I think I may have yelled at somebody important. I can tell because all the ponies I'm passing now seem to hate me. No more looks of wonder or questioning glances, just anger or cold stares. Fine by me. That's the kind of look I'm used to getting. One step closer to this place feeling like home.

I make one more turn and rest against the nearest wall, shoving away a pony that was already there, much to her indignation. "Excuse you!" she snaps at me, but I just ignore her until she leaves in a huff. I'm more interested in discerning whether or not my side is bleeding again. I look down at my exposed bandages, worrying a bit, but then I sigh in relief when I see that there's no red stain on them. That's a load off my mind. I'd have had that pink pony for lunch if she had injured me all over again. I'm sure she'd taste good with a little spice. And maybe some honey mustard. Hell, I don't know what I'm talking about.

The first thing that stands out to me when I look up is the extremely large tree situated in the general area of where Flitter told me to go. Of course, what stands out about the tree is how it looks more like a house than anything else. There's a bright red door that's built for ponies, several windows, and I think I see a balcony near the top. That's one tripped out tree. It's like I'm living in a Minecraft server. You know, only with less explosions.

There's a sign with a bunch of books displayed on it just in front of the tree. I suppose that means this is my destination. I swear, this Twilight better be as respectful as Flitter was, or I might blow a gasket. This pony town is grating on my nerves.

I walk up towards the door, dreading the meeting that I'm forcing myself to have. A few quick knocks on the door later, and the deed is done. I can hear the sound of someone moving around inside.

"...t's fine! I'll just tell whoever it is that you're busy!" sounded a young male voice from inside. I frown when I hear that. That shit isn't going to fly.

The door opens fully, revealing the interior of the library. I can see that the walls are inlaid with many shelves, which are stocked full of hundreds of books. Yep, this is definitely the library. But where's the one who opened the door?

"Ahem. Down here, buddy," says the voice again. I look down, and to my shock, there's a purple lizard thing staring up at me, looking none too amused. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, you can get the fuck out of my way so I can talk to Twilight," I respond matter of factly, and make to enter the library. Almost immediately after I took the first step, the lizard spits out a tongue of green fire that burns my shins something fierce. "Ow! What the...fuck you!"

After winding my foot back for half a second, I kick the fucker right back into the library with enough force for him to hit the wall. The impact caused books to fall on top of him, obscuring him from view. "Okay, so not a big lizard, but a tiny dragon. Because those apparently exist too...fuck this world..." I grumbled, walking into the library.

My rifle is immediately held at the ready as the dragon bursts out of the pile of books. "Okay dragon, you will not believe the week I've had, and if you make it any worse I swear I'll beat your tiny ass into the ground!" I snarled at him.

"Spike!" A female voice cries out in horror, and then I see another pony gallop into the room. This one is colored a soft shade of lavender and possessed a dark purple mane with a magenta stripe running through it. I can also see the horn that signifies her as a unicorn. Zecora hadn't been kidding. Lastly, that mark everyone seems to have on their flanks is a pink star with white sparkles all around it.

"Twilight, he tried to force his way in and kicked me!" Spike accused, pointing a tiny claw at me.

"Yeah, but not before you burned me and...what the fuck?" In the middle of my counterargument, I'm suddenly unable to move at all. Twilight is glaring at me, and her horn is glowing a bright magenta. Is...how the hell is she doing that?

"Wait...you're...you're human!" Twilight finally noticed that we differ in species, her jaw dropping in awe. Too bad her surprise doesn't cause her to let go of me with...fuck it, I'll just call it magic unless someone tells me otherwise.

"Just noticed that now, did you?" I comment, looking at my body. That same magenta glow that's shimmering around her horn is also around me, so I'm assuming that's her...magic...that's doing it. "Can you let me go now?"

Twilight sits down out of pure shock. "But...you're all supposed to be extinct. You have been for almost three thousand years!" she protests.

"Yeah, well, not all of us. Guess you'd better check your fa...wait, THREE THOUSAND?!" I was in the middle of composing a witty response when I did a double take. My resulting yell is enough to startle both Spike and Twilight. "I've been gone for three thousand fucking years?"

"Th...that's right. There's not much left of your kind other than ancient ruins or fragmented data caches," Twilight confirmed. I'm quiet for a good minute.

"Spike, I'm sorry for kicking you and trying to force past you. Twilight, I'm sorry for hurting your assistant. Can you let me go? I...need to think," I said in an oddly calm voice, despite how fast my mind was racing. All of the different possiblities and explanations resulting from this revelation are mixing together in my mind in a perplexing mess.

Spike smiles a bit at my apology, and then he looks at Twilight. The unicorn's eyes soften at my words, and she finally releases her magical hold over me. "Okay. Let's start over. Why don't you tell me your story over a cup of hot tea?" Twilight offers with a hopeful expression. I don't have it in me to decline, given the circumstances, so I give her a mute nod. "Spike, can you boil some water for us?"

"Happy to help, Twilight!" the dragon replied eagerly, scampering off into the kitchen.

I sit down against the wall opposite the staircase that led to the upper levels of the treehouse. I'm careful not to jostle any of my wound, because that would hurt.

It hasn't just been 70 years. Come to think of it, that isn't enough time for an entirely new species to evolve. I never really thought of it like that before. I knew some time had passed since humanity perished, but I didn't think it had been that long.

Three thousand years. Three millenia. Dammit, how am I supposed to handle something like this? I'm just a college kid who spends his days reading. This is just too much. It's no surprise the school building had been so messed up. Hell, the better question is why it is still standing. I bet the architects in the afterlife are proud of themselves.

I look up, and I notice that Twilight is next to me, gazing at me sympathetically. Don't...don't look at me like that. I don't need your sympathy. It won't bring my race back. It won't give me the three thousand years taken from me back. All you're doing is making me feel guilty.

Whistling sounds from the kitchen, and I hear Spike calling for Twilight. "Coming!" the unicorn calls back, and then she looks at me. "Ready?"

"Sure, whatever," I grunt, using my rifle to get up again. Man, I am glad I found this gun, even if it is just a glorified walking stick at this point.

Following Twilight to her kitchen, I wonder exactly what I'm going to tell her. I don't want to tell her the full story. I mean, I just met her. That's no where near enough time to trust her. Eh, I'll just wing it.

There's a small table in the room, with small stools arranged around it. "Take a seat, please. I'll be there in just a moment," Twilight tels me, indicating one of the stools. Heh, she sounds like a doctor or something. I was going to sit down anyway, so I do as I'm told.

I'm almost too tall for this table. I guess I'm going to have to get used to that, considering everything in this town is pony-sized. It feels really good to sit down, though my side is still killing me. Damn that pink menace.

That tea smells really good, surprisingly. I've never been a real tea drinker. Nor was I fan of coffee. It's the hospitality that matters I suppose.

"So...human, huh?" Spike suddenly asks, hopping up on one of the stools. I glance at him wryly. That's about as articulate as a college student at a party.

"You know, it's not exactly fair for you all to get all the questions. I know as much about you as you know about me," I point out calmly. Before Spike can reply, Twilight starts talking.

"Well, I do know that humans were omnivorous and gathered together in large groups. They also possess a remarkable level of dexterity, allowing them to construct small, yet more complex technological constructs capable of retaining a great deal of data," she relates to me in an excited tone. When she took a breath, I jumped in.

"Okay, so you know more about me than I know about you. So it's only fair if I get to ask the first questions," I interject, a little surprised. Twilight shuts her mouth, looking nonplussed.

"You do have a point. So what do you want to know?" she admits, though she looks a bit disappointed that she can't ask me anything just yet.

"Well, here's a question. If you know so much about our technology, why don't I see any of it around?" I really wanted to know this. If ponies know about our technology, why are they living in the middle ages?

"That's because most of what our archaeologists find that is still intact are literature caches and some common living objects. The more technologically advanced items that we find are usually too deteriorated to be of much use, though we have managed to reverse engineer electricity of a kind. Only the wealthier ponies can afford such a commodity though." Wow, Twilight is a wordy little pony. Considering she lives in a library, I don't know what I expected.

"So it's accurate to say that the most advanced technology you have is based on human technology?" I reiterated her own words, making sure I understood.

"That's right! So you see why it's so exciting to meet one of you in the flesh! Think of all the things our society can learn from you! Why, I could write a paper on the potential information I gain from this meeting! Oh, the princess would be so proud..." Twilight answers animatedly, her tone getting more excited the more she spoke. Guess I'd better rain on her parade.

"Sorry, but you didn't get a scholar or an engineer. You got a college student who at most can give you random facts," I cut across her. A look of disappointment crosses her face, but only for a moment.

Before she replies, she finishes serving the tea. It's the freakiest thing. That same magenta glows surrounds both the kettle and the cups. The kettle then just lifts itself up and pours tea into each of the three cups without Twilight ever laying a hand...er...a hoof on it. That magic is really damn useful.

She starts talking again after she levitates the cups over to the table. "That doesn't mean I can't learn about your culture. You wouldn't mind telling me about your customs, holidays, government structure, and the like. Oh, how about your family? Can I hear about how a typical human family works?" Her enthusiasm keeps rising no matter what I say. I need to put a stop to this.

"No, you can't," I interrupted flatly before she could ask any more questions. She doesn't seem to notice at first.

"Great! I want to hear about...wait, no? Why not?" Twilight adopts this really sad expression that I might find adorable on a pet. I'm having the hardest time viewing these ponies as anything other than animals.

"I didn't come here to be interrogated about things I'd rather lay to rest. My race is dead now. What does it matter?" I answered irritably. I grab the tea in front of me and sip at it. It wasn't bad, tasting a little fruity and sweet. I have no idea what kind of tea it is, though.

"But...wouldn't you want your kind to live on in the form of literature?" Twilight pressed, leaning closer to me. I scoff a bit. Spoken like a true librarian.

"You mistake me for someone who cares about that kind of thing," I snorted derisively. Twilight looks so damn depressed at that answer that I can't help but feel a little bad. Fuck, these ponies are like kittens in how they have that innate cuteness...and if you tell ANYONE I said that, I will find you, and I will eviscerate you. "But...I'll considering telling you something if you can answer me one thing."

Twilight brightens up like I had just flipped a switch. "What is it? I'll tell you anything!" she promises eagerly. Anything? Just the way she phrased that makes me want to ask her something super embarassing. Like her sex life. And...wow, I disgusted myself on that one. As funny as that would be, I don't want to know. No, I know what I really want.

"Who is King Sombra, and where can I find him?" I growled, my tone visibly changing. My hand clenches the tea cup so hard, I'm surprised it hasn't broken. Twilight is taken aback by the violent tone in my voice.

"Sombra? I've never heard of anypony like that," she tells me, her ears flattening.

"Dammit! I KNOW he came to this era," I cursed, slamming my fist on the table, causing the two of them to wince. I drain about half of the cup of tea, wishing it was something stronger.

"Is he another human?" Twilight asked curiously, that spark of excitement entering her eyes again. Don't get too excited. When I find him, I'm going to put that Sombra through a meat grinder. Have fun studying him then.

"I doubt it. He was wearing the same shape as us, but his coloring was all wrong. Not to mention he could use magic. He used some kind of time travel spell to send me into the future. That's why I'm here," I explained.

"Wait, time travel? Twilight, isn't there a spell like that in the-" Spike began.

"Starswirl the Bearded Wing in the Canterlot Archives?" Twilight finished excitedly. I have no idea what any of those things means, but it seems like they believe me. "I used it once to go the the past-"

"And started a time loop paradox," Spike remarked. Twilight's ears flattened again, this time out of embarassment.

"Hold on. You went to the past?" Twilight had my full attention now. When she nodded, I started to grin. "Get me this spell. I want to go home."

Twilight and Spike exchange glances, looking unsure. "Look...uh...Mr..."

"Seth Rogers,"

"Mr. Rogers. That spell, while it does allow travel to the past, the amount of time the spell can be maintained depends on both the level of magic of the spell caster, and how far back the user goes. I went back for a week, and only lasted for a few moments before returning to this time," Twilight informs me. My spirits drop like a stone.

"And Twilight's one of the strongest unicorns in all of Equestria!" Spike brags, but is soon hushed by an embarrassed Twilight.

"I can't believe that. Is this the only time travel spell? Because Sombra sent me three fucking millenia into the future, after doing the same himself. Explain that one to me, genius," I counter, not wanting to believe that what seemd to be my only way home may be barred to me. I finish my tea with a few more gulps.

"Well, according to a few accounts, Starswirl was in the middle of stabilizing the time spell, but he passed before he could. Even if this Sombra was able to bypass the temporary nature of the spell, it would still take an immense amount of magical power to send somepony that far forward or backward in time," Twilight theorizes, and then she takes a sip from her tea. "The only ones I know with that kind of power are the princesses."

"Then get the princesses to send me home," I demand, my temper rising.

"There's still the issue of the..."

"TAKE THE HINT, UNICORN, I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!" I shout, startling both Twilight and Spike.

"I understand, Mr. Rogers, but I just don't think it's possible," Twilight admits. That doesn't help my temper any.

"DAMMIT!" I hurl the teacup across the room in frustration. Twilight manages to catch it with her magic before it hits anything, and she deposits it in the sink carefully.

"Hey, it's all right-" she tries to comfort me.

"No it's not," I snap, but she continues talking anway.

"I'll help you find this Sombra if you don't mind waiting in town for a while," Twilight promised. I glance at her in surprise.

"Really? Why would you bother helping me, a total stranger who's not even the same species as you? What do you get out of it?" I ask her. I'm confused, because I know I certainly wouldn't help someone out unless I stood to benefit in some way. Unless it was Amaryllis. Then I'd hem and haw a bit, but I'd eventually do it.

"Me? Nothing. I don't see a stranger standing before me. I see somepony who's lost in a land unfamiliar to them. I just want to help," Twilight answers, placing one of her hooves on my hand in an attempt to be reassuring. The contact is uncomfortable, so I extricate my hand and place it down by my side.

I then realize something. "Uh-huh. You're not fooling me. You just want the information I can give you so you can get all rich and famous after you write a book," I accuse her. Twilight actually has the nerve to look offended at that. Bitch, if I call you out on your bullshit, you own up to it.

"Hasn't anypony ever helped you out just out of kindness?" Twilight asks defensively.

"No," is my abrupt answer. That visibly deflates her. She looks a little surprised, and then looks sad.

"That's...not right. Are all humans like that?"

"Pretty much. Still want to know about us?" My expression is now a little smug, though I still don't understand why she's acting so surprised. I'm here to use her for information, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I suspect her of doing the same.

"That's horrible. Why would you want to go back to a society like that?" Twilight demands. That gives me some pause. She has a point. Most of humanity is fucking worthless, anyway.

No, I can't say that. I think that the first and foremost reason I want to go back is so I can see my family and friend again. I want to see Amaryllis again, and finally ask her out. I want to spend some time with my family, which I've never really done on my own volition. I want to watch anime with my brother, and watch Maka growing up. There's so many thoughts running through my head, I only know one way to make it clear to Twilight.

"None of your damn business," I reply gruffly, earning a disappointed sigh from the unicorn. Looking out the window, I notice that the sun is dipping below the horizon. "It's getting late."

"Oh...yeah, time does pass quickly, doesn't it?" Twilight comments, laughing nervously. When I fix her with a very pointed look, she blanches and her ears fold back. "Sorry...bad choice of words. Anyhow, do you have someplace to stay?"

Yeah, I'm avoiding that trap. No way am I letting her offer me hospitality. She might dissect me in my sleep or something. She puts on a show of being a considerate friend, but I know scientific curiosity when I see it. I'm noping the fuck out of here. "Yeah, I've got a place," I lie. The streets it is, I guess. I don't have any money, so I'm starving tonight as well. "Thanks for the tea."

"You're very welcome. Um...when will I see you again?" Twilight asks hesitantly. I stand up, moving towards the door. Twilight gets up and follows me as well, with Spike not far behind. "Mr. Rogers?"

"Look, Mr. Rogers is my father. Call me Seth," I correct her. Then, I open the front door and step outside. Just before shutting the door, I say, "I'll come back tomorrow sometime."

My abrupt departure might have been a bit rude, but whatever. As I walk away, I can hear them talking.

"I don't like him. He's very mean," I heard Spike saying.

"Cut him some slack, Spike. He's lost his entire race," Twilight responds. Any further conversation is too faint to hear as I walk back out into the streets.

All of the ponies seem to be heading home now, as the streets are much emptier than before. Now, I need to find a nice patch of grass to stretch out on, if possible. This town is pretty rural, so that shouldn't be too hard. I'm not looking forward to how cold it will be, but I can use my shirt as a blanket. Maybe I can find some discarded newspapers or something to use as well.

I need a job. If I'm going to be staying in this town for a long period of time, I need lodging. The air smells a little wintry, so I'm guessing the nights will get colder and colder. I don't want to freeze to death. A job will help me find a place to stay.

After wandering for a bit, I look around to see if I can find any ponies. Soon, I spot two of them walking out of what looks to be a...club of sorts, if the loud rambunctious music blaring from the opening and the multicolored lights shining from the windows were any indication.

The pony closest to me is colored a soft mint green, and has a lyre tattooed on her flank. I made a mental note to ask Twilight what those are, and why everyone had them. No, I will not and will never say "everypony." I refuse. I'd cut my own tongue out first. Moving on, her mane and tail are the same color as her body, except for a few white streaks.

The second one is a beige color, and has...candy...for that mark. Huh. Guess she really likes candy. Her mane and tail are a mixture of dark blue and magenta. Well, I say a mixture, but the two colors are separate from one another. It's like two different stripes. Dammit, I'm no storyteller, I can't make fucking words sound good!

The moment they see me approaching them, the two of them scream in shock, scrambling up against a wall. "Oh for the love of god...get used to the fact that there's a human living in your town!" I groan. I'm getting so sick and tired of these skittish ponies.

"Wait, did you say 'human'?" The mint colored one asks excitedly, seemingly overcoming her initial fright.

"Oh no..." the other one remarks, slapping her hoof into her face. I try not to laugh at that. Is that the pony version of a facepalm? A facehoof! Hah, I'm so not clever.

"Yeah, I did. I'm human. Get your squealing and fangirling out of the way right now, so we can have an intelligent conversation," I respond, not in the mood to deal with another pony that wants to know everything about me and my kind.

"Oh...sorry, sir, I didn't mean to bother you. You've probably gotten that a lot since you arrived," the green one says. She's not so bad. Hear that respect? I can get used to that. "My name is Lyra Heartstrings. I've been reading a really good book series starring humans, so I got a little excited to meet one."

"Weren't you all extinct?" the other asked before I could get a word in edgewise. I transfixed her with a glare.

"You know, when someone introduces themselves, you usually let the other party do the same. So how about you shut the fuck up and save your questions for never?" I snap at the biege pony. My words cause her eyes to widen, clearly not expecting such a response. "Sorry, Lyra. Apparently your friend here doesn't know not to greet someone with 'weren't you dead?'"

"Yeah, I can see how that could be offensive. Don't be so hard on Bon Bon, she's never really liked the idea of humans," Lyra says, hiding a chuckle at Bon Bon's, which is a stupid fucking name, expense. "So what's your name, sir?"

"I'm Seth Rogers. I wanted to ask if you know someplace where someone like me can get a job. I have no idea what kind of currency you ponies use," I reply. So Lyra's not that bad, considering she's a pastel colored pony. Bon Bon is a bit of a prick, though.

"A job for a human? Well, there's a lot of more delicate work that needs doing around town," Bon Bon answers first. I can tell she's still miffed about my rudeness. Get the fuck over it. "I mean, the unicorns can't be everywhere."

"Also, I think the Apple family always accepts help out on the farm. You look strong enough," Lyra adds. Farm work, huh? Sounds like it'd be miserable as hell. It is something, though. Beggars can't be choosers.

"Didn't Vinyl say she could use some extra help with her equipment on her gig nights?" Bon Bon continues. Two job opportunities? And that second one looks like a part time job, so I technically can do both. At least it will give my now meaningless existence a point. Even if it is manual labor.

"Yeah, you could do that!" Lyra seemed a little too excited to be helping me out. Is that the fangirl in her? Speaking of which, I'm not sure how I feel about my race being in fiction books. Hah, that might make a fun evening. I should read those books and then send hate mail to the author on how inaccurate they are.

"Hm. Where can I find these peo...ponies?" Dammit, I will never get used to saying ponies instead of people.

"Well, Vinyl is still in the club packing up. You might be able to score some points if you help her out now," Bon Bon suggests, pointing a hoof at the building they just emerged from. Well, that's a start. I can't really do any manual labor until my injuries heal, but it'll be nice to see my potential employer. "Just look for the pony with the shades."

Pony in shades? What have I gotten myself into...oh well. Might as well do it. "Thanks, you two. I'll go do that now." I say, turning to walk towards the club. Just before I reach it, Lyra calls out to me.

"Hey!" I turn my head to look at her. "Don't be a stranger!"

Are you fucking kidding me? Why would I want to be your friend? Rather than saying that out loud, I just grunt and walk into the club...where the environment immediately changes upon my entrance.

Several ponies filter their way around me and out of the bar, while others remove themselves to the farthest corners of the room, where they whisper to one another and point hooves at me when they think I'm not looking.

"What? Don't let me ruin your night," I address the crowd sarcastically. I cast my gaze around, and I soon notice the pony described to me by Bon Bon and Lyra.

She's sitting behind a...suprisingly modern looking set of DJ tables. There's a decent set of speakers spread around the room too. Reverse engineered from human technology, if I had to take a guess.

The pony herself is pure white in color with two bridged eighth notes as that mark on her flank. Her mane and tail are a bright shade of electric blue, run through with streaks of an even lighter blue. The most distinguishable part of her appearance are the purple tinted sunglasses that she's wearing. So that's Vinyl.

She looks awestruck for a moment, but then, to my surprise, grins. She takes out the record on her table and replaces it with a new one. "Hey hey, we got a human in the house! Turn down the lights, because I'm about to throw down some fresh beats!" Vinyl's words break the awkward silence that had formed upon my entry. Everyone looks her way as she sets the needle on the record. Then she looks directly at me. "I learned this style from you guys! Do me a favor and rock out!"

Hold up, she learned what style from who now? My thoughts are interrupted as the music completely changes, the bass roaring and percussion reverberating through the room so intensely, that I can feel it in my chest. Is this...no way. Tell me you're kidding. Vinyl is playing dubstep. What the fuck I don't even...you know what. Fuck it. This is awesome.

The ponies are still in a state of shock at first, but after Vinyl's words and the intense new music, they slowly relax, and start mingling with one another again. The dance floor soon fills up again.

The scent in the air is predominately pony, of course, but the sights and sounds remind me very strongly of this one club, three thousand years ago.

---

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," I grumbled as I followed Amaryllis through the club.

"What, too scared of being shown up on the dance floor?" she teased. I shook my head and didn't answer.

The music was loud and intense, such that the sound was pounding in my chest, a feeling that I loved, but not when around large groups of idiotic drunk people looking for a quick fuck.

I gaped at Amaryllis as she stepped out onto the dance floor and started rocking out to the beat. I had assumed she was kidding when she was talking about the dance floor. I thought we were here to let loose and laugh at all the stupid people.

"What the fuck, Amaryllis?!" I asked in disbelief. She laughs a bit and tries to get me to join her out there, but I resist her.

"Aw, come on, Seth! Lighten up a bit and come dance!" Amaryllis said, pouting a bit.

"Weren't you the strong silent type that didn't give a fuck about people? What's all this about?" I was starting to get angry. I had hoped that Amaryllis wasn't like the other college students, but there she is, dancing like she's drunk at a party. That's an exaggeration. She actually had some grace, but that wasn't the point.

"That's right! I don't give a fuck what people think of me. That's why I can do this. Just because I hate practically everyone doesn't mean I shouldn't have fun," Amaryllis shot back.

"That's not-"

"The better question is, why aren't you dancing? Because if I didn't know better, I'd say you DO give a fuck about what these drunk idiots think." She did not just accuse me of that.

"You know what? Just for that, I'll show you how to REALLY dance," I declared, and I forced my way onto the dance floor. Amaryllis's smile widens, and the two of us start just enjoying one another's company. The people who knew us in the club gave us shocked looks, wondering if we were drunk or something.

One of the braver men attempted to get in on the dance with Amaryllis. She promptly kicked him in the balls and we kept dancing. Nope, we were still assholes. And I loved it.

---

Heh, look at me, feeling all nostalgic. You know...just once, I'll do this. This is something I can do to honor Amaryllis's memory.

I feel really stupid for even thinking about this, but it doesn't stop me from walking to the dance floor, ponies watching me curiously as I pass them. This is a really dumb idea, but you know what?

I don't give a fuck.

---

After the first song ended, I recline against a nearby wall. I hurt. I had made sure not to move all that much to keep from aggravating my wounds, so dancing was awkward. But I did it, and I feel a bit better mentally because of that.

I rest against that wall until the second song ends, and ponies start to leave for home. I can see Vinyl starting to pack up her records. I take this opportunity to approach her.

"Hey, dude! Pretty rad to see you dancing out there to my tunes. Did I get your music right?" Vinyl says to me conversationally when she notices my approach.

"You did. I didn't think I'd hear dubstep ever again," I reply honestly. I've always held a healthy respect for musicians. That hasn't changed. So yes, surprisingly enough, I respect this pony. Hopefully she doesn't piss me off later. "I'm Seth Rogers. Thanks for calming the crowd. I didn't want to have to fight off an bar owner who's angry that I scared off his customers."

"I hear that! It's a pleasure, Seth. You don't mind if I call you Seth, do you?" Vinyl responds with a laugh. When I shook my head, she continued. "Awright! Name's Vinyl Scratch. Put er' there, dude!"

She holds her hoof out, like for a handshake or something. Or hoofshake. Whatever. She's a musician, so I'll do it just for that reason. I reach out my hand, and she slaps my hand like in a high five, and then does a weird hoofshake. Uh...huh.

"Hey, I-" I begin, but Vinyl forestalls me words with a hoof. She's looking rather intently at my lower body. What the fuck...I swear to god, if she's checking me out, I'm running as FAR away from here as I can.

"I thought your dancing was a little shaky. You're hurt!" Vinyl gasps. Oh great...don't you go and feel pity for me.

"Ugh, don't worry about it. That's why I'm wearing bandages," I say, waving her concerns away.

"Dude, that looks like it hurts. I wish I could help," Vinyl responds with a sympathetic voice. "Anyway, why'd you come to this club, anyway?"

"I was actually looking for you. I was told you're looking for help with your equipment." Whether or not she's surprised by that, I can't tell because of those fucking sunglasses.

"That was quick! I literally just said that an hour ago," Vinyl proclaims with a grin. "Yeah, if you think you can handle it, what with all those cuts you've got, I'll hire you."

"I'll be fine. When do you usually have gigs?" I dismiss her concerns with a wave of my hand.

"Well, I generally have them three times a week, sometimes more if Pinkie Pie throws a party," Vinyl answers. That last name she mentioned...who the fuck is okay with having a name like that? Whatever, I don't care. "Tell you what. You got a place I can find you at?"

Shit. What do I say? I lied to Twilight, but only because she was going to offer me her place for tonight. I probably shouldn't lie to my future employer. "No, actually. I don't have any money. That's why I'm here."

"Whoa, really? That's not cool. Wait, were you gonna sleep outside tonight?" Vinyl questions me, a hint of suspicion in her voice. My face gives her all the answer she needs. "Come on, dude. You're a human. I bet you get get a room with royalty if you tried."

"I don't want royalty, and I certainly don't want your charity. I'll sleep outside until I get the money to find a hotel somewhere," I tell her firmly.

"Are you sure? I have a spare room I could-"

"No! I'm completely fine with the way things are." I think I may have let my voice rise a bit, because I see Vinyl's ears fold back.

"If you want to do this job, I have to be able to find you," she warns me.

"I remember seeing a park when I was on my way to the library. I'll be staying there if you want to find me." Well, that decision was rather quickly made, but it'll work. A patch of grass will work for tonight.

"All right, dude. Take tonight to heal up a bit more, and I'll come grab you to help me set up tomorrow night," Vinyl finally relents, though she doesn't look happy about it.

"Great, see you tomorrow," I say bluntly, and without another word, I turn on my heel and leave the club behind.

Fuck these ponies. They need to stop being so nice to me. I can tell what they're up to. They're just going to be nice until they can use it to get favors from me. I won't let it happen. I won't let you fuckers use me.

Somewhat angry, I storm down the street in the dark of night. It's already cold, but it's tolerable. When I reach the park, I gently lower myself to the nearest patch of grass until I'm laying on my back.

You know, since there's no real streetlights, I can see thousands of stars in the sky, something I'd never see back at my college.

I keep staring up at that night sky until at last, I fall asleep.

---

All right, this is my first experiment with the first of the mane six. Please let me know whether or not I've portrayed Twilight and Spike's characters well. It's something I'm paranoid about.

Also, Vinyl Scratch = so much win.