Black

The next morning found Twilight and Fuyu seated in the kitchen at the little round table. The former was fussing with her phone, nose-deep in a furious text exchange with Rainbow Dash about the fact that Trixie had just moved in downstairs.

"Man, she is not happy about this," the librarian muttered, her head shaking at the latest profanity-laced reply. "Geez! I'm not happy about it either, but she tried to murder me and I'm still willing to move on. Then again, I guess I did the same before she made me leave. The feeling must be mutual." She looked up just in time to see her companion taking a swig of cherry soda. "You said she dropped by the store yesterday after Applejack. Who else showed up? How did everything go?"

The pale woman's thin eyebrow raised. "You're just now asking me this?"

Twilight shrunk back a little, her expression oozing sheepishness. "Well, I didn't want to seem pushy. I figured if something bad happened you'd tell me, but you didn't talk much so I didn't want to push."

A reassuring smile appeared as Fuyu set her bottle on the table. "I just had a lot to think about, that's all." As her recollection of the day began to take shape, her head tilted slightly. "Let me see. There was Applejack, Trixie, Golden Harvest, Flitter, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Thunderlane, that strange man that never seems to wear anything but his tennis outfit, Filthy Rich, Lyra – the first time, a woman named Lightning Dust that seemed to know Rainbow, Lyra – the second time, with Bon Bon, and Scootaloo just before we closed. She was mad that I refused her coffee, but Mrs. Cake told me to."

Stunned, Twilight let her phone slip out of her hands as she processed all that detail. "You remembered every single person?"

An idle nod and shrug came and went as she took up her drink again. "Yes, although I have to admit I forgot Cheerilee's name at first. My brain is still rather empty, so it tends to cling to things. Also, Pinkie says that remembering people is good customer service, and will help them like me more."

A small smile appeared. "She's probably right. It's a nice feeling when someone recalls your name." Just as she finished speaking, her phone emitted yet another happy tone. "Wow, Rainbow. I know you're mad, but geez."

"Mm." Fuyu dropped her gaze to the floor and held it there, figuring the librarian was again lost in her texting.

While she might have been doing that, she could also detect the change in posture. "What's wrong? You're sullen all of sudden." Her inquiry, as well as the subsequent giggle, all came without her looking away from her phone. "Almost rhymed."

The pale woman looked up and across the table while placing her chin in her left hand. "It's the things I don't remember that are bothering me." Staring at Twilight for a moment changed her mind; the memory of her purpose was brought up once again, causing her to whisper lowly, "Or maybe it's the things I do remember that bother me more."

She fell silent just in time for her friend to look up. "Poor Fu. As soon as you get settled at the Corner, we can all go to Canterlot. And by the way, you never really said how your day went. I hope nobody made a scene."

"No." Fuyu decided to take another drink. "A few of them gave me some strange looks, but at least nobody decided to run away after they noticed I was at the register."

"That's good!" The librarian clapped her hands once and flashed a broad smile. "See, it's already working. You'll have tons of friends before you know it."

"I already have all the friends I need." Despite her best efforts to seem aloof, which included staring out through the doorway into the public space, her eyes shone with emotion.

Twilight giggled lowly. "Awwww!" Both of them looked at her phone as it chimed again. "Oh, for...I'd better go over there and calm her down before she runs me into the poorhouse via phone bill. When do you have to go in today?"

"In about an hour." Another chime drew their eyes down. "I didn't think she could get that mad."

The librarian slid her chair out and stood up. "She's got an incredible temper sometimes. Don't tell them I told you this, but I can't believe she and Applejack are still together. One's got a short fuse and the other is as stubborn as a mule." She turned off the device and dropped it into the front pocket of her slacks. "I'll see you this afternoon, then?"

"Yes." Fuyu drained her bottle and stood, using her magic to flick it expertly into the green recycling bin. "Good luck with Dash."

"Thanks." A wave and a smile saw her departing through the public space and out to the street where she had parked her car. Fuyu watched her drive off with a deepening frown.

"Great," she groaned lowly. "Another secret to keep."

A little crowd had gathered not long after the pale woman took up her station at the register. Her work day had started at seven on the dot instead of nine o'clock as it had the day before, so she was getting a good look at what Pinkie called the 'regular sleepyheads'. These were the people that almost invariably ordered some sort of coffee and a bagel, or doughnut, or waffle, or pancakes, and used the tables inside to read the newspaper or chat with friends as they got their own days going. This group included Cheerilee for about ten minutes before she darted off to school, but the rest were more unfamiliar outside of Fuyu's seeing them around town from time to time.

Three of them in particular had her attention. Seated together at one of the tables were a trio of women that she'd seen around several times, and in almost every instance they were together. One had starkly lime hair that curled about above her spring green eyes. Another was a straight-haired blonde with a faintly golden gaze, who looked back at the pale woman as if expecting a disaster at any moment. The last had raspberry locks in two tones which spiked up on top of her head and chartreuse eyes. In all her encounters with the three, this one struck Fuyu as the leader. In fact, upon entering the shop, she had been the one to place the orders for each of them.

And she was giving Fuyu a sour look. The regulars were beginning to depart, and while some were chillier than others, none of them interacted with her like this woman. So when it was just her and the trio – and Pinkie dashing to and from the kitchen on some mission to get something – the pale woman decided to call her on it.

"You've spent an hour looking at me like I kicked your cat," she said, pointing her words right at the redhead. "If you've got something to say, say it."

She jerked back with surprise, and suddenly they were huddled up over the table in some sort of conference. The baker noticed it on her next trip into the shop and blinked. "What's going on?" she asked, whispering to Fuyu as she walked over.

Arms crossed and visibly annoyed, she continued to peer at the three women. "I believe we're about to have a confrontation."

"No! You can't fight in here, the Cakes will fire you! Then me! They'll probably fire all my friends!" Pinkie ducked down behind the counter and peeked around, only her eyes and above exposed. She seemed to have forgotten that anyone could look through the glass case and see her there.

Fuyu blinked down at her with confusion. "They don't even work here."

"Oh yeah." Suddenly, Pinkie looked more serious than the pale woman had ever seen as she stood up. "Please, Fufu. Don't-"

Fuyu relaxed and put on a small smile as she glanced over. "I'm not, and you know it. Now get back in the kitchen before something burns down." They exchanged a quick hug before the baker disappeared. Just as she got out of sight, the redhead finally stood up and walked over.

"Lily, Daisy and I do not trust you," she said, gripping the edge of the counter and leaning across. Her eyes were gleaming with determination, but that look was met with a blank stare. Thrown off her game, she began to stammer. "W-well! We don't!" Hearing her distress, Lily and Daisy came up and stood on either side of her, although they were plainly more afraid.

"Rose, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Daisy said, grabbing her left wrist. "I mean, she seems nice enough, right? She saved everybody."

Rose snapped her eyes at the lime-headed woman. "Then why doesn't she ever talk to anyone? She is totally hiding something."

"Have you ever heard of 'speak only when spoken to'?" Fuyu interrupted, leaning across the counter herself. While she looked imposing, her tone was very even, as was her face. "All you have to do is say hello."

Pinkie, meanwhile, was peeking around the entryway to the kitchen with a hand slapped over her mouth. It was the only way she could make herself stay quiet. Despite a distinct lack of tension – at least tension that was traveling in both directions – her teeth chattered behind her fingers.

"Uh, hi?" Lily offered a trembling wave. "Come on, Rose. Let's not make her mad. I don't think we'd like her when she gets mad."

Fuyu wasn't about to let them go anywhere; she'd had enough of the cold shoulder and was intent on finding its roots. While leaning back from Rose, she pinned the redhead down with a stern look. "Hold on. I see you three around all the time. You must know why everyone is so distant. Tell me. I want to understand."

Rose scratched her head. Her face had twisted into an expression located somewhere between surprise and relief. "Dude, we didn't think you cared. Like, that you were the dark and mysterious type, you know."

She glanced away and ended up seeing Pinkie hiding very apparently behind the door frame. Smiling, she rolled her eyes before turning back to Rose. "I suppose that's true, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I've never really had a home before now, and I want to stay here. But I don't want to be a pariah surrounded by people that dislike me either. All I want to know is why everyone seems to be so put off."

Lily and Daisy exchanged glanced behind Rose's back. The latter released her friend's arm and moved up closer to the counter. "You're freaky strong. You changed back all the buildings after Trixie screwed them up. We grew up thinking stuff like that was impossible. Not even the Princesses can do what you did."

Fuyu blinked three times as she brought up the memory. After confirming again internally that she had in fact rebuilt the town with her augmented abilities, all she could do was shrug, look at the three of them, and say with absolute seriousness, "Yes. So what?"

It was their turn to stare blankly. "What do you mean, so what?" Rose demanded. "You're really powerful! It's scary!"

"I suppose. I forgot I could do it until Rarity wanted to dye my hair." She pointed at the blue bangs covering her left eye and shrugged once again. "It's not really something I think about very much."

"Are you serious?" Rose exclaimed, trying to pick her jaw up off the floor. "If I had your abilities I'd be messing with everything!"

"Well..." She trailed off, only to break out in a wicked grin when the perfect words appeared before her mind's eye. "I'm not like you."

"Obviously." Rose turned around and suddenly the three women were having another meeting. This time, Fuyu could hear their whispers, although not what they were saying. Abruptly she whirled around again. "Okay, fine." She reached into her tan purse and deposited a clutch of bills on the counter. "Just, keep the change. We'll stop bothering you."

And they were gone, skittering over and grabbing what remained of their food and coffees and zipping out the door. Pinkie arrived not long after, poking the pale woman in the side. "Lily didn't pass out! That's totally a good sign! I thought Fluttershy was bad, but that girl faints whenever somebody thinks about her too hard."

Some new feeling was sweeping around Fuyu's chest now. It wasn't quite happiness, but it was pleasant and certainly better than the penetrating bitterness she'd been swamped in since defeating Trixie. "Perhaps being different isn't so bad."

"Why would it be bad? That's just dumb, Fufu. I'm super different and everyone loves me!" Pinkie started to do the conga – with herself, and in a line consisting of one person. She very nearly fell flat on her face when Mrs. Cake called from the kitchen. "Oops. I think I forgot about the red velvet cake in the oven. Again. Gotta go!"

"Goodbye." Alone, she stared at the door while wearing a vacant smile. "That went well. I think it went well." While scratched at her left ear, she suddenly felt less than sure. "Maybe?"

There wasn't much time for her to contemplate; the door swung open, knocking around the brass entry chime and causing a cheerful racket. Rainbow Dash stalked through it, her wings flapping with annoyance. Not missing a beat, she stormed up to the counter and pointed a finger at the pale woman. "We gotta talk, Fu."

"We do?" No immediate reason presented itself, leaving Fuyu at a loss. "Why?" she asked, resting her palms on the case.

Rainbow slapped her hands down and tilted forward. "Because Trixie moved into my fucking apartment building, that's why!"

Fuyu showed her displeasure at the noise with a ghostly scowl. "I'm aware. I thought Twilight was going to calm you down."

Additional anger crept into her tanned sneer. "Nobody is gonna calm me down! The woman that tried to murder us – you too, don't forget – is right under my pad! I ain't gonna stand for that!"

"Dashie!" Pinkie streaked out of the kitchen and tackled the athlete – both would have ended up on the ground had the woman not been so steadfast in her rage. Rainbow absorbed the blow and ended up with the giggling baker draped on her shoulder. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

She kept her eyes on Fuyu, but lifted one hand to give Pinkie a friendly pat on the head. "Hey, Pinkie. Help me convince Fu to go evict Trixie."

Pinkie let go and did a little twirl, after which she had to steady herself for a moment. "Um, she can't. Kinda busy being awesome at running things and stuff!"

The pale woman tapped her fingernails on the counter top and gave both of them an even look. "I'm not going to anyway. Trixie can live where she wants."

"Tried. To. Kill us." Had it been anyone else, Rainbow would have grabbed them by the collar and attempted to physically convince them. Instead she settled for pointing out the window in the general direction of her problem. "Rarity's with me on this. So is Applejack."

"Oh, Dashie, you guys gotta live and let live. She said it was the amulet making her all evil and stuff. And she's been so nice ever since!" Even Pinkie was frowning now, but like all her expressions it was somehow chipper and bright. "Besides, we've got Fufu! Nothing's gonna happen."

Rainbow folded her arms while peering long and darkly at Fuyu. "That's not the point. Trixie doesn't deserve to stay in this town and Fu has the power to make her go. But it looks like she's forgotten everything that jerk did to us."

All of three seconds passed before the athlete realized she had crossed a line. Fuyu leaned so far across the counter that she was nearly touching noses with the suddenly stunned Rainbow. "There are some things that slip my mind, but things like that are not among them. If you'd like, I can recount for you the details of every single one of the almost five hundred people I've killed to survive. Maybe you want a review of the arguments I've heard between you and Applejack that have made her cry – or maybe the ones that made you cry. The four times Twilight has gotten a splinter in her foot from the floor in the loft. Pinkie burning her fingers on a tray of cupcakes. Rarity stabbing the tip of her left ring finger with a needle while sewing me a new shirt." She paused for an instant as the baker let out a low, unhappy whine. "I don't forget the pain I've caused, and I don't forget the pain of my friends. The three of you need to work out your problems with Trixie on your own. I'm not going to impose my will on her. I know why she did what she did, because it's not far away from the things I used to do. That's why I had to let it go." Rainbow wanted to jerk back as Fuyu placed hands on her shoulders, but couldn't execute the move. "Don't get me wrong, though. If she tries anything that has a chance of hurting you again, I will turn her into a bloody smear on the ground."

Rainbow and Pinkie were left silent, trembling wrecks, despite Fuyu's voice not raising above her average conversational volume. They clung lightly to each other as the pale woman pulled away and opened the register to see what bills she had available to make change. It was over a minute before either of them could speak. "Th-that's totally not w-what I meant when I said you f-forgot," the athlete stuttered, fearing she'd finally managed to make Fuyu mad.

She didn't even bother to look up from the money she was counting. "Of course it is."

Rainbow almost choked on her rebuttal in desperation to get it out as fast as possible. The words ended up much weaker than she wished. "Wh—okay, maybe, but I didn't really..."

"I know. I'm not mad at you." Having finished counting, she thwacked the drawer closed and at last looked up. "Just remember that she used part of my power to do all of that. If you hate her, technically you hate me too."

"Uh..." Rainbow glanced down, then over at Pinkie, then up at the ceiling. "I guess..."

"It's fine. I know a lot of people aren't fond of her, but look at it from my point of view. I understand almost exactly how she was thinking. We both had to feed different – but related – monsters." Fuyu assumed a more pleasant air, although this meant her face returned to a state of idle blankness. "If you hate her, fine. Don't talk to her. However, she has as much right to stay here as I do."

Rainbow found herself at an absolute loss. "Damn. You really know how to kill an argument." Drooping slightly, she stepped back from the counter and sighed. "Fine, I'll go handle my own business." Still feeling a little rattled, she rubbed at the back of her neck. "I, uh, I truly didn't mean it that way, Fu."

"Stop worrying." The pale woman was looking rather embarrassed herself. "Please don't tell anyone I lost my temper. I don't think it would help my image."

"If you call that losing your temper, you don't have anything to worry about." Rainbow gave her a quick salute and, swagger regained, strode toward the door. "I'm heading home. See you guys later." Before she got there, she turned and glanced back. "Nice haircut, by the way. Looks good." After pulling up the hood of her red fleece jacket, she was gone.

"Bye Dashie!" Pinkie perked up and waved both arms over her head. After Rainbow was out of sight, she turned to her other friend with her hands on her hips. "Fufu, you can be pretty scary sometimes."

Fuyu was thoughtful again, avoiding eye contact and looking vaguely tense as she shifted on the balls of her feet. "I know. Trust me, I know."

The library was empty when she returned that afternoon. A quick search turned up a note on the kitchen table; Twilight and Spike had gone shopping, and wouldn't be long. This still annoyed her – she had something to get off her chest, and the librarian was the only one who would understand her question. Sighing with resignation, she settled into one of the boxy chairs nearest the TV and turned it on. As usual, her channel surfing lead her right to the news.

As she'd watched it more and more, she had come to realize that there was a great deal it was leaving out. Twilight's initial reaction to her admission of killing and the reason – self-defense – was never entirely correct. Despite that, there were regions in the country, such as the west, where she did have to defend herself routinely. She had lost count of the amount of times someone had tried to rob her, but unless it was feeding time she'd knock them out and move on. Very few stories like those ever seemed to reach the network; on further review, it was as though they would mention a murder or something awful, then spend the next twenty minutes on purely positive reports. It prodded at her brain with a dissonance she had only encountered when refusing to eat.

And then something else hit her: in the seventeen days since she had taken out Trixie, Fuyu had seen exactly two pieces about what had happened in Ponyville. One of these was a lengthy, live chunk of breaking news, something she'd seen just after coming home subsequent to fixing the town. The second was about three days later and quite quick, flashing by in under a minute. A follow-up, Twilight had explained. Probably the last mention of the awful affair. It was all right then, because the pale woman, like the rest of the town, only wanted to move on from the whole thing.

There was a problem, however. In both instances, Fuyu herself had never been mentioned. Neither had Twilight. The rest of their mutual friends were listed by name amongst the victims, and Trixie had been plainly labeled as the culprit, but she and the librarian were absent altogether.

"Why..." Now having plenty to stew over, she turned the volume down and glared a hole into space. She got so lost in her analysis that Twilight's arrival completely went past her senses.

"Hey, you're home!" the librarian said, flipping her car keys onto a table near the door. "I heard Rainbow stopped by the shop. I couldn't get her to listen to reason, or anything, to be honest. I hope she didn't cause too much trouble." Twilight continued to shed various objects; her purse and shoes came off, although she simply exchanged the latter for a pair of purple slippers. "I dropped by the market and got us a case of that weird peach soda. You were right, it really grew on me." Once her brain had finished decompressing, her perception picked up the silence. Its intensity made her arms break out in goosebumps. "Fuyu? Are you all right?"

Fuyu squished her swirling emotion into four flatly-stated words. "Something is bothering me."

"I can tell." In the process of walking over, Spike came in and made her hesitate. His arms were laden with bags, but the pale woman's demeanor was raising a whole cluster of red flags. With a few apologetic hand motions, she explained her situation and sighed with relief as he nodded and grumbled. While he unloaded the car, she sat next to Fuyu. "What's up?"

Her icy eyes drifted over and nailed Twilight with a curious look. "We weren't mentioned in the news about Ponyville. Why?"

"Oh, um." Concern was chased away by sudden awkwardness. "Well..." Hands fidgeting, she looked at the floor and kept her eyes there.

Fuyu didn't care for the librarian's body language and tipped forward to stare her down. "Well? Did I miss something?"

"It's illegal to take pictures of us. Or to interview us. Actually, the media is supposed to leave us completely alone. I joked with Applejack about the paparazzi, but that's why there aren't any around despite my being a Princess that doesn't live in Canterlot."

"Why is it illegal?"

Twilight jumped at the hardness of her tone and glanced up. "Because we're in the Order. It's like, I don't know, a national restraining order or something. The members are not to appear on TV, print, or radio of any sort, nor can they be forced to do the same, under penalty of law."

As much as the pale woman wanted to blurt out I knew she was hiding me, she managed to keep her lips sealed and emit only a low sound of acknowledgment. For Twilight's sake she shed much of her silent intensity and took up a more relaxed pose. "I still don't understand why."

It worked. The librarian also calmed down, though she was now on the edge of her seat as if preparing to stand. "She did it to protect Luna. After a while the Order became a place for her to shield people that would have become famous for their service to the nation. Investiture isn't compulsory if offered, but I chose to enter because I thought it would keep my parents from being harassed. Now it feels like I hardly get to speak to them."

"I don't think I got a choice." Fuyu knew she'd slipped up when Twilight shot her a deeply surprised look. "Well, she didn't ask." Tensing slightly, she waited to see if she'd triggered any curiosity.

Apparently not, as Twilight snickered. "Oh. You got her will imposed on you, I guess." She stood up as Spike entered for the third time, fumbling with the case of soda. "We'd better help him before his arms fall off."

"Fine." Fuyu rose and drifted along, floating six inches off the floor. "I had another question." With her magic, she took the case from Spike and levitated it in front of her. "Do you ever forget about your power?"

Twilight blinked a few times as she watched her friend use her magic to fill the fridge with bottles. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"I mean it literally. I forgot I could change things until Rarity wanted to dye my hair yesterday." They moved outside together and over to the open trunk of Twilight's blue compact. "Do you ever do that?"

"I can't say I have. Our telekinesis is monitored by something related to the sense of proprioception – that is, the thing that tells us where our body parts are in relation to each other. We should always feel it because it acts like a sixth limb." Raspberry light discolored the gray trunk carpet as she used her magic to grab a few bags.

Fuyu ran a hasty self-check and noted that she could feel her regular magic, but not the high level ability she used to alter her appearance. "No, that's not the magic I mean. I mean the kind I used to shift matter."

"Oh, well, I couldn't tell you. I don't know anyone else that can do such a thing, besides Trixie with your amulet." Twilight's face suddenly lit up as she turned to go back inside. "Makes sense, though! If it's an artificial power, you'd have to remind yourself it's there. It wouldn't act like something natural that's always connected to you."

"I see." Shimmering black waves of Fuyu's magic enveloped the remaining groceries, pulled them out, and also closed the trunk. "So I have to call on it. I guess I haven't had much use to do that."

"Yeah. I wouldn't worry."

They went about sorting and storing all of the food, which took virtually no time thanks to their telekinetic capabilities and Twilight's rigid organization. After they were done, the pale woman got a bottle of the peach soda and wrenched it open. "I'm not sure how much I like what being in the Order entails."

A nervous laugh preceded the librarian's reply. "Ah, you get used to disappearing. It's really not so bad." She departed upstairs with haste, leaving a less than enthused Fuyu behind.

"It hasn't been that long since I was found," she muttered, interjecting a swallow of soda, "I don't think I want to vanish again."