Snowflakes drifted lazily in the still morning air. Cheese watched his breaths come out as vapor in front of him. Though the day promised to be cold, it would at least be sunny. He stepped carefully in the knee deep snow. There was not much that brought him this high into the mountains. But, when his Cheesie Sense called, he went wherever it told him to. That was the rule of his wanderings. Because every good wanderer had to have rules. At least that was what he told himself.
A crisp breeze struck his face, sending a chill down his spine. He cringed, lowering his wide brimmed hat and walking into the wind. For the first time in a long while, he had no idea where he was going. Generally, when his sense went off, it would lead tell him to go to some specific place, like Las Pegasus or Trottingham. This time things were different, and it worried him.
Where am I going? As he walked further up the road, he had the sinking sensation that he was walking the wrong way. Then, just as he was about to turn around, he saw it. A lone building surrounded by pine trees. He lept over the snow banks and made it to the door. The sign outside was a surprise. 'Pine Ridge Retirement Home' Why in Equestria do I need to be here?
A loud accordion noise from his cutie mark preceded the arrival of his party cannon in the snow beside him. For some reason, the cannon always showed up just when he needed it. Dragging it along, he made his way through the door. "Hello?"
"Oh my." A plump middle aged nurse stared at Cheese as though she were seeing some sort of apparition. She walked over, patting his forelock in a motherly fashion. "What's a young man like yourself doing out here alone?"
"I uh . . ." Cheese felt his face heat up. It was irritating when ponies patronized him just because he was young. Sure, he still had a little colt hair and had not grown into his legs, but he was fourteen, and plenty old enough to be alone. "I'm a traveling party pony. I was called here."
"Called here?" The pegasus looked highly confused. A quick glance at her clipboard showed that nopony was expecting visitors. "We don't have you on the list."
"I know, but it's the truth." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I don't understand it all myself, but I was drawn here for a reason." It was apparent that the mare was not convinced. From the out of the way location to the silent hallway, it was clear they did not get a lot of visitors. Even if he never figured out the reason he was called here, it was important to do something. "I can play the accordion, and dance. Would the residents like some cheering up?"
A wide smile stretched across her round face. "Well now, they would love that! What wonderful offer. Come on, I'll show you around. My name's Willow by the way."
"Nice to meet you. Mine's Cheese Sandwich." Cheese followed her down the short hallway, staring at the many doors branching off. "Is that where everypony lives?"
"Oh yes. Each resident has their own room." She hummed a cheery tune, smiling to the occasional pony they passed by. "Here we are!"
They had arrived in a kind of living area where the residents gathered on comfy chairs in front of a roaring fireplace. Cheese trotted over, smiling brightly. A few of them smiled a greeting, but most were fast asleep. It was the first time he had been in a retirement home. For some reason, it felt lonely. He sat warming his hooves by the fire while Willow checked on the residents.
As she approached the chair of one wizened grey pony, he stretched out a hoof. The stallion looked sadly into Willow's eyes. His voice shook weakly as old ponies' tended to do, "If I don't drink rye whiskey I'll die."
Cheese started at that. What was most surprising was that Willow did not seem at all shocked. She simply nodded, tucking the pony's quilt tighter to the chair. "Now, Vic, you know you can't have any whiskey."
The pony smacked his gums, looking pleadingly at the mare. She sighed, walking towards Cheese. It was easy to tell the teenager was upset. "Don't worry about Vic." Her eyes drifted over to the pony who was now staring hard at the floor. "He's been here ten years now. They found him half frozen on the roadside. Poor thing, doesn't have any family left. That line is all he'll say."
Cheese's eyes focused on the stallion. "Really? He only says that one thing?"
"That's right. We don't know where in the world it's from, he just keeps repeating it." Willow patted Cheese on the forehead. "He's a sweetheart though. He could really use some attention." She started towards the hallway. "I'm going to get a few more residents to listen to you, Cheese. Wait here."
"Kay." His eyes tracked her until she was out of sight. The fire was warm, and it was a comfort to be indoors for once. He was tempted to fall asleep until a strange urge came over him. It was as though a switch had been turned on in his head. Standing, he strode over to his cannon and pulled out his accordion. "Okay then."
He walked over to Vic and sat beside him on an empty chair. "Hello there, my name's Cheese."
The pony just nodded slowly, "If I don't drink rye whiskey I'll die."
"I know." Then he started a tune. It was slow and soft, a far cry from his normal upbeat pace. For some reason he knew the melody, though he had never heard it before in his life. He began to sing, swaying to the beat.
"'Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry
If I don't drink rye whiskey I surely will die
Whiskey you villain, you've been my downfall
You've kicked me, you've cuffed me, but I love you for all'"
Cheese watched as the old pony began to sway along with him. Grinning, he continued the song.
"'They say I drink whiskey, my money is my own
And them that don't like me can leave me alone
I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry
And when I get thirsty I'll lay down and cry'"
A weak voice joined along. Cheese could not help but be encouraged by the old man's singing. He jumped to his hooves, dancing a little.
"'If the ocean were whiskey and I were a duck
I'd sink to the bottom and never come up
But the ocean ain't whiskey and I ain't no duck
So I'll play the jack diamonds and trust to my luck'"
When he finished, there was a silence in the air. The ponies stared at him in surprise. One of the mares clapped slowly, a broad smile stretching the lines of her face. Then, a quiet voice spoke next to Cheese. "That's it. That's it."
Cheese beamed at Vic, kneeling beside him. "Did you like it?"
"Yeah." He smiled, patting Cheese's hooves. "It's her song you know."
For an instant he was confused, then the strange realization swept over him once again. "That whiskey's not going to bring her back you know."
Vic simply nodded, tears streaming down his muzzle.
Cheese kissed him on the forehead. "You miss her a lot, huh?"
"Yeah." His voice was shaky, and he looked into Cheese's eyes. "It's all my fault."
Cheese shook his head slowly, "No, no it's not. Rose wanted that foal as much as you did. She knew the risk." For a while, he stared into the fire, watching the flames leap and dance. Cheese felt his throat grow tight. There was nothing he could say that could make the hurt go away. It was a party pony's job to bring good cheer. But he never signed up for this. Just as he was about to walk away, a quiet voice seemed to whisper encouragement in his ears. He scooped up his accordion once more, trusting that the words would come just as easily as before. "Do you remember the song Rose used to sing?"
The older stallion nodded feebly. Ears perking up at the mention of Rose's name. "Wilcox Has New Socks. Silly, never made sense."
Cheese started up another melody, this time a quick, upbeat one.
"'Wilcox has new socks
When he walks in, the girls all shout
Wilcox has new socks'"
Vic's wheezy laugh filled the room. He looked up, grinning at Cheese. "That's the one." Then he stared at Cheese as though seeing him for the first time. "How'd you know that?"
"Know what?"
"The song. Rose made it up herself." Vic's brown eyes stared piercingly into Cheese's emerald ones. "You read minds?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Cheese laughed a little, patting his accordion. "I just knew that once I started playing, the words would come. Silly isn't it?"
Vic shook his head, ruffling Cheese's forelock. "Nope. Rose knew you'd help, so she told you the words."
"Maybe." The thought of any dead pony speaking in his head was a little creepy, but he was not about to argue with Vic. No, it was better he did not know the truth. Cheese smirked a little. A party pony never reveals his tricks, eh?
"Kid?"
Cheese jerked awake from his daydream, seeing Vic's concerned expression. He felt his face heat up, "Sorry, what did you say?"
"Are you going to play for us, or not?" The pony jerked a nod to the room where every head was turned in Cheese's direction. Then, in a quiet aside to Cheese, "Just so long as it ain't Rye Whiskey."
"Sure." Cheese winked back at Vic. Leaping to his hooves, he started up one of his dances and began to play an upbeat polka. In a matter of minutes, every pony was sporting a broad grin. If only for today, he would give these ponies something to smile about.
Author's Note
This was a fic I decided to write on a whim. It's not supposed to be anything profound, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. I was inspired in part by my volunteering at a local nursing home and this beautiful song by Ronnie Bowman. The first song Cheese sings in the story is the original Rye Whiskey also known as Jack of Diamonds, a traditional folk song dating as far back as the early 1800's. There are many versions, and those lines were a few of the more common ones. Thought I'd give the story inspired by a song concept a try. I hope you enjoyed it.
