Through the Cavern

"Wow...I had absolutely no idea that ponies partied that hard." Ricky was gathering up streamers while Twilight used her magic to push a mop.

"Yeah, well Pinkie Pie sure knows how to throw them." Twilight agreed "You look a little flushed, if you don't mind me saying."

"Well, it is kind of warm in here." Ricky tossed the streamers in the trashcan and paused to remove his hoodie. Twilight gasped suddenly.

"Oh...my...humans DO have cutie marks!"

"Uh...come again?" Ricky glanced at himself, puzzled. Then his eyes fell on the flaming guitar tattooed on his bicep "OH! You mean my ink."

"Ink?" Twilight shook her head "So...does that signify your special talent?"

"Talent? Well, I do play the guitar, but it's not really my special talent. Many other people play too. Why, is that what these 'cutie mark' things are supposed to do?" Ricky glanced at the picture on her flank.

"Yep. I'm an advanced magic user, so my cutie mark signifies that. Fluttershy is a nature expert, so her cutie mark is a trio of butterflies."

"Ok, I'm starting to get it. By the way, what's with Fluttershy? Did something happen to her at some point in her life?" Ricky sat down and pulled out a smoke, pushing a window open as he did.

"No, she just has a real confidence issue. For instance, she's an amazing singer, but she has horrible stage fright." Twilight shook her head and sighed "It's really sad, actually."

"She's a wallflower, like me. I'm nowhere near as shy as her, but the last thing I hate is being the center of attention. That's why I quit my old band, because I couldn't handle the live performances."

"Oh, so you were a professional musician?" Twilight asked eagerly.

Ricky shook his head "Not really. We couldn't even play one show, because I would freeze up and couldn't play."

"You know, if you're into music and are going to be in town for a while, I think I might know the perfect place for you to work." Twilight mused.

"Really? That would be awesome, earn some money while I'm here. The last thing I want to do is sponge off somebody."

"Well, I'll tell you what. You go catch some sleep, and tomorrow we'll go down and see Vinyl." Twilight used her magic to open the guest bedroom beside the stairs. "Get rested, alright? We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Alright then, Twilight. Again, thanks for everything so far. I'll make it up to you as quickly as possible." Ricky said.

Twilight just smiled "Good night, Ricky."

***

"So, this guy's really serious about wanting to work here, eh?" Vinyl Scratch eyed Ricky with interest. The HoofBeats manager was secretly pleased with the latest job applicant.

"Oh, yes. He promises that he'll be here each and every day, on time, wide awake and ready to go!" Twilight said excitedly, turning to smile at Ricky, who stood uncomfortably.

"That's great and all, Princess, but I wanna hear it from the man himself." Vinyl lowered her shades and stared at them with vibrant red eyes.

"Uh...what she said?" Ricky asked nervously. Vinyl was stunned "That...is exactly what I would have said. Well played...you're hired, man."

"Really? Just like that?" Ricky was surprised "Huh. That's odd."

Vinyl looked at him, then at Twilight "Uh...how else was I gonna give you a job? I mean, you walked in, Twilight vouched and I hired you."

"Oh, ok. It's just that in the human world, it's at least a five day process. I mean, you gotta bring in a resume, then you gotta wait for your first phone call...if you even get one."

Vinyl looked baffled "What the hay is a phone call?"

It was Ricky's turn to look baffled "Seriously? You ponies don't have phones out here? I mean, you have castles made out of crystals, you communicate by DRAGON FIRE...hell, you clearly have electricity, how else do you get those instruments to work?"

"Um...I AM a unicorn. I just use magic." Vinyl seemed a little hurt. Ricky sighed "Sorry about that. I mean, the phone has been accessible to humans for well over a hundred years now. It actually has at least twenty functions now. Here." He pulled out his Samsung Galaxy, and Vinyl and Twilight oooohed at it.

"Wow...It's like a tiny mirror! Say, what does this do?" Twilight pressed the volume control, causing it to vibrate. She yelped and leaped backwards.

"That's the volume button. Here, watch this." Ricky picked it up, opened his music player and selected some King Diamond, cranking the volume way up. Ten seconds later, Vinyl was headbanging while Twilight was on the ground covering her ears.

"As you can see, it also plays music." Ricky hit pause to give the ponies a moment. Twilight shook her head, somewhat in shock.

"THAT was music?!" Twilight asked "That sounded like a dragon fight!"

"That was known as European Metal." Ricky explained "You've gotta be really angry, apparently. Here, this might be more your speed."

He selected "Feeling Groovy" by Simon and Garfunkel. Twilight seemed to enjoy it better than King Diamond, even humming along with the 'la la la' part.

"Huh...Ricky, I can see that you and I are gonna get along just fine. So, seeing as it's Saturday, do you think you can start Monday? Give you a chance to get settled." Vinyl said, holding out a hoof. Ricky grasped it happily "Trust me, you won't be disappointed."

"Well now, this is just perfect!" Twilight said excitedly "We've got you a job, now all we need to do is find you a place to live!"

"Really? Gee, I don't think I can quite afford that just yet." Ricky said honestly "I could find a motel or something in the meantime..."

"NO!" Vinyl said quickly. Ricky and Twilight stared at her until she blushed "I mean...the only motel is the Beats Motel. Twilight, you remember Cadence's bachelorette party?"

"Ugh...that Norman Beats is so creepy, and he does overcharge." Twilight agreed with an air of disgust.

"We never did get to meet his mother, did we?"

"OK! So, no Norman Beats then. Great!" Ricky said with forced delight, but was secretly trying to remember why that last exchange sounded so familiar.

"Alright then...how about Applejack?" Vinyl suggested. Twilight shook her head "No, I don't think so. I mean, I spent a weekend there last summer, and I gotta tell you...no privacy with that family."

"Good point." The two ponies dwelled it over in their minds. Ricky decided that this was the ideal time to grab a smoke.

"I'll just be a moment then, ok?" He tried getting their attentions, but Twilight just waved him off. Shrugging, Ricky stepped outside.

"Yo! Slim!" Ricky glanced up and saw Bulk Biceps coming towards him "I see you've met Vinyl, then."

"Yeah, nice girl. She just gave me a job, actually." Ricky lit up. Bulk Biceps slapped him hard on the back, pitching him to the ground.

"YEAH!!! SUCCESS!!! YEAH!!!!!" Bulk roared, then quickly collected himself "Sorry, brother. I've been working on that."

"All goods. So, yeah, I'll be starting in there on Monday. The only thing left for me to do now is find a place to crash, and I'm gold."

Bulk stared at him for a sec, and then started barking with laughter "Dude, why didn't you just say so? I've been living in a two bedroom rent free for the past five years!"

"Wha...rent free? How in the hell do you manage to do that?" Ricky was shocked at this.

"To be honest, I'll never figure that one out." Bulk mused, flexing as he did so. Mystery solved "So, whaddaya say? You in or out?"

"Dude, I was there the moment you said rent free." Ricky could not believe his luck. He glanced at Twilight and Vinyl, who seemed to have forgotten about him.

"YEAH!!!!!!CELEBRATORY CIDER!!!!!" Bulk Biceps charged into what looked like a tavern. Ricky watched him go, smirked, and followed him.

"Well, here I am. New job, new home, new life, new friends." Ricky paused at the door to the tavern and reflected on what he was leaving behind: A professor who tormented him, a talent he couldn't exploit and no help or support from his so-called family and friends.

"Score." Content, Ricky entered the tavern and headed to where Bulk Biceps sat.