• Three Days after Swarm of the Century-

The bright rays of the sun bathed Ponyville in a golden shine as the ponies that lived there went about their daily lives. A Pegasus here and there working to maintain the weather, Earth ponies in their farms and gardens growing food to sell at the market, and Unicorns inside their shops, using their magic in tandem with their special talents to craft beautiful artworks or build functioning devices. All seemed well in this bustling little town where everypony knew everypony and not a soul meant harm to another.

But then...

" PARASPRITE!!!" The sound of a pony screaming this simple word sent the whole town into chaos as they all rushed to get indoors, slamming windows and locking the entrances. Many of the produce sellers and farmers took extra steps to secure their products and gardens using large wood crates. Some who were brave enough, peeked out from behind their blinds to see the expectant swarm of colorful little monsters, bent on eating everything in their path.

Only to see a cyan blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail rolling in the street laughing.

" HA HA HA! You should have seen your faces!" Rainbow Dash guffawed as she tried to raise to her hooves, only to receive a smack to the back of her head, pushing her forward and back into the dirt.

" Dangnabit Rainbow! Ya plum gave me and mah kin a heart attack!" Applejack, an orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane and tail held together with red hair ties, exclaimed as she put the brown stetson she used to knock Rainbow forward, back onto her head with a huff. Rainbow pulled herself back to her hooves and turned to smirk at her friend.

" C'mon AJ, it was just a prank, no pony got hurt." As she said this, the townsponies slowly began to make their way back out of their homes, many of them still warily looking around for a rogue swarm of parasprites.

" Prank or no, ya still disrupted the whole market, and on a Saturday! Ya'll know this is the busiest day of the week for most of us." She turned and began the walk back to her stall, where a young filly with a yellow coat and red mane and tail tied up in a pink bow waited for her. Rainbow trailed along behind her, still chuckling at her ' minor' prank.

" But that was the whole point! When else was I going to get a chance with so many ponies together? NEXT Saturday? There's no way I could wait that long on a good prank!" Applejack sighed as she lifted up one of the apple crates she had turned over and inspected the apples that now sat in a bunched up pile on the ground. She grimaced at seeing a few bruised ones here and there.

" Ah don't rightly care Rainbow, a prank like that can cause a whole lot more than just a few ponies running fer the hills. Look at this! This whole crate was full of bright, juicy and delicious apples! Now ah have to go through and pick out the damaged ones from yer little stunt. That's bits AH'M losing because YA'LL wanted to have a laugh." She turned a harsh glare on her friend who now had the decency to look sheepish, rubbing the back of her mane with a hoof while looking away.

" O-oh... uh, oops?" With a huff, Applejack turned to the rest of the crates and nodded at them.

" Ya can apologize by helping me turn over the rest of these here crates and going through them to throw out all the apples ya cost me. Applebloom, go on and find yer friends to play, I have another to help with market today." The yellow filly, Applebloom, whooped in joy while Rainbow Dash groaned. She darted off in search of her friends while Applejack and Rainbow began to pick through the apples, throwing the bruised ones into an empty crate and placing the good ones back on the cart. After about an hour of silence, Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack with an apologetic look.

" Hey AJ, I really am sorry. I guess I just didn't think that the prank would cause a lot of trouble like this." She lowered her head and Applejack took a deep breath.

" Yer right Rainbow, ya didn't think. But ya know better now and that's a good lesson to learn. It's best that ya learn it this way, rather than have ya try something and have an even worse outcome." Rainbow simply nodded with her head bowed. Applejack glanced over to her friend and raised a hoof, lightly tapping the back of her friend's shoulder.

" It's alright RD, ya learned yer lesson, that's good 'nough fer me. 'Sides the prank wasn't exactly a BAD one, ya just need to consider a better time an place fer those sorts of things." Rainbow looked to her friend and smiled.

" I gotcha AJ, thanks." Applejack merely nodded and stood up, the apples finally cleaned up. Rainbow followed her lead and watched as she walked behind the cart and turned a sign that said ' closed' to ' open.'

" Now what?" The rainbow mare asked as she looked around for something to do. Applejack just smirked.

" Now, ya have to help bring in the customers. Normally Applebloom does a great job, but ah think it's because she is an adorable little filly an most ponies just can't say no to that face." She gave a light chuckle while Rainbow merely raised an eyebrow.

" Ok, bring in the customers... Uh, how do I do that?" Applejack stared at her for a moment before shaking her head.

" Ya'll weather ponies need to come down from the clouds more often. Just start hollerin! Make the apples sound irresistible, even though they already are. Ya got wings, fly out there and start tellin ponies about the cart, direct em this way." She started to make shooing motions with her hooves at the pegasus, who looked out towards the mass of ponies that now bustled about the market square and gulped.

" O-ok." She stuttered as she began to walk out towards them. Applejack watched her go with no small amount of pleasure. A tapping to her right caught her attention and she found a white unicorn mare with a stylish purple mane and tail standing next to a purple unicorn mare with an even darker purple mane and tail, a magenta and pink stripe streaked through both her mane and tail, and a young purple and green dragon which stood carrying several packed boxes all with three diamonds engraved on them.

" Well howdy there Rarity, Twilight, Spike." She addressed each of them in turn, tipping her hat.

" What can ah do ya fer?" Rarity smiled at her friend and levitated a few bits over to the counter.

" Good morning Applejack dear, we just came from Twilight's library and wanted to see if anything new was going on at the market. We heard from a few of the other carts that a certain, ahem, ' Rainbow Maned Catastrophe' had caused quite the scene. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Applejack simply chuckled as she took the bits and brought out a medium sized box and began to fill it with apples.

" Oh ah might know a thing or two. Ya see RD decided that she wanted to prank everypony in town that she could, all at once. So she shouted somethin about- oh hang on a tick." She took a moment to tie a piece of twine across the top of the box, making sure it was sealed tight. Once it was closed, Rarity levitated the box of apples and placed them on the towering stack that the small dragon was already struggling to carry. Twilight merely giggled and lit up her horn, taking half the stack from the young drake and hovering it along behind her.

" Anyways, she shouted somethin about parasprites and that was bout the same as kicking a bee's nest. Everypony scrambling to get indoors or protect their produce. Ah wasn't much different honestly, turned over every crate of apples here at the cart to keep em safe, then dove under the cart with Applebloom. Wasn't long after we heard and saw her laughing in the square, to which ah dragged her over here and made her clean up her mess." The two mares and dragon looked around for the cyan pegasus, but could not see her. Applejack pointed a hoof out into the market, where they saw her now, hovering over the crowd.

" Ah got her out there now trying to pull in customers to make up for the damaged apples she cost me." With a nod they turned back to her.

" Well, it certainly sounds like you had an energetic morning." Twilight said as she now gave a few bits to her friend for another box of apples. Applejack looked to her curiously.

" Oh, we uh, ran out last night too." She blushed brightly as the sound of her stomach rumbling could be heard. Rarity, Applejack and Spike all laughed while she did her best impression of a goldfish.

" I'm hungry ok!" Rarity took a moment to wipe a tear from her eyes as she chuckled.

" It's ok dear, you're still a young mare." Twilight groaned as she buried her face in her hooves. Applejack just grinned as she pushed a box of apples to her friend, who after taking a moment to notice them, smiled gratefully and took them in her aura.

" So wait, if you have Rainbow helping you with the cart now, where did Applebloom go?" Applejack turned to Spike, who posed the question and gave a knowing smirk while he lightly blushed.

" Ah gave her the day off to go an play with her friends. Ah'm sure if you asked, Twilight would let you do the same." She gave a look to the unicorn, who smiled warmly and nodded.

" I don't see a problem with it, Rarity?" Rarity gave a small sigh, but her horn lit up and she took the packages from Spike's claws, a small smile playing on her lips.

" I hate to give up such wonderful help, but we can't keep dear Spikey-Wikey all to ourselves now. Go on and find your friends Spike." Spike looked to each with bright eyes and a smile to match.

" Thanks so much!" He rushed and gave Twilight a hug and took off down the street.

" Make sure you're back home before dark! And stay out of trouble!" Twilight yelled after him, her mothering instincts demanding that she at least give him a curfew. All she got in response was a raised claw with an ' ok' symbol. Shaking her head, she turned back to Applejack who stared after the young drake with a smile.

" What?" The question pulled Applejack from her reverie and she raised an eyebrow at Twilight.

" Ya'll really don't know?" Now it was Twilight's turn to raise an eyebrow and for Rarity to chuckle.

" Dear, Spike has a crush on Applebloom." Twilight nearly dropped her packages and her head whipped to look at Rarity. They winced at the sound of multiple vertebra cracking at once.

" WHAT!?" Everypony within a twenty yard radius of the three stopped to stare at them. Twilight gave a crooked smile and they went about their business. Turning back to Rarity, she fumbled with her words, trying to form a sentence.

" Bu-u-ut, he, you, crush, Applebloom!?" Applejack shook her head and came around from behind the stall, grabbing a bottle of water and popping off the cap.

" Here Twi, drink this, it'll make ya feel a bit better." Twilight took the water and promptly chugged the whole thing while Rarity took a deep breathe.

" Twilight darling, Spike has been over me with his little crush for some time now. Of course he still comes over and helps to carry my things when I ask, because we are friends. I put my hoof down on his little crush months ago. He was understandably upset at first, but after sitting him down and talking to him, I explained WHY it couldn't work. The difference in our age is just too drastic, he is still a growing young drake. On top of that, I'm not too certain how YOU would feel if something ever became of it." Twilight was breathing heavily now, having chugged the whole bottle of water and nodding as she slowly came to understand the situation.

" O-ok. I can get that, but why Applebloom?" Applejack gave a hard stare at this, to which Twilight quickly raised her hooves in defense.

" No-not that there is anything wrong with it! It-it's just, out of the three of them, I always kinda thought he might go for Sweetie Belle?" Rarity gave her a deadpan look.

" Twilight if he had gone an gotten a crush on Sweetie Belle, to be frank I would have swatted him out the door with my broom." They looked to her in confusion.

" Think of it this way, he had just gotten over a crush on me, and now suddenly he has a crush on my younger sister? Whom almost looks like me, with the exception of mane and tail color and style. I can see that play from a mile away, it would be an attempt to replace me, with something that is ' almost' me." They both nodded slightly, though Twilight's nose scrunched in indignation.

" But Spike isn't like-' Rarity raised her hoof, causing her to stop.

" I know that dear, but I don't want to take any chances like that. The fact that it has been months and he never once showed interest in Sweetie Belle is more than enough to convince me that that is the case of course. Now however, with him having a crush on Applebloom, I know for a fact that he is every bit the gentle drake we always knew him to be." She smiled at her friend and nodded in the direction that Spike had gone. They turned to see Spike and Applebloom walking together with their friends, an orange pegasus filly with a purple mane a tail name Scootaloo and Rarity's younger sister Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn filly with a curly light purple and pink mane and tail. They were all laughing and talking to one another as they made their way across the market towards Sugar Cube Corner.

Spike had a constant light blush on his cheeks as he walked beside Applebloom, who seemed oblivious to his plight as she bumped up against him, laughing and joking with him and her friends. Twilight smiled softly as she watched her young drake walk along.

" They grow up so fast." Turning to see Applejack wipe a small tear, she smiled brightly, tears brimming in her own eyes as she turned and watched them enter the building, a pink mare with a bright messy pink mane and tail greeting them with all the energy of a sun.

" Yes... yes they do..."

• In an Alley beside the Market-

A butter yellow pegasus mare with a long pink mane and tail, sat trembling as she peeked around the corners of the alley, making sure that no pony had spotted her.

' Did they see? How could they have seen? I kept him so well hidden!' She panicked in her mind as her right hoof cradled a small red orb that was well hidden within her mane. A small chirrup sound could be heard and she ducked back into the alley quickly.

" Shh, shh, it's ok little one, I don't think anypony saw us." The pony, Fluttershy, whispered to the thing in her mane. Fluttershy cautiously looked about, making sure that nopony could see or hear them as she began to make her way through the back of the alleyway.

' I don't think anypony saw us, but it's best to go home anyways. Just to be safe.' She nodded as she kept her hoof to her mane, covering the small red orb that nuzzled into her mane further.

It had been three days since the parasprite incident, and though Fluttershy knew it was best to have removed them all from the town entirely, she couldn't help herself with just one. Only this time, she knew how to keep it in check. After seeing how the creatures multiplied at such a rate, she found that she could keep it from multiplying by feeding it once a day, and only small food items, nothing larger than the parasprite's own body. She had kept this one out of the swarm ever since the incident and has had no complications from it.

It was very affectionate and she loved it dearly, just as she loved all her animals. Angel was understandably upset at first, but after some bribing with a veggie salad, he came around. She had yet to name the little guy, or girl? She didn't really know how to discern their gender yet.

However there was a growing problem, and it showed to be a bigger one than she had imagined. As she made it to the trail out of town that would lead to her cottage, she made sure that nopony was watching, and then buried her muzzle into her mane, nuzzling the critter that made its nest there. She breathed in deeply, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head as its fruity and intoxicating aroma filled her nostrils.

It smelled GOOD. Really good. At first she had thought it smelled nice when she nuzzled it the first time. But it slowly grew into an addiction, one she could not bear to be without. The parasprite thought nothing of the strong inhalations as it merely nuzzled back into the kind mare that had taken it in. Fluttershy continued to walk forward down the trail, barely taking notice of where she placed her hooves now, so focused on getting more of the delicious smell.

There were even times when she was at home, where she would seclude herself in the bedroom with her little friend, simply to nuzzle and smell it. After a short while, her hoof came into contact with something and she nearly tripped, snapping her out of her daze as she looked around to find herself at the small bridge that led to her cottage. Blinking owlishly, she came to her senses once more and smiled as her wings fluttered, carrying her over the bridge and up the path to her home, the sounds of birds and smaller critters filled the air with the sounds of nature. As she opened the door and entered the home, a small white rabbit met her with crossed forelegs and a tapping foot. She looked to him in confusion before realization hit.

" Oh Angel, I'm so sorry, but I just couldn't get you your carrots today. Something came up at the market and I had to leave. You understand don't you?" The small rabbit gave a sharp glare and proceeded to turn his back on his owner, then began to hop away.

" I'm so sorry Angel!" She yelled after him as he turned and entered the kitchen, the sounds of pots and pans banging, being the tell tale signs that he would make something himself. Sighing, Fluttershy flew over to her couch and lay down across its surface.

" What a day. I didn't even get to do any of the shopping that I wanted to do. But I suppose it's alright, there is always tomorrow." A small squirrel jumped up to the arm of couch and tapped her head. Turning she watched as it began to point to a calendar on the nearby table. She gasped at seeing the date.

" Oh dear, that's right! The market is closed on Sundays. I guess it will have to be Monday then..." she sighed and lowered her head. The sound of a small chirp pulled her attention back to her mane, seeing the sad eyes of the parasprite that lived there.

" Oh it's not your fault little one. We can't help that everypony else is afraid of you because of what you do in large numbers. It's just in your nature." She giggled and gave it a nuzzle, pausing to breath in again. A happy sigh escaped her lips as she breathed out. She breathed in again, and then breathed out. She continued this in silence for several minutes, her eyes drooping and her head feeling heavy.

' Maybe.. maybe a nap will make things better... yea...' She dozed off into a light slumber as the parasprite nuzzled closer. The sounds of her animals going about their day, acting as soft lullaby for the kind and sweet mare as she breathed in the addicting smell of the parasprite. It smelled so lovely... so yummy... so tasty...

* CRUNCH... Crunch... Crunch...*

Author's Note

Shaded: Sooo? Eh eh? What do you think?

* Smack!*

Shaded: Ow! What did I do this time!?

Twilight: Stop fishing for compliments, it's unbecoming.

Shaded: Awe come on, you gotta admit this is good!

Twilight: The writing is adequate, however I feel you should have spent more time on the relationship between Fluttershy and the Parasprite.

Shaded: ....

Twilight: Well? Aren't you going to do this disclaimer?

Shaded: ... I do not own MLP: FiM or the Equinox Ponies...

Twilight: Good boy.