Sweets and Laughs
CH 1.
It's the year 1950 in Canterlot, when a young comedian down on his luck came across a club after midnight. The gray pony, sporting a cartoonish smile, puts a cigar in between his lips as he hops onto a bar stool twirling around in a circle before putting his hooves on the counter, tilting his bowler hat with his hoof as the bartender, stares with no emotion at his goofy and strange customer asks.
"Whatcha yer order pal?"
"A sarsaparilla, my good pony!" says happily the gray pony banging the counter with enthusiasm. "I just got kicked outa of my apartment and I feel like a'celebrating!"
"Really?" the Bartender says with boredom as he fills the gray pony's drink "Usually some ponies don't see that as any sort of celebration"
"That's when yer wrong pally, my landlord was a yuks I tell ya no smile at all! Everyday I seen him and you know what I done?"
The bartender slides the sasperilla in front of him, raising a brow at his question. Without any warning the pony throws a cream pie hitting its target on his face sending him flying to the ground in a crash. The gray pony let out a fit of laughter hitting the counter as he takes his drink, hopping out of his chair as he tilts his hat.
"Thanks for tha drink, pally, you're a barrel of laughs!" he says loudly throwing a gold bit on the counter as he walks away towards the entertainment area at the back of the bar, he could use some relaxing now that he has no bed to sleep on for tonight. He felt that no one understood his material, sure he made a few friends now and then in his travels but he is finding it hard to struck up a living here in Canterlot. He walks through a red curtain entering a lounge area but instead of seeing a packed room he saw a few scattered ponies sitting at tables in front of a large stage. He looks around with a frown finding a table in the middle of the room as he sips at his sasperilla.
"jee all this place needs is a few crickets and it will be a party" he mutters looking towards the stage to find a lone microphone, he let out a yawn watching boredly as a Pegasus wearing a black tux and bow tie walks up to a grand piano. The gray pony rolls his eyes as the Pegasus began to practice figuring out the keys, his eyes moves to a couple of older ponies that had a bit too much sasperilla, laughing loudly and banging the table, laughing at nothing. The gray pony looks at his sasperilla glass, watching a water droplet cascade down as he stares at his reflection.
"Vaudeville old boy, yer look pathetic with that frown of yers" He says, he turns away from himself facing the stage. "Is it too much tha ask fer some dissent entertainment around this hoity totty joint?" he says loudly and immediately a young brown mare with a short pink mane walks up in front of the microphone, she wore a flapper red dress around her neck was a pearl necklace, she smiles in the crowd of only a handful of ponies imagining that she was facing a room full of them. Vaudeville jaw drops with a thud on the table as he stares at this beautiful mare unafraid as she takes the stage, unaffected by the lack of ponies in the crowd. She nods at the Pegasus who began to play a song known by heart by Vaudeville. There is no business like show business.
The young mare smiles contently putting her lips over the microphone, as she began to sing the lyrics with a large smile.
The costumes, the scenery, the makeup, the props
The audience that lifts you when you're down~
The headaches, the heartaches, the backaches, the flops
The sheriff who escorts you out of town~
He could not belive his ears, her voice was angelic as she sang perfectly in her voice he could hear a distinct French accent as he wonders why this place wasen't filled with pony folk, with a voice like hers she could be a star. He listen to her sing watching as she filled the room with her sweet voice. He needed to meet this girl, he had to figure out her name, everything about her he had got to know. Once the song ended the mare bowed politely leaving the stage, Vaudeville soon found himself rushing towards her as he goes up the stairs that lead backstage. Silently he goes down a narrow hallway passing dressing rooms as he races to find the singer, he turns the corner finding the mare enter a dressing room. He makes his way to the room standing in front of her door, tilting his hat and smoothing out his black mane as he bit down on his half-smoked cigar ready to knock on her door until he hears two voices arguing inside.
"Please mon cheire! This ezz all I have, how I'm I suppose to pay rent if I don't have no where else to go?"cries, what he suspects the female singer. He press his ear to the door hearing a gruff voice respond.
"Look Sweetheart, there is nothin' I can do, this place…it gots no customers anymore you got to face facts, I'm closin' the place down look I appreciate all youse done for stickin' around so here….this should keep ya afloat for a while, it's all I can do"
"Oh…..please Mon cheire, you keep it, how you say? ezz….too much bits" she argues.
"It's all right, I'm retire now I don't need it, youse keep it….youse needs it more than me"
"You are too kind, thank you...I am going to miss this place" she sighs sadly.
"Yeah, me too…do you need me to walks ya home? It is pretty late"
"No….I shall be all right, thank you"
"Well….youse take it easy, ya hear?"
Vaudeville took this chance to run down the corner hiding behind the wall as he sees an old colt walk out of the dressing room, going down the hallway away from him. Vaudeville silently goes back in front of the room finding the door slightly open, he peers inside to find the mare holding a yellow envelope in her hooves as she sat in front of her vanity mirror, the bulbs shining dimly in her room as she looks down sadly. Her eyes quickly shut painfully her lip quivering as tears weld up in her eyes. Vaudeville eyes lowered, he can't stand seeing a young mare cry, puffing up his chest he walks into her dressing room making her quickly turn to him, wiping her tears with her hoof as she sniffs.
"what?...what ezz this? Who are you? You are not supposed to me here" she says quickly, putting her hooves up protectively. Vaudeville grins taking off his hat bowing to her.
"Salutation Doll-face! May I present myself? I calls me self Vaudeville, comedian extraordinaire! And laughter is tha' game, and I knows just the thing to put that frown upside down!"
"W-what? Please repeat what you had just said, eez a little difficult to for me to-!" She was cut off with him throwing a pie at her face, making him start laughing loudly at her. She wipes the cream off of her eyes as she blinks confusingly at him as he straightens.
"Now, I was huntin' in the plains of Africa when I shot an elephant wearing only my pajamas….when he got my pajamas I'm not entirely sure! Hyuk, Hyuk, Hyuk" he laughs slapping his knee. The mare blinks at him letting out a small smile as she began to giggle. His eyes perk up hearing her start laughing and continued.
"So a pony walks into a bar….and says ow!" this made her laugh louder shaking off the rest of the cream off of her face. He grins tapping off the ashes off of his cigar as she walks up to him.
"Vaudeville is it? Thank you for making me laugh"
"Aw, twas nothin' making ponies laugh is my talent!" he said proudly showing her his cutie mark, a comedy and tragedy masks. She giggles swaying her pink mane to the side.
"My name is Sweetheart, it's a pleasure to meet you….thank you again and goodbye I really should be going back home" She smiles passing by him, with the envelope under her arm.
"Now hold on Doll!" he calls following close behind, he follows her out of the building as they began to walk down the empty sidewalk.
"I really enjoy yer singing back there, I don't know a lot of ponies who can sing very well"
"Thank you, you are very kind but…I'm afraid that the building is closing, not a lot of ponies enjoy my singing if they did, I'm sure more would have come…but cest' la vie! Now I can focus on my shop"
"Your shop, what ya sellin'?"
"Why sweets of course…..but business has been a little slow, singing was what I went by to pay the rent of my Sentimental shop"
"Where is yer fair establishment, Sweetheart?" he asks blowing out a cloud of smoke to the side.
"It's in Everfree valley called Fenlock"
"All the way over there! By yerself?...I can't let a pretty mare like yerself to walk all tha' way by herself"
"That is very kind, it is no trouble?"
"not at all, Sweetheart…in fact I ain't got a home to go to anymore nothing like a park bench would'ent fix!" he smiles widly.
"oh no no no, and you are all right with that?"
"sure am!...I'm pretty used to it, I'm always on the road looking for new adventure and some new laughs to try out new material"
"Well….my home is very large, you could stay in my shop for the night"
"Well now, to spend the night with a beautiful dame?" he nudges her playfully "That's one offer I can't refuse"
"You seem like a reasonable pony, I am sure I can trust you"
"of course yer can, I'm as trust worthy as a timber wolf uh I mean-! As trust worthy an old grandmother" he smirks, Sweetheat stifles out a giggle. After an hour of walking they made it to the village of Fenlock, the moon was shining brightly illuminating their path as they made their way in front of the colorful store, Sweetheart opens the door leading Vaudeville inside, the store was filled with all types of dessert, from bon bons to cakes, the sweet smell filling his nostrils making his mouth water.
"This is some place you got here, and you made all these sweets?" he asks salivating over a chocolate cake.
"oh yes, making sweets is my talent" she says waving her tail showing him her heart shape cutie mark. "You are more than welcome to eat some if you want"
"Don't mind if I do!" He picks up the large chocolate cake stuffing it into his mouth and in one bite it was gone, Sweetheart eyes widen she had never met a pony who can eat a cake like him before, Vaudeville takes out a toothpick cleaning his teeth non chalantly.
"My goodness, you were hungry" she says with a gasp. He flicks the toothpick to the side shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah well, I do enjoy me some desserts"
"I am most delighted that you do, now…if you follow me up zee stairs?"
"Sure thing doll!"
He follows her up the narrow stairs entering into the second floor, finding a large and spacious room with a couch, a large red rug, and a few furniture, across from the room was a small kitchen, and through a door was Sweetheart's bedroom.
"Home sweet home" she sighs tiredly as she places the envelope on the counter. Vaudeville looks at her trotting to her side.
"Hey…what's the matter, Sweets?"
"oh it is nothing"
"Come now, I may be a slightly old pony but I know the face of someone who is in trouble"
"Well….I won't have a home anymore, in a month my landlord will ask for rent and well…I won't have enough I will have to move back to Pari'…."
"Paris!...now you listen to old Vaudeville doll face" he said taking hold of her shoulders, making her faintly blush at him. "You say ya needs new customers well Vaudeville will bring ya those customers"
"B-but how?"
"with my comedic genius of course!"
"You would do zis for me?"
"Hey, it's the least I can do for letting me stay for the night"
"oh, thank you Vaudeville!" she cries happily wrapping her hooves around his neck, Vaudeville quickly turns red as steam shoots out of his ears, his hat spinning. His eyes turning into black hearts not wanting her to ever pull away until she tilts her head at him as he stares dreamily at the wall behind her.
"Vaudeville?" she calls, making his shake his head snapping out of his daze, he clears his throat.
"o-oh er…yer quite welcome, Sweetheart" he said with a sniff. She smiles warmly at him.
"I'll bring you some warm blankets"
As she goes into her bedroom, Vaudeville watches her as if she was an angel from heaven sent down just for him. He had to help her with her shop; it will be his mission to keep her happy to see that gentle smile of her. He could tell that she enjoys a good laugh with that pie he threw it was a test of how she will react to a joke and he was exhilarated by the way she reacted. He won't rest until he helps her accomplish her dream. But tonight…..he could use a good night sleep.
I DO NOT OWN MY LITTLE PONY OR THE CHARECTORS VAUDEVILLE AND SWEETHEART, INCLUDING THE VILLAGE OF FENLOCK THESE ARE THE IDEAS FROM THEIR TUMBLR BLOG'S: ASK VAUDEVILLE AND ASK SWEETHEART PONY.