MLP - 'Overpriced'

Stallion: *stares starry-eyed at the paper in his hooves, containing a sketch strongly resembling him* AAH this was so worth the wait! *grins at the monochromatic pony before him* I can’t wait to show my friends!! Thank you so much!

Monochrome: *smiles lightly* You’re welcome. Enjoy your sketch.

-As the stallion happily trots away, a mare begins striding over to Monochrome’s makeshift drawing stand at the side of a sidewalk. Monochrome is hunched over the sketchbook in their hooves, flipping through the pages until the mare’s approaching hoofsteps catch their attention-

Mare: Hey! You’re the one whose drawings I keep seeing around, right?? I really love your work! I absolutely NEED one of myself. *fluffs hair with a serene smile* Got a boyfriend to impress~ How about it?

Monochrome: *nods* Of course. *begins to open their sketchbook* I have two commission options, one being a ten-minute sketch for seven bits and the other a twenty-minute sketch for fourteen bits, if you have the time to sit with me for that long-

Mare: *eyes widen and her head jerks back in disbelief* WHAT?! Wait, seven bits for a measly SKETCH?! Are you serious?

Monochrome: …*slowly closes sketchbook*
Yes... I am. If my business isn’t for you, ma’am, then please enjoy your day-

Mare: *furiously waves her hoof* No no no, stop! Where are these prices even coming from? It should be five bits at the most! If it doesn’t even take you an hour, why are you charging THAT much?

Monochrome: *slow blinks at her with drooped eyelids* Well ma’am. It took me nearly twenty years of practice to develop my talent and to draw as fast and as well as I do. I’m charging you based on my skill. I’m not very willing to undercharge myself, which is something a lot of artists unfortunately do despite the time and effort they put into their art. Like everyone else making a living, we also deserve to be paid for our work.

Mare: *scoffs, staring condescendingly* You shouldn’t compare doodles to ACTUAL jobs. And "skill"? How arrogant are you? When you really look at them, your drawings aren’t all that great you know. *eyes the board of sketches behind the artist* Seriously, look at how messy and smudgy they are!

Monochrome: ...*opens their sketchbook and takes their pencil into their wing, nonchalantly sketching* Because they were done in under half an hour. More time means more detail and a cleaner finish. But since very few passing ponies want to stand around for hours on end when they, you know, have places to go, these are my cheapest and fastest commissions to offer.
*briefly glances back up before returning their eyes to their paper* You get what you pay for, ma’am. And I offer quality when paid the price my work deserves. As a result, my clients leave happy.

Mare: *bristles* You’re a crook, that’s what you are! An arrogant, money-stealing scammer! How could you charge these poor ponies so much?! *stomps her hoof* It's absurd! If you’re so passionate about your “talent”, you might as well do it for free!

Monochrome: *still sketching* Mmhm. The last time I checked, ponies have been willingly paying me and have left with exactly what they wanted. I make sure of it. So no scamming has occurred here. *briefly glances up again* Meanwhile...you’re still here. So I’m guessing you’re still expecting me to change my mind.

Mare: *scowls* One. Bit. For a two-minute drawing. That’s all you’re getting from me. I promised my boyfriend one of these damn sketches, and by Celestia I will GET one.

Monochrome: ...you want me to draw a stick figure that badly, ma’am?

Mare: *lets out a high-pitched growl* YOU- YOU-!! 
UGH, you know what?! Whatever! You may be tricking everypony else, but you’re not tricking me! I’ll make damn sure anyone who hasn’t crossed you yet knows how much of a fricken cheap ass you are! We’ll see if you’ll get customers then-

-She cuts herself off when Monochrome suddenly rises, stretching their wings out to their full length. Somehow she had failed to notice the other pony’s much larger, leaner stature until now, nearly towering over her-

Monochrome: *after stretching, they take down their pinned up sketches from the board behind them, tucking them into their sketchbook before giving the mare yet another unconcerned look* Well....good thing this is just extra pocket money. I have far more respectful ponies and regulars who are willing to pay for my full pieces. *slowly glances her over* Ponies who won’t insult my talents and throw temper tantrums when they can’t get what they want. So I believe I’ll get by just fine.

-Before the mare can respond, Monochrome rips out the sketch they had been working on, handing it over to her-

Monochrome: This is going nowhere, so I’ll be taking a lunch break now. But as consolation, you can have this. Enjoy the rest of your day. *tucks their sketchbook under a wing before trotting away*

-The mare curiously glances down at the paper….only to see Monochrome’s exact expression, deadpan and disinterested as it had been throughout the whole conversation, staring back at her in messy sketch form.
Quickly whipping around she realizes there’s a line of mirrors in a store’s display case right behind her. Which meant the whole time they were talking, and every time the artist was glancing up, they were...-

Mare: UUGH! *rips the drawing up and stomps on it with burning fury*

-Despite the distance they’ve made between them and the mare, Monochrome can faintly hear the mare’s anger. They feel the corner of their mouth twitch upwards, but decide to focus on getting those well-deserved hayfries-
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I....I had too much fun with this.
No wonder Monochrome ends up getting along with Nova, holy jeebus.

I was inspired by this post about a crocheter and an incredibly rude client. It's a huge reminder that ignorant people like this aaaare still out there....complaining about an artist's prices, disrespectfully trying to lower them, commenting on how art can just be free, and the such that we've seen before unfortunately. Though this person in particular is just euuuGH

I thought a situation like this worked well for Chrome. And I had fun figuring out how they'd respond to it. If Chrome inherited anything from Rainbow Dash, it's their unwavering confidence and pride in their talent. They're not afraid to tell it like it is if you insult that.

But yeah! Just remember guys, respect an artist's prices! They spent years honing their skills and not only do supplies cost (a heck ton of) money, but a lot of time and effort goes into their craft!

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