Day after Day

by starbright154

A Tale Dark and Grimm

A hard day's work sure does take a toll on your body, and, boy, was mine sure sore. You would think by now after years of applebucking that I wouldn't get so tired from it, but it's just as much work as the first time I started my daily applebucking routine.

I was in the west orchard, finishing off the last of the trees that needed bucking. Last one, I though to myself. I reared my back legs up to the center of the tree and BAM! All at once, the apples came tumbling down from the weighed down branches of the old apple tree. I wiped the sweat away from my forehead and turned around to look at all the work that I'd accomplished for the day. Over half an acre of apple trees were cleared of the very object that made them apple trees.

A low rumble from my belly was telling me it was time for dinner. I made my way down the path through the emptied apple trees back to the barn. Immediately, I smelled the freshly baked, apple pie that Granny had perfected over many years of practice. I walked through the old, wooden door to the surprise of Flim sitting down at the dinning table in front of me.

At first I'm surprised, but I tell myself that he probably got tired from being in bed all day, and there was no reason for him not to join us for a delectable, homemade meal.

"Applejack," Granny called from the kitchen," Would you be a dear and set the plates out on the table, please?"

"Sure thing, Granny," I responded.

Before I could lay a hoof on the plates, a light green aurora surrounded all five dishes and levitated them off the counter. I'm confused for a moment, but when I turn around, I see that Flim has brought all the dishes back to the table, placed in the proper seating arrangements. I give him a quizzical look as to why he would do that.

"It's the least I could do, " he answered, as if reading my mind.

"Thank you, Flim."

"No need to thank me," he responded with a wink. I giggled at this, and Flim smiled at the fact that he had me laugh.

"Soup's on, everpony!" Granny Smith yelled.

I made my way back to the table and took my seat next to Flim.

After a delicious meal and small talk over our uneventful days, I helped clean up the kitchen. Flim had insisted on helping, but I commanded him to go back up to his room and that I would be up in a minute to listen to his tale of how he ended up at Sweet Apple Acres.

I made my up the stairs towards Flim's new room, not knowing what I was about to get myself into. I entered the room to find Flim sitting up in his bed, lying under is sheets, as though I was going to be telling him a story instead it being the other way around.

"I would sit down for this story, Miss Applejack," Flim recommended," It may be bothersome and horrific in some parts of my tragic tale."

"Uh, okay," I said, questioning myself if I really wanted to hear what Flim had to say or if he was exaggerating like he usually liked to do.

I sat at the end of the bed, right at the bottom Flim's hooves and laid back, ready for the long story that was about to come.

"Ready?" Flim asked.

"Ready," I respond with a little concern in my voice.

Flim cleared his throat before beginning his story.

One week earlier

Flim's P.O.V.

"Thank you, sir," my devious brother, Flam, said to the buying customer," There's no doubt that you will be young and spry in a matter of minutes after taking this tonic."

"Thank ya, young colt," the older stallion responded. He walked off, grinning to himself because he had just bought himself a "Miracle" tonic.

I mumbled a remark under my breath about how Flam's deceitful ways were getting us nowhere.

"What was that, my dear brother?" Flam asked, obviously hearing my little comment.

"I said that we are getting nowhere in lying about this supposedly "miracle" curative tonic that supposedly makes a old pony young again!" I shouted loud enough for some bystanders to glance our way.

Flam was clearly taken aback my this. Discomfort was shown across his mustachioed face, an honestly, for the first time ever, I couldn't care less at this moment.

"Dear, brother," Flam responded, pointing his hoof towards our tent," Why don't we discuss this in a private, yes?"

I didn't budge at first, but I obliged after noticing all the attention we had drawn from my little outburst. I rolled my eyes before trotting on over to our tent, entering it, not bothering to leave the flap open for my brother. Once Flam entered the tent and closed it off, I let out a storm of emotions and thoughts that had been building up inside my heart and head for too long.

"Do you have any idea how much I hate lying?" I started, trying to keep my voiced leveled but failing miserably," I despise it, but for over ten years, I've followed you, my big brother, in your hoofsteps. I figured that you knew what you were doing, not questioning your methods or ideas for so long, but I'm done. I'm done, Flam. Ever since our encounter with the Apple family in Ponyville, I've realized that there is so much more than money. There is such thing has having friends besides you. A true friend that wouldn't force me to be a lying, manipulating, conman!"

I was yelling by this point, not wanting to stop, but I was crying. Crying from keeping all of these thoughts and emotions in for too long. Crying out of anger at my brother who I had looked up to for so long before finally realizing he was doing nothing for me but bringing me to as low of a pony that he was.

"Flim," Flam began, with obvious anger in his voice," Do you know how hard I work for us? Do you know how many years of lying and deceiving has gotten me to this point of perfect manipulating skills? I've done way more than you think. All of my goals for each item sell is to collect the money we need to survive. I've done this for both of us, and-"

"No," I interrupted," All you think about is yourself. There is no "we" to you when you sell a fake product to an unknown pony. I've seen the way you look at the bits that you collect. Nothing but greed is shown in your eyes. There is no 'we" to you, no-"

Before I can finish my sentence, a hard strike against my left cheek stops me in my tracks. I stumble back and rubbed my left cheek that was now a dark red against my light, cream-colored fur. I looked up in shock at my brother who had no regret on his face. Nothing but anger and fury.

"Go," Flam mumbled.

"Wha-?"

"GO!"

And I did. I went out of the tent, running at full speed. To where, I don't know, just somewhere far away from here. Goodbye Dodge Junction, hello someplace else. I didn't stop running until I came to the edge of a dark, dreary forest which I could only assume was the Everfree Forest. It wasn't pleasant or welcoming but where there's plants, there's food. I took a deep breathe before bringing one hoof in front of the other until I was several feet into the unknown forest.

A few days passed by, and I was getting very thirsty. There was plenty of berries and plants, but there was no stream in sight. If I didn't get water soon, I was going to faint and very possibly, might not wake up, so I trudged on.

One late night, I felt I was going to pass out. The trees were casting long shadows across the forest floor, making me get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I heard the rustle of some branches close by but didn't think much of it, after all, this was a forest, but then the winds began to pick up, causing the rustling to grow louder and louder.

It's nothing, Flim, I told myself. It's just the wind. No big deal.

As I was reassuring myself, I heard a low rumble, uncomfortably close for my liking. The rumbling began to surround me, and I began to panic, forgetting what I had just told myself. I couldn't teleport. My magic wasn't nearly advanced enough to do such strong magic. I was trapped.

Little yellow lights began to appear all around me. I didn't know what sort of creatures were showing up, but I didn't waist a minute longer to find out. I shot off through the forest, hearing my attackers chasing after me. I was breathing heavy. Being dehydrated did not help me in the least. My body was sore and aching all over, but I was not about to die out here in this forest.

I-is that a building?

A building! Oh, thank Celestia! I heard the creatures behind me and saw the building in front of me. No stopping now. I bolted as fast as I could go towards the building. Once making it out of the woods, I stopped, catching my breath, hoping that the creatures would not follow me out of the forest. Wishful thinking. I heard the growl of the creatures not far off, maybe a few feet away. Looking at my exit of the forest, I saw my killers clearly in the moonlight. Wolves. Tall wolves. Made out of twigs and leaves. It doesn't sound scary, but when you're basically face to face with one, you would change your mind.

I was shaking like the motor from the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. I couldn't run anymore. I was too tired and sore all over. There was no way of getting away now. I slowly backed up until I hit the back of the building.

This is the end of the line, I thought.

The leader of the pack of wolves leaped forward, knocking me over, forcing me to the ground on my back. The wolf snarled and growled at me before inserting its sharp, long claws into my side. I screamed out in pain. I felt the blood from my body pooling out of the cut in my side. I felt weaker than ever, so vulnerable and overwhelmed in pain. There was no getting out of this now. The leader clawed more cuts into my body, making me yell in pain once more. I was loosing blood and fast. I felt a pool of it surrounding my body.

The rest of the wolves were about to add on to the attack, but a loud slam of a door made them scurry off. With them gone, I was left alone, in my own warm, red blood, dying. I began to cry out. These were my last moments alive, and I was going to die alone. I was about to roll over in my pool of blood, to die face down in it, but I heard hoofsteps approaching. I stopped in my tracks, thankful that somepony had came to my rescue.

Present Time

Flim stopped talking, waiting for Applejack to make a comment along the lines of "wow", but he looked at the end of the bed to see Applejack, asleep. Her hat hanging off the top of her head, ready to fall down to the floor. Before it could, Flim levitated the Stetson hat over onto his nightstand, careful to make no dents in the hat.

He looked down at Applejack once more, smiling to himself of how beautiful she was.

What? He thought What did I just think?

He just figured he was just sleepy and thought nothing else of it. Instead, he turned off the light, rolled over on his side, facing Applejack, and fell into a deep sleep.

Comments

[starbright154]

For anyone that is reading Day to Day, I would like to inform you that I will be posting 1 to 2 chapters a week. This will begin next week, so be prepared!

[cheesyberry]

Okay! I just wanted to tell you, that this story is great, and with every new chapter, It's getting better and better!

[Centurion Pike-Wall]

Flim's the one with the mustache, right? I always get them mixed up.

[starbright154]

9296015
No, he's the one without the mustache.