White

by Mayclore

Home Is...

Fuyu could hardly comprehend how two people could make such a frenzied whirlwind of activity by themselves, yet here she was, perched on the couch and watching Applejack and a young girl with incredibly red hair zip back and forth time and again. Outside, the dawn light was beginning to creep over the hills and through the windows, hampered somewhat by a layer of fog that clung to the ground.

“Where's my bow?!” the young girl shouted from the top of the stairs.

“I had to wash it!” Applejack replied, a hand cupped around her mouth. “Check your dresser!” She noticed Fuyu looking at her and smiled a little. “Gets pretty nuts in the mornin', heh. Sorry we woke ya,” she added, before again moving toward the stairs.

Fuyu shook her head slowly. “I was not asleep.” She never needed much sleep. About an hour a day of unconsciousness would usually see her through. She only left her room because she heard an unfamiliar voice outside of it, and came out to see who it belonged to. Applejack had introduced her to Apple Bloom, the youngest of the family, after she emerged, although introduction might have been stretching it a bit – Bloom did all the talking, only falling silent when she realized Fuyu herself hadn't uttered a word. She was then compared to a woman named Fluttershy before Bloom departed, saying she had to get ready for school. This was the madness she now beheld, a restless storm of footsteps on the wooden stairs as one or both of them made the trip to get or take something they needed or realized they didn't need. Fuyu ceased trying to follow their movements, instead fixing her eyes upon the TV. The local morning news was on, and she used the weather forecast to determine where exactly in the country she had ended up. Only when she heard a loud series of noises behind her did her attention wander. She looked over the back of the couch and saw Applejack, a hand on her chest and leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs.

“Dang it, Apple Bloom, your bookbag almost killed me!” she chided loudly, calling back down the hall. Fuyu heard a muffled 'sorry' as the blonde came down, shaking her head. The brown Stetson again adorned that head, and she fussed with it upon reaching the bottom. “That girl would forget her noggin if it weren't screwed on,” she sighed, sitting by Fuyu on the couch. “Anyway, I gotta have the oil changed in the truck after I take Bloom to school, so just hang around until I get back, 'kay?”

“Very well,” Fuyu nodded stoically, again glancing back as heavy footfalls struck the steps.

“Ready!” Apple Bloom waved, decked out in a yellow t-shirt and green overalls, whose legs were cuffed over white sneakers. She bore a tremendous pink bow in her hair and a wide grin on her face. “Let's rock!”

Smiling, Applejack stood up and smoothed down her white shirt. “Right. See ya later, Fu!” she said, with a wave, and strode to the door after her little sister. Fuyu idly watched the old red truck pull in front of the house before turning and grumbling away down the dirt path. After it had left her sight, she suddenly realized something.

“Fu?” she blinked. After considering it for a moment, she shrugged and also rose from the couch, drifting out the door and off the porch. After picking a random direction, she began to walk, moving like a black ghost through the foggy orchard. As she went, she more closely examined what terrain she could see; it never seemed to be flat at all, rising and falling like waves in an unsettled – but frozen – green ocean. Every hill was studded with trees, and the trees themselves were studded with fruit – at least, most of them. On occasion, and seemingly at random, Fuyu would walk under branches that were completely bare. As she walked, she noted the fog thinning out, and a pervasive noise growing louder. The closer she got, however, the thicker the fog again grew, until she could hardly see past the side of the hill she now found herself walking down. At the bottom, she found a wide, noisy stream. Pursing her lips, she began to follow it. The ground was much flatter here, carved into submission by the flowing water, and the hills all began to look the same. By the time Fuyu realized how lost she truly was, the fog was burning away. She squinted against the bright sun and sighed, dropping her eyes and glancing about.

“I suppose it doesn't matter,” she finally admitted, and began walking again. She didn't get far however, as a spark of something above and behind her attracted her attention. She had felt such a thing before, and from experience knew exactly what it was.

“Hey, you! Stop right there!” a loud voice commanded, increasing in volume as its source came closer. Fuyu turned around and folded her arms as a woman with cyan wings landed roughly on the bank. She had to take a moment to steady herself afterward, but once she did she bristled visibly and dismissed her wings with a snap of her fingers. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Fuyu stared at the arrival silently, sizing her up. This lithe woman had hair unlike any she'd ever seen – it was a rainbow of colors that faded in and out of each other with no rhyme or reason, a bushy, short clump of technicolor strands that stuck up or out at random. Her skin was tanned, at least what of it she could see, and her eyes were a harsh rose color. She wore a bright blue, sleeveless tank top and black jeans over black and white high-top sneakers. Silver hoops glittered in the upper cartilage of both her ears.

“Answer me!” she demanded, taking a few steps forward.

“I was walking,” Fuyu replied quietly.

“I know that,” the woman replied in a huff. “Why are you walking here? This is private property!”

“And?” Fuyu countered, beginning to grow agitated with the tone of the questioning. “I am just looking around.”

“You're one of those thieves, aren't you?” the woman accused, and to Fuyu's surprise, she suddenly charged with her left hand balled into a fist and cocked back. “Leave Applejack's stuff alone!” Upon arrival, she threw the ready punch at Fuyu, but the woman caught her incoming hand and yanked on the arm, pulling her past. She kept a grip on her left wrist and bent the arm behind the woman's back, torquing it into a painful submission hold. As she solidified her grasp, she consulted her stomach; it reported back full. This one would get to live, depending on how she acted.

“Aaaaaagh!” the woman yelped, struggling even as she collapsed to her knees. Fuyu stooped a little to maintain the position. “Let me go! Ow! Applejack is gonna shoot you when she finds out!”

“How do you know her?” Fuyu asked, her iron grip on the woman's arm drawing anguished whimpers from her lips with every breath.

“She's my girlfriend, and you're stealing her app—aaaaaaagh!” she screamed as Fuyu twisted her arm a little harder.

“I am not a thief,” Fuyu replied harshly. “I am only out here waiting for her to return.”

“Sh-she knows you?” the woman gasped, suddenly becoming much less tense in Fuyu's grasp. “Okay, okay, my bad, pl-please let m-me go,” she pleaded, tears collecting in her eyes. Fuyu obliged, and the second she did the woman grabbed her arm and grimaced, taking wobbly steps away before turning to face her. “Damn, man, where'd you learn that hold?” she asked, rubbing her elbow.

“I don't know,” Fuyu replied stoically, before pinning her down with an icy glare. “Who are you, and why did you try to hit me?”

“I'm Rainbow Dash,” she replied, inhaling sharply as she checked her upper arm. “AJ's been having problems with robbers since her brother and grandma left, so I fly over every morning to check the orchard for her.”

“I am not a thief,” Fuyu repeated, turning crisply on her heel and walking away.

“Wait!” Rainbow called, moving quickly to catch up with her. “Are you the hitchhiker she told me about yesterday?”

Fuyu glanced sideways at her. “Yes, what of it?”

“Fuyu, right? She said you lifted one of those stupid bags of fertilizer like it was nothing. I guess I should have believed her,” she finished, frowning as she tried to shake the feeling back into her arm. “Geez! Least you didn't break it, I guess...”

“I could have, if I wanted to.”

Rainbow gulped and laughed nervously. “I bet...I can take you back to the house, if you want. We're kinda going the wrong way.”

Fuyu stopped dead and blinked before folding her arms again and sighing. “Very well.”

She fell in with Rainbow and walked silently for a few minutes, shoving her hands in her pockets to prevent her from seeing the marks on her palms if she hadn't already. The other woman was still dealing with her aching arm, grimacing and grunting as she moved. After cresting a hill and going down the other side, they found themselves on the dirt path and ascending slowly.

Rainbow was tired of being quiet. “Sooooo...AJ said you were an amnesiac?”

Fuyu contemplated that word for a moment. “I suppose.”

“Must suck, not knowing who you are,” Rainbow nodded, glancing up at the now clear blue sky.

That was something Fuyu had never considered before, and she had no reply for it. Rainbow, realizing she might have come off wrong, frowned.

“Sorry. Just, uh, I can't imagine not knowing about yourself, you know?”

Fuyu shrugged a little as she strode on, her sandals kicking up little puffs of dust with each step. Rainbow's arm felt better, but without that to focus on she was growing bored of the silence and let out a loud sigh.

“You don't talk much, do you?”

Fuyu didn't even glance at her. “I've not much to say.”

“No kidding,” she muttered, making a face. She was used to quiet people, her best friend being amongst the most quiet she'd ever known. Fuyu's silence, however, was somehow harder and colder than Fluttershy's. Still wincing whenever she tried to move her arm too wildly, she decided it would be best not to push it and kept quiet for the moment. The roof of the barn was just coming into view, followed shortly by that of the farmhouse, and Rainbow sighed again.

“I may as well stay until AJ gets back,” she decided, sprinting ahead of Fuyu and up the front steps. She was in no hurry to catch up, and only entered the house a couple of minutes after Rainbow did. She found her sprawled out on the couch with remote in hand, making a variety of faces as she flipped channels. “Oh, uh, sorry for trying to punch you,” she offered randomly, an awkward grin on her face. “Ngh...very sorry,” she added, rubbing her left shoulder.

“Mmm,” Fuyu breathed in response, sitting on what was left of the sofa and staring at the screen.

Rainbow blinked at the non-reply, but shrugged, assuming her apology had been accepted. She suddenly hopped off the couch and went to the stairs. “Maybe I left some of my books here,” she thought out loud, scaling the steps. Fuyu didn't even watch her go. A few minutes later, an empty-handed Rainbow thumped down the steps, grumbling unhappily. “Guess not. And there's nothing on TV at this time of day worth watching,” she lamented, plopping back down on the couch. She stared at Fuyu, who hadn't changed her position at all, and blinked. “You all right?”

“Yes,” Fuyu said quietly, still gazing at the TV. Rainbow tried to figure out what she was watching, but had never seen the show before.

“What is this?” she asked, again stretching out and occupying most of the couch.

“I don't know.” Fuyu pointed at the remote, which Rainbow had left on the coffee table. “Whatever channel you left it on.”

She snatched it up and checked, groaning when she saw it and channel surfing again. “I hate that network. It's way too boring.”

Fuyu had no reply for this, and sat quietly. A few minutes of deafening silence passed before a noise reached their ears. Rainbow sat up and smiled.

“I think that's her!” she said, hopping up again and walking to the door. Fuyu followed at length, wandering out onto the porch and standing beside Rainbow, who was gazing expectantly at an encroaching cloud of dust that wandered to and fro through the trees. Finally, the old red truck trundled into view, coming to a stop between the farmhouse and the barn. Applejack climbed out and waved as she shut the door, grinning all the way to the steps.

“Howdy, RD!” she chirped, blushing slightly as she received a peck on the cheek. “Heh...what're ya doin' here? Did ya catch anybody?” She blinked as Rainbow pointed to Fuyu. “Dash, she ain't a thief.”

“I know that now,” Rainbow replied, frowning and rubbing her left arm. “I tried to punch her 'cause I thought she was, and she nearly broke my arm.”

“Fu!” Applejack scolded, hands on her hips. “Don't go hurtin' people!”

Fuyu shot her down instantly with a flat reply. “She tried to hit me. What did you expect me to do?”

Applejack stared blankly as she tried to formulate a retort. “Uh...run away?”

“She can fly. Do you honestly believe I'm faster than she is?”

The blonde's arms dropped limply at her sides as she gained a rather sheepish look. “Oh, yeah. Uh, never mind,” she said, giving up and walking into the house. Rainbow and Fuyu followed her in, and all three of them sat on the couch. “Let me catch mah breath for a minute, then we can get to work. That is, unless ya have to get outta here,” she said, looking at Rainbow. She smiled when the other woman shook her head.

“Nah, I'm off tonight,” she yawned, stretching and wincing. “This late shift is so lame, I hate missing all the daylight.”

Fuyu ignored the conversation entirely, hands clasped on her lap and staring out the window. Only when she heard her name did she drop back into consciousness and turn her head. “Yes?”

“We're gonna go harvest some apples and take 'em to town,” Applejack explained, rising from the sofa. “Ya ready to go?”

Fuyu nodded and also stood. Rainbow had beaten both of them to the door and loitered there, yawning.

“Come on!” she complained, waving them over and tapping her foot. “Before I fall asleep!”

Applejack's lips curled into an amused smirk as she walked. “We're comin', we're comin'.” They all departed together, Fuyu bringing up the rear. The blonde lead them to the barn, fumbling for a moment with the heavy lock before opening the doors and pushing them aside. She directed the other two to get a pair of crates and bring them back to the truck. Once they had finished, Rainbow and Applejack climbed into the cab, leaving Fuyu to hop into the bed and sit.

“She's weird,” Rainbow muttered after shutting the door.

The blonde made an annoyed face. “She's not weird.”

“Yeah, she kinda is!” Rainbow replied over the starting of the old truck, resting her chin in her right hand. “She doesn't talk, and don't even say that Fluttershy doesn't either. This is not the same thing, and you know it.”

Applejack fixed her eyes dead ahead as she steered with both hands. “Are ya worried, or somethin'?”

“Of course I am!” she replied, an anxious undertone in her voice as she glanced over.

“She had all of last night to do somethin' awful, and she didn't. So what if she comes off as strange? Twilight does too, if ya hadn't noticed.” Applejack fell silent for a moment as she guided the truck down a row between apple trees. “Besides, if you didn't remember a thing about yourself 'sides your name, how would you act?”

“I guess you have a point,” Rainbow admitted, sighing. “Still, she creeps me out. Oh, and she nearly broke my arm, by the way.”

“Yeah...I'll talk to her 'bout that later,” Applejack promised, bringing the truck to a lurching stop. They got out and glanced around at the branches. “Good,” the blonde said, folding her arms. “Apples are still here.” She looked over as Fuyu leaped out of the bed and landed on the grass, brushing at her pants as she stood up. “Get the crates. We've gotta clear these four trees,” she directed, pointing at the four in question. Rainbow and Fuyu nodded, grabbing the empty wooden boxes and bringing them over. Applejack examined the first trunk, rubbing her chin.

“All right,” she finally said, backing up a few steps. “Stand back, y'all.” Once they had moved, she unleashed a fearsome straight kick at the trunk, the sole of her boot slamming into the bark with a woody thunk. A second later, apples began to rain from the branches, pelting the grassy earth. “Heh. All right, let's load 'em up.”

With three of them working at it, the task was done in no time at all. One crate was now fully packed, and another had a few apples rolling about. Rainbow and Fuyu followed Applejack to the next tree.

“Hey, Rainbow, wanna kick this one?” she asked, snickering loudly.

The other woman was less than amused, folding her arms and frowning. “Are you insane? I'd break my entire freaking leg.”

Fuyu's interest, however, had been piqued. “May I try?”

Applejack turned and blinked at her, shrugging shortly afterward. “Sure, why not. Let's see how strong ya really are!” She moved aside as Fuyu approached, gazing listlessly at the trunk. Her eyes traveled all the way up to the green canopy, heavy with fruit and swaying in the wispy breeze.

“Wait!” the blonde called. “I can't make ya kick in sandals, you'll hurt your feet. Come on, I'll get this'un.”

Fuyu, still at the trunk, blinked back at her but did not move away. “Very well, I'll use my hand.”

“Are you nuts?” Rainbow exclaimed, snickering lightly and shaking her head. “You'd break all of your fingers!” She gasped when Fuyu loaded her right hand and pulled it back. “Dude! No! You're gonna--!” She fell silent as the punch was thrown. Both of them closed their eyes and cringed, Applejack looking away as Rainbow placed both her hands on her head, teeth clenched. They expected screams of pain, but all they got was a solid thud, the rattling of branches, and a cacophony of falling fruit. Silence filled the void that followed, and they only looked at Fuyu again when she spoke.

“Did I do it incorrectly?” she asked, busy collecting the apples.

Rainbow stared at her, wide eyed and with jaw dropped. “Holy hell...”

“No kiddin',” Applejack agreed quietly, moving to help gather the fruit. “Wow. Nice job, Fu.”

A whisper of a smile ran across her face, vanishing as she went back to work picking up apples. Two crates were now full. The other two trees were dispensed with in no time, and after the last apple was in the last crate, Applejack dusted off her hands and let out a loud phew.

“Nothin' to it!” she nodded, smiling at the others. “I'll drop you back at home, 'kay Fu? Dash, you headin' off?”

“Yep,” she confirmed, walking over to give the blonde a tight hug and kiss. “See you tomorrow?” Applejack, a bit flushed, just nodded. “Heh, speechless as usual. I'm off!” she said, waving, then snapping with that hand and recalling her cyan wings. With a few powerful beats, she detached herself from the earth and weaved through the trees for a distance before streaking off into the blue sky. Fuyu watched her go blankly before looking back to Applejack.

“Home?” she asked, having never encountered the word before.

“Yeah. You're stickin' around, right? I'd love to have ya, 'specially if you can keep doin' that punchin' thing. In fact, when I get back from sellin' these, I'll give ya a cut of the cash. Sound fair?”

Money was something she'd never encountered, either, but she nodded in reply. “Very well.” She was more interested in the wellspring of feeling that suddenly appeared inside of her at this word, 'home'. It hit her in a way she only felt after she'd eaten, a satisfying clump in her stomach that was warm and pleasant and made her smile no matter how she felt, or how many times she'd burst into tears while eating. She placed a hand on her stomach and stared at the ground.

“You all right?” Applejack asked, looking back as she loaded the last crate into the bed.

Fuyu looked up and at her and nodded. “Yes. Let's go.”

As they drove back to the farmhouse, she realized she was smiling again, but couldn't figure out why.

---

The sun had just dropped behind the horizon, but its last hurrah for the day was a pink and orange masterpiece that consumed the sky. Fuyu was at the window, but paid no attention to the sight; she had her eyes locked on the bills in her hands, turning them over and examining them as if for the first time – which was entirely correct. Two of the bills were denominations of 50, a rich monotone green with a gold seal on the left of the reverse, which featured a view of Canterlot from a distance. Princess Celestia graced the obverse, her bust framed in an oval braced at the bottom by a ribbon bearing her name. The other bill was a 20, whose reverse and color were the same, but whose obverse bore a picture of the Princess Luna. Fuyu tilted her head at the money once more before shoving it into her pocket and blinking. She had no idea what to do with it, even after Applejack gently explained it to her.

“Ya can buy anything!”

Of course, her first thought was buying someone to consume. It certainly would save her a lot of effort. Something in her mind told her that wasn't going to happen, though, and she let the idea go. As the sun's light continued to retreat, she went back over to the tremendous, red-clad bed that dominated the room and climbed onto it. She sighed loudly and continued to run that word through her mind over and over again.

Home.

It rolled around in her skull continuously, dancing like a butterfly and forcing her to again smile to herself. She couldn't put a label on the contentedness it gave her – she even thought, briefly, about saying it out loud when she was hungry. Her stomach gently reminded her that this course of action wouldn't work, and she frowned, only to smile again.

“Home.”

Her head jerked up as a knock rang out. “Yes?” she called. The door opened slowly and Applejack stuck her head in.

“Hey, we're gonna order pizza. Ya got any particular toppings ya like?” she asked, readjusting her hat. Fuyu simply stared at her, and it took the blonde a few seconds to figure out why. “Ya've...ya've never had a pizza, have ya?”

“Not that I know of,” she replied, never taking her eyes off Applejack.

“Shoot,” the blonde muttered, doffing her hat and holding it. “I'm sorry, Fu, I keep forgettin' that ya...never mind,” she cut herself off, putting her hat back on and clearing her throat. “We'll just try pepperoni for now, okay?”

“Very well,” Fuyu agreed. “I will try it later.”

“Right,” Applejack nodded once, then waved and shut the door quietly. Fuyu followed the clunks of her boots as they faded down the hall, then vanished somewhere on the staircase. Once they left, she looked back at the window. The dying sunset threw a pastel explosion of color through the glass. She sighed again and fell back on the bed, closing her eyes.

When she opened them again, the room was completely dark. She sat up groggily and glanced about, slowly realizing that she'd just taken her nap for the day. She got out of bed and walked over to the window, moving the curtains to look out. A half moon now hung over the orchard, bathing the landscape in pale light. Her brain told her she had been out for a little longer than usual, something she chalked up to the physical work. She stepped away and went to the door, opening it and peeking down the hallway. There was no light coming from the stairs, and one of the closed doors across the hall had a yellow glow leaking out from beneath it. Another door across the way was ajar, and Fuyu heard snoring from within. She re-entered her own room and shut the door, sliding back onto the bed and blinking. She glanced back at the window and looked away, but her eyes returned when she realized something wasn't right. She rolled off and went over, peering through the panes at a hazy yellow light, tucked behind the bushy tops of the far trees. For a moment, she considered what they could be, and her mind settled quickly on headlights. Confused, she opened the window and stuck her head out, looking to her right. Applejack's truck was there, between the house and barn, just as she'd left it upon returning from town earlier. Her eyes went back to the yellow light again.

“What?” she blurted out quietly, unable to process why a car would be there. Only when her mind drifted back to her initial encounter with Rainbow did an explanation offer itself. “Thieves?”

Normally, Fuyu cared little about the things humans did to each other, but this concept, in this place, stung her viciously. Yes, she stole things, but only when absolutely necessary, and never more than the clothing of her victims if her own was irreparable. She tried to think of a logical reason why someone would steal apples. Perhaps they were hungry? Something in her brain rejected this, and she felt herself frowning. They were stealing. Stealing from Applejack.

Applejack gave her home. Applejack gave her that happy feeling that she once could only get by the bloody, brutal suffering of others. Her fists clenched.

“That's not...” she said, trailing off as words failed her. Her lips curled down into a snarl, baring her teeth. Another feeling welled up, this the utter opposite of the one that gave her smiles. It was sharp and hard and cold, and the longer it sat the angrier she felt.

How dare they.

Fuyu's stomach suddenly buzzed up, indicating it was not as full as it liked. Her initial reply was a thought about trying the pizza, but then another crept along and drowned it out. She stared out at the light again for a long time, her snarl fading, then transforming entirely into a wicked smile that again revealed her angry teeth.

“I think I will eat out tonight,” she breathed, lifting her hands. She summoned the black tentacles and looked at each as they emerged, writhing and wiggling like wounded earthworms. With one fluid motion, she used them to grasp the windowsill, and hurled herself out of the house.

Comments

[DrYumekui]

ooo yay! There's gonna be some ass kicking soon, can't wait!
I also just love how Fuyu is just a natural badass, keep it up!

[mapu]

Can't wait for this to continue, nice story so far.