Gray

by Mayclore

Shades Of... (II)

Applejack made as much of a show of parading Fuyu into the town hall as she thought necessary, having tied up her wrists before marching her through the sparse crowd inside. Muffled gasps came from all sides as they traveled toward the stage where Trixie sat in a replacement for her sweets throne, which had been lost to the rain. Even though it was a much more standard, if ornate chair, its occupant still looked very intimidating.

And yet, as the pale woman was brought to a halt before Ponyville's ruler, all she could see was the wear and tear on Trixie's face. The glowing amulet sat not eight feet away from her, but Fuyu's mind was still free of noise. She stared at it until the magician stood and approached her.

“Show me,” she demanded, pointing at the pale woman's hands. “I want to see it.”

She lifted her arms until they were about chest height, unclenched her fists, and let a whirling tendril of black from each palm thrash around and cut the ropes. They fell away as Trixie took a surprised step back. Fuyu dropped her hands to her sides, but let the wiggling black sludge remain exposed. Behind them, the murmurs of confusion became brief screams of terror.

The magician was just as dumbfounded as the crowd. “What sort of magic is that?!”

Fuyu stared her down, but made no other movements. “It's not magic.”

Trixie tried to sort out her thoughts as she watched the ebony gunk. She placed a hand on the amulet and stepped forward again, scowling. “It has to be magic. It comes from your hands. Is it something Twilight taught you?”

“You're as dense as you are snide. It isn't magic,” Fuyu repeated, withdrawing the tentacles so she could cross her arms. “And Twilight herself can't even define it.”

“That's...” Trixie snapped her eyes to the blonde, who had moved off to the side. “How were you able to catch her? Bon Bon said she was...” The magician fell silent as Applejack started to cackle. “What are you laughing at?”

She adjusted her Stetson and shot Trixie a wry grin. “Didn't have ta catch her. She came along on her own.”

“Ridiculous! You had her tied up!” The magician pointed down at the ropes angrily, and froze in that position as the wheels started turning in her head. As the seconds ticked by, her eyes got wider, until abruptly she pinned down Applejack with a hateful glare. “You knew, didn't you...”

“Sure did. By the way, she's probably the one that broke my friends outta jail.” The crowd again emitted murmurs of anxiety, noises that the blonde glanced at over her shoulder. “I knew all along.”

Words failed the magician, but her rage was as dependable as ever. She lunged at Applejack with both hands flaming red. Fuyu took one step to her side, stretched out her right hand, and snatched Trixie by the wrist while yanking her back.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, eyes shining red. “I will destroy both of--” Upon realizing her inability to break free from the pale woman's grasp, she fell silent and stared at her for a moment. “How are you so strong?”

She was silenced again by a vicious slap across the face, so powerful it broke her concentration and caused the glow around her hands to vanish. “I am asking the questions now,” Fuyu hissed, in twisted stereo. “Why do you have my amulet?”

“Why do ya sound so wei—wait, your amulet?” Applejack blinked, now just as surprised as everyone else. “A-are ya serious?”

“It's mine!” Trixie snarled. “I found it, it belongs to me!” She cloaked her free hand in red magic and pointed that palm right at Fuyu's nose. “If you like having a face, I suggest you release my hand.”

Fuyu's warped reply sent a bitter chill up Applejack's spine. “Do your worst.”

The magician obliged her, unleashing a pillar of crimson light that enveloped the pale woman's skull. It kept on going until it struck a wooden beam and left a scorch mark. The crowd scattered in every direction, pairing off or clumping into groups and huddling together in fear. Applejack, despite her terror, stayed on the stage. The smell of burnt flesh soon reached her nose, forcing her to turn away and retch.

“I warned you.” A confident Trixie grinned, now able to extract her wrist. From the neck up, Fuyu was concealed by thick smoke, but remained standing. Trixie blew on the gray cloud to see her handiwork. “How is it, being bli--”

“Being what?” Fuyu interrupted, fanning away the fog with a hand and looking down at her attacker. The skin on her face was entirely gone, along with some of the hair near the front of her head. Her eyes were still intact, however; their glittering blue stuck out like ice in a bowl of tomato soup. She watched the magician step back a long away and smiled – at least, as best as her exposed muscles would allow. “Not what you were expecting? Oh, wait. It gets better.” Even as she spoke, alabaster skin was returning. First, her neck received a new coat, which spread up to her cheeks and temples. Her nose was covered next, then her eyebrows. Forehead and scalp were last to be repaired, and when it had all returned she rubbed a hand across her new face and frowned. “Give me a minute for the hair.”

Trixie had no coherent response, but Fuyu didn't wait for her to gather one. The pale woman strode across the stage, lashing a tentacle out of her left palm that she used to strangle the magician and pull her closer. She grabbed at the black rope, with no success – however, using her magic against it worked. The black snapped off where it contacted the red glow, and Fuyu withdrew the remainder while Trixie pulled the rest off her neck.

“So you're stronger than the rest,” she panted, rubbing her throat. “No matter. I'm still stronger.” She threw the brittle ebony aside, where it landed with a clunk on the oak. “I suppose I'll just have to use all of my amulet's power.”

Fuyu threw a tendril at the discarded sludge, reclaiming it and folding it into the rope. She loosed another from her other hand and glared at the magician. “I didn't expect that.”

“I'm the most powerful woman on this planet! I can do anything!” She prepared to fire another blast, smiling. “I think I'll just turn you into a frog.”

“Applejack, get everyone out of here,” Fuyu said, addressing the blonde in her normal voice. “This could get messy.”

“Y-yeah...all right, y'all, time ta go!” she yelled, running for the door. The others fell in behind her and departed with haste, leaving Trixie and Fuyu alone in the meeting hall.

The magician sneered at her opponent. “How noble of you to buy them a few moments.” She fired another crimson ray which struck Fuyu flush. This one, however, had no effect. “Why didn't that turn you into a frog?!”

“You were serious,” she blinked, patting herself to search for a burn which wasn't there. While Trixie fumed, the pale woman fired a snake of black that impaled her in the upper torso. After recalling it and watching as she fell to her knees, screaming, Fuyu decided to hold her ground.

“You bitch!” she roared, twitching in pain. The amulet began to glow fiercely as Trixie clutched at her wound. Blood seeped between her fingers and dripped onto the floor, but her condition grew no worse. In fact, she was soon on her feet again, hunched over and gasping for air, but alive. “I admit, that one really hurt.” A few shaky steps brought her closer to Fuyu, steps that became more and more sure with each passing moment. She dropped her hand; there was a hole in her cloak, but the one in her body was sealed up.

“I didn't expect that, either,” Fuyu murmured, dropping back into a fighting stance.

Trixie was grinning again as she prepared another spell. “Please, Twilight tried to murder me at the end of our little dance. Do you really believe you can do any worse?” She flew headlong at Fuyu, slamming into the woman fists first and firing bolts of magic into her on contact. Fuyu rocketed backwards off the stage, crashing through rows of benches until her momentum dissipated and she bounced instead, landing in a heap near the double doors. Before she could roll over, Trixie kicked her onto her back and lit her hands again, bringing them down. Fuyu caught her by both wrists, and they began to struggle.

“It's a shame you have to die,” the magician hissed through clenched teeth. “You're the best challenge I've gotten since I found this amulet.” She tried to fight through the iron grip, but her arms couldn't muster the strength. A sarcastic smirk pulled at her lips. “Goodness, you must really work out.”

Fuyu was more focused on the first words she'd spoken, and why they seemed so familiar. Every burst of strength from the woman now hovering dangerously above interrupted her train of thought, but after a moment she found her answer. “I thought the same thing once about someone,” she mumbled. “She's a much greater person than you.”

“I am the greatest and most powerful Trixie!” she roared, her hands flaring up with even more power. Even as she raged, however, her arms began to tremble with the strain of fighting Fuyu's physical strength. “No one is better than me!”

The amulet was now a few inches above the pale woman's face, but she couldn't release Trixie's wrist to reach up and touch it. The magic coming off her hands in hot waves interfered with her ability to shoot out the sludge; they had came to something of a stalemate. The magician began to rant angrily, but Fuyu's attention went to other words instead – at this distance, the amulet was emitting sounds that seemed like whispers.

“What are you saying?” she asked it, her arms fighting off Trixie almost on their own. “I can barely hear you.”

“Don't you fucking mock me!” She yelled so loudly her voice cracked, but for all her anger she was unable to fight off Fuyu's hands and aim her blistering power.

The pale woman's face suddenly went blank. She felt the sludge coursing around inside her in a way she'd felt only a few times before, the last of which involved a tornado. Automatically, her mouth opened and a tiny tendril of the sludge flew out of it, making contact with the shining red gem. The second it touched, everything stopped. Trixie fell silent and ceased to move, her face frozen in a mask of bitter fury. The noise of the deluge on the roof of the hall was gone. The dust from her trip through the benches hung in motionless clouds in the air. Unsure, Fuyu let go of her assailant's wrists as the black gunk retreated into her mouth. Trixie stayed suspended above her, and she quickly slid out from under the magician and stood up.

“What?” Blinking, she looked around the hall until her eyes came to rest on the double doors nearby. Curious, she went over and pushed them open. Outside, she could see every individual drop of rain, frozen before it could reach the ground. The people that had escaped were mostly gone, but she could see a statue of Applejack shouting at someone out of view. Fuyu stepped out and pushed her fingers through the drops, watching as they moved aside and froze instantly again upon losing contact with her skin. “What did I do?” she asked, looking back into the meeting hall. On the stage, she saw it, standing there.

The figure.

It still didn't have a face she could distinguish, but the rest of it was three dimensional and as real as anything she'd laid eyes on before. As she ran inside and up to it, it raised a hand like it was saying hello.

“My dear Winter,” it said, its words carrying a pleasant tone. “It appears your time has come.” Unlike the times it had spoken to her in her head, its voice was rich, full, and vaguely feminine.

The pale woman stepped up onto the stage so she could confront the thing head on. Had it a visage, she would have had to look up at it; it was at least as tall as Applejack, if not taller. “I thought my name was Fuyu. Why are you not in my mind?”

“A winter by any other name...” it replied. She could almost feel it smiling at her. “I am here before you because you've found the gift I've been saving.” A representation of the amulet appeared between them, staying for a few moments before vanishing. “You will need it to complete your task.”

Fuyu peered at it for a moment before looking back up. “What task?”

The figure's voice became serious. “You must kill her to save us all.”

The pale woman blinked, looking past the figure at the magician still frozen in place. “Is she really that powerful?”

The figure nodded briefly in confirmation. “More powerful than you can believe. She is the reason I created you.”

“Created me?!” Fuyu took an unsteady step backward in shock. “I don't...understand...”

“There will be a time for answers later. For now, you have to prevent the end of the world.” The figure placed a gentle hand on Fuyu's shoulder. “You must take up the gift and stop her, or we will all die.”

The pale woman touched its hand; it felt like white marble, cold and lifeless. “Is this my purpose?” she asked, looking up with teary eyes.

The figure withdrew its hand and moved away. “Yes, it is. I have told you many things during your wait, but there are many more answers I cannot give you. We will meet again, should you live, and then you will know everything.”

“I only need to know two things,” Fuyu stated, following the apparition. “What am I? What is this sludge that lives in me?”

“It is a living weapon, built by our hands.” The figure stopped, and appeared to turn around to face the pale woman. “You are its container. The gift will feed it, and you, so you may complete your work.” After a moment of contemplation, it spoke again. “I have said on many occasions that I am sorry when you spoke to me. I will say it again, one final time. I am sorry for what we've done to you. I am sorry for your existence even being necessary. I am sorry for everything. But despite all that, I would have been sorrier for not doing what needed to be done.” The figure approached again, towering over Fuyu. “And now, you must do what needs to be done. For all of us.”

“V-very well,” she sniffled, feeling suddenly weak. “I will do it.”

“All of creation will remember you, my dear Winter. Now go. But before you deliver the last blow...please tell her I am sorry, too.” She pointed aside and suddenly disappeared. Before Fuyu could snap her head in that direction, the entire world flashed white...

...and she again found herself struggling against Trixie on the floor. The magician's eyes were gleaming red as she railed. She was still unable, however, to break Fuyu's grasp. The pale woman considered her options as she glanced around, then an idea hit her. She looked up, past Trixie's blue hair, and blinked. “Twilight?”

“What? She's here?” the magician snapped, craning her head up. It was all the window Fuyu needed. She let go of Trixie's wrist and latched onto the amulet, yanking at it with all her might. Trixie reacted with a shriek and started blasting the pale woman with her power, but the crimson beams bounced off. “Why isn't this working?!”

The amulet's magic flooded Fuyu's senses, unleashing a fullness that completely silenced the anxious goo within. As she sucked on the trinket's power, her strength grew. Soon, she threw Trixie off of her, forcing the chain that held the amulet around her neck to break. The magician tumbled across the floor and slammed into the front of the stage with a loud grunt. Fuyu ignored her, staring down at the thing in her hand. “You really are mine,” she whispered, pinching a wing of it between her fingers and lifting it until it was right before her nose. Without a further thought, she opened her mouth and put it in, swallowing it with a painful gulp.

Ahead of her, Trixie was trying to shake off the blow and stand. “Ugh...what happened?” she moaned, rubbing at her temples. “Trixie feels like she got hit by a bus.” After patting herself on the neck, she began to panic. “Where is it?!” she screamed, her head whirling frantically in search of the artifact until her sight rested on Fuyu. “You! Did you take it?” she demanded, pointing angrily.

“I took what was mine, yes.” The pale woman's voice was now as smooth as velvet, lacking any of its previously stilted nature. She started walking toward Trixie, but something below caught her attention and made her stop. She turned over her hands and looked down; the red lines on her palms were gone, replaced by black diamond-shaped stones edged in gold. “That's new.” She continued on and realizing something else that was different – she could no longer feel the sludge flowing clumsily around inside of her.

“Give it back!” Trixie squeaked, finally on her feet and walking to meet the pale woman. “Trixie needs it to...to...oh dear...” she blinked as the mental haze began to clear. As she recalled the events of the previous day, she blushed in genuine shame. “That thing made Trixie a complete bitch.”

“Indeed it did.” Fuyu suddenly lifted off the floor and began to hover, the stones in her palms issuing an onyx glow. “And now you must pay for what you've done.”

“N-n-no no,” Trixie yelped, moving away until her shoe caught on the oak floor and caused her to fall. “Trixie is very sorry about all of this! She only wanted to get the last laugh on Twilight. This was definitely not part of her plan.” She shrieked as the black light enveloped her and lifted her up. “No! Please don't hurt me!”

“I'm supposed to apologize to you before you die,” Fuyu growled, “But considering what you've done to my friends, I don't believe you're worth the breath.” She clenched her fists, listening to the agonized scream that came from the magician's lips.

---

“Dude, was that Trixie?”

Applejack looked between her girlfriend and the closed doors. “It sounded like it.”

“Maybe we should go in,” Rainbow advised, flapping her wings against the softening rain and preparing to enter. She blinked when the blonde stepped in front of the doors and shook her head. “No? Why?”

“I got a baaaaaad feelin' about this,” Applejack admitted, doffing her hat and running a hand through her drenched hair. They both looked up at the sky as it began to clear. “Huh, look at that.”

“Yeah...hey, wait! This has to mean she's won, right?” Rainbow tried to move Applejack aside, but the stout woman wouldn't budge. “Come on, AJ! It's gotta be over!” She moved the blonde enough to press her ear against one of the doors. “It's awfully quiet in there. I wonder what happened.”

Applejack copied her motion, her eyes becoming blank at the silence. “Heck, maybe it really is over?”

“Like I've been saying,” Rainbow huffed, at last able to move her girlfriend aside, “Let's find out!” She pushed the door open and flew in, coming to an abrupt stop a few feet inside. The blonde strode in and stood beside her, both of them glancing around at the damage to the building. “Whoa...” the athlete breathed, her eyes traveling ahead of them.

Seated on the stage in the ornate chair was Fuyu, legs crossed and a wry smile on her face. On the stage before her was Trixie, bound by hardened black sludge to the floor in a crouched position. Her head was hung, and she didn't react to their arrival. As the two of them approached, she remained still.

“So that's who you were yelling at, Applejack,” the pale woman noted, glancing over at Rainbow Dash. “Trixie, wake up. You have something to say to these two.”

“Wh-what happened ta your voice?” The blonde blinked at Fuyu's dismissive wave, then looked at the magician as she raised her head.

“Trixie would like to apologize for enslaving the town,” she groaned, a thin trail of red running down from the corner of her mouth. “And for all the other things she did after the accomplishment of said enslaving.” When she had finished, her head dropped again. “My everything hurts...”

“Good girl. We'll see about letting you stand later.” Fuyu nodded with approval as she stood up and walked over to her friends. “Where are the others? Still hiding?”

“Yeah. I'm only here 'cause Rarity said you were gonna fight, and I couldn't make myself wait anymore.” The athlete tapped on the black restraints holding the magician to the floor. “Wow, that feels like metal!”

“You can let her go now, Fu,” Applejack advised. “She seems ta be back to her regular-strength jerk self.” When Fuyu ignored her and gazed up at the sunlight now streaming in through the windows, it gave the blonde a chance to notice something. “Speakin' of that, what did ya do with the amulet?”

“I ate it,” she replied simply, dropping her eyes and raising her hands to look at her palms' new decorations.

“You what?” Rainbow and Applejack exclaimed with horror. The blonde took up speaking after their outburst. “That thing turned Trixie insane!”

Again, Fuyu waved a hand dismissively. “Relax. It was built for me.”

“I missed something,” Rainbow muttered, peering over at her girlfriend. “It was Fu's amulet? Why did Trixie have it, then?”

“I ain't got a damn clue,” Applejack replied, folding her arms and peering at the pale woman. “Y'all care ta explain what the hell is goin' on here?”

“Later. I have to go undo what Trixie has done to the town.” Abruptly, Fuyu's hands began to emit a dark glow, and she lifted gently off the floor. As she floated toward the double doors, Rainbow and Applejack pursued her. “Have you gotten in touch with Twilight yet?”

“Since when can you fly?” a flabbergasted Rainbow interjected. “What are those things on your hands now? What the fuck is any of this?” she finally vented, slamming her hands onto her head and shaking it. “Seriously! What did I miss?”

They all emerged into the town before Fuyu answered; it was oppressively hot, and above the fading clouds the shimmering dome was now visible. “I'll take that as a no. Hold on, I'm going to go remove the dome.”

“How?” Applejack asked, tipping her hat back and staring into the sky.

“I'll figure it out when I get up there.” She enveloped herself in the dark glow and began to float skyward, gathering speed as she went. She punched through a low cloud and literally bumped into the dome just after emerging from it. Upon reaching out a hand to touch it, she realized it wasn't actually glass at all; her internal alarm was wailing. It was solidified magical energy. “Oh. What do I do now?” she wondered out loud, scratching her head. On a whim, she placed her palm against the structure. “Like this?” She watched as tiny black threads began to spread out into the dome, looking like cracks. As she watched, they traced winding paths all over the sky, as far as she could see, until suddenly the whole thing emitted a series of noises and collapsed, the shards of magic fading away as they fell. Cooler air began to rush in. Satisfied, she dropped back down to the surface, landing almost exactly where she'd taken off. Applejack and Rainbow were still waiting. “I think I fixed it.”

“Great. Now can ya tell us what's goin' on?” the blonde asked as she walked over.

“When we find Twilight. This is not a story I want to repeat.”

---

By the time the librarian showed up, the sun was beginning to set. An airborne Rainbow Dash, who was surveying what was left to be changed back in the town, was the first to notice the extremely fancy car as it drove down the highway, and on further investigation found Twilight, Stormy, and the Princess inside. The latter rolled down the window as the athlete tapped on the glass.

“There you are!” she grinned, waving at Twilight. “Oh, hey Princess. Uh...hey Stormy. What are you doing with them?”

“I don't even know anymore,” the ex-thief groaned wearily. “I don't even think I'm allowed to tell you?”

“It's fine, she already knows,” the Princess said. “Rainbow Dash, what happened to the dome?”

“And where is Fuyu?” the librarian chipped in, leaning around Stormy so she could see her friend. “Is everyone okay?”

“We're all good. She took out Trixie and got rid of the dome too,” she explained, landing on the pavement and dismissing her wings with a snap. “Right now we're just changing all the buildings back that she messed up.”

“Oh...” Twilight nodded, her face dropping. “I would have called, but I didn't think it would get through.” She unbuckled her seat belt, opened the door, and got out. “Princess, please go on ahead. I need to talk to Rainbow about something.”

She gave her student a long, pointed look, but shrugged her deference and motioned to her driver. “Proceed.” The window rolled up again, and they were off down the road. Both women watched the black car go for a moment before looking at each other.

“Does she have to eat yet?” Twilight asked, wringing her hands. “I was terrified she was going to take someone in town.”

“She hasn't even mentioned it.” Rainbow rubbed at her face and sighed. “Shit is upside down, Twi. She took that amulet thing Trixie was wearing and ate it. Now she can do all kinds of crazy stuff.”

“She ate—I don't follow,” the librarian blinked, giving her a blank look. “She literally ate the amulet? How did she get it away from Trixie?”

Rainbow smirked at her glazed-over eyes, but frowned hard shortly after. “They fought, I guess. The meeting hall was pretty messed up. She's gonna tell us the whole story, but wanted to wait on you before she did.”

Twilight nodded once and glanced down the road at the town. “Well, let's not keep her waiting. Can you carry me?”

“Sure,” Rainbow recalled her wings and prepared to wrap her arms around the librarian, but something in the sky caught her attention. “Never mind. Look up,” she pointed, stepping away.

“Huh?” Twilight snapped her eyes up just in time to see Fuyu descending above them, her hands glowing as she touched down gently on the grass nearby. “You can fly?!”

“Welcome to my brain six hours ago,” Rainbow muttered, arms folded as she shot a cross look off to the side.

A powerful scowl twisted the pale woman's lips, but she chased it off with a smile. “A lot has changed.” She glanced around and blinked. “I thought Spike was with you?”

“I had to leave him in Canterlot. The Princess was so desperate to come down here and she wouldn't even tell me why.” Twilight noticed something shiny on Fuyu's palms and walked over, grabbing her hands to look. “Where did these come from?”

“I'll explain in a while.” Suddenly, her blue eyes were downcast, and she turned away from the two. “I can fly us back, if you want.”

“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked, her eyebrow raised.

“Please shut up,” Fuyu murmured, rubbing at the side of her head. The figure was back, and it was speaking to her whenever she laid eyes on the librarian, six words that nagged at her in a vicious way:

Your task is not yet complete.

Comments

[Midnight herald]

... And we finally find out exactly why Fuyu knew Twilight's name upon seeing her. Alright then. Damn.

I loved his chapter, and I love how Fuyu hasn't quite figured it out yet.

[Bridgebrain]

Ooooooooh shit. See, I had a sneaking suspicion, but now that it's confirmed, I can't wait to see what happens