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// 37 - Stress 
// Story: Lost Muse 
// by David Silver 
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"Libel!" The door swung open on her office, allowing her boss inside with a frown. "You let through a real doozy and the city just won't let it go." He marched right past Bottom Line, ignoring her in favor of his quarry.

Libel looked up from her typewriter just in time for her boss to enter. "What's the problem? Did I use the wrong 'their'?"

"I wish." He rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. "You credited a 'Miss Chief'. While technically correct, Tall Chief is reporting harassment about it and she's blaming us, and by us, I mean you." He leveled a hoof at her. "This was your responsibility. The paper has to be perfect before it hits print. It's not like we can fix it once it's out there."

"We'll post a redaction, I'll take her out and apologize personally."

"You better!" He clopped down a hoof. "We don't need this kind of attention and I just expect better from you, Miss Word." He saw her flinch and snorted. "You of all ponies should know better than to assume a pony wants to be called by their last name. If you aren't sure, stick to full names, preferably with titles, you know this!" He threw up a hoof, heaving a little in exasperation.

He stormed from the office, not looking a bit less frazzled than when he had come in. Bottom appeared at the door separating their sub-rooms. "Wow..."

"Not the word I'd use." Libel sighed softly, counting under her breath to calm her own nerves. "I messed that up, and he's right, I shouldn't have. I have to make this right."

"Can I help?" She smiled a little. "Besides a friend, if you're fired, I am too most likely. It's in both of our interests that this blow over as quickly and quietly as possible."

Libelous considered this a moment. "Find out her schedule and see how I can best wriggle into it. Get that information to me and I'll get on the phone. We'll set this right."

"On it!" She saluted sharply and retreated back to her own desk to begin the research.

Libel sat back down with a huff. "This will have to wait." She pushed Color's research to the side. Her actual job had to come first.





Color flipped to the next page, and the page after that, flipping through quickly. "Mmm... What an interesting life you've led..."

Day flopped against the back of the couch, watching Color. "You're reading a lot. I thought you made art. What do you need to read for?"

Color crooked a hoof towards the book. "I'm drawing a person. I'm making a drawing that should give you an impression of that person without ever meeting that person. It needs to have exactly the right impact! I want to get this right..."

Day rolled a hoof as he sat up. "Alright, so who is this pony you're drawing? Tell me."

Color tilted his head. "You're not drawing them."

"Nope." He shook his head slowly. "But telling me will help get the thoughts straight in your head, and that'll help you get to the art."

Color smiled at that. "You are full of wisdom sometimes."

"Nah."

"And nahs, too many of those." Color snorted out a half-laugh before he began describing what he knew of Grey Beard's younger life. "There are still holes, mind you. Libel said she was working on that. I really want them! I still don't even know if this pony has a great grandfoal or just grand ones."

"Sounds pretty great with or without them." He tilted his head. "He protected the princess?"

"Stopped a pineapple that would have smacked right into her head. Took the shot himself and was hospitalized for a few days with a concussion." Color quickly pulled out the news clipping that had the story. "He went right back to work the moment they let him and never complained. He puts the duty in soldier."

"Soldier doesn't have duty, Bro."

"It does with him around." Color smiled a little. "He wasn't all business, and that's part of what I need more information on. He used to love the arts. There's some fragmented mentions of opera and the like, but that's a pretty big net, and it could be a dead end. Maybe they only took notice because it was rare! Then I'd be celebrating something that's not really part of him."

Day nodded softly as he considered. "Heavy, but Libel's on the case. She and Bottom are awesome at this." He brought his forehooves together in a loud clop. "So let's relax and let them do what they're good at. You should art."

"I can't art yet!" He thrust a hoof up. "I need to know what I'm drawing. It's not like drawing something I can see, or even something I already know... I don't know this pony."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

Color blinked slowly. "He's... uh... Huh... Maybe I should?" He shook his head. "But how do I set that up without giving things away? He doesn't know I'm drawing him."

"But you met him already." Day nodded slowly. "You talked to him then, right?"

"I got some info, sure."

"And it was so great." He threw a hoof wide. "So great you just had to know more. Be a curious little colt that wants to hear stories from a veteran. He'll probably like it."

Color's worried expression began to ease. "You're right... This could work out perfectly. I could get it straight from the pony's mouth! I'll just extend a hoof and offer to treat him to a nice meal somewhere if he'd be willing to share a few stories with me." He put a hoof behind his head. "I'll have to make sure it's not while he's on duty. He won't take a break, I feel sure of that."

"So ask Celestia." Day nodded softly as if it was obvious. "This is for her painting and all. I bet she'd help if she could. Ask her when he's off and she'd tell you without even thinking about it."

"It's so easy to forget I'm working for her. It still feels unreal that... you know, that's true and all..." Color shook his head. "But you're right, as usual. How do you even stand being right all the time?"

Day stuck out his tongue a little. "Practice, Bro. You have to not let it get to your head. Ponies don't like a showoff, and I don't want to lose my awesome friends."

"You're aces in my book." He hopped to his hooves. "I'm going to visit the castle and see if I can't ask her." That's when he stopped, freezing. "How... do you just ask Princess Celestia an idle question, even if you do work for her?"

He shrugged. "Try asking?"

"Asking... Oh! Right, if I just say what I'm doing, her guards should let me in, provided she isn't too busy. I wouldn't want to bother her in the middle of things anyway." He started for the door. "Wish me luck!" He was soon gone, leaving Day Dream to the quiet of an empty house.

Day reached for the remote. He hadn't had a television before then, but Libel had one, and rarely used it. With a click of the big button, it was summoned to life. When everyone else was out and he wasn't in the mood to gaze at the clouds, it served quite well as a way to chill.





Libel sank, head coming to a rest on the left key of her typewriter, making a soft little click in response. "How does she even have our number?"

"You don't need a number to request calls be denied," noted Bottom just as miserably. "We'll have to reach her through another path."

"She has practice on Mondays." Libel sat up with a frown. "Three PM to Five PM, sharp. I'll wait for her after and approach physically. She can't just ignore that."

"She can, and she might." Bottom tilted her head from the other room. "But it may be worth a try. Just be sure to use her full name."

Libel smirked at that. "Right right. Calling her 'Miss Chief' right now would just be asking for trouble... Alright, do we know what her favorite flower is?"

"Larkspur." The sound of papers being shuffled came from the other room. "Blue."

"You are an angel, you know that, right?" Libel snatched up her phone with a wing and she got to dialing. "Hello? I need a nice bouquet of Larkspurs, vibrant blue. A little vase? Sounds lovely... Do you do cards? Excellent..." She put in the order for immediate delivery to the office, setting the phone down when the details were finalized.

"That sounded positive."

"Something today had to be." Libel let out a slow breath. "Alright, I'll show up with her favorite flowers, an apology card, and a huge helping of crow to eat in front of her. I'll beg, so far as proprietary allows, for this all to become an unfortunate and forgotten part of the past."

"Would your mother just pay for this to go away?"

Libel narrowed her eyes. "That was out of nowhere, but, no, no she would not." She put a hoof on her chest. "She would lose sleep knowing she besmirched the Word name and do everything in her power to fix it."

"Like you're doing."

"I am a Word, Bottom. I may not approve of her parenting techniques, but I am a Word, and I'm not... ashamed of that. I don't want to be the pony that drags that name through the mud, and I have personal pride. I want to fix this. It was my mistake, so it's on me to do that."

"I would have been disappointed if you said otherwise." Papers shuffled. "I'm putting back your appointments to keep this clear. If you need anything else at all, you know you can ask. We're in this together."

Libel considered that. "Are you qualified to do an interview?"

"Interview?"

"Tomorrow, 4pm?"

Papers shuffled as Bottom looked up the appointment. "Ah, a school principal?"

"A little thing, just need his opinion on the latest educational reform. Are you up for it?"

"I'm woefully untrained..." There was a moment of quiet. "But I can learn... Put it out of your mind. I accept this responsibility."

"Angel! Did I mention that already?"

"Once or twice." Bottom smiled, though unseen. "While I  have no romantic interest, I will gladly accept a meal, once this matter is fully put to rest."

"And I'd gladly offer it," promised Libel. "Besides, really, I have a suitor, and he's working out nicely." That made her glance at the stack of research she was supposed to be working on. "And I'm putting him off a few days... He'll understand, I hope."

"He doesn't have much of a choice, and neither do you. This must be addressed without delay."

"Without delay," agreed Libel with a firm nod. "Onwards!"

The click-clack of a typewriter was the only reply. Bottom was back to work, furiously mashing the keys with her hooves in clear defiance of the horn that protruded from her head. She liked the feel of the keys on those hooves.

Libel smiled a little. She liked the feel of wind on her wings. Maybe they weren't so different, having small but meaningful little pleasures in the workings of their bodies. She felt silly even nudging Bottom towards a different keyboard if working with her hooves brought her the same sort of satisfaction.

She shook her head clear of such thoughts. They weren't helping her get the work done. "You have time. The timeline of the painting being due has plenty of room in it." She let out a slow breath. "Just relax... Not like you can get much done before I finish my part anyway."

She imagined poor Color, sitting there sadly waiting for the papers she wasn't working on. She quietly promised to get him a treat for making him wait.