//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - The job hunt doesn't need a blowgun, right? // Story: Drifting Through Realities // by Thadius0 //------------------------------// Drifting Through Realities Chapter 11 - The job hunt doesn't need a blowgun, right? My job hunt through Canterlot was less than fruitful. Then again, my focus for quite a while had been simply 'survive'. True, I had been well-read, but that was for skills related to surviving in the wilderness that I more often than not ended up in. The little bit of reading I did get to do in tech-worlds could hardly be applied here. Asimov's world had focused on cybernetics and robotics, they'd tamed their world. The instance where I'd gotten Xavier didn't allow me to read, intent more on keeping the two of us monitored than allowing either of us time or freedom to roam. And Agatha was more focused on the mystery that was me and making trades than letting me read. Then again, it was hard to not get caught up in her energy. Which reminds me, I should let that little guy she gave me out sometime in the future... Anyway, what few skills I had that I could apply to life after Drifting, there was no need of. Tailor? Nope. Only maintained my own clothes, and there was a unicorn who could do what I could do, only far faster. Food prep? No restaurant needed...or, I suspect, wanted me. And again, they had unicorns. I briefly considered signing on to be a guard so that I could put my sword to use, but wisely considered against it. That'd probably mean I'd end up serving Celestia or Luna in some fashion, and while I was giving them a chance, giving them authority over me wasn't a step I was willing to take anytime in the near ever. So yeah, the job hunt sucked. I ended up resting in Vinyl and Octavia's living room and letting my feet recover from all the walking. Not ten minutes after I walked in, Vinyl walked down and looked at me. "You okay?" I sighed and replied. "I tried, Vinyl. None of those places want me, or can actually make use of me. Or some combination of the two. I'm not sure if it's cause I'm human or they have unicorns on staff, but my skills can't be applied." Vinyl mulled it over and nodded. "Makes sense. We've all got at least basic levitation magic to manipulate items from a distance, all you've got is those arms and hands." I smiled and allowed the arm camo to fade. The normal-looking skin flickered out, revealing a shiny, silvery covering that was only slightly slimmer than the camo had been. Vinyl's eyebrows went up as she looked at the replacement arm in all its glory. "Oh yeah. You've got that goin' for you, I suppose." I nodded and flicked the arm camo back on. "And thanks to the upgrades, I can do a few tricks with them as well." At that, she grinned. "Oh really? If you can do enough tricks with your stuff, then I've got just the thing for you." I raised an eyebrow at her, the universal 'go on' motion, and she obliged after joining me on the couch. "See, the club I'm playing at tonight is a popular one, and that's partially due to how it's run, yeah. But the club's only gotten more popular since I started showing up, so they're trying to hire me on for full-time DJ'ing." "Mmm," I said, fighting the urge to scratch behind her ears like she was a dog. Sentient, not an animal! "So what's the issue?" When she looked to me with a slight hint of surprise, I elaborated. "You wouldn't be bringing it up if there weren't an issue that you think I could solve." She blinked twice before nodding. "Right. I forget sometimes, you Jumpers don't age between worlds. You're pretty smart for how you look." I made a scoffing noise and affected a silly accent. "Dear madam! You do wound me by implying that intelligence and good looks go hand-in-hand! Were that so, I am certain the nobility would be far more tolerable than they are!" She laughed at that, a sharp, barking laugh that made me smile to hear. "Oh, I needed that!" She wiped tears from her eyes before replying. "So...how long have you been Jumping?" I thought about it before shaking my head. "Can't remember. It's been a while, but...sometimes I just lost count, y'know? I can only account for so much of my time, and the early travels were quick hops compared to the years I spent in others." Vinyl's expression became a bit downcast at that before she shook her head slightly. "Right, we've gotten sidetracked a bit. Where were we?" "You were talking about a club that wants you to DJ on a permanent basis and something I could do to aid you." She nodded twice at my re-railment. "Right, right. Anyways, the club in question is one of the places where...an old friend from my less-than-glory days hangs out at night. And I just know he's gonna be there tonight. I'd go and DJ anyways, but their bouncer got a better offer from a club in Manehatten, and they need a new one. Think you're up for his job?" I mulled it over before shrugging. "Eh, I could do it. But you're gonna need to make me some coffee for tonight. I've been up all day, if I'm gonna be up all night, I'ma need the caffeine." Vinyl nodded, hopped off the couch, and walked towards the kitchen. "Already on it. One batch of Night-Watch, comin' up!" ----- That was how I'd ended up outside a club named 'Pleasant Dreams' with a small stand nearby that held the coffee Vinyl had made at nine in the evening. In front of me was a line of mares and stallions that stretched a good while back, each one impatient to get in. The bouncer that would be moving on stood next to me, he was an earth pony with a lime coat, a lemon mane, and red eyes. He was highly muscled and had a hoof smashing a rock as his mark. He'd said his name was Rock Steady, and I agreed: in a fight, he'd be one guy I'd want on my side. I didn't think he'd budge anytime soon. In his grasp was a clipboard that had a fair few names written on it in two columns. One was a VIP list, the other was a barred list. If the pony didn't fall in either, he'd told me, then they had to wait for the club to empty a bit before any more could be allowed in. "Name?" The rose-colored unicorn mare in front of me nodded. "Ruby Light." The stallion next to me flipped the list once and nodded as well. "Go on in." She all but skipped past us into the club, and I rolled my eyes as I drank from my coffee. The next pony walked up, and I raised my eyebrow at him. He blinked before nodding assent to my unasked question. "Crescent Moon." The bouncer looked the list over and looked to me with a slight shake to his head. I nodded at him and turned back to the pegasus. "Sorry, you're gonna have to wait a bit." He sighed but nodded as well. "Figured. Any idea when?" The bouncer shrugged, and I replied. "Whenever there's space." Fortunately, just then a small group of ponies walked out. Two stallions, three mares. I raised an eyebrow at that, but allowed Crescent in. The next pony walked up, and something about him just seemed off. Violet coat. Grey mane. Blue eyes. Wings. Mark of two clouds, one inside another. The bouncer stiffened just a touch upon seeing him. I merely looked at him, and he looked up at me. The first words out of his mouth were predictable. "What the buck are you?" I decided on a demonstration, and lit my hoodie up to provide a bit of light so the stallion could see me. The way his face paled when the blue light from within my hood served as a backdrop to my suddenly not-amused face? The only way he could've gotten whiter is if I dumped a tin of paint on him. "The proper question," I intoned in a low, deep voice, "Is not what, but who. And that's the question I'm asking you, understand?" It took him a moment to realize I'd asked him a question, but he gulped, regained a bit of his surly expression, and responded. "Cloud Stuffer." Since Rock didn't move, I pulled the list from him and went over it. There, near the bottom of the second page, was his name. Bolded, underlined. And with a small asterisk as well. I looked for the matching symbol, and was surprised at what I saw. At the request of Vinyl Scratch, this stallion is not to enter the premises under any circumstances. I nodded at that and looked up to Cloud. "Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." He shook his head at that. "She's here, isn't she? C'mon, she's the reason I'm here! I gotta see her a-" I cut him off by raising my right hand and deciding I could do a decent impersonation of a tesla coil. Electricity danced between my fingers, giving the pegasus pause before I responded in one of the colder voices I could manage. "You are not to enter, understand? And if you try, I'm going to see just how singed a pegasus can get before he can't fly anymore." At that, he scowled. "You bucking creature, you so much as touch one feather on me, and I'll-" I let loose a small bolt that struck near his back right hoof. He yelped and jumped back, and I grinned at his reaction. "Who said I had to touch a feather to cause you any pain? I'm a guy too. I know just how to strike another guy." His eyes widened, the pupils within contracting to pinpricks at the very thought of what I'd just insinuated. I leaned in and whispered to him. "This is the part where you run away." And run he did, without looking back once. I paused, then seeing he was far enough gone, took a knee and breathed deeply for a moment while letting the glow die in my clothes. "Sweet...Joseph, that takes more than I thought it would. Okay, note to self: anything more than a happy-fun-taser is hard to force out in this atmosphere." Noted. Rock came up and took the list from me while giving me a small smile, the first I'd seen all night. "Ya did good, kid. But I'd watch my back if I were you. That stallion's not known for his gentle attitude." I waved off the concern, looked in my empty mug, and sighed before pouring myself another cup of coffee. "Yeah, figured that when my friend asked for him to be kept out." Rock nodded once and went back to the line while I drank my coffee. I was surprised to see a few ponies pull out of the line after my little display, and looked to Rock, who shook his head. "Bad seeds, the lot of 'em. They're on the list as well. Ya done real good, kid, if you can keep them away with a little lightning." I shook my hand in a 'so-so' fashion at his statement. "Eh, kinda. I'll have to see if there's a way to make it easier than that." And once I got back on my feet, the rest of the night passed in a blur of boredom. ----- Vinyl sat on the couch, positively giddy with excitement. I was happy too, don't get me wrong, but she was just overflowing. I'd gotten the job easily enough, and the club had offered her more than enough for her to sign up on the spot. That, plus the excitement from just finishing the party? I had a very peppy party pony on my hands. And she would not stop bouncing. Well, I say bouncing. She just wouldn't, couldn't, sit still. "Oh man, tonight was just so sick and twisted and gnarly and...and just so everything playing in a club should be! Not a single incident on the floor or at the bar, everypony was jumpin' and dancin' and having a good time and..." And here she turned to me and smiled. "And I have you to thank for it." I wearily raised a hand to her and objected as much as my energy would allow, which was not much. "To be fair, Rock Steady helped out quite a bit by showing me the ropes. I did have to intimidate a few ponies," technically not a lie, one instance and one technique that intimidated multiple ponies still counted, "but overall, I'd give him more credit than me." Vinyl sighed and softly punched me. Hum. Is it still a punch if they don't have fists? "Dude, you are way too modest." She tilted her head and thought for a moment before smiling. "I got an idea." The caffeine had worn off a while ago, I was only up through sheer, stubborn will now. Nonetheless, I responded. "What?" "Lemme show you the basement." A short trip showed me a recording studio most people could only dream of. Behind the glass window and door stood a simple microphone and several instruments, with more stands in reserve. I could only assume that there were more mics hidden somewhere. On this side, there were several...well, I don't know what they were. I'm going to go with 'recording devices' or 'remixing devices'. Vinyl popped the door open, then took station at one of the consoles. "You go in there and sing, and I'll capture your song for the masses." My incredulous look could probably have been described as legendary. Vinyl caught on and shook her head at me. "Eric, dude, you've got a good set of pipes, and a song that'll speak to so many. All you gotta do is sing it!" I sighed and stepped inside. As I closed the door, I caught Vinyl's smug look. Fine, you'll get a song, but not the one you're expecting. I picked up the microphone and cleared my throat a few times. "Testing. Testing." Vinyl popped some headphones on and nodded at me. "Okay, fair warning, this'll probably sound horrible. But hey, at least I'll have tried." And with that, I sang the original song. Just as I finished, I felt sleep claim me...