Swarm of the Century

Swarm of the Century is the tenth episode of the first season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. In this episode, a swarm of pests called parasprites find their way into Ponyville, causing chaos and threatening to ruin Princess Celestia's visit to the town.__TOC__
==Production and development==
This episode was originally called "Pied Piper Pinkie", 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 Pinkie trying to lure the parasprites away from Ponyville with her instruments reappears in Cakes for the Memories.
==Summary==
===Fluttershy discovers a parasprite===
 While gathering flowers near the Everfree Forest for an upcoming visit from Princess Celestia, Fluttershy encounters a small flying creature that appears to be hungry. She offers it a mushed apple, but it instead devours a bucketful of apples before settling into Fluttershy's mane. She takes a liking to the creature and walks off to show it to her friends.
In Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle helps direct the townsfolk in their preparations for Princess Celestia's arrival. While she checks on catering at Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy enters to show Twilight and Pinkie Pie the creature she found, though three of them emerge from her mane instead of just one. Twilight adopts one of them so Spike can have a companion, but Pinkie Pie reacts with disgust after identifying them as parasprites. She states that she needs to find a trombone and leaves the bakery.
At Carousel Boutique, Rarity puts the finishing touches on an elaborate dress for Rainbow Dash. Twilight enters to check the dresses and show off her parasprite, but upon discovering three parasprites in place of one, Rarity and Rainbow Dash gladly adopt the extras. Pinkie Pie appears at the door searching for an accordion, but the other ponies are too busy admiring their parasprites to acknowledge her.
===The parasprites multiply===
 The next morning, Twilight Sparkle and Spike awaken to find their home filled with parasprites. Spike recalls feeding one in the middle of the night as the creatures begin making a mess of the library. Outside of her cloud house, a swarm of parasprites drive Rainbow Dash mad by clinging to her body. Rarity, having organized her parasprites to help her at the Carousel Boutique, becomes disgusted when she observes them reproduce through vomiting. After dismissing another request from Pinkie Pie to find instruments, Rarity joins Twilight as she heads to Fluttershy's cottage to ask for help with the parasprites, only to find Fluttershy overwhelmed by them herself.
Applejack arrives at Fluttershy's cottage and directs her friends as they drive the parasprites into the Everfree Forest. When the group head back to the cottage, however, a dense swarm of parasprites bursts out, having multiplied from a single one kept earlier by Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash creates a tornado in an effort to collect the parasprites, but her flying is disrupted when Pinkie Pie approaches with a pair of cymbals that get sucked into the funnel. Rainbow loses control of the tornado, causing it to fling the parasprite horde into Ponyville as it breaks up. Upset at the disruption, the friends ignore Pinkie's attempt to explain and follow the parasprites into town.
===Ponyville in peril===
 Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack arrive in Ponyville to find its food supply being ravaged by parasprites. Twilight casts a spell to stop the creatures from consuming food, only for them to start consuming everything that isn't food. As the town's infrastructure is devoured, the ponies try in vain to protect their property while Pinkie Pie manages to acquire more instruments. Twilight brings a parasprite to Zecora's house in the Everfree Forest and asks for help, but Zecora only offers a warning that the town is doomed.
===Pinkie saves the day===
 Twilight Sparkle returns to a decimated Ponyville and assumes all is lost, whereupon Pinkie Pie marches into view playing music with the various instruments she gathered. Initially irate, Twilight watches on in awe as all of the parasprites line up orderly behind Pinkie and follow her out of Ponyville.
The friends trail Pinkie to the outskirts of town and encounter Princess Celestia as she arrives from Canterlot. Celestia informs Twilight that she needs to cancel her Ponyville visit to deal with an infestation in Fillydelphia. When asked if she would like to give a report on friendship before she leaves, Twilight tells Celestia that the solutions to your 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 always make sense.
As Pinkie guides the last of the parasprites into the Everfree Forest, the rest of the Mane Six approach and apologize for not listening to her. Twilight assures her that she is a great friend even when they don't understand her, and the group make amends. Twilight celebrates Ponyville's deliverance, only to remember that the town is still in ruins.
==Quotes==
:Spike: You know, this would be an awful lot easier if there weren't two of us here getting under each other's feet.
:Twilight Sparkle: Great idea. You clean, I'll go see how everyone else's preparations are coming.
:Spike: Or maybe I should... [groan]
:Twilight Sparkle: You can't hang a banner that says "Welcome Princess Celest". Take it down and try again.
:Pinkie Pie: I, Pinkie Pie, declare that these treats are fit for a king. Or a queen. Or a princess!
:Pinkie Pie: Ugh! A parasprite? Are you kidding?
:Fluttershy: Ugh?
:Twilight Sparkle: A para-what?
:Fluttershy: How could you not like—
:Pinkie Pie: Ugh. Now I need to find a trombone.
:Twilight Sparkle: A what?
:Rarity: I don't have time for some silly scavenger hunt. I've got a real problem.
:Pinkie Pie: You've got a real problem, all right. And a banjo is the only answer!
:Fluttershy: I tried everything I know. I tried begging, and pleading, and beseeching, and asking politely, and...
:Rainbow Dash: Time to take out the adorable trash!
:Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie Pie, what have you done?
:Pinkie Pie: I've lost a brand new pair of cymbals, that's what I've done.
:Twilight Sparkle: Will you forget about your silly instruments for one second? You're ruining our efforts to save Ponyville.
:Pinkie Pie: Me? Ruin? I'm not the ruiner, I'm the ruin-ee! Or is it ruinness? Ruinette?
:Rainbow Dash: Hey. It worked. They're not eating the food anymore...
:Zecora: Oh, monster of so little size. Is that a parasprite before my eyes?
:Twilight Sparkle: I don't know! Is it?
:Zecora: Tales of crops and harvests consumed. If these creatures are in Ponyville... you're doomed.
:Twilight Sparkle: Okay, here's the plan. Rainbow Dash, you distract them.
:Rainbow Dash: YAAAA!
:Pinkie Pie: Hey! What happened to the princess?
:Twilight Sparkle: Emergency in Fillydelphia.
:Rainbow Dash: Some sort of infestation.
:Pinkie Pie: Oh no! Have they got parasprites too? Well, have tuba, will travel.
:Twilight Sparkle: I think the princess can handle it.
:Twilight Sparkle: You're a great friend, even if we don't always understand you.
:Pinkie Pie: Thanks, guys. You're all great friends, too, even when I don't understand me.
:Twilight Sparkle : You saved my reputation with Princess Celestia and, more importantly, you saved Ponyville. ...Or not.
==Gallery==
==References==
ar:هجوم الأسراب
de:Fürchterlich niedliche Tierchen
es:La plaga del siglo
fr:Les parasites s'invitent
id:Kawanan Abad Ini
it:La Visita di Princess Celestia
ja:パクパクパニック
ko:빌붙이말썽요정 대소동
pl:Rój stulecia
pt:A Praga do Século
ru:Незваные гости
sv:Århundradets svärm