//------------------------------// // Getting a drop on the Parasprites // Story: Munching Rainbows // by Frozen //------------------------------// "Miss Dash, this box contains the samples you requested." A light brown pegasus wearing a white lab coat carefully closed the small blue container which was filled with several shimmering glass vials, and slowly hoofed it towards the mare with the multi-colored lightning bolt for a cutie mark. "Sheesh, I don't get why you're so antsy around this stuff…" She said, lifting the container by the handle and turning to leave. "It's not like it'll blow up or something." The pegasus scoffed at the overly cautious lab assistant. At least she hadn't heard of any major accidents around the cloud factory, besides an occasional overproduction of morning-fog. A mischievous grin flashed across her face as she could not resist exiting with a bang. She stopped at the edge of the cloud foundation, waving her hoof at the brown pegasus. She shouted "Welcome to the Dashie Zone!" as she sent the box tumbling towards the ground. A shocked expression on the scientists face was worth the potential penalty points for reckless flying. After waiting seemingly forever, while looking at the frenzied gesturing worker, she leapt off of the cloud, her wings folded and firmly pressed against her flanks, plummeting towards the ground. "It's GO time!" As she gained speed she slipped on her flight goggles, enjoying the ever quickening wind rushing by her, feeling her ears being flattened by the increasing resistance. Her face was contorted into a wicked grin reflecting the sheer pleasure the pegasus found in her daring dive that teased a tear of joy out of her. Soon she could make out more and more details on the ground, which, just seconds ago, was only a blotchy green clearing right beneath the cloud factory in Cloudsdale. Right on time she passed the box containing the fragile merchandise. She continued to careen towards the ground, now opening her wings and pouring on even more speed. "…and now for the finale!" Only a few hoof lengths above the ground, the cyan pegasus swerved away while breaching the sonic barrier, leaving the rainboom to explode outwards in her wake and sending a pack of bunnies flying, as they were pulled up by the vortex behind the mare. Using the speed which had build up as she plummeted down, the mare performed half of an inside loop, now flying with her hooves pointed to the city in the clouds, back towards the rainbow streak that her rapid descent had left in the sky. Just as planned the cyan daredevil intercepted the box and grabbed it in mid flight. Lazily soaring to the ground, she had her eyes on the bunnies, using her wings to catch their fall. She received several scolding glances and some pretty explicit gestures from a certain white bunny as she lowered herself to the ground, ensuring the safe return of her involuntary passengers to their meadow homeland. Her wings now freed from the animals that had clutched her feathers for their lives, she rolled over on her back and put down her goggles again, savoring the dopamine fueled rush. Suddenly there was a bright white flash beside her, revealing Twilight out of nowhere. "Are you alright, Rainbow?" She said as she poked at the unmoving pegasus, her horn beginning to glow. "Hey, can you hear me? The magically amplified voice boomed at the seemingly unconscious blue mare, almost rivaling the traditional royal Canterlot voice of princess Luna. The bewildered unicorn had expected the spell to enhance her voice, but this was a little too much. Rainbow Dash shot up to her legs and nearly bucked the disruptive element, stopping her defense just inches in front of Twilight's horn. "Geez, thanks for ruining my nap!" Twilight was visibly relieved and continued to explain why she was there. "I got the word that some clumsy pegasus had managed to stumble off the clouds, unable to catch him or herself, so I teleported to see if everything was alright." Rainbow Dash steamed up and started pacing around Twilight. "Clumsy? I don't get it. Ridiculous! Who said that?" Unable to stifle a little grin, she answered to her friend. "I picked it up at the sugarcube corner and if you promise me to be more careful, I won’t tip off Gabby Gums about this juicy story.“ The genuinely concerned unicorn menacingly raised an eyebrow. She felt a bit sorry for the poor pegasus, but what else could she do to knock some sense into her? Twilight didn't want her friend to hurt herself nor did she want to report her to the pegasus flight administration - possibly getting her banned from flying before she absolved another safety training and exposing her to the ridicule of being called 'Rainbow Crash' by pegasus foals just learning to fly. "I got everypony pretty scared there, didn't I?" Rainbow dug at the ground, a bit shamed. "It was an accident, wasn't it?" She winked to the element of loyalty. Rainbow got the hint and copied the voice of a certain grey pegasus: "I just don't know what went wrong…" She knew Twilight only wanted her to be a bit more careful - this must be the eggheads way to express that. "Do you want to walk with me for a bit?" Twilight said, adjusting her backpack and moving towards the beaten path that lead into the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash followed in her tracks, commenting that she needed to pass by Zecora's to deliver some ingredients she had asked her to get. "I wonder what she is up to now, probably some weird potion…" She shrugged and moved up to Twilight's side. "Zecora and I have a little project going. If our assumptions are correct, there is a way to produce a herbal potion which is capable of deterring parasprites. Just in case they show up again." Thinking back, parasprites had been always around Equestria, but especially in the harvest season those little fluff balls excessively multiplied, consuming almost anything edible they found. "What are you going to do about those 'rats of Everfree Forest'? Just dunk em' in your potion? That seems like a lot of work…" Rainbow pictured the apple family working in a barn, dipping them one by one into some liquid while Fluttershy commands the critters into the production line. "Oh that's not necessary, we could just spray anything that has to be protected and be done in no time." "You know, I have an idea on how to get that done in Ten. Seconds. Flat." A smirk formed on her face. "No - we're not going to Rainboom it over Ponyville, Rainbow." Twilight had suspected that this would come up. Normally Rainbow Dash was bored by this sort of topic. Twilight had overlooked a pothole, and stumbled to the ground. "Clumsy, heh?" Rainbow retorted. She couldn't keep that remark to herself. Rainbow offered her a hoof to get up. The bottom of Twilight's saddlebag had been torn open, releasing a couple of books, the obligatory quill and parchment, and a jar filled with some brown gooey mass. "No!" Twilight quickly wrapped her magic around the jar, before it could hit the ground. "That was close." She scooped up the rest of the objects with her magic and levitated them by her side. "This is a sample of what I think the parasprites expel and use to mark their territory." "Parasprite poop." Rainbow was disgusted. "Not necessarily - but possible." That said, she jokingly levitated the jar closer to the pegasus that was repulsed by it. "Well I found a pegasus repellent…" Twilight giggled at that. They approached Zecora’s house and entered through the open door.