//------------------------------//
// 8 - It's Been a While 
// Story: Lost Muse 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Libelous strode through the halls of her work. She was confident! Or at least she tried to look it. Her eyes were forward, her wings were tightly packed, and her steps sure. She marched past her co-worker, only pausing to return a wave to that friendly pony that always greeted her. "I really need to invite her out..." She was kinda cute, and maybe they could hit it off...

She shook the thought from her mind for the moment, descending the stairs towards the gate. There he was. Her steps slowed, looking at the nervous green unicorn that awaited her presence. "You can do this..." She just had to calmly explain what was happening.

Color drew in a soft breath. He saw her at almost the same instant. Just as he had left her, she had pretty blue fur and a brilliant silver and blue mane and tail. He could see her cutie mark hadn't changed, which was pretty normal. He raised a hoof, waving without thought. "Libel!"

"Color..." She wandered up to the gate but did not command it to open. "It's... nice to see you." She smiled nervously. "What... brings you here?"

He huffed a sigh. "I know my roomie came by." He sank to his haunches. "I'm really sorry for any trouble he may have caused."

She blinked, not expecting that angle. "He was fine, if a little dopey."

"Yeah, he has that going on." He smiled a little. "I hope he didn't cause too much fuss?"

"No... no, not at all." She perked an ear. "Did he give you a letter?"

"Letter?"

She clopped a hoof down on the ground. "You're right, on second thought. Your roommate is a trouble maker." She waved at the gate. "Open." It did open for her and she gestured for him to come closer. "I gave him one job, one little job."

He looked perplexed,  but did advance into the space allowed. He jumped as the gate snapped shut behind him. "Oh, um, what was he supposed to do?"

"Give you a letter, Color Splash." She put a hoof over her face before setting it back down. "Too late for that now, I suppose... Um... it's...  been a while..."

He smiled a little. "It really has... I... hear you're doing really great! You have so many credits." He nodded softly. "Are you enjoying it, being a writer and editor?"

"More editing," she admitted, but her smile deepened. "But I do like it. Mother got one thing right." He laughed, and she joined it. They both knew her mother and her ways. "She hasn't changed."

"But you have!" He reached for her shoulder, but hesitated before touching her. "You're... all grown up and professional and... I'll admit it, you're leading an amazing life."

She frowned a little. "The Color Splash I know wouldn't be pouting at me like that. I'm certain you're also doing right for yourself, are you not?"

Color shook his head quickly. "Oh, no! I mean... I'm not trying to... I'm fine." He raised a hoof to point at himself. "My art's on display, ponies like it, and you can guess my roomie isn't the one paying most of the bills."

She smiled at that. "That's more like it. On display? Any big places? Anywhere around here?" She waved a hoof over the city as a whole.

"Oh, um..." He thought over where his sold pieces had ended up. "Actually, yes. There's one right there." He pointed up at the palace.

Libel's eyes went wide. "You got one right up there with the princess?! You don't get to be envious of me." She bapped him with a wing as she laughed. "You cheeky devil, you're doing just fine."

He returned with a thump of a hoof on her shoulder. "You have famous writers singing your praises."

"Princess. Celestia." She rolled her eyes. "The odds of my work being hung up in her palace approach 0%! So, where are you living now?"

"Same place." He gestured vaguely towards their hometown. "The parents... moved on, and left it to me."

Her smile faded a little. "Aw..." She remembered his parents well. "No more acorn squash..."

He smiled a little. "Day Dreamer actually does a pretty good copy of it when he's up for it."

She burst into renewed laughter. "Is that why you keep him around?" She shook her head firmly. "Oh... It's... really nice... I mean, to catch up..." Why had she been scared to see him? "How long are you in town?"

He had planned to flee, but... this was fun... "I can stay longer, um... did you want to go out?" His nose wrinkled, a familiar scent tickling at him. A distant memory surfaced. "Oh."

She turned a bright red. In her happiness, she had let things go. She turned to flee, but he darted ahead of her.

"Hey, hey, I mean, I know."

She backed up a step away from him. "What do you know?"

"That hasn't changed." He shook his head a little. "I mean..." Sure, he had forgotten until that reminder came, but... "You're an ace editor and a published author. Who cares?"

"I care!" she shrieked, only blushing harder on realizing she had given such an outburst. "I care," she repeated more quietly.

"Well, I, you know... I still want to hang out." He reached up behind his pointed head, rubbing awkwardly. "If you want to?"

She was busy stinking up the place, and he still wanted to  be in her presence? She shook her head. "You're... just as I remembered you." A good friend, a great friend... "Look, let me... clean up. We can meet later." She folded back a wing and produced a business card. "Call me after six and we'll arrange something, alright?"

"Alright." He took the card in his magic. "Hey, do you still fly?"

She blinked. "They'd have to rip these things off to stop me." She turned back for the office. "But right now... I'll see you later, Splashy, alright?"

"Alright..." He watched her go, all blushing and striding as quickly as her wet bottom allowed. He had hoped she would outgrow that, but that clearly had not happened. Still, she was Libelous Word, an amazing mare. He sighed gently. She wanted to see him!? That wasn't how he planned on it going.

He had no room to complain. He turned to the gate and blinked. How did he get it to open from the inside?





She sat down at her desk, changed and dry once more. Running into Color had been far nicer than she had expected... Still, he was a friend, an old foalhood friend. She drew out the card she had gotten in the mail. Then considered the mare that kept waving at her. Those were potential romantic connections.

Of the two, the mare was more appealing. She always had liked the shape of mares, and the way they talked with such soft voices. They smelled nicer too... She took a soft breath, imagining that smiling mare in a more personal setting. "How to ask her out..."

Ah ha. She had an idea. The mare in question was one of the public relation mares. Libel reached for the phone with a wing and got to dialing the rotary slowly, calling the office with a smile.

"How can I help you?"

"I'd like to talk to public relations about an order," she lied baldly. "I was speaking to a specific representative, a Miss Opinion?"

"I'll check if she's in." The line went quiet a moment. "I'll transfer you to her. Have a nice day."

"You too." There was a pregnant pause.

"Hello!" came the cheerful voice of the unicorn she had her eyes on. "Thank you for calling. How can I make your day better today?"

"Public, it's me." She smiled into the phone. "Libelous Word, just upstairs."

"Libel!" Her voice lowered. "You know you shouldn't be calling like this." She burst into giggles. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to chat with you, Public." She leaned back in her chair, feeling happier by the moment. "You don't get enough time with people telling you what a wonderful mare you are."

"Oh, stop that! You're making me blush." More giggles drifted over the line. "Now, really, how can I help you?"

"I was thinking of going to see a show... Would you care to come with me? It'll be a lady's day out, just the two of us, having fun."

The giggles died down a little. "Oh, um... Miss Word..."

Libel cringed. That was not the time to be being called Miss Word!

"You're great, I mean, really great. Everyone loves, you know, having you here..."

"But...?" She knew there was a but in there.

"I'm not... I mean..."

Libel could feel the blush in the words, intense. Wait... "Oh, are you hetero?" That wasn't a crime. "I'm sorry, I thought..."

"Yeah, I... No..."

Libel blinked. She had been ready to accept she was chasing after a straight girl, but... "Then what's the problem?"

"I..." Her voice dropped, becoming a whisper. "I like mares just fine, it's... uh... I don't like you that way! I mean, oh... please don't hate me! I don't hate you! I want us to work together."

Libel flopped back in her chair bonelessly. "Am I not your type?"

"I prefer my mares more... mature." There was a click. She had hung up.

Libel released the phone from her wing, her whole body going limp. More mature? Oh... She was perfectly aware of her problem. If she knew... The whole office knew. They just ignored it, because she did good work.

She cracked a wry smile. On some level, that was good. It meant she was a damn fine editor worth looking past that for... On the other hoof... She reached for the phone with a wing and slammed it down on its base. "I have to beat this!" She clopped the top of her desk with a hoof.

"Everything alright?" asked her secretary over the intercom. "Want some tea?"

"You know what? Yeah. A little tea would be nice." She would have tried her luck with the secretary, but approaching those directly under you was just a bad idea without any other complications. They would remain friends, good ones, she figured. She could use a good friend... "You.... know about... my condition, I assume?"

There was a pause. "Well, yes. Cleaning this office is a part of my duties."

Libel turned a deep red. She wore protection! "I didn't leave things to clean did I?!"

"Normally not," agreed the secretary over the sound of soft typing. "You are a clean mare, but mistakes do happen, and I make them go away without raising a fuss, as is my job. I presumed it was some kind of defect you were born with and didn't mention it to be polite. You don't pay me to pry into private medical concerns."

Libel fell to her hooves, almost flopping all the way. "Yes, I mean... thank you..."