A Superior Hero

by MetalJrock

Magic Duel, Part II

Spider-Man grunted, uppercutting an illusion so hard that it vanished into thin air. "Is this how you'll think we will be bested? By mere parlor tricks, unicorn?" he asked, landing on all fours before standing on his hindlegs, shooting a ball of webbing outwards, yanking himself towards another Trixie clone and causing them to vanish.

"Trixie is no mere illusionist, Spider-Man! Trixie is the best magic user in all of Equestria!" the blue unicorn declared her boast quite loudly, each clone mirroring her words.

Twilight spun around, shooting a volt of magic upon another clone, making them vanish in a burst of light. "Would you stop, Trixie? We don't have to fight!"

Spider-Man growled, driving his hoof directly into Trixie's face while she was caught off guard. "The time for pleading is over, Sparkle. She will not listen to reason." he watched as the illusions vanished in a bright red light, the unicorn losing her focus on the spell.

Laughing, Trixie shot a red beam directly into Otto's chest, launching him into the air. He fell on his side a moment later. "He is right, Twilight. Perhaps you should stop talking and fight." she insisted, seeing Spider-Man stagger to his feet. The wall-crawler coughed a bit and leaned a bit so he laid on his back. "Aw... Are you getting tired, Spider-Man?" she questioned.

As Trixie was about to watch Spider-Man get up, a purple beam was shot at her, pushing her back before gaining focus and directing a red forcefield in front of her. The ponies watching swiftly took a step back at the action, unsure of how to act. Twilight gritted her teeth as she was ready to light up her horn again. "This has gone too far, Trixie." she growled. "Nopony's asking to get hurt."

"I have orders, Twilight Sparkle. Plus, I get to humiliate you and Spider-Man for all of Ponyville to see." Trixie snickered.

Otto narrowed his lenses, "The... only embarassment here is you... Trixie." he decided. "You thought you could challenge the Spider-Man. That was a mistake I'll make sure you don't repeat."

"Oh? Was it? You seem to have a hard time standing up." Trixie laughed at the wall-crawler. She shot another powerful beam, but Octavius dodged it thanks to his Spider-Sense. "Surprising reflexes, I'll admit, but they're no match for my magic!"

Yelling, Spider-Man leaped in the air, pushing his hoof downwards, but Trixie blocked it with another barrier, "Just stay down, damn you!" he ordered.

"Not until I get what I came for!" Trixie snarled, creating a mana blade and slicing Otto's costume and hitting him with a barrier shove, pushing him back in midair.

Twilight used a spell to push her opponent back, going so far as to nearly shattering the barrier. "You won't hurt him anymore. If you won't listen to reason... then I'll join this fight." she relented at last, hearing the blue unicorn snicker at her words.

"Very well, Sparkle. But I am not an easy opponent, as demonstrated by your friend." Trixie laughed, watching Spider-Man stumble back onto his hooves ever so slowly.

Twilight shouted, projecting a teleportation spell behind Trixie. The evil unicorn frowned and turned her head, able to sense the lavender unicon's presence, "H-How?" gasped Twilight, shielding herself from one of Trixie's attacks.

"I told you. I've improved my magic since you ran me out." the amulet-wearing unicorn lied, "I can sense your presence."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Rainbow yelled, her wing leading her away from the fight again. Pinkie's muffles were only slightly heard, but no discernable words were.

Trixie pointed a hoof to herself, "I do not care. I have learned it, ergo it is fair game. And even then, there is no fair in this. She will learn embarassment and humiliation over one who is superior to her in every way."

"You keep using that word..." Otto grunted, running forward, shooting two lines of webbing forward, the gossamer touching Trixie's shoulders while she was unaware. The unicorn turned her head right as Spider-Man's hoof neared her face, "But I do not think you know what it means!" he snarled as loud as he could, punching Trixie directly in the face so hard she was tossed backwards.

Wiping some blood from her mouth, Trixie mumbled, "Lucky shot, Spider-Man."

"As you said, there is no fair game in this match." Otto reminded her, seeing Twlight teleport behind his opponent and shooting a beam directly into Trixie's back. "I am merely doing as you said, accursed unicorn. Now, shall you give up? As a fair warning, I have taken down a yeti and a dragon and made them beg for their lives. The latter was even in tears by the end."

Smirking, Trixie readied another mana blade, but Otto dodged it with precision, "Those empty threats do not scare me! I am more powerful than anything in Equestria!"

"Even me?" Octavius quipped, leaning his body back a bit in order to dodge another swipe of the blue unicorn's energy blade. His body was bent backwards and he performed a backflip, dodging a downward stab of the magic sword.

Twilight used a levitation spell to grab Trixie and hold her down, "One more time, Trixie. Stop this... I truly wish not to hurt you too bad. But you're putting Ponyville in danger. Just... please, end this before somepony truly gets hurt."

"You've already hurt my pride! There's nothing you can do until I make you feel my pain!" Trixie yelled.

'Believe me, I know what it's like to have one's pride hurt.' Otto thought, 'It even brought me down to moments like this, putting lives directly at risk. But I have moved past that, she cannot share the same path I once went down upon.'

As Spider-Man tried to concentrate on breathing, he watched Twilight hold off Trixie, all the while thinking back, 'As Doctor Octopus I have committed many atrocities. All of which I wish to atone for as Spider-Man. The reason I was so mad was because of Peter Parker... Everytime we conflicted, he would always prove superior. It drove me mad too, and I would always try to one-up him in some way physically and mentally. Those challenges cost me my life. But I was given another chance at life, and now I realize... Trixie is not evil like I had thought. She's just jealous like me. But like my predecessor, I have to stop her before innocents are hurt and that means I have to continue to hold back.'

Trixie broke Twilight's spell and pushed the purple unicorn with ease. She was ready to materialize a magic blade again, but Otto's voice halted her. "Stop this at once!" he ordered, kicking Trixie, but the unicorn created a claw that grabbed his hindleg, holdong him still in his spot. "What in blazes--?" he wondered upon seeing what the spell was doing.

Before he could finish the question, Octavius was tasting dirt through his mask, coughing the grass that made it into his mouth. The former human rolled to his stomach, "Did you really think you could blindside me, Spider-Man?"

"Yes."

At that moment, Trixie was blown to the side thanks to Twilight, who had charged a spell. The light on her horn faded as she ran to help Spider-Man stand up, "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, but it looks like she's readying another attack." Otto warned, feeling that all-too familiar tingling sensation on the back of his neck again.

Trixie remained in her spot, her horn glowing red once more. Pieces of the ground began to be lifted and were swiftly chucked at the fighting duo. "Move!" Otto ordered, shoving Twilight directly to the side, avoiding getting hit by boulders. The crowd was in a frenzy making sure they were not attacked as well. "Damn spells." grunted Spider-Man, holding his head, "Are you well, Sparkle?" he asked his comrade.

"Yes. But she's trying to get everypony injured now. We have to stop her." Twilight said, doing her best to keep the debris from harming any bystander.

Spider-Man nodded, "I very much agree. She will no doubt pay for this trangression. I will distract her." he moved away from another boulder. Shooting a line of gossamer on it, using his strength to spin it in the opposite direction, forcing it in the direction of ztrixie, who wished to shield herself from the projectile she made.

Leaping in the air, Spider-Man watched the lifted debris fall to the ground as Twilight performed a series of spells to keep Teixie focused on her and not Otto. The wall-crawler reared his hoof back and punched his way through the blue unicorn's now-weakened barrier, shattering it like glass. "What?!" gasped Trixie, unable to believe what happened before she was promptly decked by Otto while focused upon that.

"You should know something, Trixie. I am much stronger than I look. Be lucky I did not use that punch upon you. Otherwise, your face would be a mangled mess." Spider-Man warned. His Spider-Sense rang off, but he wasn't fast enough for the beam of red that covered his vision.

"That doesn't scare me." Trixie snickered, her eyes blinking red ominously again.

When Otto noticed this, he spotted something else. 'That amulet on her neck. It glowed the same times her eyes did as it did when she uses her horn for magic. That filthy cheater. She has resorted to magic enhancements to strive in becoming superior. Heh, no matter, I just have to remove it.'

Twilight faced Otto, who gestured to the amulet, "That amulet around her neck is what's giving her strength. We must remove it at once before she causes any more damaged in her enraged stupidity!"

Trixie smirked, "Ah, so you finally saw through the ruse. The Alicorn Amulet was what's been giving me this power the whole time. You're not as stupid as I took you for."

"I am quite the opposite, unicorn. Unlike you." Otto snarled.

"But you cannot remove it from me. Only the wearer can take it off. No matter how much you beat me, fight me, what have you, the only way is death. Are you willing to do that, heroes?" the blue unicorn asked.

"What?" Twilight gasped. She went over options in her head, fighting off her opponent in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Otto stood still, devising ways to stop her, 'Death is the only option? No, it cannot be. She is only enraged by the amulet, not actually evil. Even I cannot push myself that far. But she has shown pride and quite the ego throughout our little scuffle. It wouldn't be the first time I had to do something like this. It would be like with Fulmina, perhaps words is a better method than violence. It is time I pull a Parker.'

"Hey, Trixie!"

"Hm? Now what?" Trixie groaned.

Otto stood up, folding his forehooves, "If you are so great and powerful, how come you needed that Alicorn Amulet to best us? I thought you were the best magician in Equestria?"

Creasing a brow and tilting her head, Trixie laughed and Twilight stopped to hear Octavius, "Of course I am the best. I have bested you so far."

"Eh. Not quite. You needed to enhance your abilities to even challenge us. Even then, it is not enough. You want to prove yourself superior, then take off that stupid amulet." Otto insisted.

"And why would I take away my only advantage?" asked Trixie.

Smirking under his mask, Spider-Man continued, "Because even if you best us here, it is only a pragmatic victory. You did not defeat us, you cheated. At the end, it's not a clear victory. So, you want the pride in doing so? Take. Off. The. Amulet. And face us like the great and powerful magician you are."

Silence was passed among the two. Trixie scowled, heeding his words. Moments of stillness was to be had. That is, until the blue unicorn reached for her neck, removing the amulet and in turn the red aura faded and the spells she pulled on Rainbow and Pinkie ended. "Alright fine. Now--"

Trixie could not finish her sentence, as Spider-Man leaped in the air and drove his fist directly into her jaw, knocking her unconscious instantly. He watched her body collapse on the ground. "I finally shut you up." he muttered.

Twilight used her magic to lift the Alicorn Amulet, "So this was what made her powerful and so rage-driven? We have to keep this away at all costs."

"Agreed, Sparkle. I entrust you to do so." Otto replied, trapping Trixie in a cocoon of webbing he made, making sure she doesn't move should she awake.

Spike, Rainbow, and Pinkie ran forward. The dragon cheered, "That was so cool, Spidey!"

"I like to think it was as well." Otto chuckled. He heard the chants for him and Twilight and eased them, "Settle down, everypony. We only did this for your safety."

Twilight smiled at Otto, "That was pretty clever. How you managed to use her ego against her. Maybe now she'll listen to reason and atone for what she did."

Octavius raised a hoof, "I learned it from... an old friend. And yes, we'll make sure she sees the error of her ways." he assured, "I will not let a pony go down the same path I once took." he lifted her body over his barrel and took her back to the Treebrary once the crowd cleared up.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

7817775 Can I please get a link?
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