House of Parker

Featured Characters - Felicia Hardy and Peter Parker

Rating - K

Chapter Eighteen “Old Habits Die Hard”

    Peter skated across the smooth ice, tracing a figure eight onto the surface before skidding to a halt. He rarely ice-skated, even on Earth, but his Spider-agility practically made him an expert, and a quick learner. However, Felicia was not performing so smoothly, as the sky-blue mare was sitting at the middle of the lake with an exasperated expression. She was still adjusting to her Equestrian form. While Felicia managed to demonstrate her cat-like reflexes on occasions, she was prone to make many mistakes. Understandably so, as she only had three weeks experience as a pony.

    The stallion grinned, extending his hoof to the mare. She suffered enough. “Nice.”    After Peter had pulled her to her hooves, she exhaled. “Shut up.”    Backing away, Peter stood on his hind legs and held his hooves out. “Come on. Let me see.”    Nodding, Felicia stood up accordingly, but her hooves wobbled uncontrollably before they slipped out from under her in four different directions, causing the mare to fall stomach first into the ice. Peter snickered, helping her back to a standing position once more.    Felicia groaned. “I suck.”    Peter patted her shoulder playfully. “Yeah, but you’ll get used to it eventually.”    Felicia glared at the stallion. She stood up, more gracefully than she had for the entire day. “I bet you thirty bits that I can skate across the entire lake without falling or stopping.”    “Deal,” Peter chuckled without hesitating, retrieving a small bag from beneath the scarf around his neck.    The mare turned around, skating across the ice. A trio of fillies obstructed her path, but Felicia zigzagged past each of them, managing to lift one and place her down gently in mid-spin. She increased her speed, smiling once her lap was near completion, and she jumped, performing a series of spins before skidding to a halt a mere few hooves-lengths from Peter. Nearby spectators whooped, applauding the mare for her impressive display.    Felicia giggled. “Pay up.”    Peter stared at her, slack-jawed. “You…! That’s hustling!”    The mare furrowed her brow, snatching the bag from the stallion’s possession. “No, it’s not. I only pretended to be bad so I could make a bet and easily win.”    “What do you think hustling is?!” Peter exclaimed, shaking his head.    “There’s a name for it?” Felicia giggled, trotting away while counting her newly-earned bits. “Silly me.”