Gray

by Mayclore

Out On the Town

When they reached the library and drove around back to park, Fuyu saw the old red truck. She blinked and looked at Twilight, who was humming a little tune as she unbuckled her seat belt. “Applejack is here?”

“Of course. I said I wanted to test your strength,” she replied cheerfully, hopping out of the car before she could be rebuked.

Dumbstruck, Fuyu got out and pursued her, still carrying her book from the apartment. “I don't think I want to do that.”

They entered the tree through the back, making it all the way to the small kitchen before Twilight decided to respond. “Oh, it'll be fine. She's very stout, I'm sure she can handle it.” With a wide smile, she walked into the public room, an uncertain Fuyu in tow. Spike was in here, and he waved to them as he directed a cart of books through the furniture. Applejack was here too, seated in one of the boxy chairs with a purple mug in her hand. She offered a friendly smile to Fuyu as the woman sat in a nearby chair, but all Twilight got was an uncertain frown.

“Y'all sure this is a good idea?” she asked, blowing some of the steam away from her coffee before taking a drink. “I kinda need ta get back soonish and help Big Macintosh with the tree plantin'...I sure don't wanna limp back or nothin'.”

“It's completely fine!” Twilight groaned, raising her arms in frustration. “What is with everyone today? It's like I've never done this before or something.”

Fuyu looked at her with even eyes. “To me, you haven't.” The librarian became still at last, her fidgeting quelled by the woman's tone. “I'm not sure how much I like the idea. I certainly do not want to beat up Applejack.”

Twilight stared at her, slack-jawed, as if her consciousness was finally catching up with reason. She placed a hand over her eyes and sighed. “I'm sorry, Fuyu. I tend to get ahead of myself sometimes when it comes to research.”

“That's puttin' it rather mildly,” Applejack grinned and winked, raising her mug in a mock salute. She smiled at Fuyu afterward. “Twilight's about like Rarity when it comes to studyin'. Can't stop her once she gets started.”

No longer giddy, the librarian looked utterly spent. She fell into a nearby chair and scratched at her messy hair. “I need a nap,” she droned, yawning. “Actually...there is one thing I would like you to do,” she added, looking up at the woman in black. “That jar is in my bedroom. Could you bring it down and show me how the process works?”

“Very well.” Fuyu was off with a nod, setting her book on the table and wandering into the private area, then up the narrow stairs. She found the jar on the oak dresser and picked it up. Unlike yesterday, the goo within was motionless; it appeared to be a jar half full of onyx, not shifting sludge. She brought back out and sat down in the chair beside Twilight, who leaned up with anticipation to watch her work. Even Applejack looked interested, despite the faint look of disgust on her face. Fuyu easily unscrewed the lid and pressed her left palm against the opening, sprouting a thin tendril of the goo into the jar. Once it contacted the black mass, the whole thing became as fluid as when it had first emerged from her hand.

“I don't believe this,” Twilight whispered, watching as Fuyu removed her hand, screwed the lid back on, and handed the jar to her. She clutched it in both hands and moved it around to get the gunk within to flow. “It's like you melted ice!”

She gazed at it too, rubbing down her hair and sitting in the chair nearest the librarian. “It talks to me, and I to it. Not with words. When it gets sleepy, it hardens and waits for me.”

“Freaky,” a shuddering Applejack said, taking another sip of coffee. “Do ya have any idea what it is, Twilight?”

“All I know thus far is that it doesn't react to magic, acid, heat, cold, tap water, filtered water, lye, or that body wash Rarity keeps insisting I use that smells so awful,” she said, punctuating her list – and disdain – by waving her hand in front of her nose. “I got it to move a little under an electric current, but nothing like what you just did.”

Applejack had emptied her coffee by now, and set the mug on the table with a solid clank. “Huh. Well, y'all still need me for anything? I really do need ta get back ta the orchard.”

“Go ahead,” Twilight sighed, rising from her chair. “I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here for nothing.”

“Shoot, don't worry none. Besides, y'all make better coffee than my brother does,” she quipped, also standing up. “See y'all later,” she waved, striding toward the door. “Fu, say hi ta Rainbow for me!”

Fuyu nodded. “Okay.” Then she drew her eyes up at Twilight, who hadn't taken a step further since standing up. “Should I go home now?”

“I had another idea, if you don't mind,” she replied, pausing as her eyes lit up. “Could you show me more of the goo? What it can do, I mean.” They were silent for a moment as a whistling Spike trundled past with the laden cart. “We can go into the basement,” she added, whispering to Fuyu with a hand shielding her mouth. “I haven't told Spike about any of this, I don't think he would...react well, if you get my drift.”

“I understand,” she sighed, reminded of the fact that she still had to hide her true self from everyone else. Twilight motioned for her to follow, and together they went toward a different door in the back of the public space. When they reached it, the librarian turned around.

“Spike, mind the store for me!” she called, hand cupped around her mouth. He waved at her from across the room, and only then did they enter. She reached just inside the doorway to flip on the lights, and Fuyu saw a spiraling staircase that lead down into a chamber full of various types of equipment. As they went down, she examined each piece more closely, unable to figure out what any of it was used for.

Until she saw the medical devices. Those made her stop on the stairs as she stared, trying to figure out why they were so familiar. Twilight only caught this after she'd gotten a few steps away. “Fuyu? What's wrong?” she asked, turning around. She followed her gaze to the equipment and blinked. “Fuyu?”

The white fog in her mind was parting just a fraction, and she placed a hand gently on the side of her head. “White room...” she mumbled, closing her eyes and grimacing. “Gray curtains.”

Twilight skittered back up the steps, ready to place a hand on Fuyu's shoulder. She stopped short, however, when the woman dropped her own hand and sighed. “Are you remembering something?”

“That was all,” she muttered, looking faintly uncomfortable. Quietly, she started on down the steps again, right past the concerned librarian. “Are you going to use any of this on me?”

“Um...” A hesitant Twilight began to follow, unsure about going through with her plan. She shrugged it off as they reached the bottom and shook her head. “No. I won't do anything you don't want me to do.”

“Very well.” Fuyu was enthralled by the heart monitor, walking over to it and touching its side. “Are you a doctor too?”

“Oh, no. You see, this is the biggest basement in the entire town! I end up storing a lot of unneeded stuff along with my own things down here,” she explained with a light laugh. A few awkward seconds passed as she watched Fuyu examine the heart monitor. Finally, she turned away to look at the librarian. “Okay. I'm not even sure what questions to ask, really. Just show me something you can do.”

She looked around for moment, thinking, then lifted her right arm straight up and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. She gauged the distance before aiming her palm and firing a thick rope of the black sludge. It stuck with a faint sound to the oak, and thirty feet of ebony now connected her to it. After checking to make sure it was fastened, she reeled it back in, hauling herself into the air as if traveling on a reverse zip line. Once she reached the ceiling, she lifted her other hand, squirted some of the black onto her palm, and stuck it to the wood to give herself better grip. Now secure, she looked back down at an astonished Twilight. “How was that?”

“Insane!” she squeaked, hands over her mouth and wide-eyed. “I didn't know you had that much of it in you!” Her eyes followed the woman as she scrambled around on the ceiling. “Fuyu, you're like someone out of a comic book...wait, what are you--” Fuyu had detached herself, and was falling straight down. Before Twilight could even shriek, she twisted in the air and shot a rope at the floor. Once it attached, she reeled herself in quickly – but at a more manageable speed than plummeting. She landed with a solid thud, crouching into the impact before recalling her rope. “Never mind, I guess you've got it under control,” Twilight said breathlessly. “Don't scare me like that.”

“Sorry.” She dusted off her hands and the knees of her pants as she rose. “I tried to do that when the tornado caught me, but I couldn't see the ground.”

“Wow. I'm confused, though...it didn't stick to the glass, but it sticks to wood? It's flexible, but if it's away from you for too long, it becomes like rock?” The woman in black nodded, causing Twilight to fold her arms and gaze off in thought. “I've never heard of anything like this before. Hold on, let me get a notepad,” she said, summoning one that flew over from a messy desk near the stairs. She drew a pen from her blouse pocket and checked it for ink before looking up. “Okay, what else does it stick to?”

“Whatever I tell it to,” she replied simply, examining her palms.

Twilight looked at her, slack-jawed. “It sticks to anything? Why doesn't it leave a residue in the jar, then?”

Fuyu sat down on the floor, crossing her legs and looking up at the librarian. “It won't stick to things on its own. I have to tell it to.”

She was scribbling furiously on the notepad, but shaking her head in amazement as she wrote. “So you control it with your thoughts. Completely, apparently.” She looked at her writing and blinked. “It's...it's alive? It has to be if it reacts to your thoughts. Hmm.” She began to pace a circle around Fuyu, rubbing her chin. “If it requires human tissue to survive, maybe it's some kind of parasite?” she wondered out loud. “This isn't remotely like any parasite I've ever heard of, though...I'm going to have to request a lot of material to study...”

While she droned out a relaxing stream of consciousness, Fuyu rested her chin in her hands and let her mind wander. It snapped back to the white room, which plastered a frown on her face. No amount of thinking directly at the fractured memory was able to complete it, so she tried instead to think around it, using it as a trigger in an attempt to discover anything related. The ever-present voice was murmuring something, but Twilight's rambling combined with her own mental fog to drown it out. Annoyed, she closed her eyes and concentrated harder.

You will do what needs to be done.

It came out of nowhere, and she was confused as to its timing. Something was stuck to the front of it in this instance, however, and she silently asked herself for clarification.

When the time comes...you will do what needs to be done.

Startled, Fuyu lifted her head and blinked. “What time?” she asked out loud, causing Twilight to come to a stop behind her.

“What did you say?”

“What time...” she paused, thinking of some way to disguise her discovery. “...is it?”

“Oh.” She rolled up the sleeve of her white blouse and peered down at her watch. “About half past ten, why?”

“Just curious.” She hauled herself to her feet and eyed the stairs, wanting suddenly to get home so she could be alone and think. “Can I go now?”

“Of course,” Twilight nodded, heading to the steps. “Was I really talking to myself for fifteen minutes?” She lightly slapped her forehead and laughed. “I guess Spike was right about that. I'll let you know if I find anything,” she added as they headed up.

“Very well.” They filed through the doorway, pausing to allow the librarian to close it before making their way through the front room. “Before I go, who will be taking me next time?”

Twilight opened her mouth but said nothing, waiting for an oblivious Spike to wander out of earshot before she answered. “I'm not sure yet. I might have to ask Rainbow or Applejack. Is that all right?”

The look on Fuyu's face said it all; it wasn't, but she understood its necessity. “It is better than the alternative, I suppose.”

---

A twenty minute journey brought her to Rainbow's blue sofa. Restlessly, she sat down, shed her sandals, and went to work inquiring of the voice within exactly what it meant.

“Time for what?” she asked, pulling her legs onto the couch. “What time do you mean?”

Silence.

Annoyed, she shifted on the couch until she was lying down, staring up at the white ceiling. She hadn't caught a catnap since yesterday, but now she was thinking far too hard to try and sleep. “Answer me. When what time comes?”

When the time comes...

A scowl appeared on her face. “Yes, I know that. When what time comes?”

In her mind's eye, she could see the form standing behind the misty wall, like an ephemeral statue of faded gray. She internally glared at the thing for what seemed like an hour before she realized it was a little bit more defined than the first time she'd seen it. It had oddly familiar curves; the first thing that struck Fuyu was how similar the shape was to Applejack, tall and swooping like she was. She could distinguish nothing from the neck up, as the white fog was too thick to pierce. Without anything further to go on, she decided to address that. “Are you a woman?”

When the time comes... The voice was still wispy and hard to define, but it had suddenly gained a feminine quality that it lacked before. Frowning, Fuyu took that as the only reply she would get and tried another question. “Are you me?”

Silence, again. Frustrated, she sat up and rubbed at her head while trying to figure out what it meant, if anything. Undeterred, she tried posing a different question. “Are you the thing that lives inside of me?”

I am sorry. This apology was clipped at the end, as though something else were supposed to be attached.

“I didn't ask for an apology!” Fuyu yelled out angrily. “What are you? Why are you in my head?!”

Silence, and this time it caused her frustration to the point of stress. Knowing too much anxiety would move up her next feeding, she abandoned her search and fell back on the couch, helpless and unhappy. This time, she allowed sleep to take her. Her eyes slid closed with a final sigh.

And snapped open at the knocking. She first looked at the clock; about ninety minutes had gone by. Her ears pricked at the knocking as it came again. Somehow, it was a polite noise, cheerful and rapid. As she collected her wits, she slid off the couch and wandered to the door, foregoing her sandals as she went. Behind the door, she found a slender woman about her height, wearing an eggshell apron over her causal shirt and blue jeans. Her hair was half blue and half pink, flowing off her head in sweeping waves and concluding in fat curls. An expectant smile was plastered on her ruby lips.

“Hello!” she said with a wave, her voice a bit nasally and as cheerful as her knock. “Is Rainbow Dash here?”

It took a brief eternity for Fuyu to remember just who this woman was. “Bon Bon. No. She's at work.”

Bon Bon grumbled, placing a hand just above her eyes and looking off to one side. “Dang it, that's right. I swear, her work schedule is impossible to keep up with.” She slumped in defeat and turned, waving a hand as she prepared to depart. “Oh well, I'll catch her later.”

Something prodded the woman in black to stop her. It was identical to the feeling she got when Applejack offered her a ride, except now it was in reverse. This time, though, she had the advantage of reading to help her formulate what it was, why she needed to do it, and a small bit of how to get it done. “What did you need?” she asked lowly, savoring the sensation of kindness – kindness that she was giving.

“Huh?” She turned around and smiled. “She was gonna help Lyra and I rearrange the shop today. We can get it done ourselves, though, it's no problem.”

She began to leave again, and Fuyu glanced over her shoulder and back into the empty apartment. Frowning at the prospect of being left with her thoughts, she shut the door and moved to catch up. “I can help you.”

“You sure?” Bon Bon blinked as she came over and fell in beside her. “It's a lot of stuff. Pff, who I am kidding, it's probably nothing for someone like you.”

That assertion caused Fuyu to tilt her head as they began going down the stairs. “What do you mean?”

“Are you nuts? The whole town is still talking about what you did to that robber. And the mob! You took on the whole mob!” she exclaimed, waving her hands around as she spoke. “You're almost a folk hero. Haven't you noticed?”

Truth be told, she hadn't. The only time Fuyu left the apartment was when feeding time came, or one of the six women needed her to be somewhere, which wasn't a regular occurrence. “No, I didn't.”

“Oh boy, are you gonna be surprised,” Bon Bon grinned cheekily. They emerged into the late morning sun, and she paused to stretch for a moment before heading down the sidewalk. “Follow me.” As they walked, she gave Fuyu a once over with her eyes and blinked upon reaching her feet. “Uh, where are your shoes?”

“I forgot them,” she replied simply, glancing around. She found herself smiling again as she took in the scene, much as she had on the unscheduled trip to string her bow she'd taken some time earlier. Bon Bon stopped, and so did she. “What?”

“Do...you wanna go back and get them?” she asked awkwardly, a hand on her hip. “It's gonna get pretty warm today, you shouldn't be walking on the sidewalk in bare feet.”

Fuyu's first instinct was to say no, but she couldn't get the word out. Again, something poked at her. This was part of the secret, even if only a tiny sliver, and she had to keep it quiet. “You have a point. I will be back.” She darted off and entered the building, leaving Bon Bon to wait. She was back in a little over a minute, sandals on and a faint smile on her face. “There.”

Bon Bon had only one thing to say to the display. “Wow, you're fast. You work out? You're built like a truck.”

She considered how to respond as they began walking again. “Yes. You could say that.”

They went toward downtown, stopping several times for Bon Bon say hello and speak to various people that happened to be out and about. Fuyu monitored their conversations with polite silence, only speaking when directly addressed. From the last of these she learned something that disquieted her.

“I guess I shouldn't be surprised the Mayor wants to recognize you,” Bon Bon said as they walked away from a redhead who, as far as Fuyu knew, was named Roseluck. “Or steal the credit. She must be terrified about not getting re-elected for the hundredth time.” That sentiment was punctuated with an eyeroll and a sarcastic grin. “Here we are.” They entered a storefront with a blue and white checkerboard floor and eggshell walls. The back was dominated by a counter that ran the entire length of the space, save for a section cut out at the left. There were all manner of chairs and tables scattered about, and standing with her back turned was another woman with bluish hair, a white tube top and khaki colored shorts. Her sneakers squeaked on the floor as she spun, then ran over to hug Bon Bon. “Hey Lyra. The cavalry is here,” she said, returning the embrace. The closer she came, the easier it was for Fuyu to detect her magical spark.

“Sweet!” Lyra took a step away to eye Fuyu, which was when the woman saw her pale blue palm gems. “Hey! Hadn't seen you around town. Where you been hiding?”

“I'm staying with Rainbow Dash.” She was busy looking around at the chaotically arranged furniture.

“Huh. I thought she was going with Applejack,” Lyra noted lowly. The three of them went further into the store as she talked. “They doing okay?”

“Yes.” Fuyu looked her her, confused. “I am not dating Rainbow, if that's what you're implying.”

“Oh no, of course not,” she said, throwing up her hands. “Just kind of wondering, that's all.” Bon Bon jabbed her in the ribs, causing her to grunt. “What? Like you don't gossip all the live long day.”

“She's not here to listen to us hem and haw.” After shedding her apron, which she tossed deftly onto the countertop, she wiped her forehead with an arm and surveyed the rest of the store. “Okay. If you wanna grab something, we'll tell you where we want it.”

“Very well.” Right away, she went over to examine one of the tables. They were all in one corner of the space, a clump of round, black things with shiny tops and a single metal support in the center. After examining it for a moment, she bent down and grabbed one, lifting a table straight up until it was over her head. “Where does this go?” She turned just in time to see their shocked looks and blinked, realizing the mistake she just made.

“Wow. That's incredible,” Lyra said, open-mouthed. “Seriously, that's some Applejack stuff right there.”

Fuyu saw no point in trying to hide it now, so she just shrugged. “I suppose.” She then glanced at both women for some sort of guidance. “Where does it go?”

“I have no idea!” Lyra exclaimed happily, turning to Bon Bon. “Bon, where does it go? I can't even find the chart we drew to place all this stuff.”

Bon Bon stared back at her, then blinked and reached into her jeans pocket. “Oops, I had it.” She produced a folded piece of white paper, opened it up and looked back at Fuyu. “Okay, two tables go in front of each window.”

“Very well.” She carried the one in her hand across the room, as all the space was over there. She walked back over and picked up another, this time grabbing it by the top and lifting it. Meanwhile, Bon Bon and Lyra were beginning to disagree about the arrangement of the chairs. Frowning, she decided to interrupt and learn more about where she actually was. “What do you sell here?”

“Huh?” Lyra snapped her gaze over. “Oh, this is a soda shop. Bon Bon's baby. Her dad used to own it until he passed it down to her.”

“That's not all we do. And by the way,” she said, folding her arms in a huff, “He would say four chairs to a table!”

Fuyu left them to their gentle bickering after she placed the second table, sitting on it and watching them. It was her first opportunity to really watch people interact – at least, people that weren't interacting with her – and she found it to be strangely amusing. They only stopped after she had been watching for a while, and both of them blushed and laughed awkwardly. Before either could apologize, however, the door opened and they all looked over.

“Fuyu, darling!” It was Rarity. She pranced confidently inside, her heels clacking on the linoleum. Her face, however, was oddly anxious. “What are you doing here?”

“Bon Bon came by. She needed help from Rainbow Dash, so I volunteered in her place,” Fuyu explained, standing up off the table and walking in her direction. “Are you all right?”

Rarity attempted to flash her a reassuring smile, but the woman in black saw right through it. “Everything is fine. I just didn't know you'd be...here, is all.”

Lyra and Bon Bon were quiet, exchanging unsure glances as they stood next to each other. Fuyu could sense the faint tension, but couldn't understand why it was there. She tilted her head and gazed at the dressmaker. “I didn't know she would be coming.” Rarity's nervousness was subtle, but it was starting to bother her a great deal. “What?”

“I'm sorry,” she addressed the other two women, “But I'm afraid I need to borrow Fuyu for a bit.” They shrugged their acquiescence and the dressmaker nodded to Fuyu. She followed out the door, still unsure about what was happening, and moved down the street at her side.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, once a large enough gap in passersby appeared.

“No...” Rarity's reply was much less confident than she intended, and she began to smile anxiously. “It's just that Twilight thinks...”

Now the situation was really beginning to bother her, and to her surprise she found a tint of rich, hot anger coloring her feelings. “I don't understand,” was her measured statement. She watched Rarity like a hawk, frowning harder with every second of silence that went by. “Talk to me!”

The dressmaker had to mutter, as people were walking by them. “She said it would perhaps be best if you kept to yourself for now. While she figures out what to do.” The look in Fuyu's eyes sent a chill down her spine, and she hastily tacked on further clarification. “You never seemed to be in any hurry to go anywhere anyway. We thought you wouldn't mind.”

“Then why did none of you tell me this yourselves?” She stared as Rarity cringed under the bluntness of her question, but allowed her the chance to answer it.

“We just...” she fell silent and stopped walking, glancing off to her left. There was an alley here, between two buildings, and when she felt comfortable enough that no one was looking, she darted into it. Fuyu pursued her straight away. Only when they were some distance down the street did she stop and finally address the question. “We weren't sure if it would be safe for you to wander around town right now.”

“Why?” Fuyu's tone was as sharp as any blade, and it sent Rarity to fidgeting. She tried to fight off the sting of the dressmaker's words, assuming – or hoping – there was a benign explanation. Or, at least, one that didn't make her feel so unhappy. Rarity took too long in answering, though, and by the time she opened her mouth again, Fuyu had already deciphered the truth. “You...do not trust me?”

“It's not that intense, darling, I swear,” Rarity countered weakly. Fuyu was already stalking away. “Wait! Please, let me explain!”

It was too much. First there had been Applejack's outburst, and now Twilight was hiding things from her. They were all hiding something. It writ a bold scowl on her face as she thought about it. “I am going home,” she spat, frowning when that word didn't bring the happy spark it once did. Rarity only pursued her part of the way back, and came to a slow stop in the alley. Her face was uncertain and pale.

“Perhaps I could have handled that a bit better,” she mumbled to herself.