FSE

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Night came soon and with it a crowd of curious ponies from all walks of life assembled themselves on the sandy beach in front of the impromptu stage. As predicted, a nearly full moon hung amongst the stars and reflected in the gently rippling ocean.

But again, it didn't matter how many times you performed an act you always had some form of anxiety before a show and Trixie was no different. She had been pacing back and forth on the wood boards before jumping onto the sand in fear that she was being too loud and could be heard by the audience.

"You said the reception wouldn't be bad!" She peeped through the faded curtains again and hissed at Starlight, "This is what? Half the town? Did the towns next door come over too? Celestia save us!"

"Was I wrong? This is a pretty not bad reception isn't it" The assistant fussed with a prop before putting it back down.

"I don't know why either, I just feel really unsettled for some reason. As though something is going to go terribly wrong and it's not too late to stop it."

"It's going to be fine. You're the Great and Powerful Trixie right? Worst comes to worst we can burn down the stage and run away. You're pretty good at running away aren't you?" Trixie's signature starry magician's hat was floated over. "Get your cloak and get going. We have a show in like five minutes."

The hat was unceremoniously plonked onto Trixie's head and her cape followed soon after, covering her entire head. "You could have done it a bit nicer you know..." She tossed her head back and adjusted her outfit.

It was show time.

"MARES AND GENTLECOLTS! WELCOME TO AN EVENING OF MAGIC AND WONDER!" Coloured smoke erupted over the wooden platform as the curtains ripped open. Balls of light rolled through the fog with the Unicorn trotting right behind.

So far so good. Most of the crowd seemed impressed if not at least receptive. One filly in the front was viciously frowning but you can't win them all. Whipping her mantle around in a dramatic fashion she continued her routine.

She started with a few rudimentary tricks. An endless stream of ribbons and confetti from underneath the sand. A fireworks display from out of nowhere. And a miniature light show with coruscating rays rupturing forth beneath the stage.

With each performance the audience grew more enraptured and their eyes filled with delight. Cheers and clapping boosted the unicorn's ego as she grew more confident about the finale. Well, except each time she saw the filly. Nothing seemed to work on that one. Was she bored or just unimpressed. Time to pull out the trump card.

"Rainbow Fire is as beautiful as it is rare. And even more dangerous to handle. But what I have in store for you is a glimpse of this mythical phenomenon. For I, Trixie the Magician have captured some to share with you!"

Plumes of glitter were propelled into the air as she twirled around, creating a miniature sparkling tornado around herself. Good, this was good. The audience was captivated, she was in the zone, everything was going according to plan.

While she was still engulfed by the smokescreen she extracted the seven candles hidden within the folds of her cloak. Each one was a different colour of the rainbow and they were quickly arranged in a circle around her.

"The ritual for harnessing such a feat of nature is not easy, and releasing it even less so. I'm going to ask you, the audience, to bear with me and share with me your energy as I try to control the fire upon its release!"

The candles simultaneously ignited and had fire of the same shade. This was going perfectly. Starlight's trick candles were performing better than expected with no risk of blowing out, especially on a windless night such as this.

Starting with the scarlet flame she concentrated her magic onto it and surrounded it in a light purple aura. A bead of sweat formed on her brow for dramatic effect as she neatly shut the fuel off.

"THAT'S ONE!" She wiped her face with a hoof and moved onto the next. Carnelian, gold, viridian, and ultramarine were extinguished in order as the crowd was encouraged to count with her. And as they focused on Trixie they wouldn't pay attention to the growing layer of dust at the center of the stage.

"SIX!" The indigo candle was snuffed out as she approached the lavender and final fire. All that was left to do was extinguish it and then the finale could begin. A quick check confirmed that everyone was on the edge of their seats. Well, they would if they weren't sitting in the sand. The recalcitrant filly still wasn't having fun and seemed to be more interested in the old drapes that they were using.

"SEVEN! THE SEAL IS BROKEN AND NOW I SUMMON FORTH, THE RAINBOW FIRE!" Trixie leapt out of the circle and using her own magic reignited each candle to buy time for Starlight to trigger the inferno.

A column of flame disgorged from the centre in every spectrum of colour. The Unicorn held onto her hat as tongues of heat lashed out and buffeted her cloak. Honestly it was a bit overkill but it was certainly having the effect of a barely controlled force of nature.

And then finally it died down to something more modest, closer in size to a large campfire but still embodying all its kaleidoscopic nature. The audience was silent, mouths agape and eyes wide.

"SHE'S A PHONY!"

What? Trixie turned and found the problematic filly glaring while pointing their hoof at her. There was a murmur rippling through the crowd and she didn't like where this was going.

"There's another pony behind the curtain! They've been the one doing all the magic! The Rainbow fire is fake! Fake!"

"Little one I would appreciate it if you kept your baseless accusations to yourself!" The Unicorn was getting a little irritated but also a bit worried. She had worked this hard to win everyone over and to have it all undone so easily would be infuriating.

"Don't be so stupid! I can see their reflection in the ocean behind you!" The murmuring grew louder as they leaned over to look into the water. And true to the filly's word, Starlight and her glowing horn was clearly visible within the ripples.

There was a moment of silence before the booing started. And then the booing grew and grew as the Unicorn took a step back, uncertain as to how to handle the deteriorating situation. She dodged a tomato and a boot as the stage was being pelted with garbage.

This was not going well and perhaps it was time to run away again before things got even messier. But as she backed up to unleash a smoke screen she slipped on something and skidded around the wooden board.

And landed butt first into the "Rainbow Fire".

Her screams vastly drowned out the jeering from the audience and they were treated to a different show, one where Trixie screeched as she tried to put out the flames that had somehow only set her hindquarters on fire. Not her cape, not her tail, just her behind.

On her third circuit around the stage Starlight finally called out to her. "Trixie! There's literally an ocean right beside you!"

Realizing that jumping into the cold water would probably be more effective than dragging her ass all over the place; the unicorn jumped in and was immediately greeted with immediate soothing and a satisfying hiss.

Eventually though the sting of the salt overpowered the therapeutic effects of the cold and she waded out onto the beach on unsteady legs, shivering.

And then Trixie collapsed into the sand from the exhaustion.

---

When the Unicorn woke up she was staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling with white curtains all around her. She was lying in a fairly comfortable bed with an equally fluffy pillow. Still that didn't explain where she was and with growing dread she suspected that she was no longer alive.

"Ah, Ms. Lulamoon. Good to have you conscious and with us."

She tried to move her body in the direction of the voice but an intense burning sensation in her hindquarters immediately stopped that. Instead, she twisted her head and saw a pony in doctor's scrubs and a stethoscope. A hospital? That made more sense than being dead but why a hospital?

"Those are quite the burns that you sustained the other night. You're quite fortunate to be in the condition that you are. That and your friend was very prompt in getting you medical care."

Burns? What? Her brain was still foggy when she suddenly remembered Starlight and the Rainbow Fire. In the jerk of her realization she nearly toppled out of the bed from the pain and needed a nurse to help her sit back up.

"Easy there Trixie! You're in no shape to be moving anytime soon!"

"How long have I been here for? How long will I need to be here for?" The thought of being bedridden for any lengthy period of time was not sitting well with her.

"Well, a few weeks at least for observation purposes mostly. But don't worry, we have something for you to use if you want to leave the ward."

The nurse proceeded to wheel in a hideous and awkward looking contraption. It looked like a series of pulleys and a wheelchair proceeded to make love and birth an abomination. One of her eyes twitched involuntarily as she continued to behold it.

"Screw it, help me in." She sighed as she felt herself magically hefted up and deposited into the seat. The nurse scurried to lift and hold her in place so that her rump was both supported but also allowed to air out.

"I understand that it may look and feel uncomfortable but we really cannot afford to let afflicted areas touch any unnecessary surfaces. Especially after we've applied the appropriate pain relief salves." The doctor motioned to a series of jars and containers.

"Just get me outside please, I need some air." Her front legs plodded along, dragging the rest of her body and the wheeled apparatus out the room and down the hall. The looks of confusion from the other patients was almost as painful as the searing sensation in her buttcheeks every time she hit a bump in the floor.

Finally the gentle touch of sunlight graced her and she enjoyed a cool breeze across her face. That is, until even both of these were too much for her burnt skin and she was forced to hobble into the shade.

It was a beautiful day. And she watched as a group of ponies pranced in the distance. Their hindquarters were perfectly intact and unscathed. It allowed them free movement and range of motion. Never had she observed anyone's butt in such detail before until now.

But that wasn't all that she noticed. She couldn't help but also notice how happy they looked, maybe jovial was a better word? It was unlikely they'd be in such high spirits had their butts suffered the intense flames that she did.

Her own rump had comparatively been scorched beyond recognition. Somehow her tail had escaped completely intact but the same could not be said about her vulva. At least the doctor mentioned that surgery wasn't necessary but she had blanked out early in that conversation.

Another spasm of pain caused her hindlegs to spasm and the chair creaked obnoxiously. She could feel all the eyes on her, on her butt, as the ropes continued to suspend her in the air. Her face reddened but likely not nearly as much as her injuries.

She had to be arranged in this compromising angle, with minimal contact with anything else. Wincing from the combined forces of the embarrassment and pain, Trixie simply did her best to enjoy the day.

And suppress the jealousy of every unharmed butt that walked by her.