>You and Celestia eye each other across the table, determined not to lose.
>The bowl of jalapeno peppers sits in front of you.
>Servants stand by, ready to replace the jalapenos with even hotter peppers.
>"Begin."
>You take a pepper in your fingers and pop it in your mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly.
>Celestia takes one in her magic and does the same.
>Only four peppers remain, two for each of you.
>There's a slight burning in your mouth, but nothing you can't handle.
>You take two peppers and devour them, letting their juices run down your fingers.
>Using her magic, the white alicorn squishes the other two together and eats them.
>The fire in your mouth is mild, foreshadowing what heat you'll face later.
>One of the servants takes the empty bowl and replaces it with a bowl of serrano peppers.
>Their red color only makes you nervous.
>Celestia, on the other hand, takes two in her magic and eats them without blinking.
>Not wanting to be shown up, you take two peppers and stuff them into your mouth.
>The heat increases as beads of sweat begin to form on your forehead.
>Celestia only smugly smiles, unphased.
>She takes the last pepper in the bowl and bites once into it.
>She contemplates the flavor as she chews, then takes another bite.
>She stuffs the rest of the pepper into her mouth and swallows.
>The bowl is taken away, and in come tabasco peppers.
>She doesn't even wait for the bowl to meet the table as she uses her magic to grab one and put it in her mouth.
>The burning in your mouth is getting a little worse, but you fight on, grabbing a pepper and eating it.
>You feel your nose running, so you sniffle to keep your nose clean.
>Celestia puts her hooves on her chin and leans towards you, the smug look on her face growing wider.
>She takes another tabasco pepper and eats it.
>You grab the last pepper in the bowl and eat it before she can.
>Tears are forming in your eyes.
>The bowl leaves, and in comes datil peppers.
>As usual, she took one in her magic.
>To tease you, she licked the pepper all around, smacked her lips, and ate it.
>You were on the verge of quitting, but you couldn't.
>You grabbed a pepper, and slowly nibbled into it before eating it completely.
>You could've sworn a fire had started in your mouth.
>Celestia chuckles at you as she watches your struggle.
>The empty bowl is switched out with a bowl of habaneros.
>This time, Celestia doesn't move.
>She instead looks at you expectantly.
>"Habaneros are my least favorite peppers, so you can go first, Anonymous."
>Sweat is rolling down your face.
>With a quaky hand, you reach for the bowl.
>You pick the orange habanero by its stem and bring it out.
>You stare at what you perceive as certain death reeking from the pepper.
>You bring it closer to your mouth.
>You let it touch your lips before you open up and put it in your mouth.
>As you chew, you felt as though a volcano had erupted inside of you.
>Celestia humphs and takes the other habanero, eating it quickly.
>The bowl is taken and replaced with a bowl of Carolina Reapers.
"Carolina Reapers!? How did you-?"
>"I read some of those books on cultivating vegetables you brought, Anonymous. I decided to breed them myself in my garden. After all..."
>She takes one of the peppers and tosses it in her mouth, chewing and swallowing.
>"...I love spicy foods."
>She licks her lips, a smug grin prevalent on her face.
>You stare down into the bowl, and the hot death pepper stares right back.
>There was an active volcano inside you right now, with all of the heat running through you.
>Tears had rolled down your eyes.
>Your nose was still running.
>Sweat permeated your body.
>You slowly reach for the pepper in the bowl.
>You take it in your fingers and bring it out.
>It taunts you with its promise of suffering.
>You bring it ever so closer to your mouth.
>Celestia just watches, amused.
>You're about to slam the pepper in.
>Then it hits you.
>Thoughts of the consequences.
>The searing pain in your mouth.
>The heat as it travels through your system.
>The inevitable fury of the peppers passing through you and into the porcelain throne.
>You toss the pepper back into the bowl.
"Okay, you win. There's no way in Hell I'm eating that."
>Celestia takes the pepper in her magical grasp and gobbles it up.
>After she swallows, she speaks to you.
>"Maybe next time you won't challenge the princess of the Sun to a contest involving heat resistance."
>Well, she was right.
>That wasn't really a smart move of you.
>"But thank you for providing me with a time to snack on spicy foods. I wasn't kidding when I said they were my favorites."
>She magics a large glass of milk to you, which you snatch away and chug.