The Unicorn
Piano Music filled the room as everypony was preparing for what looked like some kind of festival. There was a unicorn hanging a banner which said "Bucktoberfest" over the tavern's sign which read "Bucking Mare Inn".
All over Dodge Junction, ponies of all sorts were busy getting the town ready for Bucktoberfest. They were hanging banners, decorating buildings and even clearing the skies.
However, we’re not focusing on the town as a whole, but rather what is happening within the parlor of the Bucking Mare Inn. There, everypony was doing something. Everypony except one red unicorn. He had black, jagged streaks through his mane and black stripes through his tail and was wearing a vest which had a small cape that covered his cutie mark. He was staring at a piano, not playing it with his hooves nor with magic; there was no glow emanating from his horn. He only sighed, shaking his head at the piano.
A grey pony wearing a bowtie and a collar to wear it upon trotted over and asked him "What's wrong, Vocal? Having trouble tuning the piano?"
Vocal, the red unicorn turned his head to look at the pony who had spoken to him. She had been looking at the piano with him, so when he turned his head, he just saw a sea of grey and her cutie mark, a purple treble cleft. He blushed slightly then turned his head so that he was looking at the side of the pony's face. "Ah, Uh, No... It's just that tomorrow, I'll be playing along side you and those other orchestral-type ponies... But, I'm just worried I won't be any good compared to you, Octavia.” He explained to her.
Octavia rolled her eyes. In her opinion, Vocal had nothing to worry about. "First off, I'm going to be playing a Cello, and that has a completely different sound than a Piano, so I highly doubt that anyone will be comparing our performances to each other." She explained to Vocal. She said it as nicely as she could, but realized she sounded either stuck up or aloof. It was hard for her to tell what other ponies thought about her. ”If you're still worried, why not take the time to practice? We could use the music while we get this place ready."
Vocal nodded, understanding what Octavia was getting at. "Yeah, you’re right. Time spent worrying about how good I am would be better spent getting better." He said, summarizing it for himself. He turned back to the piano and began to play, the room once again filling with the sweet sounds of the piano. He played with his hooves and used his magic to press various keys he could not with just two hooves as Octavia went back to making preparations for tomorrow.
After a while, Octavia, Who had been busy preparing an area of a stage, took some time off from stage preparations to check back up on Vocal.
"You're actually pretty good at this." She told him. "Why is it that I've never heard you play before?"
With this question, Vocal stopped playing the piano and stood up. "Well, I'm not always a pianist." He explained. "I do many things. I'm sort of a unicorn-of-all-trades. I go all where ever doing whatever whenever." He gestured in no particular direction with his front right hoof.
"So you learn to do something new every place you go?" Octavia tried to understand his reasons, but couldn't. "That sounds hard."
"Nah, I'm a quick learner." Vocal replied. "And besides, sometimes I do things I've learned elsewhere. It's not like I fill a different job every single time." He looked at Octavia. "So, what brings you to Bucktoberfest?"
Octavia just smirked and said "It's a big festival. Why wouldn't I come?" And with that, she trotted off again.
Vocal shrugged his shoulders. "Makes sense. Bucktoberfest really is huge." He trotted up to the bar, which was being tended to be a green pony with a yellow mane and a cutie mark of a circular lemon slice. "Hey, Lemon Bar, How would you rate my performance on the piano?" He asked.
"I'd rate it rather highly." Lemon Bar told him. "So, relax. It's just a job here. It's not as big of a deal as the concert out near the tents." Lemon Bar paused. "By the way, while we're not busy, I'd like your help with something. I know you don't usually drink hard cider, but I'm hoping you can make an exception. I'm mixing up a few new drinks for Bucktoberfest, and I'd like you to taste them. You know, tell me if I'm mixing them up well." Lemon told Vocal. Vocal had been through Dodge Junction plenty and frequented here enough for Lemon and Vocal to become friends. Lemon knew that Vocal wouldn't say no to a friend, and would gladly help. And, besides, if Vocal wasn't going to make an exception for drinking, why would he be working Bucktoberfest, the largest cider festival in all of Equestria?
"Well, All right. I'll help you out with this." Vocal said. "After all, Bucktoberfest is a super-duper extra-special occasion."
"Thanks." Lemon said. "This one's a sweet cider. Lemon Berry Cider. 2 parts lemonade to one part Blueberry Juice and one part Cherry." He used his own unicorn magic to pull out three bottles, which he began to juggle with his magic. He was actually tossing them with his magic, as only one one bottle glowed lime green at any given time. With his hooves, He grabbed a mug and scooped out some ice from an icebox. He tossed up the bottles high and caught the first bottle in his hooves on its way down. He quickly poured some into the mug and set the bottle down on the counter before repeating the process with the next two bottles.
"I still don't get how you can catch and pour so fast." Vocal said.
"Tons of practice." Lemon said, proud of himself. "Aaaand having to clean up a few broken bottles." He added sheepishly.
Vocal drank slowly, evaluating the drink that Lemon had just mixed as best as he could." Blueberry juice seems to be a strong juice." He said after a minute. "It's overpowering all the other flavors. Try changing the ratios to include less blueberry."
Lemon laughed. "I knew there was something going on with the blueberries, I just didn't know what." He said. "Next, I'll mix you up one of the hard ciders I plan on serving." He was just about to get out the ingredients when a group of ponies walked in. There were ponies of all sorts. Ponies who were setting up the concert stage, ponies who had helped set up the racetrack outside of town, pegasi who helped clear the skies, and it was a good sized group. "Well, I guess some time later. Looks like we're about to get busy."
Vocal laughed a bit and said "Yeah, Bucktoberfest's going to keep you busy as a bee." He started trotting away. "I'm going to let you get to work. I'll go see if anything still needs being done around town."
Lemon waved. "We've got a long week ahead of us.” He said.
"We sure do." Vocal laughed as he walked out the door. He looked about, and what he saw pleased him. The town already looked like one big festival. The only difference was that the ponies walking about were working instead of just enjoying the day. “Well, if everything’s like this, then I suppose everything will be all right.” He smiled and walked off towards the outskirts of town. Up ahead, Vocal saw somepony with a familiar pale yellow backside and red tail pushing a large barrel along. He hurried up to catch up with her. “Hey there, you want any help with that?” He asked.
The pony looked over to Vocal and smiled. “Oh, hello,” She said, stopping to look at Vocal. “I’m just pushing this ol’ barrel back to the ranch. I’ve been mighty busy lately. I haven’t had anypony working inside, so I’ve got a whole mess of cherries, but I haven’t gotten around to making any cider yet.” It was Cherry Jubilee, owner of the Cherry Hill Ranch. Vocal’s worked for her several times in the past and, over time, they became friends. She sighed. “I was so looking forward to tomorrow, too.”
“I’ll help you out, then.” Vocal said, pushing the barrel for Cherry. “I won’t have you miss a single day of Bucktoberfest.” He smiled back at Cherry, remembering all the times he worked for her. She was always really nice. To all her employees, too, not just him. “I owe you at least that much.”
Cherry’s face instantly lit up when she heard him say that. “Why, thank you, hun.” She said. She hurried to keep up with Vocal’s pace now that he was rolling the barrel along with magic. “I’ll mix up some special cider fer ya once we’re done.” Already, all the things she was going to do for Bucktoberfest were racing through her head. She just didn’t know what to make first. By the time she got back to the ranch, she already had everything thought out. “Well, Hun,” Cherry Jubilee said, walking inside her distillery. “Right now, you can put the barrel right over there.” She gestured towards a faucet coming out of the wall. “When you’re done settin’ up the barrel, come meet me over there.” This time, she gestured to a large wooden wheel, meant for a pony to walk inside of, and a large hopper leading into the wall, right next to a large number of boxes of cherries.
“Wow, Missus Jubilee, You really did get tied up. Just what was wrong with that barrel?” Vocal asked as he put the barrel in place.
“The darn spigot was jammed; wouldn’t open for nopony.” Cherry Jubilee said. “Ended up getting’ a whole new barrel. Oh, and…” Cherry laughed. “It’s just Miss Jubilee, hun.”
Vocal laughed as well, as he went over and stood in the wheel. “Never would’ve guessed. I mean, somepony as beautiful as you… I always thought you already had somepony.”
“Oh, I bet you say that to all the mares.” Cherry said, blushing as she went to get a box of cherries.
Vocal just laughed. She hit the nail right on the head, though he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t say anything as she loaded the hopper with a box of cherries and just nodded when he heard her tell him to get the wheel turning ‘Nice and Fast’. He wasn’t really paying attention to much of anything, except of how red his face would be, were it not already. The only thing that snapped him out of it was the fact that he was now standing on his hind legs, with his front hooves still on the wheel. He laughed again. “Well, Miss Jubilee, either I lost weight, or the wheel’s stuck.”
“Why does everything have to go wrong today?” Cherry said, walking towards the door. “I suppose I’ll go find a repairpony.” She sighed. Nothing seemed to be going her way. She didn’t know what she did to deserve this. Did she anger some sort of cider-making entity? Did her luck just run out? She just didn’t know.
“Let me take a look at it first.” Vocal said, stepping off of the wheel. “I know how to fix some things. And, besides, it shouldn’t be all that hard to figure out.”
Cherry smiled and turned back around. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” She said. “All the stuff that use that wheel are just behind that, right over there.” She pointed to a small door—More like a covered window, really—in the wall just barely large enough for a pony to shimmy through.
Vocal looked at it and frowned. He wasn’t sure he’d fit through it. “Well, if I lost weight, this would be the best time for me to find out.” He said. He opened up the door and stuck his head through. It was dark. Really dark. He focused magic into his horn, filling the crawlspace with a soft green light. What he saw surprised him. “Well, there’s yer problem.” He said. There was a wooden plank that had crashed down on top of a metal pipe, causing it to break off and both were jammed in between two gears. “The whole thing broke.” He said, coming back out. “You don’t happen to have extra piping, do you?”
“ ‘Fraid not, Hun.” Cherry said. “Should I go get that repairpony, then?”
“Nah, I can still fix this. It’s just a bit harder.” Vocal said, taking off his cape. He lay it on the ground in front of him. It was full of pockets, each full of something different. Using his magic, he opened up a pocket and pulled out a small black strip of cloth. “This should fix that…” He murmured, as he tore it in half. He turned back around and ducked back into the wall.
Cherry Jubilee stared at Vocal’s backside as he worked his magic on the machinery in the wall. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your cutie mark before. I can tell that there’s a heart right there in the middle, and that’s a pair of headphones, with the chord making the heart’s outline… But why would you cover that up?” She asked. She didn’t see anything wrong with his cutie mark. Nothing embarrassing about that. She just couldn’t see anything wrong with it. In fact, she thought it was a very nice cutie mark. She tilted her head to see it when Vocal came back out. Maybe it looked different from far away? Or was it because he just didn’t like hearts? Suddenly, Cherry realized that Vocal had been speaking to her.
“Miss Jubilee? Did you hear me?” He asked.
“Sorry, hun, I sorta zoned out there fer a second.” Cherry said, blushing.
Vocal sighed. “If you really wanna know why I don’t take off my cape, It’s because when I do, ponies tend to stare at my cutie mark.” He explained. “Now, like I said before, that should hold it together for about a week.” He closed the door and continued on. “I was able to use my magic to put the pipe back in and enchanted the cloth so that no cherry juice leaks out, but you’ll need new piping soon.” He walked back onto the big wheel and started walking. This time, the wheel turned smoothly. “Ah, good.” He remarked as he picked up the pace. “Now, Good N’ Fast you said?” He laughed, and broke into a run.
Cherry smiled. It was like Vocal defies luck to make other ponies happy. Though, that could be seen as luck too. “Maybe I should keep you around.” Cherry said. “Quick hooves, strong back, and yer even quite the handypony. You’d be the perfect year-round employee.” She loaded another box of cherries into the hopper.
Vocal chuckled. “I’m flattered you’d think that, but, we’ve known each other long enough that you should know; I could never stay in this town for long.” He said. “It’s not that I don’t like Dodge Junction, in fact I think this place is great. It’s just… It’s only a small part of Equestria, and I wanna see it all.” He laughed. “Hay, I’m just here for Bucktoberfest. After that, I’m off to… Well, wherever. I haven’t really decided yet.” He laughed again.
Cherry looked over at Vocal. “Well, if you haven’t decided where to go by then, you could stick around here. At least until you know where you wanna be.”
“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind.” Vocal replied. The rest of the day went on uneventfully. They spoke a bit about what they’d do during Bucktoberfest. How Vocal was going to be a pianist certain times of the day. How Cherry was going to be running a tent out on the fairgrounds. By the time they had finally finished, the sun was already setting, and they’d made a decent amount of cider. “Well, Miss Jubilee, It’s getting late. I’d best be headed back to the hotel.” Vocal said, turning to go.
Cherry put a hoof on his shoulder. “Wait, hun, I haven’t properly thanked you for helping me out just yet.”
Vocal shook his head. “Nah, ya don’t need to do anything. I just wanted to help you out.”
“I’m afraid I won’t take no for an answer.” Cherry said as she led Vocal to her house, right across from the distillery. She led him into the dining room and pushed him into a chair. “I told ya I was gonna mix something special for you, and that’s just what I intend to do. So, sit right there, and I’ll be back in a jiffy.” With that, Cherry walked off into the kitchen and started thinking of what to make. She knew it had to be something amazing. She promised Vocal something special, after all... But, what did she have that was good enough to be called ‘Special’? She laughed to herself. She already knew what to get out. She had a bottle of wine saved just for this night. This was the 50th Bucktoberfest, so it was something special. She just expected to be celebrating with a few more ponies. She got out a tray, placed two wine glasses on it and, after popping off the cork, very carefully poured two glasses of wine. She carried the tray back to the dining room and set it on the table. “Now, I know you don’t usually drink, but I think that the 50th annual Bucktoberfest is somethin’ special, so…”
Vocal laughed. “You’re right, it really is something special.” He raised his wineglass and said, “Well, here’s to the fiftieth.” He smiled when Cherry did the same. They drank at the same time and, almost immediately, Vocal felt a wave of numbness wash over his head. He suddenly remembered why he never drank alcohol, but… It was a special day, so he did his best to keep hold of himself as he listened to Cherry.
“I remember my first Bucktoberfest. Just five years ago, it was.” She said.
“Wow, you really are a young mare.” Vocal commented.
Cherry laughed. “Yes, well, back then, the ranch wasn’t even half as big as it is now. Never even dreamed it would get as big as it did, but… I’m happy it did.” Cherry said. She looked at Vocal. “Plenty of ponies work here, but… They come and go, and… Sometimes, it gets lonely… So…” Cherry looked down. “If, well, if you don’t know where to go after Bucktoberfest’s over… I’d really like it if you stayed here.” She looked back into Vocal’s eyes. “With me.”
Vocal smiled, though it was clear to Cherry that he was sad. “I’d love to, but…” He closed his eyes. “You’re a wonderful mare. Smart. Successful. Beautiful…” He opened his eyes again, this time frowning. “You deserve the best. I’m nopony special… So… You deserve better than me.” He set the wineglass down. “I… Should go…” He stood up.
“Wait…” Cherry said, standing up, too. “I don’t want the best… I don’t even want somepony like you. I want just you.”
Vocal shook his head. “Just… Trust me, you don’t want me.” He said as he walked out the door.
Cherry sighed and sat back down. She looked to the bottle of wine. “Well… I guess it’s just you and me…” She said.