“They’re everywhere!”

Ghost Pepper raced into the barn, a trio of frying pans caught in her magic. She set to work smacking away the little round, winged pests from everywhere she saw one. They were chomping down on everything! The wood of the barn, the hay, the feed for the cows, nothing was safe!

“Jack! Any luck?” Pepper called out of the barn.

“Nope!” Her younger brother, Pepperjack, swung a shovel at the creatures. Just like Pepper’s efforts, they knocked the creatures away, but barely phased them. One started gnawing on the shovel itself, and he had to buck it off.

“What are these things?” Pepper remarked, shaking off several who had started chewing on one of her frying pans.

“Think they’re called ‘parasprites,’” Jack replied, chasing some away as they started heading towards the vegetable patches. “Our cousin Carolina dealt with them a while ago.”

“Well how’d she get rid of them?” Pepper growled, snaring several parasprites in her magic and flinging them as far away as she could.

“Tryin’ to remember… wait! That’s it!” Jack exclaimed. “They like music!”

“Music?!” Pepper scowled in confusion. “Keep ‘em off of everything. I think I got an idea.”

“Easier said than done!” Jack called after her.

She raced back towards the farmhouse, swatting this way and that as she went. She only succeeded in briefly dazing the rapidly multiplying pests. She glanced at a row of pepper-producing cacti, and was shocked to see the parasprites happily chomping away on one of the hottest peppers in Equestria.

“Well I’ll be darned,” she muttered, before barging in through the back door.

Clay Hoof and Siren Song were busy swatting and shooing the creatures from out of the family home. Siren had taken to using a frying pan like her daughter, but was having far less success in actually hitting the winged pests.

“Ma, Pa! I think I know how to deal with ‘em!” Pepper called, stunning a nearby parasprite by flattening it with a frying pan.

“How’s that?” Clay asked, grunting as she shoved a pile of the dazed critters out the front door, and bucking them off into the distance for good measure.

“Cousin Carolina got rid of hers by music, maybe we can do that too,” Pepper said, helping her mother swat a few of the pests in the kitchen.

“You really think these things’ll listen to music?” Clay remarked, slamming the front door shut in several parasprites’ faces.

“It’s better than nothing, love,” Siren replied, panting from exertion.

“I’ll try and find my harmonica,” Clay said, smacking a parapsrite from his shoulder before running upstairs.

“Ma, you think they’ll like your singin’?” Pepper asked.

“Well, I’ve had worse audiences,” Siren huffed. “Worth a shot.”

The sharp, metallic notes of a harmonica sounded from up the stairs. The parasprites about the room perked up, stopping midchew or midflight to listen in. Clay came down the stairs, harmonica to his lips and a breezy, happy tune flowing from his instrument.

Siren Song took a deep breath and added a sharp note of her voice to the song, following her husband out the backdoor.

The parasprites formed a line behind the two, bouncing along merrily and seemingly forgetting about their meals. Jack raced over to Pepper as she walked along with their parents, glancing back at the train of parasprites they were gathering.

“Where’ll we take all these?” Jack huffed.

“Out to Bramble Valley, I reckon. Long as it’s far away from here,” Pepper said, checking to make sure the pests were all obeying.

“Bramble Valley’s miles away!” Jack cried.

“Better sore hooves than eaten crops, Jack,” Pepper sighed.

Author's Note

Pepperjack: Male, Unicorn

About: The younger brother of Ghost Pepper who mainly sticks around his parents' farm and the town of Paxton Junction. Jack got his cutie mark when he tried mixing grated pepper in with the farm's cheese, creating his namesake.

Appearances: None so far.

Clay Hoof: Male, Earth Pony

About: Clay Hoof came out to the deserts around Paxton Junction to domesticate and farm one of the hottest peppers in Equestria: the cactus pepper. His efforts proved successful, and he started both a thriving ranch and a family.

Appearances: None so far.

Siren Song: Female, Unicorn

About: A famous singer from Canterlot. She met Clay Hoof by fate when her train broke down in Paxton Junction. With the hotels booked, Clay offered to let her stay on the ranch. Though adverse to country living at first, she soon fell in love with Clay Hoof. Though she's often away on tour, she always tries to make time for her family back home.

Appearances: None so far.