• Published 9th Jan 2013
  • 960 Views, 16 Comments

White - Mayclore



Applejack encounters a lost soul on the side of the highway one morning, and soon takes it upon herself to help the woman find her way. The secrets that follow her, however, may lead the apple farmer and her friends into an early grave.

  • ...
1
 16
 960

The Calm

The living room of the farmhouse was deadly quiet, save for the quiet whimpering of Apple Bloom as she sat and clung to her older sister, but at least it was pristine again. An emergency meeting of sorts had been called by Twilight Sparkle, and every one of the six women was in attendance. Rainbow sat beside her girlfriend on the sofa, Rarity and Pinkie Pie occupied the two chairs on each end of the couch, and a nervous Fluttershy sat to the left of the former in a chair brought from the kitchen. Twilight did not sit, electing instead to pace in front of the TV. Fuyu herself occupied the couch on the other side of Applejack, her gaze affixed on the sobbing young girl.

“I should call the Princess,” Twilight blurted out, her Mary Janes clacking on the wood floor as she paced. “She can give you a place to stay in Canterlot until this all blows over.”

“She's got more important things ta worry 'bout,” Applejack protested, gently stroking Bloom's hair as she wept. “Who knows if anything's even gonna happen? I'd hate ta bother her 'bout nothin'.”

“I can't think of many things more important than the life of someone you care about,” Twilight shot back, her tone hard and unyielding. Her face softened in apology quickly after, and she whirled again to begin the next leg of her pace. “Fuyu threw down the gauntlet to whoever this man is, and if his underlings are any indication, he'll answer her challenge as violently as he can.” All six of them turned their eyes to the woman in black as she looked up and glanced between them.

“I did what I had to do,” she said quietly, clasping her hands in her lap and feeling uneasy. She knew that statement was only eighty percent correct; what she had done to Connie was not at all mandatory, save for the actual eating.

“I'm not challenging you on that,” Twilight said gently, ceasing her walk and trying her best to be reassuring. “We all appreciate what you did. I'm afraid that it's going to invite more bloodshed, that's all I'm saying.” There was a muted murmur of agreement from everyone save Rainbow and Applejack. Seeing that she needed additional convincing, Twilight came over and sat directly in front of her on the large coffee table. She smiled at Bloom when the girl looked over, but gave her older sister a grave stare. “Applejack, you can't risk it. And I know you wouldn't, especially for her sake,” she said, pointing lightly at the young girl. “I have to be sure you're safe.” She looked over at Rainbow, who wouldn't make eye contact at first. “All of you.”

“I'm not scared,” the athletic woman blurted out harshly, glaring at the librarian and scowling. Twilight withdrew in surprise, and that scowl faded into regret. “If Applejack doesn't want to go anywhere, then I'm not going anywhere either. If something happens, at least it'll happen to us together.”

“That's ridiculous!” Rarity protested, leaning up in her seat and pointing a bejeweled finger at Rainbow. “Are you so damned and determined to go down in a blaze of glory that you'll ignore reason? Ignore the people that love you the most?”

“You don't understand what it was like!” Rainbow shouted back at her, standing up and taking a step in her direction. “I was helpless! I thought I was about to watch her die in front of me and I couldn't do a damn thing about it!” The emotion began to pour from her in waves, and she crumpled to a knee, weeping.
“I've never felt so useless in my entire life...”

Apple Bloom handled the outburst poorly, clapping her hands over her ears and sobbing harder. Applejack frowned down at her and whispered something Fuyu could not hear. Her words drew a nod from the young girl, and the blonde rose, carrying her in her arms and walking up the stairs. Twilight watched them go with a sigh before rising and putting a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. To her surprise, she found the woman was shaking.

“Rainbow, it's okay,” she said, leaning down, but Rainbow would have none of her sympathy.

“No, it's the most not okay thing ever,” she countered, standing up and rubbing her eyes with the back of her forearm. She looked over her right shoulder and saw Fuyu's icy blue eyes staring at her, which caused her to frown slightly. “I'm not saying that I blame you,” she clarified, turning to face her. “I'm saying that next time, it won't depend on you. I'm going to make sure of it.”

Fuyu had no reply. Even if she had, there would have been no time to utter it, as Rarity emitted an exasperated sigh and began to speak. “You're right, I don't understand. That does not, however, mean you have to make it up by getting yourself hurt, or worse,” the dressmaker said, ending her point with a stiff look. “If you simply must insist on having yourself a last stand, at least let your friends help you!”

Applejack, who had been quietly listening from her perch halfway down the stairs, interjected. “I don't wanna see y'all get hurt,” she said, slowly descending the steps with her hat in her hand. “I don't know what I'd do if somethin' awful happened while y'all were tryin' ta help me.”

“How do you think we feel?” Pinkie suddenly blurted out, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. “If something super terrible happened to you guys, I...” she trailed off, wilting and staring at the floor, “I don't know what I'd do.”

Twilight could sense an argument brewing, and she moved to quell it. “Listen, I'm not saying you have to leave town. Just stay with one of us for a few days. We'd all be willing to let the four of you crash at our places, right?” she asked, looking around as she sat on the coffee table again. There was a murmur of agreement from Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, but as Rainbow and Applejack took their seats on the couch again, their faces said they were still not convinced.

“That would put whoever we ended up with in harm's way, if anything even comes of this,” the blonde said, shaking her head. “I couldn't ask that of y'all.”

The librarian's hands clenched into fists, and her face warped into a mask of frustration. “Applejack, you're as stubborn as a mule.” She rose and walked away from the table, coming to a stop near the large counter that divided the living room from the kitchen. Her back was turned to the others, and she folded her arms while thinking. When she faced them all again, there was a frown on her lips. “Won't you at least consider it?”

“I ain't hidin' from nobody,” the blonde said gruffly, wrapping her left arm around a still sniffling Rainbow Dash. “If someone wants ta start somethin' with me, well, I'll see to it that it gets finished.”

“B-but we don't want you to get hurt,” Fluttershy said meekly, almost hiding in her baggy yellow shirt. “Pl-please?”

Fuyu had been chasing the discussion around the room until it reached the shy woman, and at last her silent question had been answered. For her, there was no doubt as to the course of future events, but she needed to know which of the four possible choices would be the best to set her plan in motion. That choice was Twilight; she was by far the strongest of the gathered besides Fuyu herself. The woman in black stood up abruptly, causing Rarity to fall silent before she could speak the first word of her agreement with Fluttershy.

“You all should stay with Twilight for a few days,” she said, her tone as hard as steel. “I will handle this.”

“And who made ya the boss?” Applejack replied unhappily, standing up and facing her down. Her green eyes stared into those frigid blue pools. What she saw in them made her uneasy, but she would not be dissuaded from deterring Fuyu from what she viewed as a fool's errand – even if she had just insinuated she would do the same not an hour earlier. “What are ya gonna do, stay here by yourself and meet 'em at the door?”

Fuyu gazed hollowly up at the blonde, her tone as chilly as her eyes. “That is exactly what I intend to do.”

“Not you too!” Twilight groaned, throwing up her hands and walking back to the gathering. “Why are you all so insistent on being lonely heroes?” Applejack and Rainbow only gave her fleeting glances, but Fuyu pinned her down with a gaze that rattled the librarian's spine. She took a couple of steps back upon seeing it, placing a hand on her chest in surprise. “Fuyu? A-are you all right?”

“Convince them, however you must, to stay with you for a while,” she stated, walking past her to the mantle. Mounted above it on a pair of brass hooks was the shotgun Applejack brandished the night Stormy paid her first visit. It was a side-by-side pump action beast, fitting for the task of protecting the endless boundaries of the Apples' sacred land. She took it down and held it in her hands. Like Connie's pistol and her makeshift bow, it felt natural, an extension of her own body capable of projecting force for a distance not even the black sludge could match. While it was cumbersome even for the sturdy blonde, in Fuyu's hands it was a tool, an implement to impose her iron will. After a pause she turned around to face their stares, the gun cradled in her arms like a child. “I do not seek to go out in a blaze of glory,” she began, resting the barrel of the gun on her left shoulder as she spoke, “I seek to end this, once and for all.”

“And ya call me stubborn,” Applejack said aside to Twilight as she moved over to Fuyu. “Sugarcube, this is our fight, if there's a fight ta be had,” she said, placing a firm hand on Fuyu's empty shoulder. “This land has been in my family since my granny's granny walked it. Ain't nobody gonna chase us off of it for no reason, revenge or not.”

“It's not about hiding, damn it!” Twilight shouted, causing Fluttershy to squeak with fear and cover her head. “It's about not putting yourself at risk unnecessarily!”

Applejack removed her hand and growled, unable to stifle her anger any longer. “They can pry these apples from my cold, dead, hands,” she said, pointing out the window. “Mom and dad left us this place to look after 'til the day we die! Ain't no fuckin' thieves gonna scare me into doin' a damn thing!”

“Pl-pl-pl-please don't yell,” Fluttershy whimpered, hugging herself tightly. Rarity moved to comfort her while Pinkie, clutching the arms of her chair, had the most uncomfortable look that Twilight had ever seen on her face. The librarian took a long breath to calm herself before again trying to reason with the farmer. She did not get the chance.

“I am not asking,” Fuyu said, peering up once again at the blonde's face. “I will repeat what I said to Rarity; I am not like you. I am not like you in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. I do not intend to go down in a blaze of glory.”

“F-Fu,” Applejack stuttered, stepping backwards from the woman in black. Fuyu's tone had grown harder and darker with every word she spoke, and the farmer had finally been shaken to the point of speechlessness. The others were equally as uncomfortable. Even Rainbow was silent, red-eyed and stuffy.

“You have given me many things. You gave me kindness, you gave me friends,” she said, pausing briefly to look around at all of them. “You gave me things I did not know existed. You gave me...you gave me life,” she added, frowning lightly. She still felt undeserving of those gifts, but resolve took over and restored her rigid edge. “This is my home now, just as much as it is yours. Allow me the chance to defend it.”

“But ya don't have ta do it alone,” Applejack replied, almost pleading. She was acutely familiar with this sort of intensity; she felt it occasionally, and when she did there was no stopping her from whatever she intended to do. “Apple Bloom can stay with Twilight, but I can't leave. And if I don't leave, then Rainbow's not gonna go either.”

“Damn right I'm not,” she confirmed, crossing her arms and looking at the blonde. “I want a little payback.”

“Ugh, we're just going in circles,” Twilight groaned, falling on the couch and rubbing her eyes.

Fuyu looked down at the shotgun in her grip for a second before setting it back on its mounting above the mantle. She turned to Twilight and folded her arms. “Do you have room for them?”

“Well, yes,” she replied, uncovering her eyes and nodding. “Not that it does any good.” She frowned at Rainbow sitting beside her, but only got an annoyed glance in response. “You're seriously going to stay here, aren't you?”

“Yep,” Applejack said curtly, striding into the kitchen and opening the fridge. “Bloom can go with ya, but I ain't goin' anywhere.” Twilight groaned at those words and covered her eyes again, and a silence fell over them as the meeting reached an impasse. Fuyu, glancing over each of the six women in turn, frowned.

And then she decided to break the stalemate herself. “You told me once that the apples were not worth dying for,” she called, addressing Applejack as the blonde rummaged in the refrigerator. That stopped her cold, and stiffly she leaned back up, shutting the door and turning around. The awkward look on her face told Fuyu that she had struck a nerve, and she kept going. “Did you mean they were not worth my death? Will Apple Bloom believe they are worth yours?”

Silently, the blonde mulled over those words, walking back into the living room and sitting beside Rainbow on the sofa. Her eyes were deeply thoughtful, and for several moments she stared out the nearest window. When she finally started looking around again, her expression was a little sheepish. “I guess I hadn't thought about it like that...”

A wide smile spread across Twilight's face as she stood. She gave Fuyu a thumbs up before addressing Applejack. “You're coming, then? Please say you're coming.”

“I still don't feel right about leavin'...” the blonde grumbled.

Rainbow's demeanor was changing as Applejack's did, and she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “I don't either,” she added. “And what about Fuyu? She's in just as much trouble as we are.”

They all looked over at her, and their gazes were met by a frigid mask. She was about to open her mouth and speak, but the white fog parted again briefly. As it had so many times before, her mind stepped in and guided her in a time of worry. She would never admit it, but the prospect of meeting a possible army of thieves concerned her. There were limits to her durability, and although she had yet to test them, she knew they existed. That formless figure gave her eight words to soothe her worry – even if they also served to confuse her. It was an epiphany out of nowhere, another fragment of the thing hiding behind that white mist. She couldn't help but repeat the sentence out loud.

You will do what needs to be done.

“Fufu, that sounds kinda scary,” Pinkie said, walking over with her hands clenched and raised to her chest. “Do you mean...”

She glanced back at the gun, then over at Pinkie. The silence bore her answer, and the air became extremely uncomfortable. Twilight prepared to argue again, but one stiff look from Fuyu killed her words before she could even get them out. “I will be here when you get back,” she stated flatly, addressing Applejack one more time. She walked away from Pinkie and past the couch, going up the stairs without another word.


“I'm not going to convince you to come, am I?”

Fuyu shook her head as she sat in the center of the bed in her room. Twilight was seated on the edge, looking at her with a light frown. The impromptu meeting had broken up several hours ago, but she stayed behind to help Applejack and Apple Bloom pack for their stay at the library. She also remained to convince the woman in black to tag along, but her invitation met a cold wall of denial. She sensed something else too, something in that eerie calmness, but couldn't put her finger on what it was. Therefore, she decided to offer something else instead.

“Well, if you need us, these are the numbers for our phones,” Twilight said, fishing a piece of paper out of her blouse pocket and handing it over. Fuyu took it and looked over the writing, tucking the paper into her jeans pocket when she had finished. “If something happens, don't hesitate. And don't get yourself hurt, okay?”

“I will not get hurt,” she said, glancing up as Apple Bloom went past the open door with her red book bag.

“Have you done this before?” Twilight asked, fidgeting nervously. “I mean, having to kill people?”

Fuyu was anxious at last, unsure how to answer the question without exposing more of the truth. Upon realizing that this particular part of it was already out of the bag, she decided it wasn't worth worrying about and nodded. “Many times.”

“What happened to you out there?” the librarian asked, her words dripping with sympathetic curiosity. She didn't push any further, and a moment later Applejack appeared in the doorway.

“We're 'bout as ready as we're gonna get, I guess,” she said, hands shoved in her jeans pockets. This was as unsure as Fuyu had ever seen her, and the look bothered the woman in black. “Fuyu, ya sure you're not gonna come? I can't ask ya to stay here and watch over the house by yourself, I...” She fell silent, and tears began to stream from her eyes. “Why are ya doin' this? Ya barely even know us and you're layin' down so much on our behalf!”

“That is what friends are for,” Fuyu replied, almost automatically. Applejack walked over and almost fell on the bed, embracing her on the way down. Fuyu hugged her back and sighed, her face bumping into the brim of her hat. Apple Bloom moved by the open door a second time, and upon seeing this also came over and clamped to Fuyu in a hug. “It's all right. I'll see you in a few days.”

“Y'all are somethin' else,” Applejack chuckled, pulling away and wiping at her eyes. “I can't ever repay ya for this.”

“Then we are even,” Fuyu said, blinking down as she found herself stroking Bloom's hair like her sister. “Is there anything you want me to do while you are away?”

The blonde raised up again, shaking her head and fixing her hat. She slid off the bed and turned her back on them for a moment, taking a long breath to compose herself. “Twilight'll be by to check up on ya in the mornin'. Fu...” she trailed off, turning to look her, “...be careful.”

Apple Bloom was breaking the embrace as her older sister spoke, and Fuyu let her go while nodding one more time. The two Apples departed the room, leaving Twilight with the woman in black. When they were gone, the librarian emitted a small sigh of her own.

“I have to admit, I don't really know what to think of you,” she said, placing her hands on her knees. “It's odd. You remind me of my brother, in a way.” She paused, looking back at Fuyu, but when she said nothing Twilight continued on. “He always tries to protect people. I think that's why he joined the Army. I mean, you're not as outgoing as him, or quite as friendly, no offense,” she added, chuckling a little, “but that's okay. I can't thank you enough for this. You might be a little different, but you're still a wonderful person.”

“What did you say?” Fuyu asked, looking up. Twilight's last statement yanked her out of her mental haze, and she wanted to be sure she heard the words correctly.

“You might be a little different, but you're still a wonderful person,” she repeated, shifting on the bed to face Fuyu a little more. The look on her face caused the librarian to become concerned. “What's wrong?”

She swiveled her hands to stare at the red marks on her palms. “Am I?” she asked out loud, directing the words at herself more than Twilight. She blinked when the other woman grabbed her hands gently.

“Yes, you are. If you had to do things like that...” She paused, frowning and glancing away briefly. When she looked back, her eyes were sad. “I know there was a reason. The country's not safe in some places, I hear the Princess talking about it all the time. If you had to defend yourself, then you had to defend yourself.”

It was Fuyu's turn to appear sad; Twilight's assumption was the opposite of the truth, and it made her frown. After thinking it over for a moment, she decided it was no less optional. She did have to eat, after all. “I suppose I did what I had to do.”

Over, and over, and over again.

Twilight squeezed her hands, detecting the change in Fuyu's demeanor, but didn't speak for a long while. “That's over now,” she said firmly. “I'm not going to pry into your past any further, if you don't want me to. When this is all over, we'll help you start a new life here in Ponyville.”

Fuyu tried to smile, but couldn't make the expression appear. “I'm not sure I can,” she replied solemnly. Now she was beginning to project into the future, and wasn't sure how long she could keep her secret from the six of them. For the first time, she was frightened of returning to the lonely existence she knew for so long.

“Of course you can!” Twilight replied, a wide smile on her face. “We'll all help you.”

That smile finally arrived, but it was much weaker than Fuyu intended. Twilight leaned over and also gave her a brief hug before sliding off the bed and standing. “Well, I guess I'd better get going too,” she grumbled, stretching her arms high above her head. “I'm serious about those numbers. Call us if you need us. Any of us. All of us,” she stressed, her eyes darkly serious.

“I will manage.” That was all her plea got out of Fuyu, and after a curt goodbye, the librarian walked out of the room. As the noise of her shoes faded down the hallway, Fuyu rose from the bed and went to the window. She saw the two Apples piled into Twilight's car, Applejack in the front and Bloom directly behind her. After a few moments, Twilight appeared, getting in. Another moment more went by and they were driving off, the blue compact leaving a meager trail of dust behind it. The house was now hers. She wandered down into the living room and sat on the couch, unsure of what to do next. Ten minutes went by while she lost herself in thought.

Then there was a knock.

Fuyu went over and opened the door. Behind it was the smiling face of Stormy, who presented her a flat black semi-automatic pistol, holding it by the barrel so she could take the grip. She grasped the gun after a second and blinked at the thief, who walked right past her and flopped down on the sofa. “What are you doing here?” she asked, shutting the door and returning to the couch.

There was a light shrug and a wide grin. “I said I'd be back when the heat is off.”

Her question unanswered, Fuyu tried again, crossing her arms and looking annoyed. “Are you here to steal something?”

“Are you nuts?” Stormy exclaimed, leaning away from her and staring. “You'd kill me if I did!”

“You are correct,” Fuyu nodded, turning the pistol over in her hands as she sat. She gripped it in her left hand, savoring the sensation of it. “Did you steal this?”

“Does it matter? I figured you could use the extra firepower, even if you have that weird black stuff. What is that stuff, anyway?” Stormy looked curiously at the mark on Fuyu's right hand while she examined the pistol. “Is it like, some sort of freaky magic?”

The question was dodged entirely. Fuyu put the pistol beside her on the couch and looked at the thief. “You still haven't explained why you're here.”

“I...I didn't know where else to go,” she admitted sadly. A strange smile appeared on her face soon after. “I'm tired of other people writing my story for me, you know? From now on, Stormy Skies is gonna take the pen.” She slumped over and sighed, cradling her head in her hands. “Even if it is the last chapter...”

Fuyu didn't know how to reply to that assertion, so she ignored it and changed the subject. “I am not sure Applejack will appreciate you staying.”

Stormy raised up, tossing her white hair aside as she looked over. “Hey, you think she'd let me work here? I'm gonna need a job at some point.” The look on Fuyu's face caused her to frown deeply. “Guess not. Welp, I'm gonna go find something to eat.” Off she went to the kitchen, whistling a tune as she walked. Once she opened the fridge, she made a face at the wares inside. “Sure is apples in here. Guess I should have expected that.” Fuyu did not share the light laugh; she was still getting acquainted with the pistol in her hands. “I'm just gonna sleep on the couch, okay? I swear I won't steal anything.”

“Very well.” Fuyu stood up and slid the barrel of the pistol into her jeans pocket. Her tank top wasn't long enough to cover it, but she saw no use for the element of surprise. “I am going to take a nap.”

“Cool, I'll uh...something,” Stormy replied, gazing at a bottle of the sparkling cider. She opened it and took a drink. “Hey, this is pretty good!” Silence met her words, and she turned to look back into the empty living room. “Right. Never mind.”


When Fuyu came down the stairs again two hours later, she found Stormy snoring loudly on the couch with the remote on her chest. After moving her legs aside to sit down, she looked out the window at the fading sun. Through the tree branches, distant clouds gathered in the western sky. Her time on the couch was very brief; she got up and wandered back upstairs, entering her room to get the black bow. She brought it downstairs with her and went outside, checking to ensure no one was around before forming a black spike out of her right palm. Her intent was to do some target practice, but she didn't know what to shoot at. There were apples on all the trees nearby, but those were just now ripening and would soon be harvested for sale. Grass crunched lightly under her bare feet as she walked, searching for something to shoot at. After a minute, she discovered several crates full of apples that were unsellable. These were pockmarked with bad spots, or had holes in them from where they'd been pierced by worms. She reached in and grabbed one, tossing it straight up into the air. It took her more time to break the makeshift arrow off of her palm than it did to aim the bow, and as the fruit plummeted toward her face, she fired the hard sludge into it.

“Hmm,” she murmured, surprised at her accuracy. She retrieved the arrow and repeated the process, flinging an apple straight up, and targeting it as it hung briefly in the mostly cloudy sky. Her shot was true again, and the fruit crashed to the ground with the spike impaled in it. After the fifth shot, she felt someone behind her and whirled, bow drawn and ready to attack.

“Whoa!” Stormy yelped, hands raised above her head. “It's me! Don't shoot!” After the bow was lowered, she straightened her hair and walked up to stand beside the woman in black. “What are you doing?”

“Practicing. I want to be ready,” she said, launching another practice apple into the sky and firing at it. When this shot found its target, Stormy let out a long whistle of approval.

“Nice shot,” she said, picking up the fruit before Fuyu could get to it. She removed the black lance and poked at it, the tapping of her fingernails causing the hard substance to emit a crisp, sharp noise. “Sounds like rock. This stuff is weird.” She screamed briefly as a dark appendage reached out to take the thing away, then marveled as it shed its rigidity and became flexible like the rest of the mass. “That was awesome! I wish I could do that.”

“No you don't,” Fuyu assured her, hurling another target skyward. Stormy gulped a little, but didn't press the issue.

“Okay...why aren't you practicing with the pistol, though? It'll do more damage than this. No offense,” she said, watching another successful attempt. The black arrow stuck into the ground as it landed, nearly driving itself into Stormy's right foot. “Whoa, careful!”

Fuyu walked over to retrieve the arrow again. “I have more ammunition than with the gun. I am saving it in case something happens.”

“Oh, I can guarantee something's gonna happen,” she muttered unhappily, folding her arms as she glanced off into the distance. “Hey, that reminds me!” She reached into her cleavage and produced two clips, handing them to Fuyu as she stood up fully again. “Here's some extra. You know, if he should bring a bunch of guys.”

Fuyu stared at the clips, then at Stormy before placing them in her pocket and moving a few paces away. After a few more practice shots, Stormy couldn't keep quiet.

“Do you think we're going to die?” she asked, anxious and fidgeting as she stood.

A smile appeared on Fuyu's face as she drew her bow. “You might,” she said, pausing to fire the shot. “But I won't.”