprite like a fly with her tail after they have completely lost their cuteness factor to her.
137	* TemptingFate:
138	-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' The decorations, the banquet, I really hope everything comes together in time for tomorrow.\
139	''[Spike and the parasprite are sleeping peacefully]''\
140	'''Twilight Sparkle:''' ''[yawns]'' What's there to worry about?
141	* ThisIsNoTimeForKnitting: Pinkie's hunt for musical instruments amid the infestation crisis had a practical point after all.
142	* VomitIndiscretionShot: This is how Rarity discovers how the parasprites reproduce.
143	* WhamShot: The parasprites starting to dance along to the music of Pinkie's instruments.
144	* WhatNowEnding: The Mane Six have this realization when despite driving the parasprites away, the town is still in a huge mess and needs a lot of time to be fixed together again.
145	* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Pinkie's first reaction upon seeing the parasprite Fluttershy found, showing she's the only one of the Mane Six with her head straight about them.
146	* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Applejack's herding seems to work, but everypony's back at square one thanks to Fluttershy leaving one parasprite at home.
147	* ZanyScheme: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed.]] Pinkie is unable to help with the parasprite problem because she's too focused on finding various instruments, and the rest of the Mane Six dismiss this as Pinkie being her random self. But in the end, the parasprites enter a Pied Piper like state when they hear the music of her one-pony band, causing them to follow her back to the Everfree Forest, saving the day.

Context Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury