//------------------------------//
// 16 - Spinster 
// Story: Lost Muse 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

"Hello."

Libelous frowned into the phone that had just spoken the line. "Hello, Mother," she replied, restraining her growl just barely. "I'm at work, working. Who would have guessed it?"

"I heard how things went with Tubthumper. I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find a pony who managed to miss the ball. He's almost a nopony and you couldn't even--"

"--There was nothing there, Mother." She rolled her eyes softly. "I have a paper due in an hour. Give me a reason to not hang up."

"Besides your respect for your elders? I'm calling you to let you know I'm giving up." She could almost hear her mother throwing up a hoof as she said that. "You will find a pony on your own, or die an old mare, alone. I don't want that for you, but you've made it clear that I'm wasting my efforts."

Libel sucked air through her teeth in a slow hiss. "Thank you for trusting my decisions then. Right now, being alone isn't sounding that bad. Goodbye." She set the receiver down gently on its base and let out a thunderous sigh.

"Tea?"

Libelous smiled a little at her intercom. "No. That will make me go. I need to focus on this work."

"As you like, Ma'am."

"Bottom?"

"Yes, Miss Word?"

"Don't call me that, please."

"Yes, Libelous?"

Libel smirked a little, considering her steps. "Are you available, to talk?"

"We're doing that, Ma'am. Go ahead." In the other room, Bottom smiled and sat back, slowing her typing.

"Are we friends?"

That had been direct. "I like to think we are, Libelous." Bottom smacked her lips in an audible snap. "You can still fire me if I fail to perform in accordance to the agreed upon terms of employment, of course."

"I..." Libel frowned at the intercom. "You know that's not exactly how that works..." The idea of firing a friend sounded repugnant. "Just keep working hard so I never have to think about that." She wanted to keep  her friend, and her secretary, even if they happened to inhabit the same lovely pony shape.

The thought of trying her hoof at romance flitted in, just to die miserably. Dating her direct inferior was... wrong, on multiple levels. There were so many complications there that it'd be making a mess of both of their lives even if it went well. No, none of that. Bottom Line was a friend. That was lovely, all by itself.

"No, I do not want to go on a date, Libelous. I am still here to talk, however."

Libel felt her cheeks warm instantly. "I wasn't going to ask that!" She slapped the intercom with an aggravated hoof. "You didn't meet Color Splash, right?"

"Actually, I did. We had a brief conversation. Enlightening."

Libel struggled to think when that would have happened. "What feeling did you get? What kind of pony would you say he is?"

"A loyal friend, a stallion, and a romantic. His art is also acceptable. I'd give it a B+."

Libel raised a brow. "Why a B+?"

"He draws what he sees, instead of what he wants a viewer to see." Bottom resumed click-clacking at her typewriter. "I think he forgets he is creating art, rather than just getting down his flights of fancy."





Color doodled with color pencils held in his magic. They were riding a private car back to Canterlot. It had plenty of room for his art to rest easily without cramping either of them.

"Club Soda?" An attendant was there with a tray on her back, smiling as she turned to display all the bottles balanced on the tray.

Day Dreamer reached for one. "Thanks. These are good tickets, Splash. Free soda."

Color mumbled something as he snatched one with his magic, allowing the attendant to wander forward. "Don't get used to it." He popped the top off against the seat's edge. "This is Libel's money, and she'll want it back... I probably shouldn't have even splurged this much."

Day upturned his bottle, the closed end in his mouth. He spat out the top from the side of his mouth without other aid and began drinking it heavily at first, two great swigs before he set it down. "Ooo, cherry flavor..." He licked his lips softly. "Tell her I said to do it. She'll believe that."

"You did say to do it!"

"See?" He nodded placidly. "The truth is the best answer."

Color applied a hoof to the side of his head as he willed the different pencils to work on the pad. "You are something else, Day."

"Gonna drink that?"

"Yes." He sipped from his bottle, nursing the glass lightly as he worked a moment. "You have plenty of your own."

"Yeah, but yours says cream. I want to try it. Trade?" He held up his cherry-flavored soda with a happy smile.

Color floated his bottle towards Day and the exchange was made. As it turned, Color liked the cherry flavor. "Mmm... Why'd you give this up?"

"This isn't bad..." He pointed a free hoof at the slowly progressing drawing. "Are you drawing a landscape?"

"Thought I'd give one a try." He tapped at it with a pencil. "I prefer portraits, but an artist has to grow. To grow, you have to challenge yourself. Maybe I'll add somecreature afterwards."

"All those rocks..." It was a picture of the mountains leading up toward Canterlot. "Maybe a rocky pony, hmm... Maybe that bearer of the elements? What was her name? Something to do with her color... She was... purple?"

Color hiked a brow. "Do you mean Pinkie?"

"Pinkie? That's a silly name for a purple pony." He shook his head in defiance before snorting out a giggle, settling with his soda.

Color smirked as he made a note to hide a pink pony in the piece somewhere, later. For the time, he focused on getting the shading on the rocks just the way he wanted it to be for the time of day he had in mind for the picture he was rendering.

Day propped up against a window to peek outside. "Hey, there it is." He pointed to Canterlot in the distance, coming closer by the moment. "You looking forward to meeting your princess again?"

"Are you?" retorted Color.

"Yes."

Color blinked softly. "It's not fun nettling you if you just admit it like that."

Day Dreamer reached to boop his friend's nose. "Truth is the best answer. Think I have a chance with her? She's a fancy pony, I could tell... I'm not very fancy... Will she get bored if I just want to hang out a little?"

Color softly bopped him on the shoulder. "You're sounding like me. Stop taking after my bad habits. She already said she likes you, and how did you even meet her?"

Day frowned with thought. "I was looking for your princess and she works with her. There was a sad plant that I helped, then I took a nap."

Color rolled his eyes mightily. "So you came in, helped her plant, and took a nap, then she liked you? Pretty sure she'll be alright if you want to just 'hang out'."

"You're saying it like a dirty word, Bro." He shook a hoof. "We can go get something to eat, talk about nothing, just enjoy each other's vibes, you know? You should try that with your princess. You two have plenty to chat about already."

"Maybe we can do a double date," he suggested without sounding convinced. He set his art next to himself on the couch and hopped up to his hooves. "We're almost there. Let's get our things gathered."

"Already ahead of you." He had taken nothing from his one traveling bag, and had nothing to put back into it. He traveled simply.

Soon they disembarked from the land of free soda and rejoined the realm of snooty unicorns. They had barely made it out of the train station when a pegasus crashed just in front of them. Day Dreamer silently held up an '8' sign. A pony, unbidden, joined in with a '7' sign.

Derpy shook her head free of the stars. "Ooo, I'm getting better. Hey, Bro, Bro's bud!" She waved eagerly. The unknown pony wandered away, his job complete. Derpy rose to her hooves, smiling brightly. "It's really hard to deliver mail to ponies on a train, lemme tell ya."

Color offered a hoof to help her up. "You chased us all the way here?"

"Most of it." She wrinkled her snout. "You kept getting mail and no one was home, so I followed you." She leaned forward. "Ready for mail! I have plenty for both of you."

Color shook his head slowly. "While I appreciate the effort, how have you not been fired by now?"

"Because she's awesome?" Day Dreamer moved to stand beside her, leaning against her. She returned with a wing hug, the two grinning with equal goofiness. "Lay the mail on us, Bro."

"You got it!" She coiled on herself, releasing Day Dreamer as she came back with enough envelopes to fill her snout. She put that pile in front of Color, then came back with three more small ones she put in front of Day Dreamer. "There you go. All delivered!"

Day Dreamer suddenly clopped his face with a hoof. "I forgot to show you the letter!"

Derpy's wings shot out wide. "A missing letter?! I'm on the case! Where did you see it last?"

Color tilted his head. "I didn't see you holding any letters?"

Day pointed back towards their home. "I left it in my room back at the house."

"On it!" She took off, fluttering away wildly into the sky.

Color watched her go a moment. "She is a flying miracle."

"Like her?"

Color's  brows fell. "Why are you asking in that tone? I'm... you know, already chasing a mare. What is this, a bad romance? I don't need two mares. The one I have my eyes on is quite... complicated enough, and I'm not even sure if we'll... go that way or not..."

Day waved a hoof dismissively as he plucked up the three envelopes with his cutie mark stamped on them. "You know Derpy totally has a thing for you, right?"

Color's jaw worked soundlessly a moment. "What?"

"I'm not joking, promise. She's a good pony though and waiting to see if it works out with the princess or not. If not, she has dibs, so you better not rebound to anypony else before she has a chance to win your heart fair and square." Day Dreamer tucked his letters away and pointed to Color's many. "Don't forget your mail."

Color set a hoof on the pile, but didn't seem to be in a rush to move anywhere. "How? I mean... we barely met."

"Not how she tells it." He snorted softly and turned slowly in place. "You slept with her, Bro. You talked about your wishes and you drew her like a Prench mare."

"I drew her making a sonic rainboom!" he blurted more loudly than he intended. With eyes suddenly on him, he grabbed up his letters in his magic and stuffed them roughly away into his pocket. "Look, let's... get going. I have to explain to Libelous why I'm showing up with my roomie tagging along and hope she doesn't give me a fresh black eye for assuming that was alright."

"You didn't mention that part." He leaned dangerously close. "You heal fast. So, how'd that happen? Tell me while we walk."

Color got to talking, leading his grinning roomie along through the streets. He suddenly stopped. "Wait. I'm going to change."

"Change into what? You're pretty cool as you are, Bro."

Color blinked softly. "No, clothes. I'm going to put on my suit. Wait here a moment."

He hurried away, hoping that showing up looking like he was serious about being, well, a serious pony would help smooth things out with Libelous.