Pleather-bound Heart

The morning came like a harsh slap in the face to Enigma, the sun peering in from the window to descend on the small stallion. His eyes opened before he rolled over with a groan. His body ached, his throat was sore and his eyes were puffy. Not to mention his mane was a mess. He barely worked up the strength to crawl out of bed and make his way into the bathroom, turning on the shower to cold and letting the harsh icy flow wake him up fully. He quickly climbed out, shivering as he looked at himself in the mirror.

“You are not going back,” he told his reflection. “You are a grown stallion. You have no more responsibility to her. You owe her nothing. You are not crawling back. You may not be able to do much, but you can take care of yourself. You left enough that she should be able to take care of herself. She's not your responsibility. You're not hers.” He leaned forward, resting his face against the mirror and making his horn tap against it.

“Besides. If you go back, she'll yell and scream at you. Call you stupid, an idiot. Tell you that it's normal how she treats you. Tell you how all her friends agree that you're in the wrong and she's an angel for putting up with you. You'll cave, just like you always do. She'll have more power. You'll never get another chance to leave. You'll never have the will or desire again. You'll be with her, forever.” He lifted his head up again and lightly pounded it on the glass. “Never, ever going back.”

He sighed and pulled a towel out of the boxes with his magic, drying his mane quickly. He trotted back into his room and froze. “What... if she's crying now?” Guilt cut him down to the core, twisting like a knife. “N-no. Be strong. Be. Strong.”

He grabbed his phone and his checkbook as he trotted out the door. Okay, first I'll get the phone fixed and call Velvet. See if she has any work I can do. He froze in mid step as a new thought dawned on him. Do I still even have her number? What if I can't get a hold of her? I haven't talked to her directly in... almost forever. Where did I write it down, I must have-- He face hoofed. It's in your phone, idiot. He rolled his eyes and trotted out the door, closing it behind himself. He couldn't shake the worry that he might not have transferred it when he last got the phone. Would his bits last long enough to get a hold of her by mail?

Buying the phone was far more difficult than he'd expected. The second he stepped into the store, the salespony practically had him pinned against the wall, telling him how his current phone was obsolete, useless, needed to be replaced. Why, at least four new models had come out since he'd gotten it and it was almost a year since his current model had been released. He found the pony so persuasive he almost caved and bought it. Fortunately, he didn't have nearly enough bits to waste on such a thing and he was unwilling to take a loan out.

When the battery was put in and the phone came alive, he nearly dropped it when it shook violently at him. Almost a dozen missed calls. He quickly blew by them, deleting the messages and going into his contacts. His heart beat quickly as he searched for his agent's number. He let out a breath of relief when he found it. Velvet. He trotted out into the lot and called it.

It rang three times before picking up. “Hello, Enigma.” He cringed at her use of caller ID. She sounded a bit bored and annoyed. He could hear her going through papers in the background.

“Err, Velvet? It's Enigma.” He mentally yelled at himself. She already knew that. “Are you busy?”

“Yes, I'm working.” There was a sigh on the other end. “If this is about your percentage, I'm sorry but that's what you made. Cookie cutter designs don't sell that well these days.”

“N-no, it's not that,” the stallion said as he moved farther from the street, trying to keep away from prying ears and getting to where it was quiet. He was thankful it wasn't windy. “I just wanted, I mean, I've been... err...”

“Listen, if this is a new design, just send it in the mail. I'll see what I can do, but there's not too much. Ponies want things special if they're going to spare a lot of bits.”

“That's just it. I'm back on the market.” It took a few seconds for the meaning of those words to get to his head. He turned red. “I-I mean, well, my designs. I want to make something unique again. I can make something unique again. I'm... able to do a custom commission.”

There was a pause and he heard the background sounds stop. “Do come again? Did you say you want to do a custom commission? I thought you said you were done with those? That your marefriend despised them?”

“She does. Did. I mean,” he mumbled pathetically as he shifted from hoof to hoof. “She hates them. But we broke up. I... broke up with her. I ummm, I'm kind of hurting right now, so I'll do one at a lower price. Even seventy-five percent cost.” He paused. “And I'd need half up front for materials and... other expenses. If they cover materials too, I'll go down to sixty percent on the other costs. But I need something soon.”

“I... I'll see what I can do,” Velvet said, a small quiver of excitement in her voice. Enigma rolled his eyes and smiled. He wasn't surprised that she was excited. He'd been working with her for years and he knew she took a higher share of the price than she admitted, not to mention she charged more than she told him.

But she also knew how the business worked, how to find customers, how to keep a steady stream of revenue trickling in. Even if she was a bit of a cheat, he needed her. Besides, she was only really cheating him and that didn't bother him too much. He was comfortable and, most importantly, he knew she'd get results and probably keep him from ending up on the streets. Even if he wanted to leave her, he had no idea where to find another agent who could do the work. He cringed as the phone beeped.

“I might have to change my number, though. If I do, I'll make sure to give you a call and let you know, okay?”

“Uh huh, sure. Whatever you say,” the mare mumbled, obviously not listening. “I'll call you when I find a buyer.” She hung up on him.

Enigma chuckled and closed his phone. He felt a little good now. He'd be getting some actual bits soon. I think it's time for a treat. I think... neighese.

Velvet felt her hooves quiver with excitement as she rapidly tapped away on the keyboard with her magic. She could hardly believe her luck, Enigma coming out of retirement. She knew holding onto him during his little no commission phase would pay off. To think she had come so close to just dropping him entirely. The fact he'd been gone for so long and stopped near the peak of his popularity meant she could get a small fortune off the commission. Since he was willing to take such a low cut, it meant all the more bits for her.

Best of all, it was going to be easy. She'd been lucky to find out of him near the beginning of his rise to fame and sink her horn into him before he knew what was going on. He knew next to nothing about what his work was actually worth or how the business operated. Not to mention the laws. That meant she got to set the prices and set how much he actually received. He never even seemed to care, just obediently doing as he was told. He wasn't, technically, her most profitable client, but for the amount of hassle he created for her he was a gold mine. If he was returning to do commissions, she'd have to milk him for every bit he was worth before he stopped again.

The only thing she didn't like was how long it took him to do each one. It usually took a month, sometimes longer, before he'd finish any piece. All of his talk about safety and quality, not to mention design. Artistic types always had something. It meant she could set a huge price, but it also meant she could only get one client at a time. Then again, perverts will pay almost any price for their junk. If they didn't, porn wouldn't be so profitable. And over the years he had been very, very profitable. Once word got out that he was building again, she'd be set to make a small fortune.

A grin formed on her lips. I'll have to make sure the news is released as only a temporary return. They'll pay even more if they think they won't get another chance. For the amount of work she had to do, it was going to be wonderful, she could hardly wait.

Sadly, she still had to find a buyer first. That required her to go through her contacts and seeing who could give some work to the stallion. She'd have to start small, he sounded desperate. Once he had the first commission and a little bit of money saved, that's when she could really go for the higher paying jobs. Word would spread. But if she started too high and took too long, there was no telling what stupid idea the stallion would come up with. You never knew with those creative types. She picked up the phone in her magic and started pulling out some phone numbers.

Silverchain glanced up from her paperwork as the phone started ringing. She reached out and plucked it up, holding it to her ear and put on her sultry voice. “The Pleather-bound heart, this is Silverchain speaking. What fantasy can I fulfill this evening?” She paused and listened, cocking an eye, quickly switching to her business tone. “Yes, this is the pony in charge speaking. Finish Inc? I'm sorry, I'm not really looking for any new marketing at the moment. I'm doing quite-- oh?” She paused for a moment before sitting up. “You heard about me from Lens? Sure, I'll listen.”

She rolled her eyes a few moments later. “Really? Enigma?” She'd heard dozens of ponies with names like that. Enigma. Phantom. Using Z's instead of S's. All in attempts to make them seem more important and mysterious to buyers with more money than sense. If she got ten bits for ever hack job who thought that was all it took to make money in this line of work she could retire. She wouldn't, but she'd have the option. “Listen, I'm not really... wait, what? A few years ago? Hold on, I'll see if I have anything.” She hummed and turned towards her own computer, typing a few things into it. After a few seconds she had him pulled up.

“I have a few things on him, not much. Temporary return you say? How much is he charging?” She nearly dropped the phone when she heard the price. “How much? Is that for one thing or for a whole line of them? Oh, you misspoke, huh?” she said, annoyance leaking into her voice. “Why, yes, that is far more manageable than what I heard. Tell you what, fax over a contract and your number, I'll see if I can find anything for him.” She clicked the phone down before the other mare could respond.

She rolled her eyes and glanced back to her paperwork, then to the computer. “Ehhh, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” She slid back in front of it and started looking into what she could find on this 'Enigma' pony.

Unfortunately, she had next to nothing. Plenty of variations of the name, but aside from a few minor toys that she had sold on the side, there wasn't much. He had apparently created one of the gags she'd used on Jadewing a few months back. They'd only used it twice though, so she was far from impressed.

When the fax came in she glanced back towards it and considered just tossing it in the trash. At those prices she doubted she could risk it. She then shrugged and picked up the phone, making a quick call. “Hey, Lens? Oh, sorry. Can I talk to Lens? Thanks.” She waited a few seconds, tapping her hoof. “Ah, finally! I just got a call from somepony's agent. What can you tell me about this 'Enigma'?”

She frowned. “Cute, but jokes aside, I mean the creator. Yes, I'm sure it was clever, wrapped in an enigma. Yes, I get it.” She rubbed her hoof over her forehead. “Onto the matter at hoof?” She leaned back and listened to her friend, barely suppressing her annoyance. Then her eyes widened. “Wait, he made... what? But that was... yes, I've seen it. I've seen that one too. Wait, he made... I borrowed that for Jadewing once! Oh, she loved it. If she ever meets this Enigma she may kill him for making it. Or kiss him. Probably kill him.” She leaned back over her desk and licked her lips. This character was starting to sound a lot more interesting. “And you're sure it's him? Why did he disappear for so long?” She then face hoofed. “I'm sure he wasn't... abducted by griffons. You're sure it's him then? Well... that's just interesting then. Thanks for your help.” She clicked the phone down and glanced at the paperwork for a few seconds.

She then pushed it aside for more important matters. She pulled out a pen and paper and started doodling, clumsily. She'd never been good at it, sadly as an earth pony it was all in the tongue. While her tongue was quite agile for... certain things, she'd never had any luck with a pen. Still, she imagined it would be sufficient. She had to hold herself back from sending her response instantly, a wide grin on her face. Instead she let the other mare stew for nearly an hour before sending her response. Within a few more short calls a price, design and terms had been set. When she hung up the final time her eyes were wide with excitement.

Jadewing was going to be ecstatic. Or terrified.

Enigma groaned in his bed, glancing up at his phone as it vibrated angrily at him. Again. The gentle hum of the microwave filled the room, the only other sound. Once the phone stopped vibrating he reached out with his magic and plucked it up, intending to turn it off again.

His eyes widened when he saw one of the missed calls were from Velvet. He quickly called her back. To his surprise, she picked up on the second ring.

“Enigma?”

“Yes. You called?” he asked nervously, a hint of hope in his voice.

“Perfect. Now, it wasn't easy but I know you needed something quick. I managed to, barely, find you a contract. Now, it's not the best paying, but it should keep you afloat for at least a little while.”

Enigma nodded. “I see. How many bits am I getting?” The microwave went off behind him. He let out a gasp at the answer. “W-wait, really? And that's half up front?”

“Indeed. Now, it'll probably take you a few months to make, so don't get too excited. What they're requesting is... fairly extravagant. But it pays nicely. Do you have a fax machine I can send it to?”

“No. Maybe you can send it in an e-mail and I can print it at the library?” The color drained from his face. “W-wait, no. After last time... no. That's a bad idea.”

“How about this, meet with me tomorrow and I'll deliver it to you personally, okay? Where are you staying?”

He gave her the directions and then she hung up. He gave a soft sigh before slowly clicking the phone down. A request already. Even if Velvet had pulled a lot of strings to get him the job, the fact it happened so fast and they were willing to pay so much filled him with glee. Maybe he wasn't a wash up after all. Sure, he was a bit out of practice, but he was sure he'd figure it all out soon enough.

He hopped up on his hooves and trotted to the microwave. It was going to be wonderful. He opened the microwave and sighed at his frozen lasagna stacked on top of a boiling hot plate. “Okay, that's it. I'm learning to cook.”