//------------------------------// // Leave it to Me // Story: Day after Day // by starbright154 //------------------------------// AJ's P.O.V. Flim and I had been waiting for about five minutes before I heard a faint cry in the distance. "Do you hear that?" I asked Flim. "Yeah, I do. It sounds like a pony, but where is it coming from?" I started walking towards to the muffled sobs along a path that ran around Fluttershy's little cottage. Flim was on my tail, trying to figure out where the source of the crying was coming from. I turned one last corner before I noticed Fluttershy leaning over with her head in her hooves. I cleared the space between us, knelt down, and questioned Fluttershy as to why she was crying. "Fluttershy?" I spoke up. She turned to look at me. Her soft, pink mane was moist from her wet tears, and her usual sunny fur was darkened with stains of more wet tears that had fell onto her chest. "Oh, Applejack," Fluttershy mumbled," Me and Angel bunny had an argument today." I noticed Flim staying further back, not wanting to bring anymore distress to the already teared-up pony. I mouthed a quick 'thank you' before returning to the problem at hoof. "Fluttershy, I know this is a bad time, but I want you to me somepony." I pointed my hoof in Flim's direction, and Fluttershy turned to look at him. She was shocked, to say the least, but she was more distraught about Angel than an unknown pony. "Now, what did you and Angel get into fight about this time?" I asked curiously. "Well, as usual, he didn't want to eat the same meal that the rest of the animals were eating. He wanted his own personal, hoof-made dish, but what he was wanting was not possible for me to make today. There were many ingredients I was missing, and I didn't have the time to go and get them. I told Angel, but he would not take no for an answer, but I was not going to be pushed around this time. I stood my ground and told him that he either had to eat what everypony else was eating or to not eat anything at all. Like I had thought, he did not like my response and zoomed out the door. It's been a little over three hours, I haven't seen any sign of him." Fluttershy try to keep her tears back but her tears burst into two waterfalls on either side of her face. I hated seeing Fluttershy in such a horrible shape. It was just heart wrenching, but I had to stay strong for her. "Would you like it if Flim and I went to go look for him?" "You would do that? For me? He could be anywhere by now." "Of course, Fluttershy. You're one of my best friends, and I would do anything for a friend in need." She pulled me in for a tight hug before turning to Flim and giving him a meek "thank you". He smiled back and said "you're welcome" before we both took off looking for Angel. I pointed towards another path leading away from the cottage, and Flim followed behind me as we made our way to a lost Angel bunny. Flim's P.O.V. "Well, that sure was one way to say,'hello,'" I commented. "She's just upset, Sugarcube," Applejack reassured me," Once we bring back Angel, I'm sure she'll be back to her lovely self again." We continued down a pathway leading towards the Everfree Forest, and once we came to the edge of it, we each other a quick glance before entering the dangerous wilderness. I noticed that Applejack had gotten closer to me, and I did the same. I was not about to be attacked by a twig assembled wolf. I could feel Applejack's fur brush up against mine as we continued deeper into the forest, repeatedly calling out Angel's name loud enough for him to hear us, but not too loud so that any dangerous creatures could find us. I heard a rustle coming from my left and nudged Applejack to follow my lead. "Angel!" I called out once more. The rustling became louder as we continued down our new path. I thought I saw a tip of a white ear as we got closer to the ongoing sound. Making a final turn around a tree, there was a little, white bunny sitting next to a bush full of blueberries. "Angel," Applejack said to the bunny," Fluttershy's been worried sick about you. Come on, let's head back to the cottage." The little bunny was defiant and shook his head no. AJ grumbled at the bunny's attitude, but I took charge before she said something that would cause the little thing to scurry farther away. "Hey, Angel," I announced my presence to him," We're not here to hurt you. Fluttershy is worrying about you, you know? She's crying right now because her favorite bunny ran off into a dangerous forest where she might never see him again." I saw Angel's ears lower at this comment, and he turned to look at me. "I know you and her had a little argument earlier this morning, but you two should be able to forgive each other instead of wandering around in a monster infested forest. Is that what you want to happen?" Angel shook his head slowly. "Now, let's get going, little bunny." I could see that Angel was hesitant at first, but he knew that if he stayed here, he may never come back out. He began bouncing right along us as we made our way back to the cottage. "Wow," Applejack said," That was mighty impressive how you got that stubborn bunny to agree to follow us back to Fluttershy. I doubt I would've been able to keep my hooves to myself if I was here alone." "Well, I honestly didn't expect him to agree, but I did surprise myself at how well I handled the situation." "Fluttershy's is definitely going to warm up to you after this fiasco." "Good to know." I smiled at her, and she smiled back as we continued our way back out of the forest. I thought I'd heard something in the distance, but it was probably another bunny so I shook it off as nothing, but then Applejack heard it, too. "Do you hear that?" she asked. "Yeah," I responded," It's probably a bunny or something." "I don't think so. The hoofsteps seem a little harder than a bunny's would be." I turned to look at her and raised my eyebrow. Then what could it be? Before I could ask her, a heard a very close howl. She turned to look at me before we both sprinted off out of the woods. I took one look back behind us, and I wish I hadn't. Three timberwolves were chasing after us. Not again, I thought. I was much farther along than Applejack. My long legs were in no comparison to her short ones. The timberwolves were right on her tail. Before thinking it through, I ran back towards Applejack and pushed her along while I stayed behind her, blocking her from the timberwolves, but before I could stop the attack, a timberwolf jumped out and bit Applejack in her hind-leg. She yelped in pain, and she began to limp. I ran by her side, and put my hoof around her to keep her steady. I saw the sunlight begin to come down, and I knew we were close. "Just I little further!" I yelled at Applejack. We sprinted faster as we made it into the clearing by Fluttershy's cottage. Applejack instantly collapsed as the timberwolves backed away into the forest, letting out one last howl before disappearing behind the darkened trees. I knelt down next to her, and there was a gash in the side of left hind-leg. She tried not to show it, but I could see she was in a whole lot of pain. I lifted her slowly as to not cause anymore damage to her leg and placed her hoof around my shoulders so she would be kept upright. We slowly and carefully made our way back to Fluttershy and saw that her and Angel were hugging one another. As we came into view, Fluttershy looked up at us and saw the distress Applejack was in. "Oh my!" Fluttershy exclaimed," What ever happened?" "Timberwolves," Applejack muttered. "Hold on, I'll be right back!" In an instant, Fluttershy took off to her cottage and came back with bandages. She lowered to the ground and began to wrap the bandage around Applejack's leg. Applejack was grimacing in pain and nuzzled her head into my chest to hide the tears that she wouldn't let anypony see. I rubbed my hoof up and down her back to calm her down while Fluttershy finished unrolling the bandage. Applejack looked back up and thanked Fluttershy. "You should get on home," Fluttershy suggested," And try to keep off of that leg for about two days." "Two days?!" Applejack exclaimed," But I have work to do!" "Don't worry about that, now," I told her," Big Mac and I will make up for your work." "I couldn't ask you to do that,-" "You don't have to." We said goodbye to Fluttershy before we made our way back to the farm. AJ's P.O.V. I was now lying in my bed with Flim standing beside me. Granny Smith decided to make me a bowl of soup, and Flim was now spoon feeding me. It was kind of ridiculous, but I honestly didn't care. I was in too much pain at the moment to even lift my hooves. After finishing my supper, it was close to 10:00, as it read on clock, and I was overwhelmed with exhaustion from today's events. Once Flim came back up to my room from eating his own supper, I told I was ready to go to sleep. "Good night, Flim," I said. "Good night, my apple," Flim responded. I blushed at the nickname before resting my head on my pillow and drifting off into a deep sleep. Not long after midnight, I woke up from a terrible pain coming from my leg that had been bit. I let out a groan of pain that had been too loud that I had expected it to be. The next thing I knew, Flim was hovering over me. "Are you okay?" Flim asked groggily. "My leg is just really hurting is all," I said before asking a question that had popped into my mind," Will you sleep in here, please?" I regretted asking it the moment it came out, but Flim was clearly not bothered by the question. "Of course I will." Before I knew it, Flim walked to the other side of the bed and lifted the covers with his magic before lying down and bringing the covers over both of us. I was turned on my side looking away from Flim and began falling asleep again, but not before I felt a hoof slowly wrap itself around my stomach. I snuggled up against it and fell asleep once again, but with a smile now plastered onto my face.