Color took him to a safe place, her home. It was no manor, despite how she had cruelly judged Tubthumper. It was larger than a single editing mare needed, but not a stately palace as her mother possessed. She would, likely, one day inherit that. There was little reason to invest heavily in a home until then.
It was well appointed, with rose-covered and solid stone walls that kept out the riff-raff. Its gate was clean and polished, in excellent repair. All the plants in the area were doing well. She paid a lot to insure that remained the case. With a twist of a wing-held key, she unlocked the gate and gestured inside. "Stay on the cobbled path unless you suddenly learn how to fly."
Color laughed nervously as he stepped past her. "Where is this? Is this your home? It's fantastic," he sighed out appreciatively.
She rolled her eyes as she followed him, pulling the gate tightly shut as she went. "We have something more important to focus on." She flew along just beside him towards the house. "You should be fantastically wealthy, instead you're just... not." She snorted powerfully enough for the gust to ruffle his mane. "I won't stand for it."
"You're not technically standing at all." He smiled despite his injuries.
"Did I ask for a joke?"
"Seriously though," he said, ignoring her angry bite. "What do you plan to do?"
"I plan to take your life and turn it around." She landed lightly on the patio in front of her door and got out a second key. Her presence was enough to cause a light to flicker on. She had to pay a good amount of bits for that trick. Seeing Color be amazed by it made her think a moment that it had been worth it. "You need a manager. Now, I'm a busy mare, as I'm sure you realize."
"Of course." He dipped his head towards her as he joined her on the patio. "I'm doing alright, promise."
"'Alright' is far from sufficient." She advanced on her front door and pressed a hoof to a panel, causing it to pop open on recognition of her. "You could be doing amazingly, and you're settling with 'alright'. No. You are now my side project and I will not accept 'no' as an answer."
He followed her into the two-story house that began to light itself with their entry. "Libel, you really don't have to."
"But I want to, so here we are." She gestured broadly. "I've seen you ogling my house. You could have one like it. Wouldn't that be nice? You could have ponies whispering to each other about the 'latest Splash work', scrambling to get tickets to where you display your pieces."
She had held it in for hours, even with drinks, and anger, and everything else. Things were becoming relaxed again. She suddenly felt the urge to go, overwhelming and painful. She squeaked and barely made it a few steps before it all came free of her.
Color began to color quickly, watching her waddle a few hurried steps, then the smell of a mare who had not made it. "It's alright..."
"It's not alright!" she shouted at him, ears folding against her head. "I'm a damned successful businessmare and I can't even manage what a yearling gets under control!"
He approached her despite her frustrated anger. "It's alright because you're still an amazing, and successful, businessmare that happens to be my friend. Now, if you want to go get changed, I'll still be here."
She lifted an ear, watching him a quiet moment before her wings shot out and she took flight, fleeing the room.
He sat down with a little sigh. Alone, he looked around. He was just beside the kitchen, which reminded him that he hadn't really eaten much in all that. He had been too busy staring at Libel...
He shook his head softly and wandered into the kitchen, which lit up with his presence. "That is cool..." He willed the fridge to open and peeked around. There wasn't a lot in there. A few chilled bottles of wine, some breakfast supplies... And a to-go box, hm. "Libel? Alright if I eat these leftovers?"
"Go ahead," came her shouted reply from upstairs.
With a smile, he pulled the folded box free and soon had it open. It smelled expensive, even chilled. He made short work of it, enjoying the cold and clammy noodles and the somewhat dried but still tasty rice that went with it. "Mmm." His nervousness abated a little as he washed it down with a big glass of tap water. "I feel like a pony again."
"Stop stealing my words." Libelous was returning, a carefully composed look on her face. "Now... as I was saying." Her eyes drifted from him to the togo box he had just finished. "That's... Nevermind. Do you have a marketing strategy?" His blank look was more than answer enough. "That changes. I'm throwing your art in front of a pony that can spread the word. Get me your best piece by the end of the week."
Color's ears went up as he shuffled. "But what I think is the best might not be what they think is the best. How about I pick the best, mmm, three?"
"That works." She nodded confidently as she sat down next to him. "Your best three, have it here, in my hooves. Do you work by your real name, or a pseudonym?"
"Those are so presumptuous." He stuck out his tongue a little. "We both have great names."
"No argument." She clucked her tongue softly. "Lastly, my secretary gets paid to ignore these things, you don't. Why do you act like it's not even a big deal?"
He took a moment to process that, realizing they have changed topics suddenly. "O-oh! I mean... Libel... You had this problem before... You were amazing before; you've only gotten more amazing since then." He leaned in towards her, touching his nose to her snout before she could back away. "You don't point at a pony missing a leg and make it a big deal each time they stumble."
She winced back at that. "Am I a cripple then?"
He pointed at his swollen face. "A cripple that can kick my rump. A cripple that has most of the the things I don't, and a cripple that's very cute."
She colored swiftly. "Color!"
"That's my name." He smiled gently.
She grunted before setting her ruffled wing down properly. "Damnable stallion... You're not here to date me, idiot. We're here to fix your broken business model."
"Yes, Ma'am!" He saluted, that happy smile not removed from his face. "First step, three best pieces, right?"
"What is your strength?" She arched a brow at him. "The piece I saw was a portrait. Do you favor those?"
"I love them." He clopped his forehooves together. "Capturing ponies as they are, or could be, or pretend they aren't. Speaking of that, what did you think of it? I mean, I know Celestia likes it, but I'd rather hear your thoughts."
Libelous couldn't help but smile. Her opinion was more important than Celestia's... "It was lovely... You really captured a part of her I think we should... Look, this is why we're here. You can do great art, but if nopony sees it, and you never get paid, then what's the point?"
"Making pretty things?"
She rolled her eyes. "Great, so ponies can appreciate it after you're gone? No. Not on my watch." She frowned at him with obvious intensity. "Do you agree to follow my instructions?"
"Yes?"
She leaned in closer. "That doesn't sound committed."
"I have a condition."
She blinked. "I'm offering you something valuable and you have conditions?" She rolled her eyes as she circled him. "What are your 'conditions'."
"Just one." He smiled as he turned to keep her in sight. "I want to help."
"Help with what?" She raised a brow all the higher.
"Your problem. Even if I'm just a coach, I want to be there, for you. I want you to not be alone with this..."
Her cheeks darkened as she shied back a step. "Do you have any idea what you're proposing?!"
"I am asking my friend to not throw things at me when I discuss her serious medical condition and how to combat it." He nodded softly. "That is precisely what I'm proposing. I am also proposing that you not die of embarrassment when you tell me how well, or poorly, a day went and we go over ideas to make the next day a little better."
"Splashy! It's more than that." Her wings were wide and tense. "You're asking a mare to discuss... that part of her, with a stallion... casually..."
"As friends sometimes do." He dared to touch noses with her. "I promise to never laugh."
She put a hoof on his nose, pushing him back and away. "You're also officially requesting to be placed in the friend zone."
"I thought mares denied that existing." He stuck out his tongue a little at the idea.
She huffed. "Be that as it may, I'm not blind... You... like what you see." It was his turn to start coloring. "And you want a pretty mare to start gushing her disgusting medical issues at you?"
He held up his forehooves. "If it helps, I want to hear a lot more than that. I want to meet you, all over again. I want you to meet me!"
"Splashy... Color..." She leaned forward and bonked her head against his. "You haven't changed all that much. Stupid stallion."
He laughed at that, returning the fore-head nuzzle. "You have, and I want to catch up. Will you let me be your friend?"
"I'll let you try." She drew back suddenly, turning away. "On the shared condition that we take your life plans seriously. It's time to get you on the right track." If he became popular, and wealthy, then her mother would have no room to scorn him.
But it wasn't her mother that would decide on him, was it? She shook her head free of the conflicting thoughts. "For tonight, take the guest bedroom, then go home. Send the three pieces, as promised."
He tilted his head at that. "How am I going to keep up to date with you if I'm far away?"
"Call me?"
He frowned at that. "I don't have a phone... I'll go home, get the best pieces, and come back with them. How's that?"
She wearily sighed. "Well alright then. Sleep, wake up, go to the train, get your things, come back." She threw up a hoof. "But you'd better not make a mess out of my house!" she practically yelled at him, ending with an angry little snort. "My eyes are on you." She pointed two feathers at her eyes, then at Color Splash.
"Yes, Ma'am!" He saluted sharply, then got to cleaning the small mess his dinner had created. "Is it... alright if I bring some of my art supplies."
"You're really testing me, Splashy... I'll figure out what room you can use for that tomorrow. For today, go to sleep." She turned to depart. "I'm tired and I have work in the morning. If I'm already gone when you wake up, that's just how that works."
He let her go. When the kitchen was sparkling once more, he nodded. He nodded and realized what had happened. He would be living with the mare he had put up on a pedestal. He was living with Libelous Word, of the Words, who had agreed to try sharing intimate details of her life while shaping his.
He smiled goofily as he thought about it.
The black eye had been entirely worth it, he decided. He'd take another just to not wake up from what could be a dream.
He started for the guest room, determined to make sure it didn't become a nightmare.