My little Pony:Spider And Magic

Chapter Four "Heroic Rivalry, Part II"

"A what now?" Peter said, fidgeting underneath Rainbow Dash.

She placed her hoof against his chest. "A hero-off! It's when two ponies square off in a series of challenges to see who the superior hero, that being me, is. Do you accept?"

Peter furrowed his brow and rolled his eyes, hoping it would avert the pony's gaze to which it failed miserably. Her colorful mane fell over his snout, tickling his senses, but he dared not to move, hoping to avoid provoking Rainbow Dash in any form. Her glare sharpened, resembling the tip of a knife, and it caused a bead of sweat to roll down the side of Peter's face.

"I'm not too sure this is a good idea, Skittles," he said, stammering once Rainbow pressed her snout against his own. He chuckled nervously, unable to resist the fresh, clear scent that continued to pour into his senses. "You smell nice by the way," he honestly said, mentally slapping himself inwardly right after. 'For crying out loud, Parker. Stop complimenting a horse.'

Her eyes widened and cheeks burned to a shade of crimson. She shook her head, brushing the compliment away, and brought her glare back into form. "Don't try to flatter your way out of this." Her brow furrowed at a late realization. "And don't call me Skittles. What does that mean any way?"

"It's a candy back in my world. 'Taste the rainbow' was the slogan. You're just as sweet and awesome so I thought 'Skittles' was a fitting nickname for you."

Rainbow exhaled, unaware her blush had returned. "Well, whatever. Do you accept the challenge or not?"

Still on his back, Peter gave the Pegasus a confused expression. "I don't know. Is there a point?"

"You bet there is! I'm so sick of the Spider-Mane bandwagon!"

"There's a bandwagon?"

"The whole town's talking about how Spider-Mane is the greatest thing to ever happen to Ponyville. There are billboards and everything!"

Peter's eyes widened. "Seriously? They like me here?"

"Like? They love you, and I know you're just relishing it!"

He raised his hoof defensively. "I didn't even know about..."

"And now you're going to rub my face in it!"

"Boy, is she high-strung or what?" Peter scratched the side of his head. "I would never..."

"Well, no one messes with my pride and gets away with it! I'll show you and Ponyville that I'm actually the better hero!"

"I think you're looking at the hero game all wrong. It's about..."

Rainbow Dash placed her forehead against Peter's, cutting his protests short. "So do you accept my challenge?"

Peter groaned inwardly. This was too much like home. An angry girl was impossible to talk to, and Rainbow Dash was setting a perfect example of that. She was too frustrated to talk with rationally now, but if Peter played his cards right, she may be willing to listen later. Right now, he could humor her and accept the challenge. It'd be a great way to see how much of his power was still present. His test run earlier was a success, after all.

His eyes filled with dread. There were so many ways this could go wrong. His powers could disappear and leave him in a dire situation, or he could tick off Rainbow Dash so badly that any friendship they had would be crushed underneath the dirty hoof of his Parker Luck. Considering his track record, the worst was bound to happen, but Peter let out a defeated sigh, knowing the choice was never in his hooves to begin with.

"All right, Skittles. Where do you want to meet?"

"First is the Challenge of Strength," Rainbow Dash said, flying over to a punching bag. "This one's easy. We'll both take a turn to kick the bag as hard as we can."