Lost Muse

by David Silver

23 - Taking Flight

Libel watched Color eat as she nibbled on her lighter snack. Her homefries and their extra garlic couldn't be called a meal. They went down easily, nibbling softly while allowing her attention to rest on the stallion and his enjoyment of his burger. "Have you had that before?"

He perked up. "Oh, I mean... I haven't been here." He waved around the area. "But if you've been to one place like this, you've been to most of them. The local specials change, but the basics? It's a nice burger, by the way. Want a taste?" It lifted in his magic, tilting towards her. "Better than many."

She shook her head in a slight motion. "Thanks, but nah..." She sat up, eyes resting on him. "You don't like my mother."

"I... can't say I do?" He tilted his head at her. "I don't blame you for who your mom is though."

"Want to help trick her?"

His ears went right up. "Go on?"

She reached with a wing, nudging the magazine towards him. "Well, if I were to purchase this, that would be quite inappropriate of me. A direct defiance, hmm? On the other hoof, if I got one for my unicorn friend to type his invoices and proposals on..."

A coy smile spread on his face. "I'm getting where you're headed. I mean, I should probably learn how to use a typewriter if I'm going to be professional."

"And why should we start with a slower and shoddy model--" She dismissively waved a wing in the direction of the earlier photos of the basic model. "--when we can start with a better one, suited to you. You're a unicorn, you can use it without a problem. Why would anyone question that?"

"So let's just get this, and--"

"And you're getting a fancy typewriter." She cocked a brow. "It will be yours. Now, you won't stop me from touching it, I should hope?"

"Of course not!" He smiled a little. "Why would I stop you from using a typewriter?"

"Precisely, so if I try to use it and it doesn't work out, nothing lost..."

"But when you start loving it?" He bobbed up a brow. "What then?"

"I get another for myself, of course." She leaned forward. "Either way, you're getting a typewriter to start doing things with that professional touch. No more hand-written invoices for you."

He nodded slowly. "O...kay..." He didn't sound excited for the idea of a typewriter, but... "Alright, sure. Let's get that. I'll learn to use it, gladly, if it means you're trying it with me, working just as hard. You don't get to give up unless I give up."

"That's not fair!" She clopped down a hoof. "You're a unicorn! They're practically made for you!"

"Is that why they use a pegasus?" He tapped at the picture where a pegasus was smiling at the camera, their wings spread out to use the typewriter. "A curious marketing decision, using a pegasus if they only want to sell to unicorns."

She groaned and grumbled little reasons why it would all go horribly wrong. "Ugh, fine, but if I get an injury in my lovely wings, you're paying, and I'm not asking for bits, Splashy. Be ready."

Splash blanched a little, pausing his reply to slurp from the softened but still tasty shake that centered the table. "You won't hurt your wings, and even if you did, the Libel I know would get annoyed about it, then get better. You're going to be one of the best typists around, once you get the hang of it."

"And I'll have company." She reached a wing, resting it on his shoulder.

He smiled a little, but no words were shared. He wasn't sure how to take that. It sounded... good... "Seriously though, you want some actual dinner in your dinner? Homefries are a side dish and you know it."

"Yes, Mom." She rolled her eyes softly. "Give me that." She held out a hoof and he placed his burger gently on it. She soon had it balanced between her hooves and took a big bite out of it, chomping noisily with a complete abandonment of properness.

Color was left staring at the display. "I... assume you like it?"

She set the burger down gently near the center of the small table. "I give it a B, maybe a B+ with a little splash of mustard, but that's a personal thing."

His magic wrapped around the burger, reclaiming it. "Must feel nice, letting your mane down, so to speak."

Libel cracked a little smile at him. "You know... I have to agree. I'm not 'Miss Word, famous pony' right now. I'm just Libel, a friend, making stupid plans to stick it to my mom as if her opinion actually matters in my professional life at this point."

He tilted his head. "Does that mean you'll just get one for yourself?"

"Let's not get hasty." She nibbled on a fry gently. "We're getting you a typewriter, and we'll see how it goes from there.

Baby steps, he silently advised himself with a little smile. "I'm looking forward to it then. But that's enough work talk. We're here to talk about almost anything else."

"You don't want to hear about my work?"

He blinked softly. "Actually... I'd be delighted to hear about it, if you want to talk about it? I just didn't... No me work talk. We can save that for when we're, you know, on the clock."

"Fair enough." She chomped another fry lightly. "I told my boss I was chasing after a potential up-and-coming artist. I think he bought it, but there's only so much you can tell when you submit a letter and before the reply's come back."

He resisted the urge to complain about it somehow looping back onto him. "Do you usually chase leads like that?"

"Sometimes." She nodded softly. "If I get the scent of some tasty news, I'll try to verify it, then unleash the hounds, that is our actual news writers. I don't write the articles myself, as a rule, but rules are made to be broken once in a while... I've done it before." She waved a hoof softly. "It's kind of funny, Splashy. When I do it, someone else has to edit it, and they go into a bit of a panic. I try to write it so it doesn't need editing, but who doesn't, you know?"

"I can imagine that..." He nodded softly. "But the main thing is a second set of eyes, right? So shouldn't any of the other editors be able to do a passable job?"

"That's what I say!" Her wings unfurled a moment. "But they panic, every time. Oh no, our head editor can't do this one, what do we dooooo." She emphasized the 'dooo' with wobbly hooves and spooky dramatics. "It's hilarious every time. It's extra funny when you think about the fact that these same 'insufficient' editors are busily working their rumps off every day on countless pieces."

"Poor ponies." Color smiled a little, imagining the chaos. "They do it all the time, but for your article, suddenly they're not good enough to do what they've already been doing."

"Exactly." Libel tapped the top of the table. "Now, don't get me wrong. I am the best, but still... It's a bit silly."

Color got a sudden wry smile. "So... what if you write the article and I do the editing in a surprise twist?"

She matched the smile with a grin. "That would be hilarious, but no, not on this one. You're the topic don't forget. We can't have you being talked about and also editing the piece. Our readers would notice, and the stink would be intense."

He imagined the furor that would raise as soon as a pony put two and two together. "I suppose not, but I offer to help on the next one then. You get to avoid that panic, and I get to try my hoof at editing just like my friend, Libel."

She hiked a brow. "You have an interest in editing?"

"If it helps you, a very keen one." He tapped his hooves together as his burger floated up to be chomped out of. "Any day," he said with his mouth still full, spitting bits of food with the effort.

She wrinkled her snout at the display. "I know we're being informal, but finish chewing, Splashy. It's just polite." She devoured a fresh bit of fry, savoring the extra garlic. "Now... I... have to go, and I know I have to go, so I... later." She hopped to her feet and took off on sudden wings.

He watched her soar despite the lack of space. She bobbed and weaved around the other ponies at their tables without a problem, vanishing into the restroom. She was quite good at flying so far he could tell. That and... She knew she had to go. "Good for her," he said to himself, taking a bite out of his burger. Maybe she was really getting better.

Maybe she could even get all the way better! That would be fantastic! He wished there was more he could do to help her on that road, but just being there and being a friend was all that came to mind.

Oh, and maybe encouraging her. He had complete confidence in her.

That and she was kinda awesome, problem or not.

She returned with an almost sublimely satisfied expression. That was an expression he didn't normally expect on mares. Stallions, sure, they were better at holding it past comfort, and when you finally had a chance to let it go... "Everything come out alright?"

"Was that a joke?" She hopped up onto her seat and settled. "Everything was fine. I went in, sat down, and did what every pony old enough to know their name did. I really shouldn't be so proud..."

"No. You're fine. You should be prouder, I say." He rolled a hoof at her. "I mean, sure, ponies can walk as a rule, but if a pony that only had two legs their whole life suddenly managed it, that would be one proud pony, and for good reason."

She made a little face. "Am I as gimp as a pony with two legs, Splashy?"

"You know I didn't mean it that way!" He huffed softly, almost pouting.

"I know that." She reached a hoof and pat his shoulder gently. "I know. It's just awkward. You don't have any crippling disabilities, not that I want you to! Your only problem are things that a helpful associate can fix with a little work, and we're already on that job."

"Not tonight." His magic grabbed her hoof suddenly and drew it just a precious inch so he could kiss her right on the frog of her hoof, the most sensitive portion. "Tonight you are my friend, and I am yours, and we're hanging out and catching up, and I'm really happy about that."

Her cheeks warmed brightly at the kiss. "Do friends... usually kiss each other's hooves like that?"

"I'd like it if they did." He released her hoof. "I won't again if you tell me not to."

She did not tell him that. Instead she smirked a little. "So, you kiss Day's little hoofsies then? I didn't know you two were so close."

He almost choked on his burger in a fit of disrupted laughter. "Libel! Don't do that to me in the middle of a bite like that." He grabbed a napkin in his magic and recovered from his laughing fit. "I'll kiss his hooves when he's at least half as pretty as my other friend."

She wrinkled her nose softly. "Aw, now you're going to hurt his feelings. I thought you two were best of friends. Don't be shy. I won't tell a soul if you want to try."

"Libel!" He pushed her and she just laughed it off, not at all intimidated by her smaller unicorn friend.

Author's Note:

Schemes are hatched! The date is successful, I think.

Everyone gets a date! Except Derpy, aw... Maybe the typos will take her out?

Comments

[badninja]

I bet Derpy can get one with Time Turner/Dr. Whooves when she gets home.