//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two: Splash Damage 
// Story: Hero Antagonist 
// by dungeonguy88 
//------------------------------//

“Thank you! Thank you, ladies and gentlecolts! I'm happy to be here!”

Starlight Glimmer couldn't quite keep the anger from crossing her face, as she heard these words “Are you insane?! You almost-oomph!”

The aggravated unicorn was cutoff, as the hooves that caught her before stopped supporting her weight, causing her to finish falling over backwards. Coughing, at the small cloud of dust that rose up around her, she spared an unnoticed glare for the townsponies that were coursing past her to get a better view of the upcoming show.

“But, before Trixie gets started-” The interloping showmare continued to ramble on, as Starlight got her hooves back under her. Shooting a worried glance for her flank, the pink mare soon turned her attention, and ire, back towards this...completely unacceptable turn of events.

Starlight Glimmer quickly began pushing her way to the front of the crowd of murmuring ponies.

“-Ah, yes! We have ourselves a volunteer! Just what Trixie was hoping for!”

“What? No, I-” Starlight Glimmer started to protest, when she took note of the blue hoof pointed her way.

“Come, come, no need to be shy. Let's give our volunteer some encouragement, everypony!” Trixie beckoned to the audience, earning a chorus of excited muttering and hopeful looks being sent Starlight's way.

The town's leader had to resist the urge to scowl, as the rubes around her tried to egg her on into accepting the aggravating showmare's invitation. Sparing one more glance for her flanks, Starlight gave a friendly chuckle, before settling into a big smile for those around her “Well, I suppose it does fall to me to be a good host, doesn't it?”

There was no reason for Stalight to lose her cool.

If she had to steal the limelight from this very...disruptive pony, in order to get things back on track, what better place to do it than a stage? All it would take was a chance to get a word in edgewise, and she was quite sure she could find a way to get along with this new pony.

Starlight Glimmer had always managed to find a way before.

“Excellent! We have our volunteer! Come now, and join Trixie!” The blue unicorn called, gesturing to a foldout stepladder jutting out from one side of the stage.

A few moments later, Starlight was crossing the stage to join her fellow unicorn. She couldn't help but notice the way her townsponies collective gaze followed her across the stage, and was inwardly a bit pleased that she had their attention for what was to come.

“Very good! Now, if you would be so kind as to introduce yourself to our lovely audience?” Trixie suggested with a gesture of her hoof and a slightly condescending tone.

Starlight gave another 'friendly' chuckle, before nodding “Well, thank you so much for the opportunity, though I'm not sure it's really needed. I'm afraid you'll find that in our town, everypony knows everypony already. Ask anypony here and-”

Trixie turned to the side, to avoid letting anypony see the roll of her eyes, before pointing a hoof to a member of the audience “You there! Perhaps you could do Trixie the honor of introducing her lovely assistant for today?”

“What, me?” A stallion with a dull-cyan coat asked, pointing a hoof at himself.

“Of course! It's only fair that Trixie's assistant have a bit of assistance of her own. Surely you know this lovely mare's name?” Trixie prodded along, not noticing the momentary strain on Starlight's self-control this elicited.

“Oh, well-...” Party Favor hesitated, before glancing towards Starlight Glimmer for guidance.

The pink unicorn mare sent her own encouraging smile towards the stallion “By all means, Party Favor, introduce me to our new friend here. Quickly now, before Trixie here moves on without us...again.”

Trixie entirely missed the pointed look Starlight sent her way, and the subtle reaction it caused amongst her audience.

“Ok, then...uhm, her name is Starlight Glimmer?” Party Favor hesitantly offered with a gesture of his hoof.

“And there we go! We have Trixie's wonderful assistant, the lovely Starlight Glimmer! Now it's on to-”

“Your magic show?” Starlight Glimmer cut in with a raised eyebrow, before taking a few hoofsteps to the front of the stage “Where you'll perhaps be showing us magics, the likes of which the rest of us could never achieve ourselves?”

Without missing a beat Trixie gave a hearty chuckle at Starlight's words, raising her own hoof to her chest “Now, now, you're being much too kind to Trixie-”

“I'm sure.”

“-for while Trixie is quite proud of her skills, this show you'll find isn't about her.” Trixie continued on, seemingly as if she had rehearsed these lines, for exactly this occasion.

“What is the show about then?” One of the ponies called out, which was quickly echoed by other members of the audience. Whatever point Starlight had been trying to make had been overtaken by the wave of curiosity sweeping through the onlookers.

Trixie gave a wide grin at that “Trixie is happy to hear you ask that question. For you see, while Trixie's magical prowess is indeed without peer, there does exist a greater, more mysterious magic!”

“Really, now?” Starlight asked, somewhat intrigued by this claim, almost as much as the ponies in the audience. For entirely different reasons.

“Very much so, my lovely assistant! It is a power that Trixie has traveled far and wide to find, a power that she has spent years mastering, a power that if lost would reduce Trixie down to a mere pony amongst ponies!” Trixie continued on, her tone growing louder and more dramatic with each passing word.

“What is it?!” Called out a member of the audience.

“All of this and more is embodied in the lowly material form of-...Trixie's very lovely cape.” Trixie finished in an anti-climatic tone, holding out her star-studded, purple cloak with her hoof. Judging by the confident grin the showmare still sported, the looks of disappointment and confusion coming from the audience were entirely expected.

“Your cape?” Starlight dryly asked, rather disappointed herself in the revelation.

“Exactly so, my lovely assistant!” Trixie quickly replied, leaving Starlight Glimmer feeling as if she was still serving out her role as the 'assistant' despite very much not wishing to do so. The pink mare didn't care for the notion that she was being lead around by the nose.

“This seemingly mundane bit of fabric was fashioned by none other than Star Swirl the Bearded himself, to serve as a repository of magics the likes of which have rarely been seen!” Trixie exclaimed, while failing to notice the rolling of her assistant's eyes. Letting the cape settle back down around her, after a particularly dramatic flourish, Trixie continued on “It is this very cape, along with Trixie's also quite stylish hat, that has been passed down through the ages, from one great magician to the next. Before finally falling into Trixie's very capable hooves.”

"It was passed to you? Did you not just say that you had to search 'far and wide' for it?"

"Details." Trixie replied with a flippant wave of her hoof.

“Really now? Details? In all of my studies regarding magical artifacts, I've never heard of Star Swirl the Bearded having any especially noteworthy work with capes. A hat, yes, though it featured bells, if I'm recalling correctly. How curious.” Starlight noted from the side, with a bit too much nonchalance.

“Don't be too hard on yourself, my lovely assistant. Even the most studied of ponies can have a few gaps in their knowledge.” Trixie confidently replied, not at all bothered by Starlight's attempt to undermine her claims. Taking a few steps forward, Trixie then leaned towards the audience “But, there's no need for anypony to take my word for it. We'll clean away all lingering doubts with a little...demonstration.”

Starlight Glimmer couldn't entirely resist the urge to take cover, diving to the floor and covering her head with her hooves, when all around the stage the screaming sound of launching fireworks began to erupt. Just as the explosions of color and sound began to go off overhead, the pink unicorn managed to get a hold of herself in time to catch sight of Trixie kicking things off with her act.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts please!”
“Would you bring your attention to Trix~ie.”
“A grand feast for your eyes to see.”
“An explosion of Magic~ality!”

On cue, Trixie reared back before bringing her hooves crashing back down to the stage, triggering a colorful explosion of smoke and sparkles. A colorful explosion of smoke and sparkles that Starlight Glimmer had been standing entirely too close to, leaving her to swipe away at the smoke with a hoof while covering her mouth with the other. She quietly hoped to 'accidentally' smack the showmare in the process, but was disappointed to find that Trixie had disappeared from the stage. Darting her gaze back forth, the pink unicorn couldn't help but note that she now seemed to be covered in glitter, leftover from the explosion.

There was some murmur from the audience, as they too wondered where Trixie had gone. That came to an abrupt halt, as everypony turned their attention to a voice in their crowd, where the azure magician was now walking amongst the townponies.

“Like nothing you've ever seen before!”
“Watch closely, as I move to the fore.”
“Prepare yourselves for what's in store.”
“After this you'll be calling for the encore!”

The crowd quickly parted for Trixie, allowing her plenty of room to appropriately flourish her cape. Each pass of the fabric lasted little more than a second, but without fail served to facilitate another trick. One pass left a lovely ring of flowers around a mare's neck. Another let Trixie proffer a slightly stale cupcake to another pony, seemingly from nowhere, complete with a burning candle on top. The crowd let out a collective gasp, when a number of songbirds flew out from beneath the cape.

Trixie came to a brief stop in front of Night Glider before, instead of another flourish from her cape, she lifted off her hat to reveal a deck of cards perched just above her horn.

“Pick a card, any card!” Trixie urged to the surprised mare. It took only a moment before Glider hesitantly pulled a card from the deck with her mouth. She, along with the rest of the crowd, backed away as another explosion of smoke was triggered, one that sent the rest of the cards flying through the air.

Starlight wasn't entirely surprised, when Trixie reappeared back on stage. She was a bit vexed, as to how the showpony managed to appear directly behind her, without her noticing the trickery involved.

“Welcome to the sh~ow.”
“Please won't you jo~in me.”
“Ladies and Gentlecolts!”

Without warning, Starlight felt the distinct sensation of another unicorn's magic taking a hold of her. Briefly letting out a yelp, the pink mare quickly jerked herself free, before turning to chew out the other unicorn.

She was cut-off by the collective gasps and applause of the audience. Back in the crowd, Night Glider was holding the card she had picked up for everypony to see; the Queen of Hearts, with Trixie's picture serving in the role as the Queen. This wasn't so very amazing, until Starlight followed the collective gazes of her ponies to her own flanks. There, she found, were two copies of that same card stuck to her skin, covering over her own Cutie mark, one on each of her flanks.

Before Starlight could even begin to take exception to this gross invasion of her personal space, she found herself reflexively diving back down, as three more salvos of fireworks were launched into the air.

Boom.

“Do you want it?”

Sweeping her cape, to conceal her own form, Trixie was revealed a moment later with a pink coat.

Boom.

“Do you need it?”

Before Starlight could process the sight, Trixie made another flourish of her cape, this time towards her. Unable to back away in time, Starlight blinked as she looked down to see her normally pink hooves had been replaced with a pair of azure hooves. The rest of her body, of course, matched her hooves.

Boom.

“Let me hear it!”
“Ladies and Gentlecolts!”

Starlight found herself growling, as she again was slapped in the face by the, she was quite sure now, entirely mundane cape. She quickly found that she was again sporting her native pink coloring once more, with Trixie's own coat back to its native, offensively in-your-face coloration once more, as well.

There was another popping sound, before another billowing cloud of smoke formed up around Trixie, again dazzling the rubes in the audience. A bit more prepared for it this time, Starlight didn't flinch away, and rather focused on waving away the smoke. Likewise, she was unsurprised to find that Trixie was no longer standing where she once was.

What was odd was that she had left her thrice-cursed cape behind. A momentary silence reigned over the area, as both Starlight and the crowd stared at the pile of cloth, wondering if something was about to happen.

“Croak!”

Starlight blinked as the croaking sound echoed out from beneath the cape. Unable to stifle a desire to know what was going on, the pink unicorn trotted over, before using her own magic to cast the cape off to the side.

Revealing a frog. 

She tapped it with a pink hoof. No reaction.

“Croak!”

A fake frog.

A fake frog that happened to be sporting a smaller version of Trixie's own hat. This sight got the audience murmuring in confusion and wonder, and left even Starlight tilting her head in momentary surprise.

It took Starlight a moment to notice the slip of paper the frog was sitting on, and another to read the message, presumably meant for whomever was assisting Trixie at the time.

-Back away before 3rd Croak-

“Croak!”

'This can't be good...'

Starlight was quickly proven right, when the little rubber frog promptly exploded, in a blast of light, color, and streamers that put the earlier fanfare of the show to shame. She found herself blown over backwards, spots in her eyes and her ears ringing a bit from what had just happened. Her eyes and ears, however, weren't so overwhelmed that she couldn't catch the 'Oooos' and 'Aaahs' coming from the others.

“My ponies, you've got to hold to that feel~ing!”
“It's time to see, that seeing is believ~ing!”

Even as the stage was taken up by the sight of drifting sparks and streamers, Starlight could see Trixie seemingly form up beneath where Starlight had tossed the cape earlier.

'Trapdoors, obviously.'

Starlight didn't get much time to pat herself on the back, as her ears caught a light sizzling sound and her nose picked up the smell of smoke.

Her eyebrows were on fire.

"Frog!"

Starlight blurted out before she began vigorously smacking the area directly above her eyes with her hooves. The pain that came with essentially slapping herself in the head, didn't detract from her relief when the smell of smoke faded away.

Then she noted the smears of ash left on her forehooves, which were, presumably, the last remaining bits of her finely maintained eyebrows.

Something briefly snapped in Starlight, as she stared down at the dirty smudges that were once her eyebrows.

She lunged for the other unicorn.

Only for 'Trixie' to fall apart the moment the pink mare's hooves touch her. Literally. Trixie, literally, broke apart into a pile of straw and fabric.

“Are you kidding me?!”

“There's more to this show that will leave you reel~ing!”
“Trust me, and hold off on leav~ing!”

Somehow, the magician mare had managed to slip back to the front of the stage without Starlight noticing. She could almost imagine the smug, condescending grin, that the interloper had to be sporting, as she continued to wave her shiny bit of cloth in front of everypony's face. It seemed like she was actually hypnotizing her town with the power of pretty colors, as each pass of the cape seemed to cause it to assume some brightly offensive new color.

Starlight didn't care to figure out how it was done, even as all the colors of the rainbow flashed from the cape, as Trixie continued her little dance.

With a final flourish, a flash of colors flew out from Trixie's cape towards the back of the stage, forcing Starlight to move forward to avoid being caught up in whatever was about to happen next. Seven approximately cape size bits of fabric, each a different color of the rainbow were lined up along the back of the stage. It was far too neatly arranged to have not been guided by Trixie's actual magic, she quickly concluded.

“Hold tight, cause the show is not over yet!”
“If you will please move in closer”

Starlight's attention briefly turned back to the front of the stage, as another pop signaled the use of another of the showmare's smokebombs. Predictably, Trixie had disappeared from sight once more.

This did nothing to slow down the show, as Trixie's voice now echoed out over the stage.

“You're about to be bowled over”
“By the wonders you're about to behold here!”

Suddenly, another series of pops sounded off. Seven puffs of different colored smoke formed along the back of the stage, each one corresponding to the color of the cape that had been left behind. As the smoke cleared away, there stood seven ponies, each one sporting the likeness of Trixie, but for the different color schemes each one sported, each matching the capes they wore.

Being closer than any of the ponies in the audience, and having just slammed into one of Trixie's other props a few moments ago, Starlight quickly recognized the dummies for what they were.

Which was why Starlight was thrown, when it sounded like a whole chorus of Trixies was continuing the song.

“Welcome to the sh~ow!”
“Please come in~side.”
“Ladies and gentlecolts!”

Without warning, the red and violet Trixies standing at the ends of the line-up each burst in a shower of fireworks and colorful smoke.

Boom.

“Do you want it?”

Starlight began to back away, just in time to see the next to outermost Trixies, orange and indigo this time, explode next.

Boom.

“Do you need it?”

The pink mare, not wanting to be caught up in another explosion, didn't look back as she ran for the edge of the stage. She could guess that it was the yellow and blue Trixies that burst behind her this time. 

Boom.

“Let me hear it!”

Starlight Glimmer, now at the front edge of the stage and with nowhere left to run, turned back to see the last Trixie. The last of the dummies, the green one, was surrounded on both sides by huge displays of pyrotechnics.

“Ladies and gentlecolts!”

Boom!!

The final blast was, by far, the largest, sending a billowing wave of multi-colored smoke and sparkles her way. Trying to back away and not get caught up in what was coming her way, Starlight quite completely forgot that there was no more stage left behind her.

Starlight Glimmer let out a very unimpressive yelp, as she slipped off the front of the stage.

Managing to cling to the edge of the stage with her front hooves, Starlight had a front row view, as the large cloud of rainbow-colored smoke and sparkles began to swirl together. Ribbons of neon-light seemed to briefly dance amongst the swirling smoke, as it rose a dozen feet into the air. Starlight would refuse to admit that she was staring, despite being as caught off-guard as everypony else, when the miniature funnel cloud burst outward.

Starlight Glimmer let out another yelp, as she lost her grip on the front of the stage and completed her fall. She ended up landing on her back, just in time to catch sight of the wave of colors passing overhead.

The townleader ended up lying there for several moments, staring up at the sky, unable to process just what had happened.

“Thank you! Thank you! You're a wonderful audience!”

The showmare's grating voice served to shake Starlight from her brief stupor. That and the raucous applause that her ponies were giving the interloper.

Starlight couldn't help but be offended, when none of her ponies could pull themselves away from their spectacle to give her a hoof up. Picking herself up, she had to shake her head, in order to shake away the last lingering spots of color in her vision. This also happened to reveal that all of the explosions going off in her face had done quite the number on her mane.

It looked as if she had just stepped out of windstorm.

“And let's everypony give a big round of applause to Trixie's beautiful assistant! Trixie couldn't have done it without her!”

The congratulations and cheers being sent her way, rather surprisingly, didn't improve Starlight's mood.

“Trixie thinks her assistant might even have it in her to follow in Trixie's hoofsteps! What do you think? Does she deserve another round of applause?!”

Starlight had to very carefully force her scowl towards her own hooves, not letting the applauding ponies around her see just how much her mask had slipped, over the course of the show. After a few moments, Starlight managed to pull back the muscles around her mouth, into something resembling a smile.

Lifting her head once more, she gave out her signature beaming smile to all of her loyal, cheering followers “Thank you, thank you. It was a real pleasure to assist our newest guest.”

Starlight was quite sure that if her smile became anymore forced, she was going to crack a tooth “And, I must say, it was quite the experience working with somepony so very talented.”

“Oh, do go on!” Trixie said, with faux modesty.

“No, no, I don't think I've ever met anypony as special as you! So, please, let us all give our applause to one that is more deserving than myself.” Starlight continued, even as she used a hoof to pat down her mane and bring it back into order; a futile effort, really.

“Oh, well. If you insist, Trixie-” Trixie began.

This time it was Starlight that lead with the applause, beginning to slowly stomp her hooves for the showmare. Trixie utterly failed to notice the few moments of hesitation that gripped the rest of the crowd, before they too followed suit.

She was enjoying the moment far too much.

“Thank you, thank you! You really are all too kind!” Trixie said from the stage, dramatically bowing for her audience a couple of times.

“Truly, Trixie would not be where she is today without ponies like you!”

Starlight's smile became ever so slightly more genuine.

“With audiences as welcoming as all of you, Trixie is sure that her comeback tour will be a smashing success! Trixie's already feeling more like her old self again.” Trixie admitted, just overcome with giddiness for how well-received her new act had been. No hecklers, no boasting, no giant-bears, and only a modest amount of lying.

“Who did you use to be, Trixie?” One pony called out from the audience.

She had to smile again at that, as she surreptitiously positioned herself near one of the stage triggers, hidden along the floor of the stage.

“Why, Trixie was once known throughout Equestria! And she will be again soon! Today is the day of the return of...The Great and Powerful Trixie!” The azure unicorn declared, as she reared back and dramatically flung out her cape to her sides.

Click.

There was some polite applause from the audience, but not much else, as Trixie again set back down on all four of her hooves.

After a few seconds of this, Trixie quietly cleared her throat, before rearing back up “...The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Click.

Nothing, apart from some confused looks from the townsponies. And a small smirk on Starlight Glimmer's face, that went unnoticed.

“Oh my. Is something wrong-” Starlight began, with false concern.

She was cut-off, as Trixie stomped her hooves, before again rearing back “I said...The Great and Powerful Trixie!!!”

Starlight had to dive to the side, as a single firework was launched outward, narrowly zipping past her head. Fortunately, the small rocket had been angled slightly upwards, soaring over the heads of the rest of the ponies gathered there, though quite a few still ended up ducking and diving to the side.

Starlight picked herself just in time, to see the firework shoot itself all the way down the single street of her perfect little town. It quickly reached the end of their one perfect street, right where her perfect little home was situated. There it promptly crashed through one of the three perfectly arranged windows along the front of her house.

Everypony there watched the house, as a number of sharp whistles, unseen crashes, and zipping noises came through the now shattered window. From the stage, Trixie sheepishly cringed at each sound of destruction that echoed out across the town. After several seconds more of this, things finally quieted down, as the little rocket ran out of fuel.

Trixie wasn't entirely sure just how angry Starlight Glimmer was. The lack of eyebrows made it a bit of challenge to tell, but she was willing to wager that it was somewhere in the range of 'very'.

Trixie gave an uncomfortable laugh, before swallowing down her own anxiety “Uhm...Trixie would be happy to-”

She was promptly cut-off, as a loud popping sound came from Starlight Glimmer's home. Looking that way would reveal a stream of sparks flying through the still-broken window, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound. A few seconds later, the stream of sparks began to stutter, before cutting off with another popping sound.

Trixie cleared her throat, and very much did not pay any attention to the few wisps of smoke that her rogue pyrotechnic had left behind “...Trixie would be more than happy to pay for any damages she may have caused, over the course of her show.”

She was fairly sure that Starlight's scowl had deepened a bit. Though, again, it was very difficult to tell, what with the lack of eyebrows.

"You know...if Trixie had any money."

'Note to self: The Frog-trick still needs tweaking.'