Lost Muse

by David Silver

26 - Success

Color walked alongside Libel. They were going down the road, away from Palette Swap's manor. Clutched in his wavering mental grip was a bag with thousand-bit coins. He had never seen a thousand-bit coin. He had a hundred of them.

He had a hundred-coin of thousand-coins. He laughed almost deliriously, trying to wrap his mind around the money he was walking with. "I mean... how? I mean... This is just because... of you, right?" He looked sidelong at Libel. "She knew you, as a Word."

She bumped against him, almost sending him tumbling in his numb state. "You put that thought out to pasture. I got you the appointment, but that's about where my influence ended. She doesn't care what I think is good art, or bad art. She only cared enough to take a look, and she did that. What she decided? Not up to me."

"But..." He waved at the heavy bag that drifted with them. "I know better artists! They never make this much... Some of them struggle just to keep the lights on... There are tons of better artists... Why aren't they making this kind... I don't... I mean..."

She circled around in front of him. "You think this is about that? It isn't." She set a hoof on her chest. "I bet there are better editors out there, slaving and unknown. They may even work for me, for all I know. It's not always about the best. You made the right pitch to the right pony at the right time. You dressed for success and said the right things, and you won." She leaned in then, bumping heads and almost impaling herself on his horn. "You won."

"I won..."

Libel opened the bag held in his limp magic. "And now I take this back." She casually claimed two of the coins. "We are now even. As promised, it's such a small amount of the end profit, you won't even notice it."

He smirked a little, not even really able to feel the difference of weight with the two coins gone, but knowing, intellectually, it was a great sum, even larger than what he had been lent in the first place. "Yeah... I just... Look, you never had nothing, Libel... You never worried about if you'll be eating dinner."

Libel hesitated a moment, a frown developing before it eased. "No... I haven't..." She turned back towards her house. "Come on. Let's go home, and maybe we can talk about it?"

He smiled a little, hurrying to be at her side. "That sounds really good about now. I could use a friend."

"Good thing you have one right here." She put a wing over him gently. "I can't say I 'get it' right away, but I'm willing to listen, alright Splashy?"

"Thanks..." He pressed against her, using her as a support as they made their way to Libel's smaller but nice house.

"Libel?"

Libel snapped out of the comfortable walking to see Bottom Line peering at her oddly. That was when she realized she had strolled through Canterlot with Color Splash propped against her.

Bottom raised a hoof to her lips. "I will say nothing except I hope you two are doing well."

Libel nudged Color away and he tipped over, sprawling with a jangle of coins, the bag falling on top of him. She went red in the cheeks. "That wasn't right. I'm sorry, Splashy." She reached for him with a hoof. "Let's get you back up."

The coins began to float back up into the bag, Bottom's horn glowing gently. "I didn't mean to startle you, Miss Word."

"We're not at work, Libel or Libelous is just fine, Bottom."

Color sat up on his haunches, blinking. "Sorry for being spaced out. I'm just... I think I'm having a midlife crisis and it was from a good thing happening and I'm not sure what I should be doing."

Bottom tilted her head at him before leaning in towards Libel, whispering, "I'll let you two work this out. I think he needs you."

Libel set a wing gently on his back. "It's not a crisis, Color. You're stressed out, and things have changed. That's traumatic enough without calling it a crisis."

He stood up with a slow huff of breath. With a glowing horn, he reclaimed the bag from Bottom's magic. "Thank you. I mean, yeah, that's probably true... I should be thanking you. You've done so much..."

Bottom hiked a brow. "Sorry for prying, but it sounds like something nice happened?"

"He sold a piece." Libelous smiled with obvious pride. "A clean one hundred thousand. He's paid off his standing debts and... here we are."

Bottom smiled gently. "Sounds like it's time for an invoice. Should I get on that?"

"Oh, yes, please." He stood up properly, stepping from one hoof to the next. "What did I do to deserve such amazing mares in my life?"

Bottom nodded gently. "I'll have that ready by tomorrow. Don't forget you have a wonderful stallion in your life as well. Who should the invoice be addressed to?"

"Palette Swap," answered Libel quickly. "Make sure it reads 150 thousand, discounted down to one hundred. That will leave a good impression that she secured a real deal."

"Noted." She nodded certainly. "By tomorrow. Have a good evening, both of you."

Color waved a little as she wandered away purposefully. "You have a really nice secretary."

"She's a friend too..." She shook her head slowly. "As awful an idea as that is... Color, let's get you home."

They did not run into any other familiar ponies until they were already past Libel's gate. Day Dreamer was placidly spread out on the front lawn, looking up at the clouds and seeming to be in a state of advanced relaxation.

Color smiled at the sight and wandered over towards his friend and roomie. "You're looking even more chill than usual. What's the good word?"

"Love."

Color tilted his head. "Huh, the date really went well?"

"I can barely put words to it." He rolled over with a flop, facing Color and Libel. "Hey, you're both here, great... I hope yours went at least half as good." It was only then that he seemed to notice something. "What happened? You're all..." He wobbled his forehooves oddly.

Libelous nodded with a smirk. "That's a fair summary." She reached out a wing and nudged Color's new wealth. "Your friend sold his art for what he's actually worth."

"How much is he worth?"

Color raised a brow. "That's an odd question."

Day shrugged. "She said it was worth one Color Splash. I want to know how much that is, out of curiosity. What if I want to get another of you to hang out with?"

Color shook his head firmly. "Sorry, we're all out of stock on Color Splashes."

"Aw..." He smiled despite it. "You're feeling better, that's good. How much did you get, really? I'm kinda curious."

"After my fees, he now has 98 thousand bits."

Day's eyes widened a moment as he whistled low. "That's a lot of bits. Are you going to do something responsible with it, or are we going to go to Las Pegasus and party as if this was the last year we had in us?"

Color reached up for the floating bag. "Afraid I want to be responsible... I mean, I'll spend some of it, I have to... But most of it--"

"--will be smartly invested." Libel nodded towards the bag. "Release some of it to me and I'll see that it's intelligently handled for you. Cash management is a full-time job, and I have accountants, family accountants. I'll just open a new account with them and deposit what you give me."

Color tilted his head a little. "Why not just put it in a bank?"

"After you worked so hard to get it?" She snorted at the very idea. "Your money should work at least as hard as you did. My accountants will keep it running and making more money by investing it whenever opportunities come up, so you end up with even more the longer you leave it in their capable hooves."

Day waved a hoof at Libelous. "Trust her. She was born rich. She knows how money moves like I know my plants." He flopped suddenly, sprawling wide. "By the way, nice lawn. Do you take care of it yourself? It's really happy."

Libel hiked a brow. "I have a lawnkeeper for that... but did you do your magic on it? I could swear it's... thicker than last I checked it."

"A little." He sat up on the thick grass, smiling happily. "They do a good job."

"But not as good as you." She leaned forward a little. "Want his job?"

He blinked at that. "Oh, um... I don't want to take his money away."

She snorted and waved off the idea. "I am just one account of many for him. He won't be put out on the streets. Your pay will include your room and boarding here, which you're already receiving, but will now earn. I will pay a decent sum in addition, of course. Quality work deserves quality pay."

Day Dreamer brought his hooves together in one loud clop. "Oh wow, like in the plays... I always wanted to have this job."

Color tilted his head at that. "Wait, you had an ambition?"

"Not nice, Bro." He gently poked Color. "I had one. I wanted to be a groundskeeper for a pony rich enough to have lots of plants, and I'd keep them all happy and bright." He made a check mark in the air. "Right off the bucket list. I can die happy now."

"You will do no such thing." Libel rolled her eyes. "Really, I just hired you. You can't go retiring that quickly."

"Yeah, guess that'd be fast. First I have to enjoy it." He slid back up to his hooves and started wandering away. "I'm going to reintroduce myself to everything, let them know I'm staying and taking care of them. I wonder if they'll be as happy as I am." With a content smile, he wandered off into the foliage.

Color shook his head on the way to the front door. "You just made his day in a way I wouldn't have thought of... ever. He never seemed that interested in working."

"We're just learning all kinds of things about our friends today." She threw open the door and gestured inside. "After you, Good Sir."

He dipped his head in a bow before proceeding past her. "Why are you calling me a 'sir' like that?"

"You don't get it?" She wobbled a hoof at him. "You're in. You're in the scene. You're one of us."

"Us?"

"A made stallion. Self-made, not born into it, but that's alright." She nodded softly to herself. "Now we can date and nopony can complain about it."

He blinked softly, sinking to his haunches. "Was... that a problem before?"

"It would have been." She rolled her eyes. "Duh? Splashy, pay attention."

He shook his head a little. "Libel, you know I like you, but, seriously?"

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He reached to poke her in the chest lightly. "Did we or did we not establish that your mother can take a long hike off a short pier?"

"What does she have to do with this?!" Libel's wings shot out wide to either side. "I haven't even mentioned you to her."

"For good reason, I bet." Color rolled the same hoof in the air. "And I bet you're considering fixing that now."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you were doing what she wanted without even thinking about it. It's just... part of you."

She huffed and half turned. "You're blowing up nothing into something. You won, you're in, we can be happy. What are you even remotely sad about?"

"Hello. My name is Color Splash."

She blinked at the introduction. "I think I know who you are."

"I'm a painter, not a 'made stallion'. Do you like me as I am, or as you're making me?"

Author's Note:

Is this a success? Was that chapter title a typo?!

Comments

[Daremo]

If there are typos here, they are hiding so well that I can't find them.

---

Color raises a point that's been looming over them for the last several chapters.

Is Libel simply editing him to her liking to fill the gap she perceives in her life? A good editor (I presume) knows when to leave well enough alone. At the end of the day, they are there to make someone else's work more presentable and not to inject themselves into the finished endeavor.

At least that's what I imagine it's like to be a good editor; if I ever meet one, I'll be sure to ask.

[Midknight Defender]

Ouch. The Color, he burnnnss!

[David Silver]

9324323
As you said, he specifically said he was going low, implying there was a number to go low from. The invoice would say he went low from 150 to 120, then got haggled to 100.