Previous Chapters
Close
When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For...Hooves?3,832 words
Cherry Hill3,233 words
Kitchen Antics3,222 words
Bull Headed3,400 words

Bull Headed

Author's Note:

I'm sorry I took so long to drop this next chapter. My last semester of University started on August 21st so I've just been getting settled into my final stretch of classes before graduation.

Hopefully this will be worth the 2-week delay.

This chapter was inspired by Issue #33 of the MLP:FIM comic book series known as Friends Forever.

Cherry Jubilee's eyes fluttered open as the sun poked its head over the horizon. She looked outside and across her orchard. She smiled, taking pride in the successful business she had built over the years. Every cherry on every tree represented the blood, sweat, and tears she put into it. Her unwavering work ethic allowed Cherry Hill Ranch to be a name known all throughout Equestria. She stopped reminiscing and got out of bed. She got one good stretch in before she descended the stairs.

The smell of something sweet hit her snout as she got to the bottom of the stairs. Somepony was cooking something. Cherry had a feeling she knew who it was. She started moving toward the kitchen and stopped at the door to peek inside. Buster was standing in front of the stove flipping something in a pan. Cherry observed quietly from the doorway at first.

Buster turned to see her standing there, "Good mornin', Ms. Cherry."

"Mornin', Buster. You never told me you could cook," she smiled good-naturedly.

"May or may not have feigned ignorance to spend some time with ya," Buster chuckled.

"Was wonderin' how you was able to pick up on that stuff so quickly," Cherry raised an eyebrow.

"You'll find out I'm full of surprises," Buster quipped.

"Not sure if I appreciate that. You lied to me," Cherry joked.

"I didn't, Ms. Cherry. You didn't ask me if I knew how to cook. I never said I could or couldn't," Buster retorted.

"So that cherry juice that hit me in the eye, that was on purpose, wasn't it?" she scowled at him.

"No, that was an accident. I honestly ain't pitted cherries before," he turned his attention back to his pan.

"What're you makin' there, Songbird?" Cherry inquired.

"Pancakes. Do ya want any?" He turned to face her again, flipping a pancake nonchalantly. He turned back to the pan to make sure it didn't fall out.

"That sounds mighty good. I look forward to 'em," she nodded.

"They're about done, I'll go ahead and plate em for us. I fixed 6 of em, so we can each have 3," Buster plated the pancakes.

Cherry was sidetracked by what she saw outside the window above the kitchen sink. A covered wagon rolling toward her Ranch from Dodge Junction. The wagon looked familiar to her but she hoped it was not who she thought it was.

"Is 3 not enough? I can give ya 4 and just eat 2. I don't mind," Buster went to move his third pancake over to Cherry's plate.

She didn't respond, her eyes were fixated on the covered wagon outside. Buster hadn't noticed it yet.

"5? You must be hungry this mornin', did you eat supper last night?" He moved another pancake onto her plate.

"I ain't worried 'bout them pancakes right now, Buster," Cherry stormed out of the kitchen, heading toward the front door.

"Okay, I'll wrap 'em up for ya. You can have 'em later," Buster sat em aside and followed her to the door.

The wagon had stopped in front of the farmhouse. It was being pulled by a couple out of towners she ain't seen before. Banners with the words BUFFALO BULL'S AMAZING WILD WEST SHOW were hanging on either side. This confirmed her suspicions.

A wave of anger she hasn't felt in a long time washed over her. She shouted, "BUFFALO BULL! YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF NERVE SHOWING YOUR FACE 'ROUND HERE AGAIN!"

A mare traveling with the show attempted to calm her down, "Ma'am, he's sick. We was just hoping to camp out here so we don't get folks back in town sick. We'll steer clear of your house, we don't wanna get you sick either. Lot of us came down with the flu."

"I don't give—" she stopped herself before she said something she regretted.

She sighed and said, "That ain't none of my concern. Y'all need to pack up and move on out to Appleoosa or somethin'. Y'all ain't welcomed here."

"Please, ma'am, just for today. We'll move on first thing tomorrow morning," the mare promised.

"Alright, fine. But only for today. If I come out here tomorrow and y'all are still out here, we're gonna have us a problem," Cherry warned.

Buster had followed the commotion outside, "What's got you all worked up, Ms. Cherry? You tore out the house like a twister ready to go on a rampage."

The unknown mare opened her mouth to speak but Cherry put up a hoof as if to tell her to stay quiet.

"This ain't none of your business, Buster, this is between me and them," she shot back.

"Hey. Look here, now, don't be catchin' no attitude with them. You might be able to boss me around cuz you're payin' me but they don't work for you. You need to act like you got some sense. That ain't no way to treat our guests," Buster tried to reason with her.

The mare and Buster shared a brief smile before Cherry resumed her tirade, "Guests? Them? When Tartarus freezes over. You think I'll let him stay on my property after what he'd done?"

"Clearly, y'all got some history. What is all this about?" Buster attempted to coax her into opening up about it.

Cherry scoffed, "I don't have time for this. I'm gonna go sort cherries. I want y'all gone by tomorrow. Buster, I need you to be on that wheel again for me."

"Alright, I'll be with you in a bit, Ms. Cherry," Buster nodded and she trotted back toward the sorting house.

He turned his attention back to the other mare, "So what's all this? What are y'all here for? I came out here and heard her fussin' at y'all about somethin'."

"We're a traveling wild west show. We tour Equestria doing performances and stuff. We draw in crowds, it's a lot of fun," the mare smiled.

"So what's your name there, darlin'?" he asked.

"You can call me Calamity Mane," she answered.

"A fine name," Buster said.

"What about you?" Calamity inquired.

"My name's Buster. Buster Scruggs," he introduced himself.

"Good to meet ya, Buster. It's nice to see there's still some hospitality out here in the desert," Calamity joked.

"Oh, don't mind her. Ms. Cherry just overworks herself, she's a little stressed. She didn't mean no offense by it," Buster tried to reassure Calamity that she didn't do anything wrong.

"The way she spoke about my boss, it seemed like she knew him. Do you reckon if you asked her about it, you'd be able to find out?" Calamity asked.

"I reckon so. I've gained her trust in the time I've been here, to be sure she'll talk to me about it," Buster replied.

"Please do. Keep me posted," Calamity pleaded.

"Trust me, she'll come around. You can count on that," Buster waved goodbye and turned to head back to the sorting house.

Buster entered the sorting house. Cherry was throwing red cherries into one of the bins.

"Howdy, Ms. Cherry," Buster greeted her.

"I was wonderin' when you were gonna come in here and help me. Having to turn the wheel and sort the cherries slowed my progress way down," she sighed.

"I beg your pardon, I was talkin' to one of them folks from that caravan," he explained.

"Did I or did I not tell you to come and help me with these cherries?" Cherry glared at him.

"You did," Buster conceded.

"So, why were you out there jaw jackin' instead of helpin' me work?" her glare intensified.

"Ms. Cherry, I'm gonna need you to come correct when you talk to me. I ain't done nothin' to you. Whatever this Buffalo Bull fella did to you in the past ain't got nothin' to do with me. I'm startin' to gain a lil bit of an understandin' as to why he left," Buster's mouth outran his brain this time.

Cherry's eyes welled up with tears, "Just go on somewhere, Buster. If you say another word, I'm gonna end up swingin' on you and I don't want it come to that."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Cherry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," Buster trotted over to her.

"I done told you to leave me alone, Buster Scruggs, don't make me tell you again," she was still visibly upset.

He wrapped her in an embrace, "Ain't no need for all that. It's okay to be vulnerable, Ms. Cherry, that don't make you weak. You ain't gotta be the indestructible boss lady all the time."

She was unable to keep her composure and wept, leaning into Buster, "He left me. Found a younger mare and gave her my stage name. How could he do that to me? Am I that easily disposable? Am I no better than trash? How dare he cast me aside like nothing? Then he has the nerve to show his face on my property."

"I'm awful sorry that happened to you. You can lash out at me as much as you need to. If I get to see that smile again afterward, it'll all be worth it. You ain't no trash, you ain't never been trash, and you never will be," Buster wiped a tear from her eye.

She took a step back and Buster gave her some space, "Why are you so good to me? I've been so cold toward you and you just put up with it."

Buster shrugged, "Well, you could've told me to jump in a creek when I first arrived on your property but you gave me a chance to prove my worth."

"So you just feel indebted to me, this ain't sincere? Here I am thinkin' chivalry wasn't dead. You almost had me fooled," she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"Of course it's sincere, Ms. Cherry. When I first ended up in this Equestria place, I didn't know what to do. I didn't where to go or who to talk to. Since I stepped foot—hoof here and started working for you, everything just made sense. You made adjusting to this new life easy. Heck, I'd even go as far as to say you gave it purpose," Buster opened up.

"Do you really mean that or do you just hate seeing me upset?" Cherry sniffled and dried her eyes with the green bandana she wore around her neck.

"Both," Buster answered without a moment's hesitation.

"I hate to admit this, but I've been happier since you arrived here," she gave the faintest hint of a smile.

"Good, that means I'm doing my job properly," he replied.

"I reckon that's true," Cherry's smile grew a little wider.

"Feeling better?" Buster's eyes met hers.

"Yes. Thank ya, Songbird," Cherry trotted toward the door of the sorting house.

She turned to Buster again, "Come on back to the farmhouse, I'll tell you more about my past since I told you a decent chunk of it already."

"Lead the way, Ms. Cherry," Buster followed her out.

"One more thing, Songbird," she turned to face him once more.

"Anything," he looked up at her again.

"Call me Cherry," she started trotting again.

"Consider it done, Ms.—I mean Cherry," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

The two of them arrived back at the farmhouse. They sat together at the kitchen table.

"You asked me about my history so I'll tell ya," Cherry began.

"I'm listenin'. You can skip over any details you don't feel comfortable sharin'," Buster sat, listening intently.

"I grew up on a Cherry ranch, very similar to this one. Cherries were all I knew, I enjoyed that kinda work. They ended up being my life's calling. I reckon it made sense, considering where I was born and the name I was given. As I got older though, I felt the desire to travel. I wanted to see what else Equestria had to offer. I yearned to see new places and meet new faces," she continued.

Buster continued to listen.

"Along comes Buffalo Bull and his Amazing Wild West Show. He gave me that opportunity to travel so I joined his show. He gave me the name Calamity Mane. I fell in love with traveling, with performing, but most of all, with him. To my surprise, he felt the same way about me. He asked me to marry him but I was young and dumb so I panicked. I ran away and ended up going back to what I know, cherries," she gestured to the farmhouse they were sitting in.

"He didn't try to find you?" Buster asked.

"No. That mare you met outside today is the new Calamity Mane. That's where Buffalo Bull and I went our separate ways. I ended up here, I worked my way to the top and eventually bought this place. Cherry Hill Ranch wasn't always my business but it is now and has been for a long time. I worked awful hard to get where I am. Buffalo Bull found another pretty young face, slapped the name he gave me onto her, and kept traveling. In my naïveté and arrogance, I assumed I was irreplaceable and that he'd come and find me. Try to win back my heart, but he never did. He went his way, I went mine. Now here we are crossing paths again. I ain't happy 'bout it either, I thought I left that chapter of my life behind me," she lamented.

"Well, to run off like that probably broke his heart, ya know. It ain't like you was the only one who got hurt by this," Buster pointed out the obvious.

"I gathered that, but when he kept traveling and found somepony new to perform with him, I figured he didn't want or need me anymore. When I had finally moved on and chalked him up as a distant memory, he comes rolling up to my house with his troupe. His audacity hasn't changed a bit, I see. The name Buffalo Bull never really made much sense to me either. He ain't no Buffalo and he ain't no Bull. It just felt like he didn't love Cherry Jubilee, he just loved Calamity Mane. How quickly he moved on pretty much confirmed my suspicions. It is what it is tho, I reckon," Cherry shook her head.

"Do you think talking to him will help? Holding grudges like that ain't healthy," Buster suggested.

"Naw, I don't want nothin' to do with him. We made our beds, it's time for us to lie in 'em now," she dismissed it.

"Would you rather me speak to him on your behalf?" Buster offered.

"No. Don't nobody speak for Calamity M—for Cherry Jubilee except me," she scowled at him.

"Well, Calamity Mane, ya might not get another opportunity to smooth things over," Buster removed his hat and scratched his head.

"You're right. I suppose it's now or never," she got up and went outside.

She took off in full gallop toward the caravan.

Calamity Mane looked up from her campfire, seeing Cherry Jubilee galloping toward her, "Here we go again."

She mentally prepared herself for whatever amount of yelling she was about to hear from her.

"Watch out, young lady, the real Calamity Mane's coming through," Cherry barely acknowledged her and climbed into the back of the wagon.

There he was, curled up in the fetal position and wrapped in a blanket. He looked pale from the sickness that ailed him.

He looked up at the mare who entered the wagon. He almost couldn't believe it, "Am I dreamin' again or is that really the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria standin' there in front of me?"

"Don't push your luck," she deadpanned.

"Alright, it's definitely you," he sat up to face her.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving you the way I did. I was young and dumb; I wasn't ready for that kinda commitment. I imagine it must've broken your heart. It was selfish of me to do that and then blame you for all these years. I just felt hurt that you'd keep the name and give it to somepony else. It's like you just replaced me. In my mind, it felt like you didn't love Cherry Jubilee, you just loved Calamity Mane. You loved the fame and fortune my name and performances helped bring you and that you didn't love me for who I was," Cherry finally found the strength to look him in the eye after all the years they'd been apart.

"I ain't innocent either, Cherry. I should've shown more commitment myself by trying to find you after you ran off. I squandered the opportunity to be yours. And I'm awful sorry I hurt you by passing the Calamity Mane name off to somepony else. I didn't think you would care because I never saw you again. I figured you just wanted to leave that life behind. I loved you, I wanted you to be happy, even if it meant losing you in the process," he shared his side of the story.

"Well, look, you and your troupe can stay here as long as y'all need to. I've come to terms with everything now and I'm still proud of what I accomplished even without you. You should be proud of what you've accomplished without me as well," Cherry got up to leave.

"Before you go, I just want you to know my heart still belongs to you. There ain't no replacing you, that mare outside may have your name, but she'll never have that fiery spark you brought to every show," Buffalo Bull's handlebar mustache twitched as he smiled.

"She's the one taking care of you while you're sick. I'd choose my next words real carefully. Besides, I'm content leaving this past behind me. I'm gonna head on back to my farmhouse before I end up breaking your heart a second time," Cherry climbed down from the cart.

"I could accompany you if you'd like," he offered.

"Not happening. I ain't tryna catch whatever it is you got. I've got work to do around here," she turned to trot away.

"Worth a shot," his laugh turned into a hacking cough and he laid back down to rest.

Cherry trotted back to the kitchen table, Buster was still sitting there.

"How'd it go?" he asked when she sat down.

"Better than I thought. We settled our differences but I made it clear that I'm leaving that chapter of my life behind me. I don't hate him anymore but I don't love him either. I can't. Every time I look into those sad blue eyes of his, it fills my heart with guilt that I walked out on him like that. I can't bear it," she hung her head.

"You should probably get some rest, Cherry, you had a long day," Buster said.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna head on up to bed, Songbird," she got up to head upstairs.

"Good night, Cherry," he stood to head back to his room on the bottom floor.

She turned and kissed him softly on the cheek, "Have a good night, Songbird. I appreciate you putting up with my mess all the time. You're a real trooper."

He blushed, "Well, hey, someone's gotta keep you grounded."

She went up to bed.

Buster sat back down at the kitchen table and turned to face you, "I don't even know where to begin. I ain't talked to y'all in a long time. I guess I'll say that I'm getting used to my new life out here. Starting to feel comfortable in my new skin, I'm starting to feel loved and appreciated, and I'm beginning to feel like I belong. Wherever you are and whatever you do, just remember that you belong. You are loved and appreciated. Also remember that if you got any problems that have yet to be solved that there's always time to fix things. Don't let little things fester into big ones. Don't play big things off like they're little things. I just wanted to touch bases with y'all. Have a good night."

Buster got up and went to his room. He shut the door behind him. He laid down and went to sleep. Today was a little more eventful than he'd like and he held out hope that tomorrow would be a bit less chaotic.

END OF CHAPTER 4!

284 views

Previous Chapters