//------------------------------// // Chapter 22 - Sweet Scares // Story: The Master Mev // by kazamacat //------------------------------// "I guess that's a wrap for today," Apple Bloom said to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Good work, Crusaders." They hoof-bumped, pleased with the end of their Thursday afternoon CMC meeting. As they opened the door, the three of them saw Rainbow Dash standing and waiting. "Master Rainbow Dash," Sweetie said in a quick, polite bow. "Miss Sweetie Belle," Rainbow returned the gesture. "Or perhaps Crusader Sweetie Belle would be more appropriate?" She bowed again. Sweetie blushed. "Thanks," she said sheepishly. "Oh, right," Apple Bloom said and bowed, "Hi Master Rainbow Dash." Again, Rainbow followed suit. "Hi Crusader Apple Bloom." Scootaloo waved, "Hi Master Rainbow." "Hi Crusader Scootaloo," Rainbow put a hoof to her chest this time as her choice of polite gesture. The other two Crusaders were blushing as well but hardly complaining. "What brings you here?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow glanced at the other two and back at Scootaloo. "Oh," Scootaloo realized. "I guess I should tell them, huh?" "Scootaloo, I have never done anything like this before," Rainbow explained. "I can't answer that for you. But I can't talk about it with you while they're here if you don't. That will be true the whole way through." "Scootaloo, what's she talking about?" Apple Bloom asked. "Come on in Rainbow," Scootaloo said to invite in the mev. She looked at the other two girls. "Want to stay for a bit? I do think I should tell you." "Well, alright," Apple Bloom figured. "I'd be happy to," Sweetie Belle said. Rainbow entered fully, and Scootaloo shut the door behind her before making her way to stand in front of the podium and address her two closest friends. "I can't fly." "Oh, we know," Apple Bloom noted. "Let me finish," Scootaloo told her. "Rainbow Dash is going to help me find out why and then we're going to see if a cure is possible." "Really?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Oh, that'd be so neat," Apple Bloom remarked with a liking to the idea. "Are you going to use your vampire powers for this?" Sweetie addressed the mev and wanted to know. "For now, no. When it comes to using the magic I eat and store, anything I can do as a regular pegasus should be done that way, with some exceptions. Starting off this project is not one of them," Rainbow said. "Well, what kind of exceptions do you have?" Scootaloo was curious. "Things that are important to my pack, like forming it in the first place and learning how to even use magic for when my work does call for it," Rainbow explained. "Oh, well, I mean, if that's how it has to be...if it can be done as a regular pegasus to help me out, then it doesn't even matter, right?" Scootaloo figured. Rainbow nodded. "Right. Just so we're clear. I expect this job to take awhile and be challenging." "Sounds like what I've already been living," Scootaloo lamented. "Sorry squirt," Rainbow apologized. "Still, with what we've got, I'm going to need your cooperation. The first thing I need from you is to get permission from your family for me to take you to a doctor, see if we can get a proper diagnosis on the issue. The next thing I need is your own personal report on your experience with this disability. For example, when you say you can't 'fly,' that has a very specific meaning because I know you can hover ever so slightly. Your wings still work a little even if they won't get you off the ground for long. Do you get me?" Rainbow asked. Scootaloo nodded. "Hey, can we help you write it?" Apple Bloom offered. "I guess," Scootaloo considered. "Don't worry Scootaloo," Sweetie chimed in, "we'll do what we can to help too. That's okay, right, Master Rainbow Dash?" "Sure, girls, sure," Rainbow agreed. "I've got Team Awesome on the case, and your sisters are helping out already so just don't get in their way. You can offer to help their particular assignments but back off if they say no. I'm not ordering them to let you help them. Am I clear?" The two friends nodded. "Awesome. See you fillies around." The adult sky blue pegasus prepared to leave. "Master Rainbow Dash," Sweetie said. "Hmm?" Rainbow queried and waited. "Are you coming over to Rarity's tonight for your flexchange?" Sweetie Belle wanted to know with a hint of hope in her tone. "Actually, Rarity will be coming over to my place since she'll be assisting me with my own report on pegasus flight," Rainbow explained. "Can I come too? Please?" Sweetie asked. Rainbow thought about it for a moment before replying, "With a warning, yes." "Oh, what is it?" Apple Bloom was curious at the seriousness of Rainbow's tone. "I might, and I do mean might, come off as a little more scary because I kinda get into being my vampire self at home. I'm not so willing to warn little ponies I'll be playing on their fears. If I want to, I'm just gonna do it. Blitz too," Rainbow told them, meeting Sweetie's eyes. "But your title still works, right?" Sweetie asked, her voice full of interest and hope. "And kids are safe from you." "Hmm, yes, the title will still do its thing," Rainbow said with a nod. "And while kids are safe from me, they easily forget, even when they know. You do remember that part, right?" Sweetie nodded. "I might not hold back if you come. Understand?" Rainbow pressed into her. "This is the warning, not up there in my domain. Only here." She nodded again. "Alright then, I'm off," Rainbow gave a salute and flew away. "Are you still thinking of going?" Scootaloo asked. "I kinda want to know without having to be there to know." "Well, she did emphasize 'might.' I mean, maybe since we're still kids, it'd be fine," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Ain't nothing to it." "Only one way to find out," Sweetie decided with a determined expression. Then she softened. "Plus, I'll have Rarity with me." Thursday night, Sweetie Belle and Rarity approached Rainbow's home. Rarity wore saddlebags carrying her notepads and pens. A cloud with a solid larger platform within it, enough for the two of them to stand, lowered to act as an elevator. "Oh, this is new," Rarity remarked. "How considerate." "Is this part of the magic Rainbow gets to use for her pack?" Sweetie asked. "I would think so," Rarity agreed with her sister's theory. They approached and watched the door open on its own. "Fluttershy told me about this part earlier today," Rarity explained to Sweetie Belle. "It only works for us fledglings on our given turn." Sweetie timidly stood behind Rarity's hind legs all the same, feeling nervous. The two slowly trudged into the large open foyer to find Rainbow doing wing-ups on the floor and Blitz resting coiled nearby. The pegasus looked very focused on her exercise and to Sweetie's relief, looked as she always did. The wings were still feathered, and the eyes were still magenta. She couldn't even see the fangs from her vantage where she stood. The house itself emanated an eerie aura. "Good evening, Master," Rarity greeted. Without a word, Rainbow lifted off from her wing-up exercising, slowly twirled upward two or three times before diving and grabbing Rarity in a flash, her rainbow tail trail blurring behind her. The saddlebags Rarity was wearing plopped safely to the ground. Rarity made a nervous whimper while being swept off her hooves, Sweetie thought, and the small unicorn began to worry until she heard her older sister's whimper turn into an excited laugh. A separate enthusiastic cackle echoed through the walls that Sweetie assumed to be Rainbow Dash enjoying her vampire role. "Don't worry Sweetie," Rarity's voice carried far and loud enough, "I'm fine, I promise. Just stay put. We're doing our flexchange right away." Sweetie was left standing alone in the foyer with Blitz. She gulped and looked around. Blitz stayed where she'd been. "Hi Blitz," she managed with a weak smile. The leviathan dread lifted her head and a red circle formed on the ground where Sweetie stood. "M...m…" the little filly knew the word, yet she couldn't say it. Maybe it was her not wanting to interrupt the flexchange or maybe it was indeed that the domain made Rainbow's power feel more scary, but either way, her key to safety was out of her reach. She gulped again and closed her eyes, reminding herself that no, of course she was still safe. She didn't need any such key. Neither Rainbow nor Blitz could nor even would bite her. They were just playing, both of them. They were her friends. Rainbow warned her this might happen and maybe even felt like she had to live up to the possibility. Sweetie opened her eyes and saw that the dread had encircled her and closed in to make the space feel tighter. The filly took a deep breath and tried as hard as she could to move a step with no luck, the circle was so small and so tight, it gave no leeway. Instead, something new altogether happened. The snare moved her, gliding her across the ground a few inches, as if she was pulled by a super magical magnet. Sweetie stared in awe, feeling both afraid and exhilarated at the same time. A quiet, fascinated smile formed on her as she realized that yes, Blitz really and truly was playing with her. She giggled and hopped in place to land back into the circle. "More!" The snare moved into an S-shaped path quickly and lightly, then again, even faster. "Haha!" Sweetie laughed in delight. Blitz raised herself higher and higher to peer down at the young unicorn as a towering beast, stopping at a specific distance she had practiced with Rainbow the night of their visit from Lightning Dust. It was the prized position of being close enough to be known, seen, and feared. Not too far, and not too close, according to her master's estimation, and it seemed to be right on the money. "Wow," Sweetie uttered. Then she saw the master mev herself fly freely through Blitz into a fanged grin as she hissed. The circle disappeared. Sweetie shrieked and stumbled backwards, then started to laugh. "Master!" she finally found herself able to say as she stood back up. Two strong forelimbs scooped her up, pulling her in for a hug, bedazzling red eyes meeting hers. "Having fun?" Rainbow asked, and Sweetie could see the fangs again between the mouthed words. The sharpened teeth promised they could bite her even though she knew they couldn't. Rainbow even pretended to chomp for good measure. "Eep!" Sweetie shrieked again. "Hahahaha!" Rainbow laughed and set her down, as safe as Sweetie's head and Rainbow's promises before entering the domain led her to be. Sweetie was breathing deeply in her excitement but chuckled a little herself as well. "Yeah. It is more scary tonight, but yes. Scary can be fun. It's like a special kind of Nightmare Night in here." The red eyes shimmered, and a wind whisked through the room. "I am pleased to hear that," the vampire told her filly visitor. Rainbow then lifted up into the air and swam about for a few moments. "Oh, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said as she trotted up to the scene and embraced her sister. "I hope these two didn't scare you too badly." "Rarity, the most amazing thing happened! Blitz played with me! Really! I mean, it was really scary, it was, that's what she's supposed to do after all, but she really wanted to play too and once I got over that, we had fun!" the excited filly sister was glad to fill her sister in. "And Rainbow! Her snare can act like a magnet!" Rainbow flew in closer, flapping her wings, an interested and delighted smile formed on her lips. "Oh really?" Sweetie nodded. "I don't mind showing you if I can." "I would very much like to see it," Rainbow said and her eyes locked onto Blitz who did her part to demonstrate what Sweetie meant. "Well now, that is something new. Amazing indeed!" Sweetie grinned proudly. "Brava!" Rarity said, applauding. "You did good, kid, real good," the master mev told her. "And now, we have work to do." Rarity used her magic to prepare her notepad and pen. Sweetie followed suit as her sister packed extra for hers, saying she could make her own notes in case she missed anything or somehow the two mares found something else they'd need written down separately and could task Sweetie with doing. "Pegasus flight strongly relies on confidence," Rainbow began to explain. "This is why ponies like me come across as full of themselves. I have to believe I am fully capable of doing ridiculously seemingly impossible things like gliding upside down, flying with only one wing, or my trademark move, the Sonic Rainboom. I could not do the rainboom my second time until I set my fears of not being able to do it aside. No, I could do it, I needed to do it, and so I did." "A memorable moment indeed," Rarity remarked. Rainbow smiled and continued. "While confidence is a big factor, so is training regularly to maintain one's wing muscles." On an on she went. "It's important for flying pegasi to pay attention to their surroundings, scanning the ground and sky for any problems...when flying fast, the world blurs past you just as you blur past it….pegasi can make winds with the flapping of their wings but there are gales stronger that can outdo them nonetheless…cutie mark based tail trails do not happen for every pegasus and are based on speed." Sweetie eventually dozed off, but that was to be expected. The two mev mares decided it was a good time to stop, and Rarity would make something presentable for the Team Awesome meeting next week.