Rock On From Beyond. (Rerecording.)

I awoke to the sound of lock-picking, I looked to the side and saw something tryin' ta steal my birthday present. "You're not trying to steal that are you?" The Gryphon thing shot up. "Did you ever stop to think if there was someone in that coffin?" I laid perfectly still, waiting for her flustered answer.

"Uh well," She sounded like she was from Boston. Her almost gravely voice, and fur feather combo, made her unique to say the least. "I'm kinda a little strapped for cash."

"So you were gonna steal my stuff, and pawn it?" Apparently she couldn't read my poker face.

"Well when you put it like that."

"Let's start over, what's ya name?" I turned my head slightly.

"Gilda,"

"You can call me Eli,"

"You're pretty cool lookin' Eli, what are you?"

"Dead man walking," That was the best thing I could come up with.

"Like a Zombie?"

"You could say that,"

"That's Awesome." Man Gullible!

"Yeah it is." Some things that looked like ponies trotted by. I am definitely not in Central Park. I could always read people like song books, and these kid's heartstrings were playing Death Metal. "Alright time to rock." I swung my leg out and turned over into a handstand, and then pushed off and landed on my feet. "Let's roll."

"You're leaving?"

"No We're leaving."

"Why me?"

"You're strapped for cash, right. help me and I'll see you get compensated." She paused for a moment, I could see the 'not bad' expression. "C'mon" I grabbed me case, 'thinkin' like a pirate' and headed off to follow those punk Unicorns. They were going to school, probably trouble makers. This place was laid out like Manhattan

"Hey what are we tailin' 'em for?" Gilda was flying around like nothing.

"I gotta bad feeling, I'm surprised no one's seen me yet." We carried on a complete conversation amidst the hoof traffic.

"This is Manehatten Dude, They're too busy thinkin' about themselves." Manehattan really, where the hell did he send me? They arrived at the schoolyard, and singled out one target. A brown one, green eyes, red mane slash tail 'thinkin' literally'.

"Blank Flank," The Unicorns teased, didn't know what in the blue hell that meant, but it sounded like an insult. Name calling graduated to a full of hoof fight. I made my move, I did a barrel roll, 'will you shut up now Peppy?' they seemed scared of me, probably cause I was holding a coffin about their size. "What are you, some kind of freak?"

"See this?" I put down the coffin case. "Mess with me, and you might end up in it." I knelt down and poked one's nose. "Got it?" She swallowed the words she just ate.

"Yeah," She nearly had a heart attack, before taking her friend and bolting inside.the schoolhouse. I turned to the one who was bullied.

"Hey you okay?" I blew my hair out of my eyes and she did the same.

"Yeah," This one sounded like she was from Hoboken. "Thanks,"

"No problem," She reminded me of myself, a lot. "What's your name?"

"Babs,"

"I'm Eli, this is Gilda."

"Dude, how did you do that?" Gilda was thunderstruck.

"It's all about how you carry yourself. There's some things you two need to learn."

"And you're gonna teach us." Babs was skeptic.

"I don't know am I, if your parents and teacher say it's okay to miss school for a few days."

"Be right back," Babs ran inside, and started talking with her teacher.

"Well, looks like deady bear has a soft spot for kids."

"Ha ha,"

"What's in the coffin?" I picked it up and dusted it off. "You said it was all you had."

"Let's find out together." I found another bench and sat down. I laid the case over my lap, and opened it.

"Eli!" Babs ran back to us. "My teacher says It's fine."

"Now to talk to your parents,"

"C'mon," She led us through the streets to a loft. "Here, my dad's always away on business, lots of money to be made in citrus." She pushed open the door and showed us in. "Mom I'm home,"

"What's the matter?" A light orange mare 'I guess' come out of the kitchen. "You just left an hour ago."

"Hello Miss, uh..." I took off my sunglasses. 'When did I get these?'

"Orange," She seemed calm, unlike those girls at the school.

"Miss Orange," Damn this place just gets weirder and weirder. "I can see Babs has some Self esteem issues,"

"Are you a psychiatrist?" She asked with an upper crust attitude.

"Traveling musician, and I thought I could take her on my journey, y'know work on her self image." Why am I doing this? I watched as Babs sat on the couch with Gilda.

"You expect me to let a total stranger, take my daughter Celestia knows where, for Celestia knows how long?"

"When you say it like that," I had to pause and think. 'Like a Bawss time. "This opportunity will help broaden her horizons, help her learn about other places, a hooves on approach if you catch my drift. A way for her to see what happens outside the city limits."

"Please," Babs made the puppy dog eyes which worked a lot better than normal on that face.

"Yeah this'll be good for the kid," Gilda saw no problem in it. "I mean, you'd do the same thing."

"Well," She scratched her chin with her hoof, then caved. "You may go with him, on one condition, You write from wherever you end up."

"Thanks," Babs jumped for joy, and I felt like I just won a guitar battle with Tom Morello.

"Thank you for seeing it our way." My stomach growled. "I'd better go find something to eat."

"Nonsense, any friends of Babs are friends of the family,"