“I think something is wrong.”
The question nearly caused Rarity to drop the pen in her hand. She finished scribbling down the measurements and magically sent the pad away to rest on her work desk. She remained knelt before a Fuyu clad only in black underwear, looking up into her unsure eyes. “Why do you say that? Did Twilight say something?”
“That's just it,” Fuyu sighed, rubbing at the right side of her skull and closing her stance, now that the dressmaker had finished taking her inseam again. “She hasn't spoken to me much in the past two days. I don't understand why.”
Rarity rose to her feet at last, tapping her chin as she thought. “Does she have her face buried in a book every time you see her?” she asked, smirking slightly when she received a nod. “That's why. Twilight tends to withdraw when she starts studying.” A sad glance from Fuyu caused the dressmaker to tilt her head. “What's the matter?”
“I think she's studying me,” the pale woman muttered, crossing her arms and peering off to the side. Her eyes rested on her clothes, neatly folded and placed in one of the chairs. “I'd like to know what she's found, but I think she thinks it will upset me.”
Frowning, Rarity removed her glasses, magically dismissing them to her table with a flick of her wrist. “I don't know what to tell you, darling. Maybe she hasn't found anything? Nothing annoys her like a question she cannot answer.”
“Hmm.” Fuyu watched the dressmaker walk away and dropped her arms. “Can I get dressed now?”
“Oh, of course,” she replied, smiling awkwardly. “I just needed more accurate numbers before I start working on your new ensemble.”
“Ensemble?” she blinked, striding over to the chair. In an instant, she had the black shirt pulled on, and was grabbing her cargo pants. “What ensemble?”
“For the Mayor's party, darling!” Rarity was busy bouncing her gaze between bolts of blue fabric that, to Fuyu, looked exactly the same. “I want you to look stunning. I must admit, I don't often do work for women of your build,” she added, dropping those bolts and taking up a black square that shimmered in the sunlight. “Applejack only wants work clothes, and Rainbow Dash thinks all of...this,” she paused briefly to wave her hands around, indicating the entire shop, “is terribly dull. Designing something that hangs on you well is going to be quite a challenge!”
Fuyu tilted her head at the giggle that punctuated Rarity's words. Once she had her pants on, she walked a short distance to retrieve and slide on her sandals. “I'm not sure I want to go to that thing.”
“Oh, it'll be lovely! Pinkie is doing the planning, I'm sure she'll make arrangements so you feel comfortable. Oh, would you mind trying these on?” Rarity waved a pair of shining black heels in Fuyu's direction. “I just need to see how tall you'll look in them.”
With a shrug, the pale woman went over and picked up the shoes, ditching her sandals and inserting her feet into the heels. Once in them, she glanced around at the new perspective and blinked. The heels were three-inch; she was now almost Applejack's height. Rarity folded her arms and nodded several times, emitting slight noises as her eyes traveled the length of Fuyu's frame. “They don't feel very good,” she admitted, missing the empty comfort of her flip flops. “How do you wear them all the time?”
“Practice, my dear,” Rarity laughed. “You can take them off now.” Fuyu did so quickly, donning her sandals again. She wiggled her toes to stretch the constrained feeling out of them. Rarity took the heels when they were handed over and smiled. “If I may, you're sounding different today.”
Fuyu bounced from foot to foot as she secured her sandals. “How so?”
“I'm not sure. More natural?” Rarity looked inside the heels at the size and made a mental note. “You used to talk like a robot, no offense.” When no reply came, she looked up at found Fuyu had her back turned. Again, her right hand rested on her skull.
“Something happened when Applejack took me to the pool. I'm not sure what. I haven't felt the same since.” She spun to face Rarity again. “Natural? I guess.”
“Well, if I'm being completely honest, you sound like one part Applejack, and two parts Rainbow.” She smirked as Fuyu cocked an eyebrow. “Rainbow does that all the time. Especially if I ask her to model something too frilly.”
“She doesn't seem like the type that enjoys standing still.” She looked out the window at the sunny sky, allowing her eyes to pass over the trees before she looked back at the dressmaker. The air had a faintly crisp undertone today; soon, the leaves would be all sorts of colors. While Rarity was drawing out something, Fuyu sat down and watched. “I still don't know how much I want to go to this party.”
“Oh, it'll be fine,” Rarity said, waving her free hand dismissively. “Just pop in, accept your award, mingle a bit, then retire if it still bothers you. You don't have to stay the whole night.”
Fuyu rubbed her eyes as she went back to sit in the chair. “Won't they be unhappy? I'm not certain how all of this works.”
Rarity opened her mouth to answer, but a cheerful ring from the door on the other side of the room silenced her nascent words. She stood up and smoothed her dress down, preparing to greet the arrival. Fuyu simply looked back over her shoulder at the door as it began to swing. In the doorway was a smiling Pinkie Pie, who darted past and clamped onto the dressmaker in a hug, then released her and did the same to the pale woman.
“Hi!” she chirped, her face buried in Fuyu's midnight and blue locks. “What are you two doing?”
“Getting started on her dress.” Rarity rubbed at her sides, trying to dull the soreness from the baker's steel trap embrace. “Please be more careful with your hugs, I think you almost broke something,” she sighed, although a smile was on her face.
Pinkie giggled, still wrapped around Fuyu, who was only just now returning her hug. “Sorry! This is why I like to hug Fufu so much, she never ever gets hurt!” She squeezed even tighter to prove her point, and let out a surprised noise as she received a poke on the shoulder.
It was the pale woman, jabbing gently at her friend and frowning. “I would like to stand up, if you don't mind.” Pinkie instantly let go and stepped backwards, staring. “What?”
“You still don't sound like yourself!” the baker gasped and pointed. “Did Twilight do something magicky to you?” In an instant Pinkie was clamped on again in a hug. This time, Fuyu simply rose with the baker still attached. “Eek!” she yelped, wiggling her legs as her shoes lost contact with the carpet.
Fuyu was hugging rather firmly herself, mostly for grip on Pinkie to make certain she didn't fall. “No. Remember what I told you about Applejack's clone?” Furious wiggling rattled her frame, indicating the baker wanted down. Once she was free, she simply latched on in a third hug.
“Oh, I forgot that...” Pinkie nodded rapidly, her voice anxious. She was hugging as hard as her arms would let her, so forceful they were trembling. When they could bear no more, she released Fuyu and stepped away to stand with Rarity at her work desk. “You're still snapped, then? Are you okay?”
“I'm not sure. I feel fine, physically.” She stared back at their uncertain looks for a moment before crossing her arms. “What?”
“Snapping is bad! At least I'm pretty sure snapping is bad. I snapped once and it was bad. Snapping's bad, right?” Pinkie stared at a slightly stunned Rarity for confirmation, tapping her pink sneaker on the carpet. “I thought so!” Undeterred, she kept on trucking. “Fufu, you don't even look snapped! Are you sure you snapped?”
Fuyu had now heard some variation of the word so many times, it was beginning to sound odd. She rubbed her head and sighed. “It felt like a snap. A literal snap. In my mind.” Vaguely aware of how strange that sounded, she frowned and looked off to the side.
“That can't be good,” was all the dressmaker had to offer.
“Ooooo wait! Did you tell Rarity about the voice that lives in your head and tells you it's sorry?” Pinkie blurted out, looking between the two of them expectantly. Rarity dropped the bolts in her hands and blinked, while Fuyu rubbed at her eyes and grumbled.
“No, Pinkie, I didn't,” she sighed, returning the stunned gaze of Rarity with a helpless look. “And by the way, it's a literal voice. When I mentioned it to Twilight, that's when she started studying so much.”
“I'm going to be honest here and take a page out of Rainbow's book: I do not know what to think about you sometimes.” She smiled, however, and took up her fabric again. “Then again, I can say that about all my friends.” A severe pout from Pinkie caught her eye. “Don't give me that look. You don't even know what to think about you. You told me so yourself.”
“Good point,” the baker admitted, a peal of giggles escaping her lips as she grinned. “Oh, Fufu! I almost forgot to ask what kind of drinks you like!”
“Anything fizzy,” she replied, unrolling the long, black sleeves of her shirt and glancing out the window. “I should probably be getting back.”
“Take care, darling. I'll try to have this done for you by next week,” Rarity called, daintily waving her free right hand. Pinkie's wave was far more exaggerated; she even bounced in place beside the dressmaker. Fuyu returned both goodbyes with a faint wave of her own and drifted out the door.
Once outside, she allowed her thoughts to fade against the backdrop of the bustling town. She was still plagued by the imagery of the book, though with a full stomach she had been more able to suppress the anxiety it caused. Twilight's cloistering bothered her in a different way, and yet she could not make herself intervene. After a few minutes of walking, she engaged in a conversation with the other occupant of her brain.
The first question was as pointed as she could make it without actually opening her mouth.
When I thought of the Princess, why did you reply with those words?
Someone across the street shouted her name. She glanced over and, upon seeing it was someone unfamiliar, nodded briefly while awaiting an answer. All she received were the same words that attached themselves to the imagine of the Princess, at which she scowled. Unwilling to argue with herself in such a public place, she resigned herself to walking back to the library. Many of the people walking by would greet her in some fashion, and she tried to return their hellos while being as brief as possible. One voice from behind was familiar enough to stop her, however.
“Miss Fuyu!” The pale woman turned and beheld an oncoming Apple Bloom, weaving past passersby as she ran down the sidewalk. Her sneakers emitted an awkward squeak as she slid to a halt, hunched over and trying to catch her breath. “Hold on,” she panted, gulping air for several seconds before raising up. “Phew. My brother wants ta talk to ya!”
Fuyu blinked down at her. “Brother?” When she looked up again, an absolute mountain of a man, clad in blue jeans and a red flannel shirt, was making his way toward them. When he got there, she had to look a long way up at him – Applejack was tall, but he would tower over the blonde had she been there.
“Ma'am,” Big Macintosh said, dipping his head respectfully. “Bloom, go over ta Bon Bon's and get us some lemonade while I speak ta Miss Fuyu,” he added, smiling down at the redhead while producing some money from his pocket. She nodded happily and took the bill, skipping off down the sidewalk. He watched her go for a moment before speaking again. “Me and Granny never properly thanked ya,” he said, moving past and settling on a bench nearby. “Ya risked your life for the farm. We appreciate it.”
“It's nothing,” Fuyu replied, walking over to sit beside him. “I owe your sister more than she owes me.” Quiet settled over them as they watched the town move by, and she found herself searching for something to add. “How is the orchard?”
“Fine,” he replied simply, brushing aside the idle chatter as he leaned forward. “I was wonderin' if ya knew what happened to Applejack day before yesterday?”
Her blood ran cold, but her face remained a mask of stone as she shifted on the bench. “What do you mean?”
“She said ya needed her help. When she got back, she didn't look so good. Past couple of nights she's hardly slept. I was wonderin' if you knew why.” Fuyu had no reply, and her silence was enough for Big Macintosh to gain a sour look. “Did y'all do something to her?”
“Absolutely not,” she stated firmly, folding her arms and glaring off. “I needed someone to speak to. What she heard, she may not have handled well.”
“Hmm.” They were again quiet for a while, until both of them caught sight of Apple Bloom returning from down the street, balancing three white plastic cups in her arms. “I ain't one ta talk, but I hear things when I'm in town. They say y'all had amnesia 'fore ya showed up here, that you were a drifter. While I appreciate what ya did, don't get my sister mixed up in nothin'.”
Fuyu's first inclination was to point how late that request was, but she held her tongue and nodded instead. “I won't. I owe her far too much.” Apple Bloom was just arriving, and she took one of the cups from her. The chill soaked into her palm as she took a drink. To her surprise, she could actually taste the lemonade. “Sour.”
The Apple siblings gave her an odd look, but only Big Macintosh spoke. “Well, we'd best be getting' home. Good day, Miss Fuyu.” Bloom added a squeaky goodbye of her own, then followed her brother off down the sidewalk. She watched them go and sighed, only standing up after she lost them in the crowd. After taking another drink, she started off toward the great library tree, hoping the woman that ran it wasn't still locked up in the cavernous cellar.
Ninety minutes later, Fuyu was at the kitchen table in the library's living quarters, watching Spike devour his dinner. He'd made up meat for tacos, and the aroma was so pungent it registered on her dulled tongue as taste.
“Build one and try it,” he offered, around a mouthful of food. “Thought Twilight was gonna come up when she smelled the hamburger. Guess not. You can eat this stuff, can't you?”
“I can, but it doesn't affect my hunger,” she replied, looking at the various bowls and plates scattered before her. She recalled how Spike had made his and copied his process, selecting a soft shell to dump her meat, lettuce, cheese, and salsa in. Once she'd gotten the construction securely wrapped up, she lifted it and took a hesitant bite. “I can taste it,” she stated, glancing around while contemplating the flavor. “Spicy?”
Spike nodded, eyes wide with amazement. “Yeah, you used the hot salsa. I'm surprised you're not crying by now.”
“It's not that bad.” She chewed for a moment before swallowing, noting the uneven texture of her creation. “Have you spoken to Twilight at all in the past two days? Did she say what she was studying?”
The boy's face dropped; sullenly, he set down his food and sighed. “Yeah, she did. She also made me promise not to tell you,” he replied, leaning back in his chair.
That revelation didn't stop Fuyu from finishing off her taco. Once she had, though, she frowned and folded her arms. “I should have known. If she figured something out, why wouldn't she tell me?”
“Maybe it's bad?”
She didn't intend the glare to be so harsh, but it stilled him and caused him to shrink back. His words had struck a nerve, and she rose from the chair. “I'm not waiting any longer to find out.” A few powerful strides got her out of the kitchen, and few more brought her to the closed basement door. Spike came out of the kitchen as well, but drew no closer. After glancing, Fuyu opened the door and beheld the darkness. The only light was coming from a desk at the bottom of the spiral staircase. At this desk sat Twilight, reading a large book. Quietly, she descended the steps – so quiet, in fact, that the librarian didn't hear her approach, even after she was standing behind the chair. Fuyu watched her read for a moment, folding her arms.
“Twilight.”
“Gah!” she shrieked, startling badly. She slumped over and placed a hand on her chest as she tried to calm herself. Only when she had did she swivel in the chair to face the pale woman. “Fuyu, what are you doing down here? Did Spike send you? I'm not hungry.”
She got straight to the point. “Why are you hiding from me?” The words dragged after them a long, awkward silence that saw Twilight's eyes grow anxious, and Fuyu's become annoyed. “Answer me!”
“Okay,” she said, raising her hands in submission. “Calm down. I'm not hiding from you, I'm just...I've found something, but it doesn't make any sense. Sit down, I'll explain it to you.” She nodded over to another chair, sighing with relief when Fuyu sat down in it. “Um, I don't really know how to begin, so I'll start with my theory. Show your palms and let out some of that gunk.”
The pale woman blinked at the request, but did as told. Two wiggling ebony tentacles emerged. Twilight rolled over in her chair, and grabbed each one. The touch caused Fuyu to twitch. “What are you doing?”
“This.” Twilight's hands began to glow, as if she were manipulating the goo with her power, but nothing happened. “It's so empty,” she mumbled, shuddering at the feeling. “Fuyu, I think this stuff absorbs magic.”
Upon hearing that, Fuyu queried her stomach to see If any of the raspberry energy was reaching it. The longer Twilight held on, the more apparent a sensation became. “Yes. It feels strange, but I feel more full.”
The librarian let go, her forehead shining with sweat. “I could feel it pulling on me, somehow. If I'm right, this explains why you have to eat people.”
“How?” Fuyu withdrew her black helpers, eying the exhausted-looking Twilight with some concern. “Are you all right?”
“I'll be fine,” she replied, waving the worry aside. “Like I was saying...I think you're eating people for their magic.” Her words were met with blank blue eyes. “I'm serious. Everyone has some level of magic inside of them, even if it isn't immediately obvious. Pinkie and Applejack, for instance, use their magic subconsciously to grow plants and make people happy. They don't even know they're doing it, it just happens.”
Fuyu mulled this over for a few moments, staring at the red lines in her palms. “What is my magic good for, then?” she asked, her eyes becoming sad.
Twilight winced at her tone. The question broke her heart, and she made no attempt to hide it. “It's okay. I'm convinced this is not your natural state, but...I still don't know where that gunk came from.”
“Hmm.” Fuyu dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. “Why didn't you tell me this?”
Twilight got up and walked over to give the pale woman an awkward hug. “Because I didn't want you to feel sad, like you just did. Also, I still don't know everything yet, but I'm trying. I hate giving incomplete answers.”
“Something would have been better than nothing,” Fuyu chided her coldly, although she returned the embrace. “So I have to eat people for their magic. That doesn't change much.”
“I know,” Twilight sighed, letting go. “Maybe it does. If you could leech enough magic off of me, you wouldn't have to eat.” She began to pace, resting her chin on her left hand. It didn't long for her to realize, however, just how much energy the black goo had leeched. “I feel awful!” she groaned, stumbling back over to the chair and sitting down. “You took a lot out of me for us to be in such short contact.”
Fuyu nodded with a frown. “And I wasn't even hungry.” They shared an unhappy silence. “What do you think the black sludge is?”
“I'm leaning toward it being a parasite,” she replied, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “I've heard of magic parasites before, but nothing like this. Then again, there are some parts of the country that are still not fully explored, and you might have come from one of them.” She paused long enough to grab the heavy book off the desk behind and set it in her lap. “Initially, I thought someone might have done this to you – there are spells for leeching magic, I'm sad to say – but what that sludge is...I couldn't make it, and I don't know anyone with a level of skill that could. It's insane.”
“Yes, it is,” Fuyu murmured, staring at her palms again. She looked up as Twilight motioned her over. “Hmm?”
“Look at this. It's a slide sample of your blood.” Fuyu stood and came over to peer into the microscope. What she saw was a mottled mess of ebony and crimson, but the globs were carbon copies of each other in shape and size. “See how similar they are? It's like the black stuff is cloning your blood cells. If that's true, you could use the goo to breathe und--”
“Underwater? Yes. I've done that.” Fuyu raised up from the microscope and looked over. “I would lure people by pretending I was drowning.” She dropped her head and sighed again. “If it is a parasite, how would we get rid of it?”
“I'm not sure we can,” the librarian admitted, shutting the great book. “If it's bound to your nervous system, trying to get rid of it would probably kill you. I don't even know where you keep all of it, honestly. That's why I think it's natural; no person could make a substance that has all the properties of that goo. It's impossible.”
“I see.”
Twilight frowned at the look of resignation on the pale woman's face. “I'm going to find a way. I don't know how yet, but I promise you I will.”
Fuyu cut her eyes up at the determined librarian. “Very...” she stopped, blinking at herself. “Okay. I trust you.”
Twilight nodded and grinned. “Let's change the subject. Are you going to the Mayor's function? I think Pinkie Pie is doing all the planning.”
“Yes. Rarity is making me a dress for it,” Fuyu replied, turning her hands over to hide the lines. “Who else was invited?”
“Everyone. Literally, everyone. Oh!” Twilight reached into the pocket of her blouse and produced her phone. “I need to ask the Princess if she's spoken with the Mayor yet.” She stopped short of dialing the number, however, as her stomach growled. “Crap. I really should have eaten something. Would you go upstairs and tell Spike to save me some?”
“Sure.” Fuyu rose from her chair and walked off. She was halfway up the stairs when Twilight finished dialing and placed the phone to her ear. While it rang, she tapped her purple fingernails on the armrest.
“Twilight! I was wondering if you'd forgotten my phone number.”
The quip made her smile widely. “I'm so sorry, Princess. I've just been busy helping a friend.” She looked up at the retreating form of Fuyu as she said those words.
“I heard about the tornado. I also heard about the mafia. Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” she lied, shifting around in her chair. “Is there anyway I can convince you to come down for the Mayor's party?”
“I'm sorry, but no. I've gotten thirty such requests just this afternoon, and to be honest, Luna needs my attention more.”
Twilight hung her head and sighed. “Is she sick again?”
“She's getting better, and I want to make sure she keeps improving. Send my regards to the Mayor, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline.”
She sneaked a glance at her watch and sighed. “I understand. I kind of wanted you to meet my new friend.”
“A new friend, hmm? That's wonderful! You could bring them up to Canterlot next month for the autumn festival and introduce me.”
“Of course!” Twilight slapped her forehead and laughed at herself. “I totally forgot about that.” Again, she paused, looking up at the light from the doorway high above. “I think I might just take you up on that offer.”