//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Bull's horns // by Onyxfire408 //------------------------------// Chapter 1 The Rodeo Whiplash, a tan brown earth pony with a dark brown mane from Dodge Junction is currently competing for the Equestrian Rodeo in Canterlot, needless to say he needs luck. Whiplash was in his hotel room, he was simply reading reading the Canterlot newspaper as there was nothing else to do, not a fancy pony he was. As he was reading as a knock came from his door, he came to answer to find another stallion in a white stetson. "Whiplash from Dodge?" "Yea?" "I'm Bull True and I'm hosting the Canterlot Rodeo. I came to tell you that the Rodeo will be in two days and that we thought you wanted to come to the welcoming party tonight. We are going to welcome all of our competitors so that they could get along or make some competition. Whatever the case, we thought you might come over." "Yea sure, I'll be there. I just gotta grab somthin and I'll be there." "Alrighty then." Bull True slightly raised his hat and left Whiplash. Whiplash walked over to the couch, he sat down in front of his coffee table with his favorite lucky tool, Bully the whip, or in this case his bull whip, and his black stetson. He wrapped it up and attached it to his belt, he walked out of his hotel room and outside into the posh fields of Canterlot, god how much he hated those fancy shmancy ponies. He walked through Canterlot until he reached the rodeo stadium, he found a few cowponies there all laughing and joking saying "I'm definitely gonna win." He ignored the competition and walked over to the food table, the table was full of fancy foods, there was nothing of his style there, not even an apple. He ignored the food as he felt pain in his stomach, oh he wished he had at least some country food like hay fries, not a tart, or a red velvet cake. He sat down on the bleachers as he watched his competition chatting, but then a orange earth pony with a brown stetson hat trotted next to him. "Howdy," "Hello, what are you doing here?" "Wah Ah could ask you the same thing pardner." "Well for one I'm bored, and two I'm starving, food here is too fancy and posh if you know what I mean." The orange pony nodded as chuckled at Whiplash's small suffering. "Ah know watchu mean, Ah never liked fancy food, just the good old country food." The mare reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a small pastry. It smells of apples and had a golden brown layered crust on it. "Here, Ah already ate and I think you could use this." "A-Are you sure?" "Yep." "But I-" "No buts. Just take the fritter, Ah made it mahself." Whiplash took the the fritter and took a small bite, the taste was blissful with apples and sweet with sugar. He gracefully chowed down on the apple pastry as his stomach took it with no problem. As he finished he let out a large belch as his stomach was slightly satisfied. "Thanks, your a stomach saver." "Wah It's mah pleasure, now what's your name?" "Whiplash, you?" "M'names Applejack, you competing for the rodeo?" "Yea, you competing to?" "Yep, gotta say, Ah'm a little nervous." "First time?" "Yep, yours?" "No not really, competing for about 2 years, it's alright you'll get used to this rodeo, but the competition is tough." "How tough?" Asked Applejack as she raised an eyebrow. "Tougher than nail in a stud." As the two chatted, a small gust of wind picked up and took Applejack's brown stetson with it. "Aw shoot, not again." Applejack took out a rope and threw the lasso at the her hat, but it wasn't long enough and ended up facing the ground. Whiplash took out his whip and lashed it out on the stetson, he wrapped the whip around the stetson and brought it back to it's rightful owner. Applejack gracefully took her hat back and immediately put it back on her head. "Thanks." "No problem, you would've done the same for me." "Wah of course." Applejack took a look at Whiplash's whip. "Wah that's a mighty fine whip." "Thanks, this is my special bull whip, I named him Bully the whip." "Well it's a mighty fine whip." Applejack repeated "You already said that." Whiplash joked. Applejack's cheeks turned red apple at her own mistake as Whiplash chuckled at her own embarrassment. "Well little miss cowfilly, looks like you got a fever." Whiplash joked as Applejack glared at the stallion. "Alright Alright I'll stop, but anyways where are you from?" "Wah Ah'm from Ponyville." "Cool, I'm from Dodge Junction." "That's far, why do you live there?" "Well truth be told, I'm kinda poor and Dodge is kinda the only place I can afford." Whiplash said as he had sheepish grin on his face. "Well, if you ever consider moving or travelling come visit Ponyville, Ah could offer you a job and you could live out of that poor old town." "I'll think about that, but for now-" Whiplash let out a long loud yawn like a bear. "- It's nap time for me. Gotta get all the energy I need for the rodeo." Whiplash got up from the bleachers and stuck his hoof at Applejack. "It was good meeting ya Jackie." Applejack made a sour face from the nickname. "Mah name is Applejack!" she barked. "I know, I just love to give ponies nicknames, and your's will be Jackie, but just for you, I'll just call you Applejack if you want." "Alrighty then." Applejack collided her hoof with Whiplash's and shook hooves. "It's been nice knowing you Whip." "Heh, well goodbye Jackie." Whiplash jokes as Applejack raised her hoof and jabbed it into the stallion's gut. He knelt to the floor wincing in pain but still smiled at the very painful joke. "Ugh... nice shot, but please just calm down next time, it's just a joke." The stallion said as he held his stomach in pain. "Maybe your right, your not as worse as my friend Rainbow." "I bet I'm not, well anyways, see ya." Whiplash stood up and walked back to his hotel to get some rest, Applejack sat still at the bleachers as she saw the stallion walk away. Applejack's head was plagued with the stallion's name and looks. Ah can't believe a hunky stallion like him owns a whip. Maybe he uses it to seduce other mares. Oh be quiet, sure he may be cute but that doesn't mean Ah'm into him. You are so into him. Shut it! Whiplash was inside his hotel room, he was reading the local Canterlot news, nothing special expect somepony named Trixie was boasting her name. Whiplash set aside his newspaper and lied down on the bed, his mind was plagued by the cowfilly. She's kinda cute. Oh be quite me. Oh come on, admit it, you like her. Silence! Whiplash placed his stetson on the drawer next to his bed and set his alarm clock, gotta get up real early in the morning for that rodeo. He closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't wait to compete in the rodeo, or see Jakie again. Today is the day of the rodeo, the day where bulls charge, ropes wrap, clowns come, and pain returns. Whiplash has just finished his bull riding session, his clothes were muddy and his hat was sturdy, Bully stayed his side as he watched from the stands as other cowponies competed in the rodeo. He's seen ponies bucked, thrown, and even embarrassed, but he always smiled for them, just smiled. Applejack was up next for bull riding, Whiplash watched as he saw the orange mare riding the bull like a champ, she was getting close to getting first place but then. "Woh Ne- AHHHHHH!" The orange mare flew off the back of the bull and slammed into the dirt, she was only 2 seconds away to getting first place. The mare grunted in frustration and left the stadium, Whiplash took a good look at the mare and swore he saw a tear, he needed to act hero right now. The mare heavily walked her way through the crowd as she carried an awfully full saddle bag, Whiplash followed her until she had reached her hotel room. She opened the door and pushed it to close in motion but was stopped as a hoof was placed in front of the door keeping it open. Applejack fell on top of her bed and buried her face in her pillow as she let out a furious scream as she remained buried in her pillow. Whiplash continued to watch the mare, smiling. "Ah know yer there Whip." The stallion let out a small chuckle and proceeded into the mare's room. "Well that was easy." Whiplash walked towards the mare and sat next to her, he placed a hoof on her back to comfort her. "Care to explain the anger?" "Ah haven't won one single blue ribbon." "So what?" "So, I can't face my friends and family, Ah promised the whole town of Ponyville that Ah would win prize money to help fix town hall. But I failed." The stallion continued to smile as he slowly motioned his hoof brushed the mare's mane. "Y'know, there's always forgiveness." "But Ah can't they threw a huge farewell party b'fore Ah left." "But-" "Please Whip, Ah need some time to think." The stallion nodded and left herself in her hotel room. He left to his hotel room as he placed his blue ribbon for bull riding on the coffee table. He lied back on his bed and closed his eyes drifting off to sleep. There was a little filly in bed, a stallion was next to her holding her face. The stallion was weeping in grief as the filly smiled at him, she kept smiling and smiling, she never stopped. "Brother, I will miss you." "Please, don't say that, your going to be fine." The stallion said as his eyes began to flood with depression "Brother please, promise me something." "Stop your going to be fine." his eyes began to falter as tears of sadness began to overflow through his eyes. "Smile... for me...don't stop, no matter what don't stop smiling." A machine rapidly kept beeping as the young filly slowly descended he eyes. "Please....for...me." The filly's eyes were shut, her body felt light as a machine conducted with a continued beep. "No...NO...NOOO!!!!" Whiplash shot up as he started to gasp for air, sweat and... smile. He got up and placed his stetson on his head, he looked at the calendar to find that it was time to go to that rubbish home of his. He packed up his saddle bag as he exited his hotel, on his way towards the train station he noticed a familiar creamed colored pony with a red fancy mane selling products of the color of roses and the taste of sweets. "Cherry Lee?" The mare turned to find herself surprised with joy. "Well Ah can't believe you still call me that. It's Cherry Jubilee dummy." The mare said as she began to laugh. "Heh well sorry, but what are you doing here?" Whiplash asked "Well Ah'm selling some cherry products. Care for a cherry pie slice on the house? Word on the bleachers say that Canterlot food isn't of your tongue." "Yea sure I'll take a slice." Cherilee took out a slice of bright red cherry pie, she offered the piece to Whiplash who kicked up the pie slice and gulped it down in one bite. "Thanks, I nearly starved to death." He joked as he continued to smile. "It's no problem, now you should probably head home, she's probably waiting you know." Whiplash's eyes began to wide up as he continued to smile, his face became creepy as psycho. "Yea, your right. You gonna come back later right? Y'know how much we need the cherry farm." "Now hold your horses, Ah'll be back, just gotta sell as much as Ah can." "Okay, see ya later." Whiplash walked down the streets of Canterlot until he reached the train station. He paid for his ticket and boarded the train travelling towards Dodge Junction, as he sat down he placed his stetson over his face and took a nap. Behind his seat sat a lonely orange mare with a brown stetson with a worried look on her face. Ah can't believe Ah'm doing this. The mare thought to herself as she placed her stetson over her head and took a long nap.