Chapter 09 - Second Wind
"Who's next Rainbow?" Pinkie Pie asked, her own tail wagging like an interested puppy.
Rainbow's eyes scanned the faces of her friends, from Fluttershy to her right, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, past Starlight and falling on Twilight, host of that delicious alicorn magic.
"Me?" Twilight asked as the eyes lingered on her longer than the others.
"No, not yet," Rainbow shook her head. "You'll be last, like you said."
"Then who?" Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow smiled. "How about you?" she offered.
Fluttershy blushed and looked away, staring at the table, not saying anything.
"It's okay, Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said with an air of confidence. "I'd be happy to go ahead of you. Or play you for it."
"No!" Fluttershy said in a quick squeak.
"Huh? No, you don't want me ahead of you or no, you don't want to be next or no you don't want to play?" Pinkie asked.
"No, I don't want you to go ahead of me. I would be happy to be next, I just..." She looked over at Rainbow again.
Rainbow took a moment to look around at everyone staring at Fluttershy. She flew over, put her forelimbs around Fluttershy's shoulders and told all the others, "Give us a minute. We'll be back soon." She guided Fluttershy up out of the room and into the library.
Once in the library, the two pegasi sat on their haunches near each other on a comfortable couch. Rainbow put a hoof on Fluttershy's right shoulder. "Okay, it's just you and me now. What's on your mind?" She set her hoof down and waited for a response.
"I don't want to be chased," Fluttershy said quietly, staring at the floor and not making eye contact.
"I already caught you," Rainbow teased with a wink.
Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "You know what I mean...don't you?" She turned her head to meet two magenta eyes gazing at her.
It was Rainbow's turn to look away. "So, you don't want to be hunted, no big deal." She shrugged, staring at the door to the library. "I've got four more chances after you. And even if all the other girls don't want that either, it'll be fine." She returned to looking at Fluttershy, maintaining her pegasus eyes. "The game's just for fun."
"'Just'?" Fluttershy prodded, ever so gently nudging Rainbow's right forelimb planted on the seat of the couch.
"Well, yeah. I mean, you might say it's a lot more fun for me because of my mev nature, especially at night, but we're still talking about me enjoying myself. You know, fun. Hunting my food is not some deep-rooted need if that's your concern. I'm not exactly starving over here," Rainbow assured her friend.
"Oh okay then," Fluttershy said with relief.
"So, do you want to be next?" Rainbow offered.
"Can I have you the whole day?" Fluttershy asked. "Besides work, of course. A date. An all-day date, just the two of us."
Rainbow blushed, and her eyes darted down. "I...wouldn't mind that."
Fluttershy hugged her. Rainbow placed her right forelimb around Fluttershy's backside to return the hug. She kissed Fluttershy on the forehead, then held her hoof as the two flew back to the throne room.
"Master!" declared an excited Starlight galloping to greet them.
Rainbow gave her first fledgling a friendly hoof-bump before announcing, "Okay, everyone, Fluttershy's next for tomorrow night. I don't think we need to meet here since we've got plans that are a bit different than what we did tonight."
"Perhaps we should decide the rest of the order tonight as well," Twilight suggested. "We know the main things we needed so don't have to come together all the following nights either."
"But...but..." Pinkie stuttered, "I wanted to play Cat and Mouse too. It looked like lots of fun. I thought the rest of us would make it bigger and better by all joining in for the rest now that Rainbow's pack has her first unicorn. Even if Fluttershy doesn't want to play tomorrow, we've still got me, Rarity, and Applejack."
"I hadn't even thought of being able to play again," Rarity admitted. "I certainly wouldn't mind another go."
"It does add a little something interesting," Applejack agreed with the idea. "I'd like a try myself."
"All three of you want to play?" Rainbow asked in mid-air with interest.
Each pony affirmed that to be the case.
"I guess so long as Twilight and Discord don't mind helping out again." Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight.
"Oh, it's fine," Twilight said.
Discord had quietly stood behind Fluttershy's throne the entire time. "A bit samey, but I'll manage," he consented with a simple shrug.
"Then it's settled. We'll all meet here on Thursday night for the next game," Rainbow declared.
With that, most ponies retired for the evening. Discord flashed away. Rainbow waved everyone off, hovering above the table to the throne room where she and the three residents of the castle remained.
Twilight yawned. "Aren't you going to head home, Rainbow? Spike and I are ready for bed though I can't speak for..." she looked over to see Starlight standing and smiling pleasantly, "...Starlight?"
The alicorn princess sleepily blinked a few times as she grasped that Starlight was not at all tired. "If this means fledglings don't sleep, be sure to write it down somewhere for me to find in the morning." She exited, Spike heading out before her.
"I hope you stayed because we're going to do something together with everyone else gone or asleep," Starlight looked up at Rainbow.
Rainbow descended down and gave her a quick nuzzle. "Thank you," Rainbow whispered.
Starlight stood still, holding onto this moment, so reminiscent of the one before they left her room earlier. She eventually closed her eyes and whispered gently, "It was my pleasure, Master." After allowing the moment to linger a little longer, the two finally pulled away. "Any mev magic guts telling us what to do next?"
Rainbow studied her for a moment. "Primeva," she said.
Starlight smiled with realization as the word struck her. "I get a title too?"
"That you do, but it works differently than mine. Most creatures won't use it even if they know. It's for us, you and me," Rainbow explained.
"What about the rest of the pack?" Starlight wanted to know.
"Something to learn about tomorrow and onward," Rainbow guessed aloud. "Anyway, that aside, I think tonight's a good time for my Magic Mentor to do her work."
The two mevs made their way to the library.
"The most basic of unicorn spells is telekinetic levitation," Starlight explained. She walked to a table with a pencil and paper on it. "Most of us are limited to smaller objects. The bigger, and more specifically heavier, the object is, the greater the difficulty. So, for you, we should start with something small like this pencil. You want to envision holding it how you want and then channel the energy through...well, your horn if you had one."
A circular shimmer rounded itself through Rainbow's irises as her eyes turned to their vampiric red. Immediately, a visibly red aura surrounded the pencil and lifted it in place. "Cool," Rainbow said, fascinated. Curious, she spun it three times. It obeyed with ease. She then guided it back down to the table where Starlight had originally found it.
Starlight clapped her front hooves together and smiled with closed eyes. "Perfectly done, Master. Now, try a book."
Rainbow succeeded.
"Two books," Starlight said.
Again, the objects in question obeyed. Rainbow Dash did not appear to be having any trouble at all.
Starlight grew suspicious of something. "Try that entire shelf over there. Pull all the books out at the same time, using the same telekinetic field, hold them for five seconds, then put them back exactly as you found them."
Rainbow followed her instructions exactly. "Ha, you see that!" she bore a surprised and proud smile. "Are you sure it's harder with more weight? It feels the same to me."
"Hmm," Starlight said to herself, contemplative.
"Something wrong?" Rainbow asked.
"No, nothing like that," Starlight answered. "I'm trying to figure out if you find it easy because as master, you have innate mastery over the magic you attempt or because you've eaten magic from both myself and Twilight. We are both able to lift more than most unicorns."
"I'd go with the first one, but if we really want to know, I need to lift something really, really heavy that neither of you can," Rainbow suggested.
"That's…not easy to do," Starlight realized aloud. "You need like several buildings, and we shouldn't disrupt anything with that kind of weight around Ponyville just to test this theory. We certainly don't have anything in the castle. The heaviest thing I can think of is all the books or the map table, and I can lift both of those myself."
"How about the castle itself?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't think we should do that. You might end up detaching it from the ground. It might still be rooted to the Tree of Harmony," Starlight pointed out.
"Oh, good point. Well, write it down or something in case we think of a way to test it later," Rainbow advised.
"On it." Starlight did exactly that.
"So, now what?" Rainbow wondered.
"Since you don't have to worry about weight, we should move onto movement within the levitation, like when you spun the pencil. Even if it comes easily to you to execute magic, the trick to this particular type is what you do before the execution when you imagine what that movement is going to be. For instance, instead of just spinning the pencil, mimic your line of trajectory from a Wonderbolts performance as you move it around," Starlight instructed.
"Oh, that does sound more challenging," Rainbow liked the idea.
This approach was indeed interesting and challenging enough to fill a good portion of the night before each mev retired into the little sleep they wanted before the next day.
Bright and early the next morning, Rainbow Dash arrived outside Fluttershy's cottage.
"I hope you're ready for the best day of your life," Rainbow greeted with a confident air.
"I am," Fluttershy smiled. The two went off for a morning fly. Fluttershy tended to nearby birds as Rainbow hovered and darted around to keep her friend company. Afterward, they flew together to the school before parting ways to their respective classes.
For second period, Rainbow's students included some of the Student Six, namely Ocellus, Silverstream, and Sandbar. The first of those three lingered after the bell rang. She watched as her pegasus teacher toyed with balancing a ball from one wing to another. She made sure no other students remained, and none had entered yet for third period.
"Master Rainbow Dash," she said quietly.
Rainbow swiftly bucked the ball she balanced into a basket holding several others where it landed with ease.
"Miss Ocellus," Rainbow bowed and then looked up. Her eyes flickered to red momentarily. "You have some business with me?"
With a small nod, Ocellus confessed, "I can't transform into you anymore. Not only that, I tried your vampire form, and I felt a powerful electric shock through my body when I couldn't do that either."
"Whoa, are you alright?" Rainbow asked.
"The electric shock is gone, but I still feel...bad…like a knot in my stomach," Ocellus continued her confession. "I can't tell if it's guilt about trying or lament that I can't do it. I've never had something like this happen to me."
"Hmm," Rainbow thought. "This is a bit out of my league beyond the advice that you shouldn't do either of those things anymore. But, I just so happen to know a powerful unicorn expert in magic that has a better grasp on what I am than most ponies. Go see Counselor Starlight after school today and tell her what you told me. I'll be sure to let her know you're stopping by."
"I really can't do it ever again?" Ocellus asked.
"Mev magic is closely tied with consent of the parties involved," Rainbow explained. "You're trying to do those things without permission. Would I ever have want or need of such power? Maybe for the kind of work ahead of me, but I'm still developing certain other powers that take top priority right now."
Before Ocellus could ask about those, other students started shuffling in for the next class.
"Better get a move on," Rainbow told her.
Ocellus silently nodded and left.
After that class, Rainbow swiftly made her way to Starlight's office, finding it clear of any visitors. She shut the door. "First assignment, Primeva."
"Wow, already?" Starlight stared upward at her hovering master. "And during the day too?"
"I'm as surprised as you are." Rainbow landed to stand in front of Starlight's desk. "Ocellus found out she can't transform into me anymore. I told her to come see you after school. See if that limit extends to you as well. The kid's kinda stressed about it."
"It must be quite a shock," Starlight theorized.
Rainbow lifted herself up, preparing to leave. "Heh, it literally was."
"Hmm?" Starlight was curious.
"She'll tell you. I've got a date with Fluttershy today so can't stay long. Let me know if any kind of special Primeva powers activate while you take care of this," Rainbow stated.
"You can count on me," Starlight gave a friendly salute before Rainbow zipped out.
The rainbow-maned pegasus weaved her flight to a secluded area on the school grounds where Fluttershy sat waiting on a blanket for a picnic lunch. They talked about the weather, the animals, the school, their jobs, all kinds of daily life things before making their way back to finish the rest of the school day.
With that part of the day over, Fluttershy stayed near Rainbow for a few quick, small weather jobs around town. Afterward, they raced a few times in the sky, Rainbow winning each time while giving Fluttershy some pointers.
They went to Rainbow Dash's house where Rainbow prepared an early non-magic dinner for the two of them. Rainbow mentioned it was something she sometimes did as a Wonderbolt since they took turns over there.
"Have any of them noticed that you've changed?" Fluttershy asked.
"I don't think so. Nopony's said anything," Rainbow answered.
"I guess that's good," Fluttershy muttered hopefully.
"I've only been around them during the day lately, so it's easier to blend in," Rainbow added.
After the pony dinner finished, the two pegasi went outside to sit next to each other on a cloud in front of Rainbow Dash's house and watched as the sun descended further into its end for the day with nightfall soon to follow. Then they faced each other directly.
Fluttershy watched Rainbow's face, waiting with curiosity. Even if she had seen it several times by now, this transformation would be special. It was particularly done at the shift between day and night and for her night to become a fledgling.
The magenta eyes turned to red. Rainbow opened her mouth to show off her teeth as the fangs took shape before chomping down to line the top and the bottom together.
Fluttershy leaned in to closely examine them, fascinated. When she pulled back, she looked to Rainbow and nodded in a small smile of approval. They kissed each other in a small smooch on the lips, and snuggled. Fluttershy rested her head below Rainbow's chin and against the blue pegasus' chest. They stayed in the position for a few minutes before Fluttershy finally lifted herself out from it. "I'm ready," she whispered.
"Inside," Rainbow gestured her head in the direction of her house. Together, they walked back in and stood in the large foyer.
"So I just stand here and make eye contact with you?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yup," Rainbow said.
Fluttershy blinked and then she felt the enchantment that Twilight and Starlight had described. She could lose herself in those eyes forever. She felt the bite and the drain. She bowed before Rainbow could even tell her to and felt the feathers at her temples.
"Bite me," Rainbow commanded in a playful whisper and mischievous chuckle.
Positively thrilled with chills running through her veins and fangs forming on her teeth, Fluttershy obeyed and enjoyed the sensation filling her body. Once done, she pulled away and blinked to see her vampire master watching her with an eager and welcoming smile. A familiar magenta already replaced the red irises.
"Welcome to the pack," Rainbow said. "How do you feel?"
"Magical," Fluttershy said as she fluttered up in a contented spin.
For Rainbow Dash, this exchange was quite special, even after everything she experienced from her first meal and first fledgling. She was certain having an extended date with an already long-time girlfriend added to today's success.
Fluttershy descended and looked toward Rainbow. "Do you think...do you think I could be a vampire bat at will and not eat apples now?" She had been secretly hoping that perhaps the power Rainbow had could allow such a thing.
"Try it," Rainbow urged.
Fluttershy tried. She felt something but not enough to actually transform. "No, I guess not."
"I sensed something in you," Rainbow offered. "Maybe it needs to build up over time. The continual feeding every week is supposed to make the pack stronger."
"Oh, I hope you're right," Fluttershy replied. "It could be kind of fun if I manage to not actually hurt anyone and be able to think clearly."
"Ha, I get that," Rainbow agreed. "So, was it the best day and night of your life or what?"
"The best," Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "We're both vampires now, Master!" She glomped Rainbow Dash in delight.
"Whoa, haha, yeah," Rainbow laughed. "Segunda!" she suddenly exclaimed.
Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise with a proud smile. "That's me, isn't it?"
Rainbow nodded giddily with a fanged grin.
"Does everyone in the pack get a title?" Fluttershy asked. "What's Starlight's?"
"Primeva. It'd make sense, but we'll find out as we keep going. Two down, four to go," Rainbow said.
"I can't wait," Fluttershy said.
"You can stay here tonight," Rainbow offered. "Not on pack business, just if that's what you want."
"I would love to stay tonight," Fluttershy's eyes lit up. She hardly ever got to stay the night with Rainbow Dash, and it had certainly been awhile since the last time.
They cuddled for some time in Rainbow's bed. Rainbow read a book about magic with a wrapped left forelimb around Fluttershy's figure. The canary-colored pegasus eventually fell asleep. She admitted she could have stayed up, given it was now her flexchange night. Sleep was optional for a fledgling at such a time, Rainbow pieced together, just like it was for a master every night.
Rainbow closed her book and glanced at her evening companion. She gently stroked and kissed the top of Fluttershy's pink mane. "I guess some things get to stay the same," she said with a smile, then looked upward at the ceiling. With herself as master and two fledglings, she was almost halfway done forming her pack. She wanted to give it a name, she decided, but not until after the pack fully formed.
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Another great chapter!
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome!
The queen of Rainbow's coven holds the title of Segunda. What a coincidence. Anime fans may recognize what I mean.
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I do draw a lot of inspiration from Japanese animation and video games for this story though whatever you are referring to is a genuine coincidence. I don't know which anime you mean.