In Penolt Village, everyone seemed to have a purpose, and unlike most places in the screwy world that we live in, everyone there seemed to be happy with what it was that they did. Talents were never squandered, but instead, people were encouraged to follow their dreams, enhance those talents, and make the most of their lives as they wanted to live them.
Unfortunately, as was always true, even in the best of worlds, there was always one person who just didn't seem to fit in, and just as often the case, it wasn't entirely their fault that they didn't.
Penolt Village was a peaceful and wonderful place, complete with paved roads, houses big and small, buildings that lined a Main Street right out of the age of Americana, and a population of furries that were happy just to be alive...
...All except for Melon.
A vibrant green overcoat and whitish underbelly would catch the eye of any passerby, and the spots of black that dotted his chest and the tip of his tail, in combination with the pink highlights over the ends of his paws made it clear how this collie got his name. Of course, having a name like Melon Collie drew the occasional snark from the fellow villagers, and whereas everyone else seemed to fit into the Penolt somehow, Melon just didn't quite fit the bill.
It wasn't that he was talentless, or even antisocial. He just couldn't keep a grip on a good mood, no matter how he tried, and it gave those who didn't care to look past it a cold and icy feeling. Truth be told, Melon wished he was better at making friends, but at the end of the day, he simply stood behind his fruit stand downtown, his red-pink eyes often cast at the ground, wishing that he could be friendlier not just to his customers, but to the world in general. It was a lonely, quiet existence for Melon, one that had only one constant that he could count on, short of a sour mood that betrayed his sweet appearance.
Almost every single day, just after noon, Royal Spotten would come by his fruit stand and try to cheer him up.
Royal had a talent from birth for being an entertainer, and the path that he chose to take over all others was the one that he was most naturally inclined to: magic. To this day, he was still able to perform tricks that even the most expert magicians in the world simply couldn't explain, and whenever they asked for his secrets in private, Royal would always simply reply, "It's magic! A real magician never tells his tricks."
There was only one trick that Royal had never been able to pull off, and that was making Melon smile. Originally, Royal had stopped by the fruit stand to buy a couple pieces of fruit for a magic show in the town square, and he'd invited Melon to come and enjoy the show that night. When Melon never came, Royal came back the next day with a frown, wondering why his invitation was denied.
"I'm not much of a social person," Melon admitted with a small frown, feeling terrible for having hurt Royal's feelings.
An adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Royal never had trouble working a smile out of someone before. An overcoat of mixed tones of brown and tan, with an underbelly of creamy white gave the corgi a friendly and welcoming appearance, and his eyes truly were magical, a royal shade of purple that could occasionally change to an off yellow, and even a shade of gold. Royal never revealed if that was on purpose or not, but most people had to assume that it was a controlled change, not just a reaction.
As a pair, they were as different a pair as they could be, in the village of Penolt.
"I just wish you would have come to the show, even for a minute," Royal replied, able to see that there was a sadness within Melon that was deeper than a quick conversation could reveal. "Would you please come to my next show? I'll be having another one this Friday night..."
Melon was slumped over the counter of his fruit stand, his chin resting in his paw. He truly was grateful for the invitation, but he was shy and hardly able to show that fact. "I dunno...I might have a thing..."
Royal didn't buy the quick excuse, but he put on a smile and prepared to perform, as he had so many times in the past. "Well, I tell you what. It doesn't look like you have anything else going on at the moment; why don't I show you a magic trick right here and now? It might help to cheer you up!"
"Thanks for the reminder..." Melon mumbled, his tail flattening down over his rear for a moment. "I'm sorry...that was rude. Please, show me your trick."
"No, it was," Royal admitted, his smile turning a bit shaky as he realized how badly that might have come off. He was determined to turn that mood around, however, and he reached for the top hat upon his head, one that rested perfectly between his pointed ears. He was almost never seen without it. "Do you believe in magic, Mister...?"
"Melon," the collie replied quietly. "And I guess so..."
Royal tilted his hat just a little bit and reached out to poke the end of Melon's muzzle. "Well, I can make that a concrete 'yes' with just one trick, I bet! Would you like to see it?"
Melon quietly nodded.
"Prepare to be amazed!" Royal shouted out, taking off the top hat and reaching inside of it. He pulled nothing out from the hat itself, and Melon tilted his head just a little bit, but the trick made itself apparent shortly thereafter, as Royal reached right behind Melon's head and pulled a flower from behind one of his floppy green ears. "Ta-Da! Just like that, you grew a flower, right out of your own ear!"
Melon blinked, admittedly impressed by the trick, but even as Royal handed the rose to Melon, the green collie stayed blue, unable to smile. "...That was a very nice trick," Melon replied quietly, but his ears stayed flopped, and his gaze went back to the ground. "I'm sorry it didn't make me smile."
Royal frowned just a little bit, but he placed the top hat back on his head and shook it. "No no, that's okay. It was a really basic trick...but I've got to get going. The name's Royal, and by the end of this week, before that show, I'm gonna make you smile, Melon. You can count on that!"
"Forgive me for being a bit lacking in the optimism department," Melon said, but he decided at that moment that he would at least try to smile next time, instead of just responding politely to the trick.
The sun was already setting on Wednesday, and Melon had a feeling he wasn't getting anymore customers that day. With a heavy sigh, he put up the giant sign that said CLOSED on the front of it and hung it over the tired wood of his fruit stand for the night.
**
Thursday was actually an active day for Melon, and while most shopkeepers would be happy to have such a day, the trade off for Melon was that he had to deal with far more people than he would prefer to. Definitely an introvert and shy around large groups of people, it was an exhausting day for Melon, who spent a good portion of the day just rushing to keep up with the crowds. The only thing that could bring any joy into his heart about the day was the giant payoff, but he was the kind of collie who knew the truth of the world and the nature of happiness: money couldn't buy it, no matter how much of it was in his register at the end of the day.
"Thanks, come again," Melon said dryly, trying to force a positive sounding voice out of his worn out vocal chords. He wasn't used to talking for long periods of time, and his throat was a bit dry from having to force small talk with customers that he really, truly wanted to care more about. He was grateful to people for giving him their business, and he was able to convey it very slightly with his voice, but he still just couldn't force the smile to go with it.
Even when Royal came back to the stand that day, it didn't make any kind of a difference. Melon waved at Royal as casually as he would anyone else, and still wasn't even remotely cracking a smile.
"Good to see you're feeling a bit better today!" Royal said in a teasing greeting. It was clear that Melon didn't have much of a sense of humor for it, barely reacting with the tiniest of chuckles, and even then, there was still no smile. "How has your day been, Melon?"
"Busy," Melon replied in a word. "I guess that's a good thing. Money was starting to get a little bit tight for me."
Royal looked up in thought, the soothing purple of his eyes shifting to gold for a moment before he snapped his paws. "I've got it!" he declared, thinking of one of his oldest heroes, Harry Houndini, for inspiration. "If money is your issue, Melon, then I've got a surefire way to make you smile! You'll just have to take a step out from behind your booth!"
There were still a couple customers patiently waiting for service behind Royal. "N-no...I can't do that. These people have been waiting a little while for their food..."
"What do you think, folks? Should Melon take a small break? He's been working hard all day!" A small cheer erupted from the crowd, as Royal had a sterling reputation for being a talented magician, and the show was sure to take their minds off of their hunger. "See, Melon? They want you to do it, too!"
Melon was still a bit hesitant, but with a huff, he stepped around to the front of his fruit stand. The sooner I do this, Melon thought, The sooner I can get back to work and go home for the night.
"All right, I'm on the other side of it now. What would you like me to do?" Melon asked bluntly, not doing Royal any favors with his lack of showmanship.
"Well, I'm feeling just a bit weighed down, Melon. Could you give me a quick shake? I think it'll really help!"
The crowd watched with bewilderment and confusion as Melon sighed, stepped up behind Royal and hooked his paws under the arms of the slightly smaller corgi. He gave Royal a quick shake, and just like the famous trick, coins started to rattle from every conceivable hole and gap in Royal's purple vest, jangling down to the sidewalk and drawing a sudden burst of applause from the crowd.
"Amazing! It looks like I'm made of money!" Royal joked, bringing a small wave of laughter, and finally, an applause at the concluded trick. Royal gave a quick bow to the crowd, and turned back to Melon. "Now, don't tell me that[/i] trick wasn't enough to smile!" he exclaimed, but before he could even finish the words, he was looking right into the dry, emotionless expression of Melon, and just from the disappointment in Royal's eyes, Melon's lips started to frown again.
"It was a wonderful trick," Melon admitted, "But...please, keep your money. I really don't need it. I appreciate the thought, Royal..."
The coins all dispersed into thin air with tiny twists of purple and gold light, and Royal huffed quietly, trying not to look as defeated as he felt. "They say it's the thought that counts, Melon. I'm sorry I still couldn't get that smile out of you."
"Maybe some day," Melon droned.
"Sorry to interrupt you, folks. I hope you'll still Mister Melon here your business, and I hope to see you all in town square tomorrow night for my big magic show!" Royal called out, trying his best to be a showman still and appear positive for the crowd, despite his disappointment. "And trust me, you guys had better buy his stuff...it's so tasty, it just might disappear if you're not careful!"
It was a very kind gesture of Royal to try and help Melon with his business. The corgi waved to Melon and offered him a small smile as he walked away, but still, Melon never smiled back. He just went back to his work at his fruit stand, until the sun finally started to set on a long Thursday, giving him the chance to go home and rest his tired paws.
**
Friday came so quickly that Melon was still exhausted in the morning, and he ended up running late to make it to his fruit stand on time. Luckily, Friday was always a slow day for the markets in Penolt, as people were concerned with their plans for weekend, going out of town, and of course, larger events like Royal's magic show.
The better part of his day was spent just sitting leaned over his counter, and the occasional customer would come to the stand to purchase fruit, some of them even going so far as to ask Melon why he was looking so down. He was able to keep it together for the most part, but he still felt terrible for not being able to force the smile that Royal was desperately trying to milk out of him. It was unfair to the corgi to take time out of his day just to try to make someone smile, only to have them groan and turn him away each day.
"Thanks again for your business," Melon said to another customer, as he handed them a watermelon and gave them a friendly wave, but still, there was no smile to accompany it. The small frown on his muzzle only grew wider as he saw Royal, however, approaching the fruit stand with a frown on his own face.
Royal picked up one piece of fruit, a ripe, fresh banana, and looked it over in his paws. "I don't suppose you'll be coming by the magic show tonight..."
Melon slowly shook his head. "I...I don't think so, no..."
"I understand," Royal said with a quiet sigh. Now, he was the one trying to hide his own sadness. "I'll just take this banana, please. I need a snack before the show starts."
"Your trick yesterday got me all kinds of business today, Royal...normally, I don't get any customers on Friday. I really appreciated that...you can have the banana on the house, Royal."
The corgi was still flustered from his failed attempts, and he shook his head, trying not to droop his ears. "No...it's not fair, Melon. No matter what I did, I couldn't make you smile...I don't deserve any free handouts. I've never failed to make someone happy before...if I can't do that, I'm not doing my job, Melon. I'm sorry I let you down."
In that moment, Melon realized just how hurtful he was being to Royal. The corgi really did just want to make him smile; he wasn't trying to prove how great his tricks were, or to show off for a crowd...he was just a good person.
"Royal..."
The corgi blinked in surprise as Melon rushed around the fruit stand and hugged the smaller pup tightly in his arms. "M-Melon?"
"Thank you for being such a good friend to me...when I was such a jerk to you," Melon said, his voice a bit broken up by the quiet sob that he tried to hide. A single tear ran down his cheek as he squeezed Royal tightly, and finally, as Royal tilted his head back a tiny bit, he saw what he'd been hoping to see from the first time they met.
Melon was smiling.
"I just did what felt right, Melon...you don't have to be sorry. I just wish I'd known a hug was all it took to make you smile!"
Royal wrapped his arms around Melon and hugged him tightly in return, finding that Melon had a sweet and infectious smile, now that he finally saw it.
"It's never been that simple to make me smile, Royal...but you kept trying, and that's what I needed more than anything."
"Does that mean you'll come to my magic show, then?"
Melon nodded rapidly as Royal wiped the tear away from his cheek.
"Making me smile was the best magic trick you've ever done, Royal...I can't wait to see what else you have in store."
Just in his effort alone, Royal made Melon smile, something that no one in Penolt Village had been able to do for years. It was the first smile Melon could remember, and thanks to his friendship with Royal, it was nowhere near his last.
