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Please Help Me!1,579 words
How Adagio Wound Up in the Horrible Place1,110 words

Please Help Me!

"Could you spare some change?" I do my best to look pitiful and shiver in the night wind. The woman in the car looks me over.

"What for?" She askes.

"My family is gone," I tell her, putting all the sadness I can muster into my act. "I don't have any friends here, and I need food." The woman's face softens.

"Hold on a minute," she responds, ducking into the interior of her car to find some change for me. I don't break character, keeping on my sad face until she reappears.

"Take care of yourself, sweetheart," she advises me as she gives me three dollars and some coins. I take it gratefully.

"I will," I promise. "Thank you." The light turns green before she can reply, so she just waves as she zooms forward. I watch her car disappear into the traffic, then I sit down on the side of the street.

"Whoever thought I'd be reduced to this," I mutter, clutching the money in my fist. "Stuck in a different world, lying to people for money." I think technically it's not lying, though. My family is way back in Equestria, and I do need money.

But I do have friends here. Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze are on different streets, swindling people like I'm doing now. Though if I know Sonata she'll be with Aria or in her way to me by now.

I stand back up as the rush of cars slows again. It's still a foreign concept to me, this transportation. I don't like it that much.

"Excuse me." I approach an orange boy who looks a little younger than me. "Could you spare a few dollars for me? I don't have any family or friends here, and I need to eat. Just a little bit for some fast food?" The boy frowns.

"I don't know," he replies, smoothing back his spiky blue hair as he thinks.

"That's alright," I tell him softly. "I know not everyone can spare money." He looks up at me.

"Sure," he says, smiling slightly. "It won't hurt to part with a few bucks." He hands over a five dollar bill.

"Hey!" The elderly lady in the car behind him calls to me, "I have some extra change! Go buy yourself a burger, dear!" I rush over to her and take the cash she offers.

"Thank you!" I tell her, putting emotion into my voice. "This will help a lot."

"I hope it will." She winks at me, though I'm not sure why. We aren't sharing secrets or anything.

When the light turns green again, I count my collection. Twelve dollars and fifty two cents. I am not exactly sure of the value of food in this world, but it seems like a decent amount.

"Maybe I should find Aria and Sonata," I murmur to myself. As I debate this, I turn my gaze to someone walking down the street. He's a boy who looks about a year younger than me, with light blue skin, blue hair, and a white shirt with a planet on it. I'm assuming that's his cutie mark, since my own appeared on my clothes too.

As he gets closer, I suddenly feel nervous.

"Calm down, Dazzle," I tell myself quietly, so he can't hear me. "He's not a threat."

"Who are you?" The boy asks me. I look up, startled.

"I, uh, I'm in need of money," I explain. "Can you help me?" He stops walking.

"Your name is 'in need of money'?" He replies in a country accent. I roll my eyes.

"No, it's not. If you need to know, it's Adagio. Adagio Dazzle."

"Nice to meet you," he responds. "So tell me, Adagio, why do you need money?"

"My family's gone and I don't have any friends here," I tell him, repeating the same story I've told everyone else I've met tonight. "I really need some food." As I talk, I look at the extra details of his appearance. Even before I was banished to this cruel, cruel world, I enjoy analyzing new ponies- or people. His eyes are gold, and his shirt is trimmed with green, which matches his hippie headband on his head. I didn't notice earlier that his hair is long and he wears it in a ponytail, but not like Aria or Sonata do.

"What happened to your family?" He asks. I'm taken aback.

"What?"

"Why are you all alone?" He asks. I cross my arms.

"I don't want to talk about it," I tell him, hoping he'll drop the subject. To my annoyance, he doesn't.

"Talkin' about it is the first step to healin'," he explains. I grit my teeth and try to act sad and reluctant. Who is this guy, some sort of physiotherapist?!

"My family, well, there was this terrible fire last month," I sat down on the cold pavement, and he does too. "And I was the only one to..." I trail off and sniffle for dramatic effect. "...to survive." The boy nods.

"An' it's been hard for you to find a job?" I am actually surprised by this question.

"Uh, well, do you know of, um, any job for me?" I actually want to inform him that I do have a job- I am one of the most high-ranking singers in Equestria. Well, I was. But I keep silent and tell another lie.

"That depends." He smiles slightly. "Do you like animals?"

Finally, a question I can answer honestly! Out loud, I tell him, "Not really." He nods.

"Well then, I can't help you with a job," he responds. I'm secretly thankful about that. A job in this wretched place? As if!

"Do you think you could spare me some change? For a burger?" I ask him again.

"You're lying." He folds his hands in front of him and glares at me.

"What? No I'm not!" I scramble to my knees. "I really need the money!"

"Adagio Dazzle, this here's a pretty small town. It would be everywhere if there'd had been a fire last month. And no offense, but you don't look like the type to make a trek to here when you could stay in your hometown with more money." He stands up, and so do I. "So tell me, Miss Dazzle, what exactly are you doin' stealin' money from these people?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" I snap.

"Try me," he responds. I pull on the strings of my hoodie as another gust of wind blows through the night.

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm from a different world, banished here with my two best friends for a crime we didn't commit?" I ask him harshly. I watch as his face softens up like that lady's did earlier.

"Maybe," he answers in a softer voice. "So you really do need the money?"

"Yeah." When I respond my voice is softer as well. "Just for a different reason than what I've been telling everyone. And just so you know, I'm not usually prone to lying all the time." He smiles.

"You and your friends could go to school," he suggests. "My high school, Canterlot High School. You can go there."

"They don't have schools for poni- people my age where I come from," I tell him. He grins.

"There's a first time for everythin', right? And you can get lunch at noon." I briefly wonder if human lunch is edible, then I shake the thought off.

"That sounds, uh, nice. I just need to find my friends. They're on some other streets."

"I can help you," the boy offers.

"I guess so," I respond. "Hey, you never told me your name."

"Captain Planet, at your service," he tells me, putting his hand up to his forehead and slicing the air. That's probably how humans salute. "Adagio's a pretty name, by the way."

"Thanks." I let a smile form on my face. Nobody's every complemented my name before. Why would they? It's not like Aria would ever come up to me and tell me my name's nice.

As we begin to walk down the sidewalk to find Sonata and Aria, I think, If this world has people like Captain Planet, I think I'll like it here after all.

Author's Note:

In case you don't understand why this is an AU, the Dazzlings don't have their jewels and they didn't commit whatever crime they were banished for.
Captain Planet is a background human:

I hope this was an enjoyable read! :3