Brushed Away: Canvas' Cutie Mark Mission

by TheVClaw

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Spike, Profanity, Random, Slice of Life, Narcotics, Sugar Belle, Main 6, Mrs. Cake, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 43212

Less than a month after Twilight's Coronation, Canvas Clawston was prepared to resume his normal life following the defeat of the Legion of Doom. However, it seemed that his destiny has different plans, as he finds himself summoned by the Cutie Map.

Note: This is my Official 100th Story on FimFiction, and is dedicated to all of my fans and followers from over the years. So many great things have happened since joining this site, and I wrote this post-series sequel as a token of my appreciation.
Also, I want to give some special thanks to my proofreader Double R. Forrest, and to Not Quite Equine for creating the cover page. If you want to show your support to the artist, check out their KoFi link here: https://ko-fi.com/skulljooce)

Even though several years have passed since their wedding, Canvas and Troius Clawston's lives were just as content as it was when they first eloped. Troy was still a highly-successful singer and theater actor, who had managed to make a name for himself as one of the few gryphons performing on Bridleway. Meanwhile, Canvas was still regarded as one of Equestria's most proficient artists, and was even able to expand his work to more than one studio. In fact, Troy and Canvas were able to invest in a second home in Manehattan, even though Ponyville always remained their true hometown.

But while Troy was up in Manehattan to rehearse for an upcoming show, Canvas was busy adjusting to Ponyville by himself following Princess Twilight's departure. Or at least, that was what Canvas was expecting to do when he went to Sugar Cube Corner one particular morning; but instead, the artist was thrown into a life-changing quest the moment he found his Cutie Mark glowing for an unexpected summoning...

Published 2020-06-10 00:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-06-16 21:58:17 UTC

Chapter One

Far off the furthest reaches of the horizon, only the faintest hint of morning light could be seen emerging from the East. Meanwhile, across the rest of the Equestrian skies, the pre-morning darkness was immense enough to completely mask the stars of the night. The only illumination from above was from Luna’s moon, but even that was far off west in preparation of the incoming morning. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the few early ponies from getting up to start their days.

Down in the quaint little hamlet of Ponyville, there were already about a dozen ponies setting up their stands in the marketplace, eager to get some sales in the first hours of the morning. Even though the streetlamps were usually turned off around that time, Mayor Mare had to disarm the automatic timers so ponies wouldn’t be trapped underneath the shade of Twilight Sparkle’s former castle. The Alicorn may have moved back to Canterlot to act as Equestria’s newest Ruler, but the Castle of Friendship still stood outside Ponyville as a massive landmark; and with the architectural behemoth standing several hundred feet, its presence now served as a giant shade throughout most of the daytime.

Just outside the marketplace, one particular stallion stood by himself while staring up at the castle with a look of awe. He remembered when he first moved to Ponyville, when Princess Twilight was originally living at the Golden Oaks library instead of some big castle. He may have gotten used to the various changes Ponyville had gone through over the years, but it was still jarring to reflect on how much had actually changed overall. What had used to be a simple little township outside of Canterlot, was now a prospective community that was growing bigger with each passing day.

The aqua stallion looked off in the distance just beside the castle, where he could see the rooftop of the School of Friendship past Ponyville’s limits. The institution had only been open for a year or so, but it was already creating a lot of added progress for Ponyville as a whole. Since so many international students were attending, it was becoming more common to see more than just ponies roaming around town. Even this early in the morning, the stallion could look up and see a female gryphon flying past the skies with a mail parcel at her side.

The sight of that gryphon made the pony smile, and he paused his thoughts to reach a hoof up and feel the golden ring in his right ear. Even though he only had the piercing since his wedding years ago, it still felt as natural on him now as the cutie mark of a paintbrush and palette resting on his flanks. And as he touched that tiny golden band, he sighed to himself wistfully, thinking of the gryphon that symbolized it.

“Ugh…” The pony’s smile dampened the tiniest bit, and he looked down at his left hoof where another ring was firmly nestled around his wrist. The engagement band still had the engraving of his Cutie Mark clear as day against the white gold, right beside the professionally-done etching of a silver feather. Even after wearing the ring for several years, the insignia still made him smile with a light blush. After another moment of staring, the stallion sighed pertly and said to himself, “Man, I’m glad I finished that commission last night…”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The familiar sound of those lumbering barks caused the stallion’s ears to perk up, and he smiled when he turned towards the source. Just in the distance where a large oak tree was planted, a massive Saint Bernard was panting happily as he walked back towards his owner with his tail wagging. The canine was wearing a thick black collar around his neck, a metal tag hanging on the front with the name Tenor proudly etched in bold lettering. Since the Saint Bernard was obviously finished with his business, he was quick to return to the stallion with slobber drooling from his saggy muzzle.

“Good boy, Tenor! Good boy!” As soon as he brought his hooves out, Tenor lunged in to eagerly lap the pony’s face with his giant tongue. Since the dog was nearly as large as his owner, the stallion was nearly pushed backwards while reeling from Tenor’s sloppy kisses. “GAH! Hehehehe… C-C’mon, Tenor! I just took a shower before we left!”

Unfortunately for the pony, Tenor kept licking until most of the stallion’s face was matted in slobber. Fortunately, by the time he finally pulled away from his cheerful dog, the stallion didn’t seem too upset as he reached a hoof into the canvas bag hanging on his shoulder. The satchel looked worn-down through years of constant use, and was covered with tons of various artwork that littered the outside with different colors of permanent ink. The pony quickly pulled out a couple clean rags, which he used to wipe the drool off his face. “Jeeze, you’re affectionate this morning!” he said, shooting Tenor an amused smirk. “Was I really asleep for that long?”

It wasn’t clear if the Saint Bernard could understand what his owner said, but he was quick to respond with an affirmative, “WOOF! WOOF!”

“GAH!” The pony was quickly given another couple enthusiastic licks, causing him to giggle and stumble backwards. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry for sleeping in for so long!” Fortunately, since he was still holding onto his slobber rags, it didn’t take long for him to re-clean himself. Just as he was about to grab the dog’s chained leash from his bag, the stallion’s ears twitched again when he heard a familiar voice nearby.

“Well, Ah’ll be!” As she tipped up the brown Stetson resting atop her head, the orange mare looked downright pleased to see the stallion this early in the day. She had a large wooden cart full of apples strapped to her back, but she quickly undid the straps so she could park it in place beside the road. She then walked up to the stallion and his dog with a friendly smile. “Ah wasn’t expectin’ to see you up this early, Canvas,” she said with a distinct country twang. One of her brows raised up puzzledly. “Either you’re up way too late, or you woke up earlier than me this mornin’.”

Canvas chuckled with a light shrug, and rolled his eyes while scratching the back of his shaggy brown mane. “Yeah, I’m fully aware of how messed-up my sleep schedule got. Although in my defense, I spent nearly twenty hours straight on a painting for a client in Canterlot, and I was pretty much passed out for the rest of the day. The only reason I’m up this early is because this guy wouldn’t stop barking for a walk.”

The Saint Bernard stood beside Canvas with a prideful smile on his panting muzzle, in spite of Canvas’s inflection. The mare giggled with a smirk, but remained cordial nonetheless. “Well, just as long as you’re not overworkin’ yourself, Ah ain’t gonna judge. Ah know how judgemental some of them Canterlot types can be when it comes to artsy stuff…”

It took the mare a couple seconds before her eyes widened in realization, and she quickly brought up a hoof to add insistently, “Uhh, nothin’ personal though.”

“It’s alright, Applejack,” said Canvas with a reassuring wave of his hoof. “You’re definitely not wrong about some of the clients I’ve dealt with.” He then chuckled and shook his head, only to follow it with a longer sigh. “Not to mention certain… former locals who I’ve done paintings for…”

Applejack immediately winced and sucked some air through her teeth, clearly not needing to ask for context. “Oohhh… Right…” The mare looked away briefly, while the stallion pursed his muzzle shut with a deeper look of resentment on his face. Applejack eventually tried to break the silence. “Well, if it means anything, Ah’d be hard-pressed to think of many ponies who haven’t done somethin’ for Cozy Glow. Heck, you know how many times I had that brat on my farm? Around my family?”

Though Cozy Glow was just as incapacitated as the other members of the infamous Legion of Doom, Applejack couldn’t help shuddering in disgust after what she reminded herself of. Canvas looked equally as uncomfortable about that filly, and was quick to start petting Tenor as a means to distract himself. “Yeah, that’s true… Honestly, I’m just glad that Troy and I weren’t targeted by her or anything.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” said Applejack with a stern nod and a warmer smile. “So, is Troy back in Ponyville too? Or is he still back at your guys’ place in Manehattan?”

Upon hearing his husband’s name, the stallion sighed while his smile depleted completely. “No, he’s still in Manehattan. Apparently there was a ton of re-casting for the show he’s currently in, so they have to run a bunch of dress-rehearsals to make sure things go smoothly.”

Applejack’s ears dropped down a little at Canvas’ moroseness. But before she could try to say anything optimistic, Canvas tilted his head to the side before adding, “But, since I just finished my commission, I’m planning to get a train ticket for Manehattan as soon as the train station opens up.”

“Well, that’s the spirit!” Applejack smiled again as she reached in and gave Canvas a cheerful nudge to the shoulder with her hoof. “Just lemme know if you’re needin’ anything before leavin’ Ponyville, alright? Mac and Sugar were wantin’ to mail you guys some fritters as a thank-you for that wedding gift y’all got them.”

“Ooh, nice!~” Canvas’ face lit up the moment he heard the word ‘fritters,’ though that likely would’ve been the reaction of most Ponyville citizens. Ever since Big Macintosh got eloped with Sugar Belle, the mare was able to sell certain Apple Family products at Sugar Cube Corner with Granny Smith’s permission. Even though Sweet Apple Acres was already having a huge surge in sales following Princess Twilight’s coronation, having a means to sell additional products in Ponyville was definitely a beneficial move for the farm. “Honestly, I’m just happy that they liked our present! We didn’t even know they were engaged until we saw the wedding photos.”

“Yeah, don’t worry ‘bout that,” assured Applejack with a lighthearted shrug. “It was one of them ‘spur-of-the-moment’ things, and they didn’t wanna wait too long after exchangin’ rings. If it means anything, even Twilight didn’t get the chance to attend it.”

“Wow, really?” Canvas blinked a couple times out of pure confoundment. “I honestly would’ve figured Sugar Belle would want that after you guys saved her from a cult.”

Applejack paused briefly with her muzzle slightly clenched, but refrained from saying anything about the stallion’s choice of words. “Well,” noted Applejack with a roll of her eyes, “Mayor Mare kinda has a history officiatin’ Apple family marriages, so it seemed only fair for her to do it. Plus, it ain’t like Twilight wasn’t busy with a million other things durin’ that.”

That point got Canvas to close his muzzle promptly shut, and nod his head once more. While he and Troy were both busier than ever in their careers, neither of them could even fathom what Princess Twilight must’ve been going through. It was one thing to be a national hero who saved Equestria multiple times, but to be the literal successor of Celestia herself was a feat Canvas couldn’t have even imagined as a possibility. But even with his shock in mind, Canvas couldn’t help smiling naturally when he said, “Speaking of Twilight, weren’t you and the other girls planning on visiting her soon?”

“Yer darn tootin’!” said Applejack with a more cheerful smile and a kick of her hoof. “We’re actually plannin’ to see her in a couple days, so hopefully she ain’t too tuckered out after her first month as Ruler.”

Though he wanted to be as optimistic as Applejack, Canvas couldn’t help skewing his muzzle as he shrugged in response. “Jeeze… and to think, Troy and I thought that you girls working at the school was going to be too exhausting.”

That remark got both of the ponies laughing, while Tenor simply sat between them with his tongue lolling out of his muzzle. “Yeah, Ah ain’t gonna fault you on that one,” remarked Applejack truthfully. “That reminds me, Ah really need to finish up gradin’ this week’s assignments before my Canterlot trip.”

“You know what?” Canvas quickly got out his leash and attached it to the back of Tenor’s collar. “I don’t want to keep you from your apple sales, so I’ll just head off to Sugar Cube Corner.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Applejack with a smile, before pulling Canvas into a strong hug. “It really is great seein’ you again though.”

Canvas froze for a moment, but eventually sighed with a smile before hugging her back. “It’s great seeing you again too, Applejack…” After the two finished their hug, Canvas added, “and I’ll be sure to tell Troy you said hi when I get to Manehattan, alright?”

AJ gave a quick nod and a wave before heading back to her cart, just as the morning sunlight was becoming more prominent behind the eastern landscapes. Meanwhile, Canvas continued on happily walking through town with Tenor by his side, only to stop again when he reached the fountain in the town square. Ever since he moved to Ponyville, the statue of Princess Celestia stood as a beacon of hope in the middle of Ponyville. And even with said Alicorn happily retired and living her life freely, Canvas felt a profound sense of comfort when he looked up at that expertly-made statue.

The sun finally began to peek over the buildings at the outskirts of town, instantly illuminating the statue to reveal the Princess in all her majestic glory. Tenor sat patiently beside his owner, and waited while looking up at the stallion’s teary-eyed smile. Since the coronation had only happened a few weeks prior, Canvas still needed a moment to let the gravity of such a change sink in. Still, it didn’t take long for Canvas to say to nopony in particular, “She’s really getting the hang of raising the sun herself, isn’t she?”

Canvas may have been worried about Princess Twilight when she first started her rule, mostly due to how hectic things got right before her coronation; but as he looked up at the statue of her mentor, seeing that flawless sunrise was all he needed to know that she was doing just fine in Celestia’s place.

Ding!

“Hmm?” Sugar Cube Corner had just opened for business, so the unicorn mare behind the counter seemed surprised when her head poked up from behind the counter. Even though she wasn’t the pink mare that most Ponyvillians recognized as the bakery’s head cashier, what with her having a poofy violet mane that didn’t quite hide her horn, she still carried a cheerful smile that lit up the near-empty room. “Oh, hey there, Canvas!” she said as the stallion and his dog walked into the shop. “I would’ve guessed you and your hubby were back in Manehattan!”

“No, it’s just me,” said Canvas, smiling back as he went up to the counter. “By the way, I talked with Applejack on the way here. She told me that you and Mac really liked those mason jar sets.”

As the big Saint Bernard stood adjacent to Canvas, Sugar Belle reached behind the counter to pull out a small doggy treat she had hidden. She used her magic to toss it over for Tenor to catch with his mouth, not minding that the dog’s presence was a breach of the bakery’s policy against pets being indoors. “Yeah, those jars are really useful! I swear, Granny Smith made enough preserves with those to last us several winters combined!”

“Oh, nice!” While Tenor sloppily chewed on the remnants of his treat, and then bent down to lick up the crumbs on the floor, Canvas already had a rag on the ready while petting his back. “Troy and I had a feeling you guys would like it. He was actually worried you guys already had enough of them lying around the house.”

“Eh, we technically do,” she admitted with a light shrug. “But still, it was a really convenient gift that we were able to use right off the bat. Plus, it’s nice having jars that we know are clean, and weren’t being used for Apple Bloom’s bug collection or Granny Smith’s dentures.”

Canvas clasped a hoof over his muzzle to keep from laughing, but he could hear Sugar Belle giving a lighthearted chuckle of her own. By the time he settled down, Canvas could barely pull his hoof away from his face as he asked, “Wait, Apple Bloom had a bug collection? Like… was it for Zecora’s apothecary lessons or something?”

“No, I don’t think so,” replied Sugar as she tapped her chin in thought. “Hmmm… Oh yeah! It was actually something for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I think. The girls decided to collect a whole bunch of bugs to see which ones were Gummy’s favorite food.”

“Ohhhhh…” Canvas nodded in realization. “Heh~ Yeah, I remember seeing Gummy catching flies with his tongue like a chameleon or something! I even asked Pinkie if that was a normal thing, and she was…”

As soon as he said that name out loud, Canvas’ smile quickly depleted like a punctured pool toy. Sugar Belle’s smile dampened as well, and was soon replaced with a saddened pout. “... Yeah… I get it.”

Neither of them said anything, and the silence intensified when both of their heads lowered in melancholy. Even Tenor grew a saddened pout with his ears drooping down, but that may have been because he finished his treat too fast. Just like Princess Twilight Sparkle and her Royal Advisor Spike, most of Ponyville’s citizens were forlorn about their resident party pony spending most of her time in Canterlot as well. Everypony knew that Pinkie Pie’s talents would’ve been wasted if she stayed only in Ponyville, and they all wished her the very best when they learned she was given a full-time job in Canterlot’s Party-Planning Committee. But at the same time, since her new job meant having to live in Canterlot for the time being, Pinkie’s absence was one of the largest voids that Ponyville was finding difficulty filling.

Canvas wanted to say something, since Pinkie Pie was one of the first ponies to make him feel welcomed by the whole town when he first moved to Ponyville. But considering how he was standing right across from Sugar Belle, who was basically standing as Pinkie Pie’s temporary replacement, the last thing he wanted to do was lament his own feelings to somepony who likely heard it from everypony else. Luckily though, the somber mood was quickly interrupted by the voice of a cheerful mare from the kitchen.

“Oh please, you two are acting like Pinkie Pie moved to Canterlot permanently!”

The doors to the kitchen opened up, revealing a plump blue mare who trotted over to the counter with a rack of fresh apple fritters on her back. Canvas gasped in elation the moment he saw those pastries, which were quickly caught in a large aura of Sugar Belle’s magic. Though the stallion’s attention was caught by the dozens of glazed fritters headed for the window display, his ears twitched as he overheard Mrs Cake continue. “Jeeze Louise, it’s not like she’s never coming back to Ponyville. She promised me that her work in Canterlot was set to end in another month, and I can’t think of anypony more reliable with a promise than her. Besides, she just wrote to me about leading a huge charity event for the children’s hospital! I would’ve never forgiven myself if I kept her from raising money for a cause like that!”

That last part got Canvas and Sugar Belle to wince at the same time, and give a couple of reluctant nods. “Uhhh… yeah…” said Canvas, giving Tenor some scratches behind his ears. “I think I actually heard about that charity thing. Didn’t she raise like, fifty thousand bits from that?”

“On the first day!” chirped Mrs Cake, whose smile was downright prideful as she inspected the inventory for their morning sales. “And it was a weekend long event, so they ended up making over four times that amount by the time Twilight made a donation!”

“Oh, wow!” With Sugar Belle dumbfounded, her employer had to give her a warning nudge to trot past her. “O-Oh, right!” The mare quickly remembered Canvas was standing by the register, and went up to him to take his order. “Okay, yeah. I might miss Pinkie and Twilight a lot too, but I couldn’t be happier for them. I’m guessing you want an apple fritter?”

“Mmhmm,” nodded Canvas, who was trying his hardest to keep his focus on Sugar Belle and not at the apple fritter being floated into a paper bag. “And yeah, I’m really proud of them too. I guess it’s just kinda weird seeing how much things are changing around us.”

Sugar Belle could only nod in response, and gave a thoughtful hum as she took Canvas’ bits. “Things really have, didn’t they? I mean… we have a new Ruler of Equestria, three giant villains have been encased in stone, and our town has a gargantuan castle right beside an international academy! That’s definitely a lot to process in such a short amount of time.”

“And there isn’t a single problem with any of them!” Mrs Cake walked around her employee with another rack of muffins on her back, all with a chipper smile as she arranged them in one of the display cases. “That School of Friendship has been especially great for Ponyville! I swear, most of my customers have gotten so polite after it opened up, just because of how many times students call out the jerks during lunch.”

Sugar Belle giggled with a bitten lip, and gave Canvas an affirmative nod. “Yeah, it’s been pretty entertaining sometimes. You should’ve heard what Smolder said to Spoiled Rich last week!”

“Oh, that sounds awesome!” Canvas smiled at the thought, but it barely hid the disappointment from not seeing it. A couple seconds later to breathe out, Canvas continued, “Also, that school has really helped ponies tolerate meat products! I swear, as soon as we got more gryphons moving to Ponyville, it’s been way easier for Troy to enjoy beef jerky without getting any stinkeyes.”

“Yeah, that’s true!” said Mrs Cake while finishing her arrangements. “Oh! Speaking of which, Carrot and I might have found a supplier for bacon. I can’t guarantee anything right now, but we already have a maple bacon donut recipe with Troy’s name on it~”

“Oooohhhh!!~” Canvas’ eyes widened with intrigue, while Tenor’s ears perked up at the mention of bacon. “I’ll be sure to tell him when I get back to Manehattan~”

“Wait, are you leaving already?” asked Sugar Belle, sounding surprised. “We didn’t even know you came back! How long have you been around.”

“Oh, for a couple weeks,” said Canvas, sighing and taking a bite from his flaky pastry. “I was spending most of my time working on a big portrait for some bigwig in Canterlot-- Mmm, this is good! Man… B-But, uhhh… Yeah, most of my time was spent in my studio, and I’d rather not be away from Troy for this long.”

“Yeah, but you’ve done that before, haven’t you?” Mrs Cake was now leaning against the counter, looking at Canvas curiously. “Weren’t you two separated for over a month right after your honeymoon? That had to have been a bit more taxing than this, right?”

“I mean, it is, but that was just because we were investing in getting a second home, which paid off immensely in the end. When we were apart for a month, we ended up finding the perfect place for both of our careers! But now it’s over half that time, and…”

As he paused, he didn’t seem to notice Sugar and Mrs Cake’s worried expressions. Instead, Canvas looked away from the two, before he huffed out in thought. “... I dunno. I... I think it’s just been harder for me to justify my art, that’s all...”

“Oh!” Mrs Cake rolled her eyes with a sigh, and quickly got around the counter so she could give Canvas a hug. “Canvas, you have nothing to worry about! I know you’re missing Troy, but I can guarantee you that he’s missing you just as much back in Manehattan. And he’s been busy with his career, just like youhave. If anyone understands how important your work is, it would be him.”

Canvas may have already known that obvious fact, but he still appreciated Mrs Cake’s assurances enough to return her hug with his own. “Th-Thanks, Mrs Cake,” he said before the two pulled back, giving the stallion just enough time to glance away and wipe his eyes with a foreleg. Tenor let out a concerned whinny, and perked his head up when he saw something on his owner. Meanwhile, Canvas tried to keep himself from sounding too emotional as he said, “Honestly, I was thinking of surprising Troy by meeting him outside his dressing room or something. Heh heh heh… I remember one time, he was just finishing a workout, and he was wearing this white tank top that was soaked in--”

“Ohmigosh!” shouted Mrs Cake, who took a couple steps back while her eyes were bulging. “Canvas, you’re glowing!”

“Hmm? OH!” Canvas quickly covered his face with a hoof, and already felt his cheeks getting a little hotter out of embarrassment. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think I could blush that hard so quickly.”

“No, Canvas!” shouted Sugar Belle. When he looked over at her, his head reeled back; she looked just as freaked-out as Mrs Cake, and was pointing a hoof at his backside. “Look at your Cutie Mark! You’re literally glowing!!”

“Wait, what!?” Canvas instantly whipped his head around, and gasped with a profound jolt. “GAHHH!!”

Canvas’ eyes were as wide as saucers, and he could barely register Tenor’s bellowing barks in response to his owner’s Cutie Mark glowing brightly against his flank. A concentrated beam of light was spewing out from around Canvas’ paintbrush and palette, which sent the faintest pulsations up the nerves of his legs to indicate its presence. Mrs Cake and Sugar Belle looked back at each other in awe, both of them already aware of what was occurring. It hadn’t happened since Celestia was still the Ruler of Equestria, but it hadn’t been long enough for Canvas to not realize what it was either.

“Oh my gosh… Oh my GOSH!!” Though a million thoughts and feelings were coursing through his system, the first thing that Canvas could think to do was look back at the two mares, his eyes unblinking. “I… I’m summoned by the Cutie Map!”

“You’re summoned by the Cutie Map!” shouted out both mares at the same time, who immediately rushed up to Canvas in excitement. Sugar Belle hopped over the counter to give the stallion a hug, as did Mrs Cake who was giggling in delight. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe it! Canvas, you can’t ignore something like this!”

“Psh~ Are you kidding?!” Canvas shot the mare a gawking smirk. “Of course I’m not going to ignore this! I need to get to the Cutie Map right now!”

Canvas scarfed down the entirety of his apple fritter in one go before bolting out of the bakery. Tenor rushed off after his owner, barking like mad for the excitement he wasn’t able to understand. As soon as the stallion exited the shop, Mrs Cake and Sugar Belle couldn’t help staring back at each other with their mouths agape.

“Oh, wow…” Sugar Belle looked utterly floored from witnessing such a moment up-close, and huffed with a curious smirk. “Do you think Troy got a summoning too?”

“Wait, would he be ableto?” asked Mrs Cake. “Have there been any species other than ponieswho got summoned by the Cutie Map?”

“Um, I think Spikedid, actually,” noted Sugar after a second or two of contemplation. “Although now that we’re asking questions about the Cutie Map, I have to wonder…”

Just then, the bell above the front door dinged again. The two mares glanced over to see Canvas sheepishly returning to the counter. His cheeks were reddened with an embarrassed blush, and his muzzle was pursed shut. But alas, Canvas couldn’t ignore the awkwardness, and asked in a meager tone, “Uhhh… Where’s the Cutie Map at? Like… is it still at the old castle, or did Twilight move it to Canterlot?”

Mrs Cake’s brows rose up in surprise, mostly because she didn’t know that answer. When she looked back at her employee, Sugar Belle appeared as blushed as Canvas. “Uhhh… that’s what I was about to ask…”

Chapter Two

Three Hours Later

It had just reached mid-morning in Canterlot, and the sun was shining beautifully over the regal city. Just outside Canterlot Castle, a couple Royal Guards were standing at attention outside the main doors. Both of their ears could be seen twitching incessantly, mostly due to the constant sound of leathery flapping just above their heads. Meanwhile, Equestria’s newest Royal Advisor was hovering anxiously in wait, his wings fluttering against his back and his claws holding onto a long parchment he was reading over studiously.

“Hmmmmm…” Spike, who as of recently became the highest-ranking dragon in all of Equestria (at least by legal standards), sighed to himself as he scanned over the list of tasks he and Twilight Sparkle had to complete that day. The vast number of unchecked boxes caused his lips to purse in tightly, but he tried not to feel too overwhelmed. Though his newfound duties made his previous work look like foal’s play, the only thing going through Spike’s mind was the delay of an important appointment. One of his claws flicked the side of the parchment impatiently as he gazed upon the stunning view of the Equestrian landscapes below. “Jeeze, I hope they don’t hold us up too long,” he muttered under his breath. “By this point, I’ll never get my bubble bath.”

Both of the Guards rolled their eyes in response, but said nothing about it out-loud. Off in the distance, a small speck in the sky quickly caught Spike’s interest. The dragon’s eyes widened as he flew up a couple more feet, giving him a slightly better vantage point to see who was coming in. As the speck grew larger, it didn’t take long before the Guards could see who it was too. At the front, two pegasus Guards were soaring in with a large carriage latched behind them: a Royal Escort. Strangely enough, even as the escort flew in closer, it was hard for Spike to make out who was in the carriage.

That was because Canvas was hunched down on the carriage floor, clinging for dear life with his eyes clenched shut. “Nnngh… Sweet mother of Celestia, when is this thing going to touch ground again!?!”

The very moment Canvas’ carriage carefully landed before Canterlot Castle, the stallion bursted out to flop ungraciously onto the ground. Both of the pegasus guards groaned in a mixture of exhaustion and annoyance, and were quick to unlatch themselves from the chariot while Canvas was busy hugging the cold marble. “Oh, Moons yes!” he exclaimed . “Ugh, I can’t believe I agreed to take that instead of the train…”

As the tired pegasus Guards walked back into the castle, the Guards standing by the door struggled not to giggle at Canvas’ antics. Meanwhile, Spike hovered down towards Canvas with a puzzled look. “Wait, are you seriously afraid of heights?” he asked while trying not to sound too confused. “How the heck could that be?! I saw you riding on your husband’s back like, a hundred times!”

Canvas paused briefly enough to catch the dragon’s point, and blushed as he pulled himself up. Right after his remark though, Spike addressed his Guards, “I mean that literally, you two! His husband is a gryphon. I didn’t mean anything suggestive, alright?”

Both Guards averted their eyes, trying to keep their muzzles straight. Fortunately for Spike, Canvas caught his attention again as he explained himself. “I mean, I’m not usually afraid of heights. I’ve just never been that high up before. And especially not in a tiny little carriage while wind is gusting all around me!”

Spike glanced over the castle’s front balcony, which gave a stellar view of Equestria that went for several dozen miles. Upon seeing how high the castle really was in comparison to Ponyville, Spike cringed in regret. After landing the ground to rest his wings, Spike looked back at Canvas and said, “Well, remember when Twilight first got her wings? She was still learning how to fly when I was riding on her back without any protection, and she flew straight from up hereto Ponyville! If anything, you should be lucky you had a safer trip.”

From the way Canvas’ muzzle wrinkled tightly, it seemed that he had a few opinions of his own that would contest the dragon’s. However, the stallion refrained from saying anything offensive off the top of his head towards Twilight’s Royal Advisor. Instead, he took a second before sighing with a roll of his eyes. “Well… Okay yeah, that does sound a lot worse. And… It really means a lot that you and Twilight arranged for somepony to pick me up, so thank you.”

Canvas may have been rightfully frazzled, but his gratitude was sincere enough to make Spike smile. “Hey, it’s no problem,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I mean, we did move the Cutie Map up to Canterlot recently, so it seemed only fair to arrange some transport for someone already in Ponyville, you know?”

Canvas nodded with a more natural smile. As he reflected back on how quickly Twilight gave a response to his Cutie Mark activating, he was genuinely impressed by the Princess’ swiftness for action. Canvas wasn’t even halfway to the Castle of Friendship before two Guards swooped down with a carriage, and requested him to come along for the summoning. While he may have much rather had just bought a train ticket instead, Canvas could understand why Twilight and Spike wanted him in Canterlot ASAP.

“Anyway, come on!” Spike’s wings flapped loudly as he zoomed up and hovered in the air to be at eye-level with Canvas. “Twilight’s already waiting by the Cutie Map to give you your intel!”

With that, Spike flew back to the open doors of the castle to lead the way. Both of the Guards pulled their spears aside, allowing Canvas to follow the dragon briskly. Since Tenor was back in Ponyville to be looked over by Fluttershy, Canvas only had to worry about his own pace as he trotted behind Spike down the spacious halls. Although, that in itself was hard for Canvas to solely focus on while his attention was being grabbed by the lavish architecture that adorned the walls and ceiling.

“Whoooaa…” Canvas may have trotted down the halls of Canterlot Castle before, but he was still taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the place. Spike chuckled to himself when he overheard Canvas’ reaction. “I gotta say,” remarked Canvas with an impressed shake of his head, “I wouldn’t have guessed that you and Twilight would ever find a place as nice as the Castle of Friendship. But I guess I was wrong.”

“Well, we technically have lived here before Ponyville,” noted Spike. “Buuut I can see what you mean. The old castle really wasawesome.”

Canvas’ eyes widened. “Hey, since we’re able to talk, I was meaning to ask something. When Twilight was crowned as Ruler, how come she didn’t just change the capital from Canterlot to Ponyville? All of my In-Laws thought that was gonna happen when Tirek blew up this place.”

“You know, I actually suggested that same idea,” Spike admitted. “Though I was thinking more about Twilight being with all her friends when I asked her about it. But from what she told me, it would be impossible to change capitals that easily, since there’s a ton of legal red tape that would take decades to comb through. Not to mention, it would be a huge economic blow to the country to switch out one city for another, and Twilight wasn’t willing to start her rule with something like that.”

“Yeah, I suppose so…” Canvas may have thought his family’s theory was a fair one, but hearing Spike’s perspective really helped to add some much-needed logic to the equation. He may have been the brightest stallion back in his high school, but Canvas knew that his personal knowledge of law and leadership was nothing compared to Princess Twilight’s. Plus, considering how many ponies made a living in Canterlot, it probably would’ve been selfish of Twilight to uproot centuries of tradition for the sake of being a little closer to her friends. “Soooo, can you tell me anything about my Friendship Mission?” he asked curiously.

“I honestly don’t know much,” answered Spike with an apologetic shrug back at the pony. “I was actually in the kitchen when Twilight messaged me about it. All she said was for me to send an escort for you, and a telegram to your husband so he knew what was up.”

“Oh, thanks for doing that!” said Canvas thankfully. “And… I’m guessing that Troy wasn’t summoned too?”

Spike could see the disappointment in Canvas’ expression, and sighed when he shook his head. “Sorry, dude,” he said sincerely. “I’m pretty sure it was just you.”

“Oh…” Canvas knew that ponies had gone on solo Friendship Missions before (including the very dragon hovering above him), but that wasn’t enough to keep his worries away. Despite how relatively safe most of the Cutie Map summonings were, the stallion was secretly hoping that he wouldn’t have to solve a friendship problem all alone. But alas, with his husband back in Manehattan, and their dog safely being tended to at Fluttershy’s cottage, all that Canvas could do was ponder what the map would want with somepony like him. Unfortunately, as soon as that question came into his head, it was followed by a myriad of other concerns that caused his face to redden immensely.

By the time he and Spike reached the entryway to the Throne Room, Canvas had to take a couple deep breaths to prepare himself for wherever he was slated to go. He tried his hardest not to make any assumptions, but the fact that it was only him was leaving him to guess a few locations right off the bat. But instead of trying to ask Spike about that detail, his attention was brought towards the large pedestal at the end of the room that carried two large chairs. On the left was a lavish-looking bench, while right beside it was the massive throne that carried the engravings of Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark. And right beside those two empty seats, the Alicorn herself was standing among a group of ponies who were all circled around her with various forms in their magical auras.

“Alright, just a couple signatures here… and, here…” Twilight Sparkle may have been wearing her Royal Regalia and crown to emphasize her new title as Ruler, but her look of concentration was more than familiar to Canvas of her time as a librarian. The Princess’ horn was brightly lit while holding three separate quills in her lavender magic, each moving about individually to sign the multiple forms hovering in front of her face. Spike landed back on the ground to stand beside Canvas, and the two waited silently while watching Twilight hard at work. “Hmmm… that looks about right,” she muttered while scanning the last of the lengthy documents, before she nodded her head and gave the bottom line her signature. “And we got it! Thank you all for agreeing to have this exchange on such short notice.”

“No, thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle!” One of the Nobles circled around her gave an overly gracious bow, and was tightly clutching his signed form to his chest. “It means absolutely everything for us to be in your presence, your Majesty~”

Twilight tried her hardest to give a thankful smile towards the grovelling Nobles. From Spike and Canvas’ perspective, however, the Princess looked unbelievably uncomfortable. Fortunately for the Alicorn, as soon as the ponies got up on their hooves again, they quickly walked backwards out of the Throne Room, all the while repeatedly bowing their heads. Canvas couldn’t even look at them without wincing, and instead tried to keep his attention on the Princess herself. Luckily, Canvas’s presence was more than enough to make Twilight smile naturally again. “Oh, there you are, Canvas!”

She quickly trotted up to the two, and kept her sights on Canvas as she asked, “Was the flight up to Canterlot alright? I know it was a little unconventional, but I also know from experience how important these summonings can be.”

“Oh, it’s perfectly alright, Princess Twilight,” assured Canvas with a weak smile. “The flight was actually pretty nice.”

Canvas didn’t need to glance over to Spike to feelhis judgemental stare. Fortunately, the Advisor didn’t attempt to call out Canvas on his lie before Twilight spoke. “Well, as long as you’re here, we don’t have any time to waste!”

She motioned her head for the two to follow, and lit up her horn as she walked towards the middle of the Throne Room. Several of the Guards posted around the perimeter stepped back to give the Princess some additional room, which allowed Canvas to see the large circular groove that was embedded in the middle of the floor. A bright surge of magic emitted from the tip of Twilight’s horn, and Canvas’ eyes widened as he witnessed that circular grove illuminate with the same lavender hue as her aura. Then, the Alicorn reeled her head back, her magic condensing into a singular stream that took hold of the groove, and raised it up from the ground slowly.

“Whoa…” Canvas blinked in confoundment, not expecting to see that the Cutie Map was actually installed into the floor of the Throne Room. He remembered how back at the Castle of Friendship, the table was simply placed in the middle of its throne room for anypony to come by and see. But for thiscastle, it seemed that Twilight took advantage of the massive construction efforts that occurred following the Legion of Doom’s defeat. While the Princess finished lifting up the table to reveal Canvas’ quest, Spike smirked pridefully upon seeing the stallion’s stunned reaction.

“Heh~” said the dragon, crossing his arms over his chest. “I knew that convincing her to build the Cutie Map into the floor would be worth it.”

Canvas paid no heed to Spike’s comment, but continued to stare at the table as it fully surfaced. All seven of the Elements’ chairs (including Spike’s) were also lifted up to surround the table, even though none of them were planned to be used yet. As soon as the map was fully unsheathed, a sudden blast of Twilight’s magic struck the middle of the blank stone, activating its power. And with that, Canvas reeled back in surprise as he saw the gargantuan topography of Equestria spring to holographic life across the surface. “H-HOLY!!”

He knew that the Cutie Map had such abilities, but seeing them up-close was a completely unexpected experience. The entirety of Equestria, as well as most of its surrounding nations, were all situated within the circular confines of the large table. When Canvas leaned in closer to get a better look, his muzzle went agape from the sheer detail that he could see within every square inch. Everything from the smallest house in the streets, to the thickest plumage of forests around the mountainscapes, were all shown in pristine quality to leave the stallion speechless. If he were to even try painting a map of Equestria this precise, it would likely take years for him to complete it in its entirety; but right here, the map was able to show it all with the flash of Twilight’s horn.

“So according to the map,” said Twilight, catching Canvas’ attention. “It seems that your Cutie Mark is directing you to go… here.”

Canvas looked over to where the Alicorn was pointing, and quickly saw the glowing avatar of his cutie mark hovering with a spin over its destination. The stallion may have been initially worried about such a reveal, but his eyes widened in surprise before he let out a very relieved sigh. “Oh, thank goodness!” he exclaimed as his knees buckled, forcing him to grip the side of the table to keep from falling. While Twilight and Spike shot a look at each other, the artist had to take a couple deep breaths with his eyes closed. “Whooo… Okay, I’m good… Sorry, I was just really worried I was being sent to Gallop Creek.”

That admission got Twilight to roll her eyes and huff with a smile. “Yeah, don’t worry, Canvas. Believe me, if you were, I would’ve given you a warning before you came here.”

She then looked back at the map itself, specifically at Canvas’ Cutie Mark floating over the miniature skyline of one of Equestria’s cities. Spike had to fly up in the air to get a good look. “Wait a minute, is that Baltimare?”

“Mmhmm,” said Twilight as she turned back to Canvas. “And I believe you’ve been there before, haven’t you?”

Canvas nodded in affirmation, but his expression seemed fairly confused as he stared down at his icon on the map. “I mean, I’ve been there a few times in my life, but… Honestly, the last time I was in Baltimare was years ago…”

The more he stared at that familiar city, the more baffled Canvas felt about the Cutie Map’s choice for his summoning. He didn’t want to question the magical mechanics of such a device, but that was mostly because he was sure that nopony truly understood how it worked. When he looked back at Twilight and Spike, he seemed unsure about what to say in response to his mission. But at the same time, the stallion couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, so… What am I actually supposed to do when I get there?”

The Princess and her Advisor looked at each other for a moment before giving the same shrug of their shoulders in unison. “Truthfully, it’s not really something that we can predictwith this process,” said Twilight apologetically. “I really wish I had more to tell you, Canvas. But from the information we currently have, all we can really say is that you were destined to go there.”

“Yeah, but like… Where?!” Canvas didn’t want to raise his voice, but he was already feeling a bit overwhelmed. “No offense, but that city is huge, your Highness! How am I supposed to find one friendship problem in a place that big?”

Spike, for all his lack of experience with the Cutie Map compared to Twilight’s, tried his best to quell Canvas’ nerves. “Ehhhhh… I mean, usually it takes a whilebefore ponies actually find the problem they were destined to solve. When Rarity and Applejack were summoned to Manehattan, they were there for a whole weekend.”

Though he knew a weekend wasn’t that long for a magical quest determined by fate, the idea still made Canvas’ muzzle skew uncomfortably. Fortunately, Princess Twilight was quick to add her owninput to better ease his mind. “And with every summoning I’ve been able to witness, I always saw one consistent trait that ensured that every mission was a success. Do you know what that is?”

Canvas meekly shook his head when he glanced back at her with a bitten lip. Twilight answered with a warm smile. “Every time someone was summoned by the Cutie Map, they were able to accomplish their mission through the traits they possessed. Whether it’s from one of the Elements using their traits, an old connection being reformed, or even just repairing a friendship problem that they caused…”

Spike’s head lowered guiltily and his eyes averted from the two. He was not keen on being pointed out as an example.

“...Every single one of them had everything in them to figure out what to do, or to set things in motion to help somebody elsein need.” Twilight reached out to place a hoof on Canvas’ shoulder, and looked him in the eyes with a genuine smile. “And after everything you’ve been able to accomplish, Canvas Clawston, I have absolutely no doubt that you can find your ownway to make this mission a success.”

Canvas blushed deeply as he nodded. He then took a couple steps back from Twilight, closing his eyes shut and breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself. Spike landed on the edge of the map so he could be standing equal to Twilight, but refrained from saying anything.

“W-Well, I…” Given how tightly Canvas’ face was scrunched in, it was obvious that he was still feeling hesitant at bestabout his abilities. But by the time his breathing came out smoothly, his reopened eyes showed something different. A second later, he gave the two a deep and respectful bow. “... I promise I won’t disappoint you, your Highness.”

Both Twilight and Spike grew relieved smiles, but the Princess was the first to step forward and give Canvas a hug. “Oh, you don’t have to be so cordial about it,” she said reassuredly, catching Canvas by surprise as he was wrapped tightly in her hooves. “Just do your best, and return to Canterlot when you solve your friendship problem.”

After overcoming his stunned state, Canvas sighed with a smile as he hugged the Alicorn in return. “Sure thing, Twilight… I promise.”

Spike went in to hug Canvas from behind, causing him to giggle from their overwhelming kindness. Nevertheless, by the time the three finally pulled apart, Canvas looked to be in much higher spirits than before. “Now before you go,” said Twilight as she floated out a small ticket with her magic. “I already made arrangements to book you an express train to Baltimare. From my estimations, you can get there by noon if you’re alright with a quick teleportation spell to the station.”

“Wow, really?” asked Canvas, who couldn’t help raising a brow with a smirk. “You know, I remember Celestia did that verysame thing for Troy and I when we first attended the Grand Galloping Gala together.”

The Alicorn’s eyes widened in surprise, but a thankful smile soon followed. “Well, it’s nice to know I’m following in her hoofsteps so easily.”

“You know…” Spike looked up at Canvas with a sly-looking smirk. “Considering how he had such a nice flight here by chariot, maybe he could just take another flight to Baltimare~”

Canvas shot the dragon a wide-eyed glare, but it was only met with a shit-eating grin from the Royal Advisor. Luckily for the two, Twilight didn’t notice either of their reactions as she stated, “Well, I already purchased his ticket, so that shouldn’t be necessary. Besides, the train is just as fast under these circumstances.”

“Y-Yeah, totally!” blurted Canvas, who was a little too quick to nod in agreement. “The train is completely fine.”

Despite the dragon’s cockiness, he still rolled his eyes before relenting. “Oh, alright, alright…”

Chapter Four

Back in Manehattan, the dress rehearsal for Troy’s Bridleway show was promptly put on hold following the gryphon’s discovery. Even the director of the show couldn’t help but talk with his peers about the news of a pony being summoned for a new Friendship Mission. There were multiple documented cases of the Cutie Mark-based phenomena, but this was the first summoning to happen after Twilight Sparkle was crowned as the new Ruler of Equestria. Plus, by the time Troy finally exited the dressing room, his frazzled state was apparent enough that he was no longer able to give a stellar performance for the day.

Fortunately for the gryphon, his years spent on Bridleway helped him to accumulate a surprisinglyhigh number of peers. As soon as word got out about his husband being summoned, Troy was met with half a dozen of his fellow actors insisting on taking him out to celebrate. The last thing Troy wanted to do was hang out with so many ponies at once, now that he was so justifiably overwhelmed over such news. But at the same time, the actor knew that he needed something strong to help ease his thoughts, especially the panicky ones dealing with the lack of information in Twilight’s telegram.

“Uuuuughhhhhh…” Troy groaned to himself while slumped over at the bar, slowly dragging one of his claws down his face. A couple empty glasses sat before him, and his other claw held his third round of scotch. Due to gryphon biology carrying a higher metabolism than ponies, Troy only felt the slightestbit buzzed from the copious amount of booze he’d ingested (so far). And to make matters worse, Troy still couldn’t stop thinking worriedly about his husband. “I just don’t see why I wasn’t summoned too…”

After downing his glass full of scotch like he was taking a shot, Troy slammed the glass down with a hard clack to join the others. He leaned back in his stool and breathed out hoarsely, not paying much notice to the fretful looks he was receiving from the ponies next to him. An older pink mare sitting to his side looked especiallyconcerned when she reached a hoof out and rested it on top of his claw. “Troy, honey,” she said in a near-pleading tone. “I know you’re worried about Canvas, but he’s going to be just fine! I mean, you’re not againsthim doing something like this, are you?”

“W-What!?” Troy reeled away from her so strongly that her sporty green mane whipped back from the profound gust of his wings. He stared at her like she just sprouted a second horn on her head. “NO! Of courseI’m not against it! Believe me, I couldn’t be happierfor him!”

After sighing hard in exasperation, Troy looked to his other side to see that his fellow actress friend, Minty Fresh, was looking just as worried. He groaned with a roll of his eyes in response. “Seriously, I am! Getting summoned for the Cutie Map is a huge deal, and I’m reallyproud of Canvas for getting a chance that rare! It’s just…”

Troy paused, exhaling silently while his face revealed a veil of unease. The mare on his right didn’t try to touch his claw again, but she still leaned in. “It’s just what, Troy?” she asked. “Seriously, I’ve known you guys since before you even got together, and I’ve neverseen you this worked-up before. Heck, usually he’s the one to have these kinds of freakouts when a painting deadline is coming up.”

Troy let out a huff that almost resembled a chuckle, accompanied with a weak-looking smile on his beak. Though he felt bad about acting so vague between the two mares, he was grateful to have a reminder like that from Canvas’ art promoter. “Yeah, I get what you mean, Glimmer,” he said, his brief smile fading. “I know how I might look to you guys right now, but… Can you even blame me at a time like this?!”

He sat upright while looking between Glimmer Heart and Minty Fresh with widened eyes. “I mean, Canvas was basically thrusted into an impromptu quest, which he has absolutely no way to prepare himself for! And right now, he’s off in a city he’s only been to two or three times in his life, and I can’t even be there to give him any support!”

“Oh, honey…” Glimmer Heart placed a hoof on his back while giving him a sympathetic pout. “Troy, you knowhe’s aware of your support, even from a completely different part of Equestria! Do you remember how long you two were apart right after your wedding?”

Troy rolled his eyes again. “Well, that’s another thing,” he grumbled. “Back when I was rehearsing for Hinny of the Hills, I actually knew when I’d be able to see Canvas again! We had schedules prepared and everything! Like, the wait may have been a lot longer, but at least I had a countdownto depend on. But with this, I have no idea how long he’ll be on this mission! A day? A week? A month!?”

“Troy,” said Minty. “I seriously doubt he’ll be on the friendship mission for that long. I’ve read articles in the Pony Times about Cutie Mark Summonings, and they usually only take a couple days at most.”

“Yeah, but I have no way of knowing that for sure…” As the gryphon sat with a perturbed stare down at his claws, he didn’t reach out for the fourth glass of scotch floating in front of him from the bartender. In fact, Troy didn’t even show any protest when Glimmer Heart used her magic to take the glass for herself. Instead, Troy reached a claw into his satchel, hanging on the side of the stool. He pulled out the lavender envelope that contained Twilight Sparkle’s telegram, as well as a secondary item that wasn’t expected by either of his friends:

A small, golden ticket that was tightly pinched between two of Troy’s talons.

“Wait, is that a ticket to Baltimare?” asked Glimmer. “Because if it is, you’re reallyoverworking yourself on this one.”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” asked Minty Fresh. “I mean, what’s stopping you from going out to see him right now?”

A bitter scowl appeared on Troy’s face. “Because Princess Twilight isn’t lettingme…”

While both mares’ eyes were widened in shock, Troy gave them legitimate proof with the telegram message itself. He handed his train ticket to Minty and said, “Look at the date listed on it! It’s scheduled for a train going out there tomorrow. Not for today.”

He held his telegram message with both claws, and began to read the bottom part of Twilight’s statement out loud. “‘Now, I’m aware that you’re probably wanting to go out to Baltimare right now and help your husband with this mission. But as much as it pains me to write this down, I need to be adamant about having Canvas complete his friendship mission by himself…’”

While he recited the Princess’ articulate letter, Minty hoofed Troy’s train ticket to Glimmer Heart so she could see he was telling the truth. Meanwhile, the gryphon’s voice was growing more agitated as he kept reading. “‘Please understand that while there isa lot about the Cutie Map that hasn’t been confirmed, I cannot let outside forces interfere with the progress one could make in regards to solving a friendship problem.’ Ugh! What the heck makes her think that I’d be an outside influence?! I’m his friggin’ husband!” He huffed to himself with a look of disdain before continuing his readthrough. “‘In the journeys I was fortunate enough to experience with the map myself, I’ve discovered that in most cases, the friendship problem can only be solved from the efforts of whomever has been summoned by it. And since Canvas’ Cutie Mark was the only one which was activated for this quest, it’s imperative that he at least has a chanceto accomplish it himself.’”

Troy then tossed the telegram down onto the bar beside his empty glasses. Meanwhile, Glimmer and Minty were carrying a shared pair of skewed muzzles to emphasize their uncertainty on the matter. Though the gryphon between them looked pissed, Glimmer Heart took a breath before speaking apprehensively. “Well… Honestly, I… I kinda agree with her on that one.”

“Wait, what?!” shouted Troy with a bewildered stare at her.

“No, she’s right, Troy!” added Minty Fresh. “That was mentioned in Pony Times too! There are even spell-mages who have been trying to figure out what the magical properties of the Cutie Map actually contain. But since it’s all on Elemental magic, and they have no means to define what the properties contain, the big consensus was that there… might actually be something like a prophecy embedded in it...”

The mention of such a daunting theory was enough to catch Troy and Glimmer’s attention immediately. Meanwhile, Minty motioned over to Glimmer and asked, “And you said you knew Canvas for a while, right? Can you say that he likely has a good chance to solve a friendship problem before Troy gets to Baltimare tomorrow?”

Troy looked back at Glimmer, watching her think for a moment before shrugging. “I mean… most likely, yeah. He’s one of the most dedicated artists I’ve ever met, and I knowhe has enough respect for Twilight to take a Cutie Mark summoning seriously.”

Troy was quick to throw up his claws. “H-Hey, hey! I’m not saying he couldn’t do it! I swear, I’m just as confident that he can solve whatever problem it is!”

Despite his sincerity, it was Minty who had to ask, “So… why are so worried about him doing this by himself?”

“Because I don’t know where he actually is! Literally all I know is that he’ll be in Baltimare tomorrow. No address or anything! And it just…”

With that last pause, Troy closed his eyes with a more distressed sigh before leaning himself against the bar. “... it just scares me…”

Both of the mares clutched their chests with understanding “Awws,” causing Troy to cringe through his embarrassed blush. Luckily for him, Glimmer Heart and Minty Fresh both leaned in to hug him from both sides in support. “Troy, there’s nothing wrong with being scared,” assured Glimmer sympathetically. “Canvas is probably just as worried about you, as you are about him.”

“Yeah, totally,” added Minty with a warm smile. “And you only have to wait a daybefore going out to see him yourself. Besides, considering how long you’ve been married to him, I’m sure you can figure out where he could’ve gone to, right?”

Even though that assumption was certainly easier said that done, Troy wasn’t one to deny her truthful point. By the time Glimmer Heart finished her drink, he was able to smile with a bit more buoyancy. “Y… Yeah. You guys are right. I… I really do need to trust Canvas on this…”

“That’s the spirit!” said Glimmer cheerfully, giving Troy’s shoulder a friendly jab of her hoof. “Canvas is a smart pony, and he usually has the best intentions with everything he does. Besides, what’s the worstthing he could do?”

Troy’s expression froze as he glanced up at the ceiling, and then strained. “... That’s really not the best question for me to think about right now.”

“Come one, come all!! To the Tenth Annual Baltimare Tattoo Convention!!~”

Canvas tried not to feel so hesitant as he stood outside the main doors of the Baltimare Convention Center. The massive building looked like something from an architecture magazine, with its symmetrical white framing to house the gigantic walls of glass that covered the outside. The banner for the weekend event was hanging proudly above the front doors, which were already wide open in invitation. Canvas had already purchased a weekend pass from a vendor at the ticket booth, but his muzzle was tightly pursed in worry of what was to come. He still wasn’t sure if this was the actual place he was destined to go as part of his Friendship Mission. Nevertheless, the stallion only needed a deep breath before swallowing his pride, and took the initiative to walk inside.

As soon as he entered the main space, which looked to be the size of several hoofball fields combined, Canvas’ eyes shot wide open when he saw how packed the venue really was. Tattoos were considered a fairly rare thing to see throughout Equestria, but Canvas would’ve never assumed that when he saw the hundreds, if not thousands of ponies that flooded the main hall. And as heavy metal music blasted over the main speakers above, the artist had to blink in awe over the chaotic energy that was flowing all around.

The convention center’s main room almost looked like a gigantic hangar, with its only features being a flat concrete floor and metal supports above to hold up the ceiling; but across every square foot of the gargantuan arena, Canvas saw rows upon rows of booth stations that advertised the countless artists providing their craft to ponies in attendance. Everywhere he looked, Canvas saw ponies of all shapes and sizes walking around with cheerful smiles on their faces, and at least some visible body art adorning their bodies. Most of the ponies Canvas saw had tattoos on their forelegs; though there were also quite a few who were sporting various designs over their necks, hind-legs, around their torsos, or even directly on their faces. There was also a plethora of ponies with varying amounts of piercings all over their bodies and faces, which caused Canvas to blush while touching the golden ring in his ear.

With the massive number of inked ponies, combined with the metal music thundering across the venue like an anthem, Canvas almost felt like he was attending a Talon Ripper concert. Of course, his ears twitched nervously as he overheard the faint, but still hair-raising drones of buzzing from all around. While he knew that tattoos usually involved specifically-made machines, it was still unnerving to hear all those metallic hums buzzing like a deadly swarm of hornets. Not to mention, Canvas could also hear the distinct sounds of ponies groaning, yelping, or even screaming in pain from the many booths all around.

“What did I get myself into?” Canvas thought to himself, already feeling apprehensive. Back in Manehattan, Canvas’ usual clientele were either super-rich types from high-elite backgrounds, or just common ponies who were wanting to spring the bits for a personal painting done by a professional. But in this space, Canvas felt completely out of place among all of the ponies who looked like extras in some post-apocalyptic movie. While he certainly wasn’t going to give up on his quest, Canvas’ muzzle was skewed with uncertainty as he walked through one of the aisles.

“GNNGHH!!” The very moment Canvas began to trot past one of the booths, the sound of a grimacing cry prompted him to look over towards the source. His brows raised in surprise when he saw four very unique individuals cramped in one of the small booths, which looked to only be meant for two or three ponies at most. The orange pony getting tattooed was sitting upright on what looked to be a massage table, with his back turned to Canvas to show off his half-finished portrait of a photorealistic tiger that was being etched from his neck to his tail. The stallion was groaning in agony with his teeth tightly gritted, while a gaudy handlebar mustache hung just below his snout. He was also wearing a frizzy blonde mullet atop his head, while his cutie mark revealed a cutesy tiger design intertwined with two crossbows. Both of his thin forelegs were covered in thick black lines to resemble tiger stripes, and each of his hooves were being held assuredly by a couple of stallions with equally tattooed bodies; one of them was a bald brute with a horrible looking set of teeth, while the other looked surprisingly cute in comparison. Meanwhile, behind the tiger enthusiast, an attractive zebra was seated on a stool with an array of colorful designs that were etched between his black stripes. He was holding a tattoo machine in his hoof tightly, and was working with expert precision as he dragged the buzzing device across the tiger enthusiast’s back to finish his portrait.

Canvas was fortunate to not be noticed by the trio of stallions, since his eyes repeatedly blinked in surprise when he noticed that all three of them had matching wedding bands on their hooves. “Oh, wow,” he muttered to himself before walking away from the impressive portrait. “And I thought Troy and I had a unique marriage…”

As he walked away from the booth, Canvas made a mental note to try and see that zebra again at a later time. He wanted to compliment him on what looked to be an amazing photorealistic piece, but he also didn’t want to disturb him while he was laying the hurt on that weirdo’s back. Fortunately, however, it didn’t take long for Canvas to see what other talented pieces were being worked on by tattoo artists as he continued on down the aisle. He only snuck a quick peek inside of each booth that had a tattoo in progress, but most of the designs he was able to see looked genuinely good from his artistic perspective.

There were also many artists that had large poster boards hung on display in front of their booths, which showed off the varying art pieces they were selling for application. Before Canvas even realized it, he was spending a good amount of time just examining every artists’ advertised pieces, and growing more impressed with the level of variety all around. Some artists had simplistic designs with bold black lines and highly-saturated colors, which resembled the types of tattoos Canvas would see on older stallions with military backgrounds. Other tattoo designs included softer colors and shading, as well as insane sketches that looked like drug-induced hallucinations. Canvas couldn’t say he had much knowledge of tattoos before entering this place, but he was quick to realize that there was a lot he could learn about the craft while he was there.

“Wait, Canvas? Is that you?”

“Hm?” Canvas was just at the end of the aisle when he heard an unknown voice from behind him. When he turned around, he was surprised to see a tall, slender red mare walking up to him with several piercings along her ears and snout. She had a straight white mane that went down to her shoulders, while a Victorian black choker was tightly latched around her neck. Canvas wasn’t able to see what her Cutie Mark was due to her wearing a green plaid skirt that barely went down to her knees. And across both of her thin forelegs, Canvas’ brows rose upon seeing the detailed white tribal designs that were perfectly symmetrical from shoulder to hoof.

“Oh my gosh, it is you!” The moment she got a good look at Canvas, the mare’s face lit up with a surprised smile. Canvas’ eyes widened, but he tried not to look so obviously confused himself. While it was clear that this mare knew him, Canvas couldn’t discern who the unicorn was from memory alone. But before he could say anything, she put out her hoof and spoke. “Wow, it’s been a longtime since we last met up! How have you been?”

“Ummm…” Despite how badly his mind was drawing a blank, Canvas was able to nod with a friendly smile and shake her hoof politely. He wished he could ask who she was, but her cheerful demeanor left him feeling too guilty to admit he didn’t remember her. “I-I’ve been good,” he said, trying to keep conversation with the hope that he could figure it out before she grew suspicious. “Yeah, I… I actually just got here a little while earlier.”

After letting go of her hoof, Canvas tried to keep his smile from looking too flustered or shameful. “So, uhhh… How have you been? You… You seem like you’ve been doing pretty well for yourself...”

Canvas hoped that his statement was casual enough to elicit a friendly response from the unicorn. Unfortunately, a couple of awkward seconds of silence passed between them, causing Canvas’ smile to grow more sheepish. Meanwhile, the mare’s smile lessened a bit before she asked, “... You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Canvas winced with a clenched expression. “No. I’m really sorry. I’m usually really good with names and faces, but--”

“No, it’s alright!” Surprisingly enough, the mare was quick to interrupt his apology. “Seriously, it’s cool. Believe me, I completelyunderstand.”

Canvas was unsure how to feel about her looking so naturally happy over not being remembered. As for the mare, she ended up looking away from him, and rubbed one of her forelegs with a hoof. “Honestly… I’m kinda gratefulthat you didn’t recognize me…”

Canvas tilted his head, now even more confused. “Wait, what?”

“Oh, nothing! Nothing…” She huffed with a faint blush across her cheeks. “It’s just, uhhhh… I really don’t blame you for not recognizing me, since… Well… I kinda changed a lotsince we last met…”

“Really?” Now Canvas was growing curious, and his eyes narrowed on her with intrigue. “Wait, when did we actually meet? Because I could’ve swornI would’ve remembered you.”

“Yeah, probably nowadays,” she said with a light chuckle that emphasized her voice being slightly deeper than Canvas would’ve expected. Her smile slowly lessened a bit more, and she took a second to keep from clenching her muzzle. “But, uhhh… Back when we first met, it was… actually during the Canterlot Art Show.”

Canvas’ eyes widened immensely. “Wait, you were there?! You mean the show where Celestia showed up?”

“Yep!” She tried not to look too nervous, but an involuntary giggle slipped out regardless. “Heh heh heh… Geeze, it’s still weird to think all of that actually happened.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean…” Canvas nodded, not denying the fact that the Canterlot exhibition was one of the biggest moments of his personal life. Not only was it the night that his hard work was recognized by one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria, but it was also the night that he and Troy started their relationship. But despite how memorable the evening really was, Canvas’ expression skewed confusedly before asking the mare, “Wait a minute, you were one of the artists? Because I remember that night pretty well, and I don’t remember any…”

Before Canvas could finish his point, his words trailed off when he took notice of the mare’s expression. She looked away from him without saying anything, and her lips tightly pursed in intense worry. Meanwhile, Canvas’ eyes started to widen in realization. Originally, he was going to point out how he didn’t remember any mares with a red coat being part of the show in Canterlot that night. However, it didn’t take long for Canvas to realize that there actually was a pony with a red coat and white mane who was present at that exhibition. In fact, he could recall that they received a huge reaction with their macabre paintings from the Canterlot elite, as well as Celestia herself who complimented them on their work.

Of course, Canvas also recalled that back then, that red and white pony was a stallion.

“... Wait, you… You’re…” Canvas couldn’t stop blinking as the realization began to set in. By this point, the mare was looking legitimately nervous while avoiding his awe-stricken gaze. He knew that the question he was about to ask was unbelievablyrisky, since he had no idea whether or not his assumption was actually true. But before the silence between them could grow any more awkward, Canvas decided to bite the bullet. “... Flamingo Fire?”

She reeled back from Canvas with a shocked look on her face, and needed a moment before letting out a surprised huff. “Oh, w-wow! I… I honestly didn’t think you remembered my name...”

Canvas’ jaw went agape, but he covered it with a promptly-placed hoof over his mouth. “Holy!” He had to stop himself from saying anything else, not wanting to offend the mare upon learning such a reveal. Fortunately for Flamingo’s sake, it didn’t take long before Canvas lowered his hoof again, and revealed a captivated smile on his face. “Oh my gosh, I… I never would’ve guessed! You look incredible!”

Flamingo looked away with a bashful smile while covering her face with a hoof. “Uhhh… Th-Thanks.”

“Seriously, no wonder I didn’t recognize you!” Canvas didn’t want to accidentally say anything offensive, but he couldn’t help chuckling to himself. Although he did quickly add, “Oh! I’m sorry, ummm… Do you go by a new name now?”

“No, I still go by Flamingo,” she said with a shake of her head while giving him a thankful smile. “Don’t worry, you didn’t dead-name me or anything. Although I really appreciate you asking, though.”

“Hey, I didn’t want to offendyou.” Canvas shrugged as he smiled back at her, not showing any discomfort at all. “Besides, I have a place in Manehattanwhere I’ve been painting commissions for the last few years. I’ve done pieces for a few transgender clients before, so it’s no big deal to me.”

“Well, that’s good to know.” Flamingo Fire smiled a bit wider. “Wait, you live in Manehattannow? I remember you mentioned owning a house in Ponyville the last time we talked.”

“Well, it’s technically a barn converted to a home, but I actually still own that place with my husband. We ended up getting a second place in Manehattan when he started performing on Bridleway.”

“Holy crap!” Due to how many new details were brought up in those two sentences alone, Flamingo seemed genuinely shocked. “That has to be, like… one of the most casual humble-brags I’ve heard in a longtime!”

The mare giggled at how deep Canvas’ blush got, and how quickly he looked away from her in embarrassment. “S-Sorry, I wasn’t trying to do that!” he stammered. “I was just saying--”

“No you’re fine. Seriously, I get it. I mean, you were the one to make it super big after that Canterlot show…”

Canvas nodded with an apprehensive shrug, but the mention of that night caused him to realize how differently their lives went following that night. It had been yearssince that Canterlot show, and he hadn’t heard anything about the other artists who were present since. Even though they were all just as artistically talented as himself, Canvas felt guilty over how he was the only one to really succeed on that path. And even with Flamingo Fire remaining friendly and cordial now, Canvas tried not to wince as his face took a saddened look.

“Yeah, ummm… I guess things havechanged a lot for both of us…” Canvas didn’t want to sound too depleted following her mention of the past, but he could see her expression change upon hearing his tonal shift. Because of that, the stallion tried to uplift the mood by asking her, “So, what have you been up to since then? I mean, career-wise.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty obvious from these,” she said while holding up one of her tattooed forelegs with a prideful smile. “I actually started apprenticing at a tattoo shop less than a monthafter that show. Since none of my paintings were purchased, I figured that it was better to use my talents for a less stuffyclientele.”

“Yeah, that totally makes sense,” noted Canvas with a pert nod. Even though he was used to dealing with uptight Canterlot types for paintings, he couldn’t deny how easily other artists would’ve turned hoof over time. “Although I gotta say, your paintings were really impressive! Heck, you even got Princess Celestia to compliment them.”

“Yeah, that really wasawesome. But still, I should’ve known better than to display a bunch of bloody artwork for ponies like that. If anything, I’m really glad that you were the one to get big from that night.”

“Really?” Though he was really grateful she didn’t hold any resentment, Canvas’ expression grew wary while scratching the back of his mane. “I mean… Thank you for telling me that, I just… I would’ve guessed that all of you hated me for getting all that attention.”

“Ehhhhhh…” Now it was Flamingo’s turn to look awkward, as she averted her amber eyes from him with a wince. “I mean… I don’t really know about the other artists, but… I was able to get past it by the time I started tattooing. Of course by that point, I was able to accept that I was taking a different path than I was destined for.”

“Yeah, I suppose that makes sense…” Canvas nodded while rubbing his chin, reflecting on Flamingo’s wording. The moment she said the word ‘destiny’, his brows perked up from the realization of what was actually happening. He stared back at the mare for a moment with better clarity, his eyes repeatedly blinking. Meanwhile, Flamingo Fire took enough notice of the stallion’s face to reel back with a weirded-out look.

“Ummm… is everything alright?”

“Y-Yeah, yeah!” Canvas quickly realized how he must’ve looked, and shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Sorry, I just… I think I realized something…”

Before she could ask what he meant, Canvas reached into his art bag to pull out the flier he kept from the train station. He stared down at that pink sheet of paper, the gears in his head turning a little faster to process his thoughts. As he reflected on everything that happened since his Cutie Mark activated that morning, his eyes widened from all of the coincidences that occurred since. Finding that bulletin board by random chance, then that specific flier among all the others to bring him here; and finally, reuniting with somepony whom he had met before, but never really befriended, who happened to be a fellow artist in a completely different medium from his own…

When all the pieces came together, Canvas looked back at Flamingo Fire to see her growing concerned. “Okay, what’s going on? You look like you just took something I should call a doctor about.”

“Sorry, I just…” Canvas took one last moment to look back down at the flier, and eventually, grew a smile on his muzzle. Baltimare may have been a big city, but the stallion was looking confident that he was already on the right track so far. After putting the flier back in his bag, Canvas turned his attention back to her. “This is going to sound really weird, but… I have a strong feeling we were meant to meet up today.”

“Wait, really?” she asked quizzically. “What do you mean?”

Canvas felt a newfound sense of determination, and asked Flamingo, “What I mean is… Do you happen to know about the Cutie Map?”

Author's Note

There are some character designs of Flamingo Fire, which were commissioned by the talented Not Quite Equine (aka SkullJoose), who you can support at their Ko-Fi here: https://ko-fi.com/skulljooce

Chapter Five

Canvas wasn’t sure how much he would need to tell Flamingo Fire about his situation, mostly because he was worried that she wouldn’t believe him. But much to his pleasant surprise, the mare seemed fairly intrigued by his tale while the two were waiting in line at the concession stand. By the time they received their orders, Flamingo had some questions of her own. “Wait a minute, so you’re telling me you weren’t even planning on coming to Baltimare today?!”

“Nope.” Canvas shook his head before taking a swig of his energy drink smoothie. “Mmm! That’s nice~ But yeah, I was back in Ponyville when my Cutie Mark lit up, and then I was flown out to Canterlot by some Royal Guards. After that, I took the train here, and when I arrived at the station I found this flier.”

Canvas hoofed Flamingo the pink convention poster, which she took via her pink magic. She scanned through the flier briefly, and her muzzle skewed while humming in thought. “Hmm… And you had absolutely no idea this convention was even happening?”

“To be honest, I didn’t think that conventions like this existed.” Canvas knew how stupid his statement may have sounded to Flamingo, since this sort of setting must’ve been commonplace for her. “Not that I’m againstit or anything! In fact, I can totallysee how tattooing could be this popular! I saw some really impressive pieces before you came up to me.”

“Oh really?” she asked curiously. “Anypony specific?”

Canvas tried to point off towards the direction of where they met. “Actually, I saw a greattiger portrait being done on some guy by a zebra back where we were at.”

“Oh, you mean Marzo!” chirped Flamingo with a chipper smile. “Yeah, I actually apprenticed for him when I first started tattooing! I work at my own shop nowadays, but he’s been really supportive of my work.”

Canvas’ face lit up “Wow, congratulations! I didn’t know you had your own studio.”

“Well, it's still fairly new, but business has been picking up as of recently. This convention is actually more for my work than anything else.”

Flamingo floated that flier back to Canvas, and then used her aura to pull out a sheet of her own from her bright pink purse. She unfolded what looked to be a large event schedule pamphlet, which also had a map of the entire center printed on the back. She showed Canvas the diagram while pointing a hoof at one of the listed booths, titled ‘Pins & Needles Studio.’ “See? This is actually my first time getting a booth for a place like this.”

“Oh, nice!” Canvas was impressed to learn that the mare had her own business, especially since he knew from experience how taxing such a thing could be. “Wait, if you’re here, then who’s at your booth?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said assuredly. “I’m not the onlyone who works at my studio. One of my other artists is tending to the stand right now while I went to get something to eat.”

Flamingo’s eyes widened in an instant, and she quickly reached for a walkie talkie that was strapped to the waistband of her skirt. She used her magic to float the device to her muzzle before clicking it on. “Hey, Cherry Bomb, you there?”

Canvas heard the walkie talkie click in Flamingo’s aura before another mare’s voice came through the speakers. “Yeah, I’m still here. What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” said Flamingo apologetically. “I just wanted to make sure things were alright. I kinda got caught up on my way to the concession stand.”

“Heh~ Lemme guess. The stand ran out of pickles already?”

Canvas almost burst out laughing, since Flamingo had purchased three individually-wrapped hot pickles alongside her smoothie. The mare huffed with a sharper blush while looking away from Canvas. “It’s not that. Actually, it’s… it’s kinda hard to explain right now. I’ll bring you up to speed when we get back.”

“Alright, stay safe!”

Flamingo Fire smiled and clipped her device back to her skirt. Meanwhile, Canvas’ brows rose up in surprise when he took notice of Flamingo using the pronoun ‘We’. When she glanced back at Canvas, she was smiling with interest as she asked, “So Canvas, you wanna stick around and learn more about tattooing? You seem like you’re already getting interested.”

On one hoof, Canvas couldn’t deny that he wasgrowing curious about the medium. He had only been at the convention for an hour at most, but he was definitely warming up to tattoos more than he would’ve expected. But on the other hoof, it was hard not to feel apprehensive when he could hear those constant drones of buzzing machines all around, as well as the sounds of various ponies groaning painfully. Regardless, when he saw the hopeful smile across Flamingo’s muzzle, Canvas began to blush optimistically himself. “Soooo… I’m guessing you believe me about my Friendship Mission, huh?”

“Honestly, I... kinda do,” she said, trying not to sound too weirded-out. “I mean, I certainly didn’t expect to see you again, let alone at a place like this. But at the same time… I can certainly agree that this all feels a lot more than just coincidence.”

“Exactly! Ohmigosh, thank you! I was honestly worried you’d think I was crazyor something.”

“I mean, I’m sure a lot of ponies might, but considering everything you told me about your summoning, it’s pretty weird how convenientlythings matched up for us to meet. Plus…”

Flamingo paused briefly with her lip bitten shut, taking a moment to contemplate what she wanted to say next. “... We never really had the chance to be friends back in Canterlot, so… If your theory about being here for your Cutie Mission is correct, then… maybe there might actually be a problem to solve between us.”

“You… You really think so?” asked Canvas, his expression appearing as contemplative as hers. “I mean, I was considering that too…”

Though he was really happy that both of them were on the same page, Canvas tried not to feel too hesitant about accepting Flamingo’s offer. Since Baltimare was a huge city, and he literally just showed up to the first place he could find to get some clues, it seemed a little hasty to double-down on her theory without considering alternatives. However, as Canvas thought about all that happened since that morning, the biggest thing to stand out in his mind were the words that Princess Twilight Sparkle told him:

... every single one of them had everything in them to figure out what to do, or to set things in motion to help somebody else in need.

With that reminder in mind, Canvas blinked with newfound clarity. After all, if this Cutie Mark Mission was meant solely for him, it only made sense that it would be for a problem that only he could solve. And given what Flamingo just said, Canvas knew that her theory carried far too much weight to ignore.

“You know what?” Canvas looked at Flamingo Fire in the eye, and nodded with a smile. “If your tattoos are just as good as your paintings were back in Canterlot, I would love to see you in action.”

Flamingo grinned with newfound determination. “Well, I can promise you that that I don’t plan to disappoint~”

When Canvas first arrived by train to Baltimare, he originally expected to be running all over the city in search of some vague interpretation of a friendship problem; but much to the relief of his hooves, Canvas had a feeling that most of the day would be spent inside of the Baltimare Convention Center. Flamingo Fire’s booth happened to be right near the middle of the venue, so he was within range of many prospective artists and curious attendees alike. But even with all the stellar designs he could see from the other artists set up around her, Canvas kept himself in Flamingo’s booth to learn about the technicalities of such a daunting skill.

“NNNGHHH!!” One of the first ponies that Flamingo Fire got to tattoo was a burly grey stallion who showed up to her booth less than five minutes after she and Canvas returned. He was a large pegasus who wore a nylon harness around his torso, which helped to keep his wings from springing out during the painful process. Luckily for Canvas, the stallion didn’t seem to mind having his artist explain the application as a large compass was being etched into his left shoulder.

“A lot of ponies assume that when it comes to tattooing, unicorns would have an advantage due to having magic at their disposal…” Even as she spoke, Flamingo was absolutely focused, with her eyes pinned on the thick black lines she was applying as symmetrically as possible. Both of her hooves were covered in thick black gloves, while her right was holding the actual tattoo machine firmly in her grasp. “But in all honesty, modern tattooing depends more on technical mechanics than anything else.”

Canvas nodded while staring down at the mare’s setup, which didn’t seem to depend on magic to be used. The tattoo machine in her hoof almost looked like some sort of hoof-held power tool, with a tiny plume of needles sticking out from the very tip to puncture into the skin. The device was connected to a thick wire that ran to a power source on the ground, which included a hoof-pedal for her to press down on while seated. Canvas was reminded of the mechanics of Rarity’s sewing machines back at the Carousel Boutique, which he knew were fairly easy to learn with a little practice. Before she could apply another line, Flamingo turned on her machine as she dipped the tip into a tiny cup of black ink beside her table.

“Another common misconception a lot of ponies have is how the tattooing process actually worksagainst fur.” After dragging a thick straight line down the stallion’s bicep, Flamingo paused briefly to rub some clear gel over his fur. The stallion was still wincing from the long swipe of her needles, but sighed deeply as she applied the ointment. “If anything though, tattooing for ponies is more like freeze branding than anything else.”

She looked back at Canvas while holding out her machine, allowing the artist to lean in and inspect the precise mechanics up-close. “Those needles are set up so they can only puncture the skin down to the dermis layer, which is right where his fur follicles are. It’s fast enough for the needles to sink in at leastfifty times per second, but it can be sped up to go in a couple thousand if desired.”

“Yeeeesh!” Canvas instantly brought a hoof up to clasp over his shoulder, just in case he started to feel the phantom pain the pegasus was experiencing. “And I thought getting tetanus shots was bad.”

“Yeah, I heard that onebefore,” she replied with a giggle, and then turned around in her stool to return to her work. "But anyway, each puncture strikes the nerves in a way that leaves a brief trauma to the hairs, which is actually reallyimportant. Ink is deposited into the dermis layer each time the needles sink in, which permanently soaks into the skin to change its color. And when the hair follicles are opened up, the ink also goes in there to change the fur’s color as well.”

“Oh, wow…” Canvas blinked while watching Flamingo making another long, slow drag to give another line to the design. From where he was sitting, Canvas couldn’t see anything off about the compass design. And even with the pegasus grunting hard through gritted teeth, Canvas could see that the ink wasleaving the affected fur a deep shade of black against his grey coat. “So… even if he gets his fur shaved, the tattoos would still be present?”

“Mmhmm. In a way, that makes tattoos stand out from Cutie Marks. If you shave a pony’s flanks, all you’d see is bare skin.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen that happen before,” said Canvas with a brief chuckle. “One of the students at the School of Friendship accidentally usedhair removerinstead of vaseline for some fire-proofing experiment, and ended up looking like an uncooked chicken.”

Canvas giggled to himself from the memory, even though he felt really bad for Sandbar for basically being nude for over a week. However, when Canvas realized Flamingo’s tattoo machine was no longer buzzing, he looked back to see both her and the stallion staring at him wide-eyed. It took Canvas a moment to realize what got them so alarmed, but he was quick to explain. “Oh! Sorry about that reference. My husband’s a gryphon, so I’m used to preparing meat for him. Heh heh heh…”

The artist cringed as he looked away from them awkwardly, not wanting to be judged for something he had been doing for years. Luckily for Canvas, Flamingo Fire processed that point for a second before shrugging her shoulders, and returning to her work. Meanwhile, the stallion she was tattooing looked away from Canvas, muttering under his breath. “Huh… gryphons eat birds? I would’ve guessed that’d be like, cannibalism…”

Canvas tried not to get too upset by that remark, keeping his muzzle shut while rolling his eyes. But before he could think to say anything, the mood was thankfully interrupted when he heard a deep voice from outside the booth. “Hey, Flamingo?”

“Hmm?” She paused to look up from her half-finished compass, and immediately grew a smile. “Oh hey, Marzo! What’s up?”

Canvas leaned forward to get a glimpse of the mare’s former mentor, and was happy to see it was the same artist who was working on the tiger piece he saw earlier. Now standing upright, the zebra looked rather intimidating with a tall and muscular physique; and with the various colorful tattoos that adorned the white sections of his striped fur, it was hard for Canvas to pull his eyes away from him. Canvas may have been a married stallion, but he was certain that even Troywould consider him to be cute. But while the stallion tried not to blush too notably, Marzo kept his eyes on Flamingo with a friendly smile. “Hey, you happen to have any extra mag pieces for my machine? I wanted to get the shading right for this girl wanting a Saint Bernard on her foreleg.”

Canvas gasped loudly enough to catch Marzo’s attention, turning to see the stallion wide-eyed with both hooves over his mouth. “Ohmigosh, can I see the design?! I love Saint Bernards!”

The zebra chuckled with a light shrug before glancing back at Flamingo. “It’s always the dog ponies who get super excited, right?”

“To be fair, he showed me pictures of his dog, Tenor. I gotta agree, they are adorable.” She lit up her horn to float out a small piece of metal from her toolkit, which looked to be a row of needles latched together in a straight line. “Here you go, Marzo. Oh, and that guy is Canvas, by the way. He’s an artist who I knew from a while back. I’m showing him the ropes about tattooing, but he could always learn more.”

Flamingo shot the stallion a cheeky smirk, and perked her thin brows to emphasize her intentions. Canvas’ blush deepened even more, but he wasn’t able to correct her before Marzo took notice. “Oh, really now?” he asked cheerfully, giving the stallion a raised brow with interest. “You know, she actually brought some photos of her dog, and I wouldn’t mind getting a second opinion about the application.”

“Oh, ummm…” Canvas wasn’t sure how to take such an offer, even though it was really tempting. He tried to point a hoof at Flamingo and say, “Well, I… I was kinda--”

“I actually think it’s a really good idea.” Flamingo motioned her head towards Marzo while looking back at Canvas. “Marzo’s one of the best artists I can recommend, and he taught me everything I know about tattooing. Besides, you said it yourself how impressive a lot of the designs are around here. This piece is gonna take a while, so it wouldn’t hurt to look around and educate yourself.”

Flamingo then reached into the bottom drawer of her toolbox, and pulled out a walkie talkie to hoof to Canvas. “Here, take this. If I have something new to show you, or know of anypony you should visit, I’ll hit you up with the details. I already know how important this trip is for you, and I wanna help out however I can.”

Canvas wasn’t sure how to feel about leaving Flamingo alone by herself, especially if she really was the pony he was supposed to help for his quest. However, he couldn’t deny how hard it would be to help a tattoo artist if he didn’t know anything about tattooing. And when he looked over at Marzo, the zebra seemed genuinely accepting of the idea of helping him out. “So, what do you say, Canvas? I honestly never did a Saint Bernard before, so some intel couldbe helpful.”

After taking one last glance back at Flamingo, who was getting back to her basic linework for the pegasus’ piece, Canvas only needed a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Well… I was curious about how you made that tiger piece so realistic.”

“Oh, you think that’s interesting?” Marzo huffed with a chuckle. “Trust me, the guy who got it is way more interesting to hear about! C’mon, I got some crazy stories about him!”

The zebra motioned for Canvas to follow, and Flamingo paused her work to assure him. “Seriously, it’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get the free time, I promise.”

With that, Canvas decided to place his trust in the mare, and nodded with a smile. “Alright then,” he said as he got out of his stool. “Hopefully I won’t feel like such a newbie by the time we meet up again.”

“That’s the spirit!” she said enthusiastically. “And who knows? Maybe you’ll be curious enough to get something for yourself~”

The mare giggled at Canvas’ deep blush, but she wasn’t able to see much more before he scurried out of the booth in a hurry. Fortunately, Marzo was quick to start some chit-chat with the stallion on their way to his booth. “Okay, so you saw those three guys earlier, right? Well let me tell you, the one with the mullet is one of the craziest ponies I ever met in my life…”

True to Flamingo Fire’s word, Canvas did end up learning a lot about the world of tattooing that day. Even though he would’ve preferred to learn more about the craft from Flamingo herself, it was hard to complain when he was being given so much personal education about the history and range of the medium. Not to mention, along with learning different tattoo styles and techniques from so many artists, Canvas also got to listen to ponies going under the needle.

“Aaahh!” Back at Marzo’s tattooing booth, which was named ‘Kupigwa juu ya Ink’, Canvas tried to keep conversation with the pudgy yellow mare who was lying on the tattoo table. Unlike most of the other attendees at the convention, the middle-aged pony looked just as out-of-place as Canvas himself; she didn’t have any other tattoos on her body, but was soldiering on to get her Saint Bernard engraved on her right shoulder. Fortunately for Marzo, who was working at a slow pace to keep the pain as minimal as possible, the mare gripped the edges of her table and refused to stop. “Nnnnghhh!! H-Holy moly, that smarts!”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you,” noted Canvas, trying not to cringe from the sight of Marzo’s machine digging deep into her foreleg. Of course, that was easier said than done when he could see tiny droplets of blood beginning to seep through the photorealistic portrait of her smiling dog. Canvas glanced over at the photograph Marzo was copying, and smiled at the photogenic dog with a big pink bow atop her head. “I will say though,” he added in an attempt to distract the mare from the pain. “The picture is looking reallygood from what I can see.”

“Thanks, man,” said Marzo with an appreciative nod. He pulled the machine away to dip the tip in a tiny cup of white ink. “I just gotta get the shading and light sources nailed-down next, and we’ll be good, Ms. Strawberry.”

“W-Well, that’s good to hear,” muttered Strawberry, trying to keep her eyes away from the zebra so she wouldn’t sneak a peek at the unfinished product. Instead, she looked over at Canvas while he was seated in a folding chair beside her. “Honestly, I kinda came here out of impulse, you know? I… I was really wanting to do something special to pay tribute to ol’ Dolly.”

Canvas nodded with a smile of his own, but tried not to look too saddened after hearing her story. “Yeah, I can understand what you mean. Tenor is basically like a sonto Troy and me, so I can only imagine how much you miss her.”

“Yeah… I really do…” The mare was carrying a wistful smile while trying not to tear up, although it was unclear if that was because of her memories or the needles driving into her shoulder. She sighed to herself before looking down at her hoof, which was holding an old pink collar with Dolly’s tag still attached. Strawberry closed her eyes to take a breath, and returned her sights on Canvas with a content smile. “But still, Dolly had an amazing life to the end, and she went peacefully enough. After all the years she spent by my side, it only seems fair to do something special to commemorate her.”

Canvas’ smile widened a little, happy to hear how at peace she was about such a somber moment. Meanwhile, Marzo decided to add to their discussion while dragging the mag needles across the chubby cheeks of the portrait. “Honestly, it’s tattoos like this that really make me grateful I got into the craft professionally. So many ponies assume that tattoos are just for thugs or low-lives, but they can also be meaningful to those who understand the impact. If you’re going to be carrying a piece of them for the rest of their lives, it’s important to go for something personal or special for you.”

“Exactly!” said Strawberry with a thankful smile. “I swear, when my cousin first recommended I try this, I thought he was completely nuts! But after thinkin’ about it for a while, I figured… Hey, why not have a picture of Dolly that I can always look at that’ll never get lost?”

“That’s a good point,” noted Canvas with a shrug. Though he doubted he could stomach getting a tattoo of Tenor anywhere on himself, it would definitely be something he would appreciate if it was the same quality as Strawberry’s design. Even with the piece three-quarters of the way completed, Canvas couldn’t deny how stellar Marzo’s portrait work really was.

“So, what do you think of my photorealism technique?” asked Marzo curiously. “I know it’s a bit of a leap from what Flamingo was drawing, but you seem to be paying attention fairly well.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Canvas glanced down at the small notebook he was holding in his hooves, which he had been using to jot down notes about the tattooing process. There were still a lot of details he wasn’t completely sure about, but he was already gaining a lot of respect for the intricate craft. Considering how tedious and detail-oriented it was (especially for a style like photorealism), Canvas was downright impressed that Marzo could lay down a portrait so flawlessly in one go. “I will say though, I would be terrified of trying to tattoo somepony like that. No offense, but a living pony is a bit less forgiving than a blank canvas board.”

Marzo and Strawberry both laughed from that truthful remark. “Yeah, I totally agree with you there!” said Marzo. “And to be honest, I’ve had a few mistakes when tattooing ponies in my past.”

He made sure to follow that up with a clarification to Strawberry. “But that was years ago when I was still learning. And even then, I was able to fix most of them fairly easily. It’s not as much what you do wrong with a tattoo, but what you can to to turn it around and make it right instead.”

Canvas smiled while rubbing his chin in thought, nodding at the zebra’s insight. But before he could think to ask anything else from Marzo, a distinct crackling hiss emanated from inside of his art bag. Canvas quickly reached into his satchel to pull out the walkie talkie, just as he heard Flamingo’s voice on the other end. “Hey Canvas! You still with Marzo?”

Canvas was quick to answer into the device. “Yeah, I’m still at his booth. He’s almost done with the Saint Bernard, and it looks fantastic!”

“Well, that’s not much of a surprise to hear. Anyway, Cherry Bomb has a new-school design she’s about to start back here. I really think you’ll appreciate seeing it yourself.”

A short amount of time later, Canvas was back at Flamingo Fire’s booth to see what her fellow artist was working on. The stallion with the compass tattoo had his piece finished while Canvas was gone, but Flamingo made sure to take some polaroids for him to see the final result. Canvas was really impressed by how symmetrical and well-saturated Flamingo’s design looked at the end; however, the stallion was even more intrigued by the tattoo her partner was placing on the hind-leg of a black Earth Pony.

“Oh, man…” Canvas was leaning in close to marvel at the sheer detail of Cherry Bomb’s design, which was a neon-colored mushroom cloud that stood out wonderfully against the stallion’s coat. Unlike the previous client Canvas watched, this guy already had a lot of simplistic pieces composed of white lines across both of his forelegs, as well as around his ankles. Meanwhile, Cherry Bomb’s tattoos were all over the place across her limbs and torso, as her white fur made it easy to give herself tons of colorful designs. And as the mare used her magic to tie up her frizzy green mane, Canvas tried to ask, “So, how long did you do tattooing before joining Flamingo’s shop?”

“Oh, about five years or so,” she said with a light shrug while focusing on the bright blue outlines that she was adding to the top of the design. “Of course, that was back when I was in prison for drug charges. But don’t worry, I’ve been clean ever since I was locked up, and I haven’t broken sobriety since. If anything, prison was one of the best things to happen to me.”

“Wow, really?” asked Canvas with a confounded look. Though he wasn’t judging the mare for being incarcerated -- especially since she was turning a new leaf -- Canvas never would’ve expected a pony to say such a statement. “How long did you serve?”

“Only ten months,” she answered casually enough. “But it was more than enough time for me to learn how to tattoo other inmates with a homemade stick-and-poke setup. By the time I was released, I was really getting into it! I was always into art as a filly, but well… other things got in the way to keep me from realizing my potential…”

Despite how morose that last part may have sounded, Cherry Bomb looked over at Flamingo with a cheerful smile across her pierced muzzle. “But still, I’m really grateful to have someone like Flamingo offer to give me a chance. Not many places would hire a convicted felon with tattoos all over her body, so it means a lot to make a living doing something I love.”

Canvas’ smile was just as wide as Flamingo’s, who was trying not to tear up while sketching something on a large sheet of paper. “J-Jeeze Cherry, c’mon,” she said as she looked away from her bashfully. Before Cherry Bomb could add anything else, Flamingo spoke to Canvas, “To be fair, we were both apprenticing under Marzo at around the same time. As soon as I got my shop opened, I would’ve been insane not to offer her a job with me. She really understood how much I was struggling during my first months of transitioning, and she was one of the most helpful mares I could’ve asked for.”

“Well, you certainly did need some help,” she retorted with a cheeky smirk. “You remember when you tried to use hoof-polish as an eye-liner?~”

“Ugh, you’re nevergoing to let that go, are you?” While Canvas giggled from that mental image, Flamingo rolled her eyes without looking too offended. “Honestly, I just wanted to see how they looked in that specific color. It’s not myfault I didn’t know how much that stuff would sting my eyes.”

“I dunno, Flamingo,” noted Canvas. “I’d probably realize that as soon as I smelled the bottle.”

“Oh, shut up!” Despite her warning remark, both of the mares ended up giggling in response to Canvas’ playful jab. Meanwhile, the stallion lying on Cherry Bomb’s table sighed with an impatient look on his face.

Canvas eventually found himself back at Marzo’s booth, but this time it was to study the technique of a differentartist. While the zebra was out to collect some supplies, one of his newer apprentices was busy at work applying an intricate tribal design across the back of a writhing mare. Unlike the other artists Canvas watched, this one wasn’t using a modern tattoo machine; instead, the blue pegasus was holding a long stick in his hoof that was the same girth as a pencil, which had a thin needle pinned to the tip. Unlike all the near-constant buzzing that Canvas could discern from all different directions, the only thing he could hear from the stallion’s technique were the faint pricks of needle to skin, as well as the pained groans from the mare beneath him.

Canvas wanted to pay close attention to the simplistic method, as well as the impressive design he was creating at a slow and steady pace. However, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at the tattoo artist himself. The pegasus looked to be much younger than Canvas, but he already had some thick black tribal designs across both sides of his face. He also had a tattoo that went down the side of his neck, which read the word ‘Redemption’ in a bold and artistic font. Canvas didn’t want to ask how a stallion his age got such drastic body art, but his eyes couldn’t help glancing down at his hooves; unlike the other artists Canvas met, the pegasus’ forelegs were laid bare while severely scarred from elbow to wrist.

“I honestly don’t have any problem with tattooing with machines,” he said with a shrug while repeatedly jabbing the tip of his stick into her back. “But after I started working with Marzo, he got me to try stick-and-poke as an alternative. It’s actually way less stressful for me to handle, so I like getting to do it whenever I can.”

Canvas nodded silently, and shot a glance down at the artist’s hind-legs to see what he meant. All down the length of both legs, he had what looked to be dozens of individual designs of varying color and quality. “So, did you do all those pieces on your legs yourself?” he asked curiously.

“Yep!” he said with a prideful smile while stretching out one of his legs, which allowed Canvas to see several more intricate pieces that adorned the back end of his calf. “It was actually a great way to practice the techniques before doing it on others. Marzo did the same thing with the tribal across his wrists. He told me that if I wanted ponies to wear my art, I should at least prove they’re good enough by wearing them myself.”

Despite how daunting it was to imagine putting himself through such a painful endeavour, Canvas couldn’t refute the pony’s point by any means. “Hmmm… Yeah, I can totally understand that.”

“Not to mention…” With that pause, the stallion pulled back from his work to inspect his progress, nodding in approval over how symmetrical and full-bodied his lines were looking. The mare on the table sighed in relief as he used a small dab of ointment to rub across the irritated skin. “... Given what I went through, it really meant a lot to get the chance to change up my appearance from what I had before…”

Canvas’ muzzle pursed tightly in sympathy, not needing to clarify what he was referring to. Even though he was worried about asking for details, he couldn’t help but do so. “So… Is that why you got those face tattoos?”

“Pretty much,” he replied casually with a smile, dipping the tip of his needle into a cup of black ink. “Back when I was in college, I was stupid enough to try cooking hay fries in my dorm room with a pot of oil over a hot-plate. As soon as the pot started boiling over, I freaked out and tried to put out the flames with water, and…”

Both Canvas and the mare getting tattooed cringed hard from that mental image. While he couldn’t blame the artist for not knowing how to put out a grease fire, he could only imagine how horrible the aftermath of such an ordeal would’ve been. “Dude, I’m so sorry,” he said sincerely.

“Hey, don’t be!” When he looked back at Canvas, his smile was natural as could be between his tribal tats. “To be fair, I only went to college because my Dad was pushing me to be a doctor like himself. But since I couldn’t really use my hoovestoo well after that incident, he didn’t try to stop me when I dropped out. It took him a while before he accepted my choice to go into tattooing, but nowadays he’s really supportive of the work I’ve done.”

He then brought a hoof up to one of his cheeks, pausing briefly enough to feel the tiny indentations that went down each individual line. “And when I realized that this was the career I wanted to dedicate myself to, it strangely made sense to get my face tattooed. My Dad always told me, ‘High Flier, when you have a dream you believe in, you put everything into it to make them come true.’ So when I found my calling in tattooing, I decided to take his advice.”

“Oh, jeeze,” muttered the mare, her muzzle nestled in a face-hole in the table. “I wish I was a fly on the wall when you went home and showed him that!”

“Oh, moons yeah!” he exclaimed with a hearty chuckle. “I swear, that was the only time I ever saw him cry. Not that I blame him though. I’m mostly just grateful he was able to move past it and see the work I put on others.”

“Well, I think it’s really cool you were able to make a commitment like that,” said Canvas with a genuine smile towards High Flier. “Not to mention, you kinda rock those tattoos if I say so myself.”

“Thanks, man! I know that I get a ton of looks from ponies when I walk around in public, but…” With a light shrug, High Flier held up his scarred hooves and said, “Well, ponies were already staring at these, so I might as well move their focus on something I did intentionally.”

All three of them were laughing, with Canvas smiling comfortably. He never thought he’d have such a nice conversation with a pony with face tattoos, but it was surprisingly easy for him to look past High Flier’s body art to see who he was all-around.

Just as the sun was beginning to set outside Baltimare, Canvas was sitting outside of Flamingo’s booth again to witness a group tattooing. The inside of the booth was crammed with a family of four, who were each getting matching pieces just above their right wrists. The husband and wife already got their designs, which happened to be a simplistic yellow smiley face. And as the teenaged son grimaced under the needle of Flamingo’s machine, his older sister was sitting beside Canvas and holding a stack of photographs. Even though there were smiles all around, there were also a lot of tears due to the meaning behind their family event.

“Pearly… Pearly Whites was always the big risk-taker of our family…” The college-aged mare had to wipe her eyes with a hoof, as did Canvas as he glanced down at the photo she was holding. It was an old picture of a purple stallion smiling at the camera with his tongue sticking out, just as he was leaping off a bridge with a bungee cord around his ankles. On his flank was a Cutie Mark of that same yellow smiley face that his family members were all getting applied. Though the mare was still crying, she spoke with legitimate cheerfulness in her quivering voice. “I-If anything, he… he would’ve been the one to get a tattoo before any of us. Heh heh heh…”

Canvas tried to nod his head, but he had to glance away from the booth to wipe his eyes with a tissue. Flamingo did the same with a handkerchief in her aura, but she was quick to try and finish up the last smiley face without any issues. Meanwhile, the mare flipped over to a more recent photo of the stallion they were commemorating. Canvas’ heart broke upon seeing the somber update, which had that same stallion sitting in a hospital bed alongside his family. Even though his purple fur had faded to a near grey across his rail-thin body, and his blonde mane was completely gone, he was still smiling wider than anypony else in their last family photo.

“Since he was always the one to do crazy things,” she continued tearfully, tucking the emotional photo away in an effort to control herself, “we… w-we decided to pay tribute with something crazy of our own...”

Canvas had to cover his face with his hoof to muffle any sobs that escaped his muzzle. Fortunately for the artist, he wasn’t the only one crying from the pure emotion that was ruminating within the booth. By the time Flamingo finally finished the last smiley face, she had to wipe her eyes with her magic while rubbing ointment over the teenage colt’s wrist. “A-Aright, dude,” she said, her voice trembling just as badly as the others. “That’s the last one. I hope you like it.”

The stallion lifted up his hoof to inspect the piece, and immediately clasped his free hoof over his mouth. He was tearing up hard the moment he saw his brother’s Cutie Mark on his wrist. Much like his sister and parents, he now had a permanent reminder of the fallen pony that left him smiling wide. “Oh my gosh… I-It’s perfect!”

He instantly lunged in to give Flamingo Fire a strong hug, which she returned while tears ruined her mascara. The other family members all went in to hug her as well, their thankful smiles meaning absolutely everything to the tattoo artist. And all the while, Canvas had to control his breathing while drying his cheeks, feeling eternally grateful that he was able to witness such a personal moment alongside her.

“Wow… I’m not gonna lie, that last one got to me way harder than I would’ve expected…”

While attendees and artists alike were getting ready to leave the convention at the end of the day, Canvas and Flamingo were standing outside the center side-by-side. The two were leaned against the guardrail that went alongside the Equestrian sea, the gentle waters illuminated beautifully by the setting sun. Since the skies were a deep shade of pink and orange, their reddened eyes weren’t too noticeable to any ponies that walked past them. Meanwhile, Flamingo could only nod her head.

“Yeah, I know, right?” She looked out at the cityscape before them, and let out a deep sigh. “Of course, that kind of thing is pretty common with tattoos sometimes. If you’re willing to go under the needle to get something permanently embedded in your skin, chances are good that it’s something really meaningful.”

“I can see what you mean there…” Canvas let out a heavy exhale of his own, needing a moment to contemplate everything he experienced at the convention. Despite how overwhelmed he felt by the end, it didn’t take long for a natural smile to spread across his muzzle. Considering how he originally came here by chance, he couldn’t have been more grateful to learn so much about such a new side of art. And as he looked back at the mare who introduced him to it all, he didn’t have a single doubt in his mind that this was where he was meant to to be. “Hey, Flamingo?”

“Hmm?” She looked back at the stallion, her brows raising when she saw his gracious smile.

“Thank you. It… it really means a lot to be here.”

With that, Flamingo smiled back kindly. “No problem, Canvas. It really meant a lot to have that chance again.”

“A… a chance?” he asked puzzledly.

Flamingo just sighed and rolled her eyes. “You know… a chance to actually get to know you.”

Canvas’ smile widened in an instant. “Ditto.”

As the sun finally set behind the Baltimare skyline, Canvas and Flamingo Fire looked at each other with friendly smiles, neither of them sure who should try and hug the other first. But before such a moment could have the chance to occur, both of their ears perked up when they heard Marzo’s voice. “Oh, there you guys are!”

The two pulled away from the guardrail, and turned around to see the other three artists Canvas met that day. Marzo, Cherry Bomb, and High Flier were all smiling as they walked up to them. “We were wondering where you ran off to! We were just about to get some pizza and hang out at my shop. Wanna come with?”

When Canvas and Flamingo looked back at each other, the mare shrugged with a friendly smile. “Y’know, all I had today were those pickles and a salad, so I wouldn’t mind. How about you?”

Canvas didn’t even hesitate as he nodded in agreement. “You know what? I would really like that.”

Chapter Six

It was now nightfall over Manehattan, and the massive cityscape was lit up brightly from all around to encase the island in a neon glow. Lights were illuminating out of the windows of countless buildings, while additional neon signs and billboards helped to leave every street as bright as they were in the daytime. But just away from the downtown regions of Manehattan, down in the lower side where the neighborhoods weren’t nearly as flashy, there stood an old-looking storage building surrounded on all sides with thick iron gates. Rows of large windows were brightly lit across the second story, and three sliding garage doors were locked shut along the ground. A couple decades prior, the building had a large sign above the doors that listed the space as the Manehattan Pottery Company, a once-popular business that went bottom-up due to unforeseen events. But nowadays, with the place un-condemned and restored to a residential property, there was now a new sign advertising its new business: Clawston Creations.

Troy and Canvas’ second home had a similar setup to their first one in Ponyville. The ground floor which used to be a massivespace that previously contained pottery machinery and a full assembly line, now served as an art exhibition space for Canvas’ latest projects and commissions. On the second floor, which used to be a loft setup that housed the company’s offices for higher staff, was now converted into a fully-fledged living space. If the building was nestled just a few blocks higher up in Manehattan, it was doubtful that even Princess Twilight could afford the monthly rent that the place could garter in revenue. But for Troy and Canvas, who had bought the place for cheap when it was just a dilapidated property from a police auction, their renovation work made the second business an absolute steal.

But alas, even with how impressive the Manehattan home was, it wasn’t enough to lift up the spirits of the silver gryphon who resided there. Instead, Troy was left alone with nothing but his lingering worries about his husband, and a wistful sigh while staring into Canvas’ vacant art studio.

“Ughhhh…”

Troy knew better than to dwell on his thoughts as much as he had, since it would only make his paranoia even worse. Unfortunately, it was hard for the gryphon to even try and clear his head when he saw the dozen or so unfinished paintings that were carefully hung around the spacious room he now found himself in. When the two first purchased the property, the room was originally a manager’s office with massive windows across the back wall; but the rotten carpet had been removed long ago, and was replaced with a professional plastic tarp while three painters easels were set up at various spots.

“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath, turning his head away to avoid glancing at his husband’s artwork. “I really wish Twilight arranged to bring Tenor back here. At least thenI’d have someone to talk to.”

Bzzzzz!!

Troy’s ears perked up upon hearing that buzzing alarm, prompting him to rush down the hallway towards an intercom setup by the main living space. Troy pressed the red button, which turned on the large speaker just above.

“Uhh… Hello?” he asked into the speaker. “Is somepony there?”

“Yes, it’s me, darling,” stated the posh-sounding voice from the other end, her Canterlot-esque accent instantly indicating who she was. “I hope I’m not intruding. Twilight messaged me about your husband’s Cutie Mission, and I wanted to check up on you to make sure things were alright.”

“Oh!” Troy wasn’t expecting to receive any company tonight, but his brows perked in pleasant surprise from the unexpected guest. He smiled before pressing the button again. “Yeah, come on in, Rarity! I’ll buzz you in.”

Troy pressed the large green button right beside the red one to open the front gate. The gryphon sprung out his wings, and soared down to the ground floor in an instant from the second floor balcony. By the time he reached the front doors, he was happy to see that Rarity was already waiting with a smile and a brightly lit horn.

“Good evening, darling!” Rarity gave Troy a hug, which the gryphon accepted and returned. After the two pulled back, Rarity revealed a large casserole dish wrapped in foil she had floating in her aura. “Since you were alone for the night, I figured you could use some home-made lasagna.”

“Oh Rarity, that’s so nice!” Troy smiled wide, even though he knew the lasagna was most likely vegetarian. He stepped back to bring a claw out invitingly towards the gallery. “You wanna come in? I can easily make some garlic bread to go with that.”

“Ooh, that sounds delightful!” Rarity nodded happily as she trotted into the building, its concrete floors brightly polished for whomever clients would come in for Canvas’ services. There were several raised platforms around the space which were originally foundations for the building’s old pottery machinery. Now these concrete slabs served as display stages for Canvas’ finished paintings listed for sale. While Troy led her back towards the stairs that went up to the kitchen, Rarity took her time as she marveled at the various pieces and their prices. “Oooohhhh… I really like that geometric design over there!”

Troy glanced over to see where she was looking, and smiled when he noticed the large canvas piece composed of purple and blue lines over a black backdrop. Just underneath the painting was a sign that originally listed its price, but now had a large red sticker over it to indicate it had been sold earlier. “Oh yeah, I think somepony out in Vanhoover purchased that already,” said Troy apologetically. “I think they’re supposed to arrive in a few days to pick it up.”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll look marvelousin their abode.” Rarity didn’t seem too disappointed about the painting already being sold, and instead trotted up the stairs while marveling at the warehouse’s finished renovations. “I must say though, it’s outstanding how much this place has changed.”

“I know, right?” Troy huffed with a smile, pausing at the top of the steps to stare at the framed newspaper headlines that he hung along the brick walls. Rarity glanced over the frames as well, her brows raising upon reading the old displays:

Manehattan Pottery Company Shuts Down Amongst Smuggling Allegations

Millions of Bits Worth of Rare Artifacts Discovered in Former Pottery Factory

Manehattan Pottery Company: From Family Business to Criminal Hot-Spot

“Hmmm…” Rarity was already aware of the warehouse’s criminal past, and how it was a big reason for why the space was condemned for so long. When Rarity reached the last framed newspaper, she smiled upon seeing a photo of the couple smiling proudly in front of the building:

Former Pottery Factory Finally Reopens as Art Studio

“I remember my Mother telling me about this place before,” noted Rarity as she followed Troy to the kitchen. “She mentioned how she bought several vases from here back in her college years, and how shockedshe was to learn about the smuggling raids.”

“Yeah, Canvas and I were just as surprised to learn that stuff when we did some research ourselves.” Troy went to preheat the oven, and pulled out a large loaf of Prench Bread from the fridge. “I think Rainbow Dash told me it might’ve been related to Daring Do or something, which is kinda weird if you ask me.”

Rarity didn’t say anything, but her skewed muzzle indicated that she may have known a bit more about that detail than Troy did. Luckily though, it didn’t seem like the gryphon noticed her expression while cutting the bread. Rarity then decided to look through his fridge to see what else could be included in their impromptu meal. “It’s quite convenient that both of us have a night like this to ourselves. Ms. Pommel is off in Canterlot to help with Sassy Saddles, and I’ve been stuck in Manehattan for days without much of a chance for proper social interaction.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean--Ooh, thanks!” Troy smiled when he saw a hunk of mozzarella floating in Rarity’s aura, which he took before grabbing a cheese grater. “I’ve been stuck with dress rehearsals over the past week due to a bunch of recasting, and it’s been Tartarustrying to get everypony on the same page. Although I guess it’s a bit different for me, since all of us usually go out for drinks at the end of our practices.”

“Well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.” Rarity opened up the oven to put in her lasagna, and then sat down at the kitchen table across from Troy. “Fortunately, I’m set to go to Canterlot in a couple of days to meet up with Twilight again. This will actually be our first summit as the Council of Friendship, and I couldn’t be more excited!”

“Oh, nice!” Troy’s face lit up, and he placed his uncooked garlic bread in the oven in the second rack. “Canvas and I were hoping that things would stay strong between you guys.”

“Well of course we are!” Rarity almost looked offended, but her scoff was accompanied with an understanding smile. “While I can’t deny that things are… different, I suppose… it doesn’t change the fact that our bonds aren’t going to dissolve anytime soon.”

Troy nodded with a smile, knowing that Rarity’s statement was as true as it was comforting. Even though a lot of things hadchanged, both with each other and Equestria as a whole, it meant a lot to know that the Elements of Harmony weren’t likely to disband for any reason. And as the two sat with mutual looks of respect for each other’s successes, Rarity made sure to add sincerely, “Just like how I know for a factthat your husband is doing just fine out in Baltimare.”

He knew that Rarity meant that with as much comfort as possible, but the mention of Canvas prompted Troy to sigh and his smile to deflate. “Yeah… I’m sure he’ll be alright too…”

Rarity’s smile lessened as well, and was replaced with a more concerned look. “Oh, darling, I know you miss him dearly. And believe me, I completely understand. I’ve been on Friendship Missions myself, so I know how difficult they can be. But I also know that Canvas is more than capable of keeping himself safe.”

“Yeah, I’m not saying otherwise. Seriously, I trust him wholeheartedly. It’s just the whole, ‘Going to a new city by himself with no plan’ part that’s making me worried sick!”

Rarity merely scoffed. “Oh, what do you think will happen to him in Baltimare? I’ll admit the city is big, but I’m sure that he’s not hanging out with any unsavory types at this hour.”

Down in Baltimare, Canvas was having a surprisingly nice time among Flamingo Fire and her friends at Kupigwa juu ya Ink. The stallion never really gave much thought to what the inside of a tattoo parlor would look like, but he was impressed by how clean and stylish Marzo’s setup was. Down on the ground floor, the place almost looked like a barber shop with its tiled floors and sanitized tattoo benches. Up on the second floor, where Canvas and the other four were hanging out in Marzo’s living room, his Zebrican pride was apparent from the various pieces of decor that were draped across the walls. In a way, Canvas was almost reminded of a slightly modernized version of Zecora’s hut back in Ponyville.

The five artists were all seated around Marzo’s coffee table, and having a nice time swapping stories over pizza and drinks. There were several shot glasses around the table, but Canvas and Cherry Bomb were the only ones sticking to cans of Red Manticore instead. Canvas tried not to think too hard about how random everything felt, or how unpredictable it was to be at some random zebra’s place with a bunch of tattooed ponies. Fortunately though, it was easy to just appreciate the nice night while enjoying a slice of pizza, and hearing Marzo talking about a recent client.

“Okay, I know I told this to High Flier the other day,” he said while pointing at the pegasus in question. “But I knowI haven’t told the others yet, so here it goes. I was just about to close shop when this guy came in, wanting to get a tattoo right off the bat.”

“Ughhhh…” Both Flamingo and Cherry Bomb groaned with heavy eyerolls. “Man, I hate it when ponies do that!” griped Flamingo bitterly. “I mean, tattoos take a pretty bucking long time to do. Why do ponies think they can just wander in right before we close?!”

“Yeah, I know, I know.” Marzo nodded his head in agreement, while Canvas did the same in silence. “Anyways, this guy asked me if I was good at pinup designs. Now, I was planning to set up an appointment for him at a different time, so I just told him, ‘Yeah, sure. I do pinup tattoos all the time! What were you wanting?’”

“Oh, jeeze,” blurted High Flier, who had to cover his face while snickering. “This is a bad one.”

“Hey, come on. At least let me get to the goodpart!” Marzo sighed with an eyeroll, and then went back to topic. “Anyway, after I told him that, this guy gets really excited, and then takes that moment to say, ‘Oh, that’s great! Now I was wondering… Do you have an age limit on how pinups are supposed to look?’”

That question prompted both mares to give worrisome “Oooohs” with matching winces, while Canvas narrowed his eyes with concern. “Ummm… Did he mean how old, or how young?”

Canvas didn’t want to assume the answer to his own question, but the fact that High Flier had to look away with his muzzle pursed wasn’t helping. Meanwhile, Marzo just sighed with another eyeroll before answering. “Well… I tried to ask him that same question myself, and he said, ‘Well… I was hoping to get a pinup tattoo of Cozy Glow.’”

“UGH!!” Cherry Bomb grimaced with a strong cringe, while Canvas just gawked with his eyes repeatedly blinking. Much like High Flier, Flamingo Fire had to cover her muzzle shut to keep from snickering. Meanwhile, Cherry Bomb held up her hoof and said, “I KNOW that guy! He showed up at our shop a couple weeks back! I had to kick him out the moment he started describing the details!”

“Holy crap!” Canvas knew that he was likely to hear some crazy stories from these tattoo artists about their experiences, but he had to ask Cherry and Marzo, “Wait, was it like, just a picture of Cozy Glow he wanted as a tattoo? Or was it like… sexualized?”

The zebra and mare both sighed with matching looks of disappointment, causing Canvas’ brows to rise up in shock. Marzo decided to answer Canvas’ question flat out. “He wanted her wearing a schoolgirl outfit, and licking a lollipop.”

“Ughhhhh…” A heavy round of groans went around the table, with Canvas looking especiallyskeeved-out. Flamingo shook her head with a strong shudder. “Why is it always the foalita types?”

“Heh~” High Flier was the first to start smirking again, and shot a cheeky glance towards the only one without any ink. “Yeah, the kind of clientele that weall get are probably a bit crazier than the ones youdeal with up in Manehattan, right?”

“Hey, come on now,” chided Marzo. “Canvas just spent all day hanging out with us. There’s no need to hassle him for how he does hiswork.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” assured Canvas with an unoffended smile. “I know that my career is a bit different from your guys’ stuff. If anything, it’s just nice to see that Flamingo is so successful herself.”

The red mare raised her brows, and smiled at Canvas thankfully. Unfortunately, that was the moment when Cherry Bomb nudged her side while shooting a jeering grin at the stallion. “Buck yeah she has! And she didn’t even need to get all buddy-buddy with Princess Twilight like youhave.”

Flamingo Fire instantly whipped her head back at Cherry with her eyes wide-open, looking like she wanted to smack her over the head. Marzo took notice of Canvas’ confusion, who was staring at Flamingo with his eyes slightly narrowed. High Flier looked like he wanted to add to Cherry Bomb’s remark, so the zebra quickly stepped in. “S-Say, Canvas. You’ve dealt with a lot of crazy clients yourself, haven’t you? Do you have any stories worth sharing?”

Canvas kept his eyes on Flamingo Fire for just a little longer, with the mare in question avoiding his stare with a shameful blush. Meanwhile, Marzo made sure to shoot some silent glares at Cherry Bomb and High Flier, causing both of them to shut up in an instant. By the time Canvas finally did look back at Marzo, the zebra instantly regrew a friendly smile for the artist.

“Well, ummm… I suppose I have dealt with some crazy clients before…” Considering what Marzo mentioned earlier, Canvas huffed before shooting the group a confident smirk. “You guys think it’s crazy dealing with a guy who wanted a picture of Cozy Glow?”

He then leaned back in his chair, and said, “Well… I actually did a picture for Cozy Glow.”

In an instant, all four pairs of eyes nearly bulged out of their skulls while pointed at Canvas. “WHAT?!?”

“Holy shit, what?!” gawked High Flier with his hooves over his head. “Are you for real right now?!”

“Wait a minute, didn’t you say you worked from home!?” added Cherry Bomb with an equally shocked look. “Dude, how the buck are you still alive!?”

Flamingo Fire couldn’t even say a word, and just stared at the stallion like he just sprouted a penis from his forehead. Meanwhile, Canvas tried to quell any assumptions. “Okay, in my defense, this was before she tried to drain all the magic from Equestria. Nopony had any clue that she was some demented sociopath. Not even Twilight or the Elements! When she came to my studio to ask for a painting, I seriously thought she was just some filly who saved up her bits for a commission.”

He then spoke further with a more baffled look. “And you know what the most screwed-up part is? She was actually one of the best clients I ever dealt with! She was extremely polite to me and Troy, had all the details of her picture thought out and easy to explain, paid for the piece upfront, and even left a forty percent tip! I mean, I’m glad she’s locked up in stone forever, don’t get me wrong! But holy crap, she was a better client than most of my Canterlot regulars!”

“Waaaaiiiit, wait, wait, wait, wait…” Marzo was quick to put his hoof up to catch Canvas’ attention. “…What did she actually pay you for a picture of?”

Canvas may have been confident before, but that question caused him to wince sharply. But since the three ponies were also staring at him in stunned silence, Canvas had to look down at his hooves while grimacing guiltily. “She… She wanted a portrait of herself… Sitting in Celestia’s throne.”

All four of the tattoo artists made strong “Oofs” in response, while Canvas shuddered in utter disdain. “Yeah, I know,” he muttered with a shameful pout. “I have no idea where that painting is, by the way. I can only assume that it’s in a police evidence locker somewhere.”

“Yikes…” Flamingo Fire still felt uncomfortable due to Cherry Bomb’s outburst, but she tried to give a response to Canvas’ stunning reveal “So… what were ponies’ reactions when they found out she was a psycho all along?”

Canvas scoffed and gave the mare a look. “Oh, everyone in Ponyville was shocked when they found out what was going on! Noponyhad any clue that she would do something like that! Of course, when we all realized that she was the one affecting everyone’s magic and natural abilities, it didn’t really take long for us to be grateful she was sent to Tartarus.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean there, dude,” stated High Flier. “I was barely able to do stick-and-pokes during that time! I swear, I thought that there was something physically wrong with me.”

“Yeah, us too,” noted Cherry Bomb while motioning between herself and Flamingo. “But in all seriousness though, I’m just glad that she didn’t try to skin you in your home or anything.”

Canvas reeled back with a cringed look from such a morbid statement, but he knew she was just trying to be sincere. “Well… Yeah, I’m grateful Troy and I weren’t hurt by her too. Thanks…”

Cherry Bomb tried to smile while nodding back at him, but she was slightly distracted by the stink eye that Flamingo Fire was giving her. Meanwhile, Marzo glanced over at the clock on the wall before perking his brows. “Damn, is it really getting that late? Jeez…”

The zebra then looked over at Flamingo. “You know, you should reallyhead back home to get some rest. I know that competition doesn’t start until noon, but I don’t want you to be sleep-deprived before then.”

Canvas blinked upon hearing Marzo mentioning a competition, since it was one of those things that he only briefly saw being mentioned in that flier he picked up from the station. But when he looked over towards the mares for more intel, Flamingo Fire was already getting out of her seat with a nod. “Yeah, yeah… I really shouldget some shuteye, shouldn’t I?”

Before she could leave, Flamingo made sure to ask, “Hey Canvas, you wanna come with? Unless you got a hotel room, I got a spare bed at my shop you can crash on.”

Canvas wanted to be grateful for such a nice offer, since he was sure that most of the hotels in the city were already oversold due to the convention. However, after hearing that odd detail that Cherry Bomb brought up, Canvas had to force his smile a little as he nodded apprehensively. “Ummm… Sure, that sounds alright, I guess…”

As he got up from his seat and grabbed his art bag, Canvas paused to ask, “So wait, what’s that about a competition? You never mentioned anything about that today.”

Flamingo Fire just sighed with a guilty look. “Well, I was a little freaked out about it, so I didn't want to dwell too much on it while tattooing. But don’t worry, I’ll explain it on the way to my place.”

“Hey, be sure to show him what you have planned for the event!” chirped High Flier with a prideful smile at the mare. “Cherry Bomb told me what it was, and I’m curious what Mister Manehattan would think of your artistry~”

Canvas wasn’t quite sure if High Flier’s remark was meant to be complementary or teasing. Regardless, the pegasus’ cheeky tone made Flamingo sigh sharply in annoyance. “You know, you could at least try to word it in a less patronizing way, dude.”

On the plus side, Canvas and Flamingo’s walk back to her shop was much less lengthy than he would’ve expected. The two had to trot across several city blocks at night, but the stallion’s hooves didn’t hurt a bit by the time they reached the outside of Pins & Needles Studio. Unfortunately, after some of the things that were discussed back at Marzo’s place, the mood was awkward enough between the ponies to keep any conversation severely limited.

The building was much smaller than Marzo’s setup, and looked to be a simple two-story home that had been converted into a business. When Flamingo unlocked the front doors and invited him inside, Canvas was surprised at how differently her shop was set up in comparison to the zebra’s. Instead of having a fairly simplistic setup for clients, Flamingo went all out to make her workspace match her punk aesthetic. Dozens of rock posters were hung up in random places on the walls, while some speakers attatched to the ceiling played some hardcore metal at a low volume to add ambiance. She had hardwood floors across the entirety of the ground floor, with the only similarity to Marzo’s shop being the quality of her tables and tattooing machinery.

“Oh, nice…” Canvas was genuinely impressed by the setup Flamingo Fire made for herself, and he walked around the shop to better examine the place. “This is pretty impressive stuff.”

“Eh, you don’t have to exaggerate…” She was smiling gratefully, but she also rolled her eyes while walking past Canvas towards one of the back rooms. “To be honest, I inherited this house from my Aunt after she passed away a while back.”

“Oh. Ummm… I’m sorry to hear that…” Canvas cringed awkwardly while she was out of his line of sight. Fortunately, she still spoke up while in the other room.

“Hey, it’s alright. She and I weren’t really that close after I came out as a mare. The big reason I got this house was because she was too lazy to update her will. It took a lot of work to make this house up to code as a living business, but I managed to make it happen.”

“Actually, I think that detail makes it even more impressive.” Canvas made sure to give her a reassuring smile when she came back out from the back room. Meanwhile, Flamingo was holding a large sheet of paper in her aura while her horn was lit. Upon seeing the sheet, Canvas’ brows perked up curiously. “Wait… is that what High Flier was talking about?”

“Well…” Flamingo seemed a little wary about being alone with Canvas, but she felt compelled to nod her head and speak. “I know I didn’t tell you about the competition on purpose, and… to be honest, I feel kinda bad about that. So…”

With that, the mare went past Canvas to lay the sheet down on a bare tattoo bench. The glossy paper was only about two square feet in total, but it still provided more than enough room for her intricately-drawn design. When Canvas walked up to see what it was, his eyes widened upon taking in the level of detail that was applied across the small sheet. It was a close-up view of a rose with blood-red petals, and bright green vines that spread out in two wavy strands across both sides. Upon leaning in closer, Canvas let out an impressed whistle when he saw the matching red thorns that adorned each individual vine. “Whoa… Is this what you were planning to do for that competition thing?”

“Yes it is,” she said with a confident smirk while marveling at her creation. “I know that roses are pretty commonplace in tattooing, but I figured that by doing something of that high of a quality, it could get me the chance to win.”

“Honestly, if you’re able to apply it this well on a pony, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.” Now with the competition on topic, Canvas looked back at her curiously. “So, how does a tattoo competition actually work? I never even knew such a thing existed.”

“Well, it's definitely a higher-stakes kind of thing,” she admitted with a shrug. “Basically, tomorrow I’ll have six hours to apply that tattoo on this guy I have assigned for me. There’s like, five other ponies who are competing as well, which is a big deal since there were a lotof applicants. We get six hours to tattoo whatever design we think is the best on somepony, which are then graded by a panel of judges. I was lucky enough to get the last slot, and I intend to win the ten thousand bit prize.”

“WHOA!” Canvas’ eyes shot wide-open. “Ten thousand bits?! Holy crap, you could do a lot with that money!”

“Precisely~” she stated while lighting up her horn to re-roll that sheet of paper for later. “Business may be going well enough for me so far, but winning something this big would definitely help get my name out there.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you,” he replied while scratching the back of his mane. “Seriously, I know how important it can be to keep up momentum when you wanna achieve success.”

“Yeah, I… I suppose you would…” By the time she tightened her roll of paper with a rubber band, Flamingo Fire was carrying an awkward skew of her muzzle. Eventually, the mare sighed to herself hoarsely. “Hey, ummm… would it be alright if we talked about earlier?”

Canvas bit his bottom lip, and gave a slightly worrisome look back at Flamingo. He already had a feeling what the conversation was going to be about, but he didn’t want to ignore the topic before it got any more uncomfortable between them. So after nodding his head silently, he followed Flamingo as she trotted up the stairs to her living space.

She unlocked another door before entering her home, which looked much less renovated than her business on the bottom floor. However, when Canvas followed her towards one of the rooms at the end of the hallway, he was surprised to see that she had a personal kitchen installed on the second floor. Canvas wasn’t sure what the room may have been before it was changed, but he said nothing about as he sat down at the kitchen table. Meanwhile, Flamingo pulled out a bottle of beer for herself from the fridge, as well as a can of cola for the non-drinker.

“Listen, I…” Flamingo was finding it difficult to start such a conversation, and had to breathe out while sitting across from the stallion. “About what Cherry Bomb said, I… I should point out that when she and I first met, it was really soon after that Canterlot show, alright? I was still coming to terms with a lot of things, and… Well, I was kinda salty about not receiving any recognition for my art back then.”

Considering what Flamingo told him back at the convention, Canvas looked a little offended as he tilted his head at her. “But… You told me that you didn’t have any grudges about that.”

“I don’t!” she blurted as insistently as she could with both hooves raised. “I swear I’m not upset about it anymore! I know that my artwork wasn’t going to sell to crowds like that, and you certainly deserved all the success you received from that night. I would not lie to you about that, okay?”

Even though he was still unsure how to feel, Canvas still nodded his head in recognition of her truthfulness. After that, Flamingo sighed before glancing away, wincing from the discomfort both of them were feeling. “But, ummm… Yeah… Back when you got that offer from Princess Celestia to make a painting for her, we were all shocked by the outcome, you know? And… Well, when the five of us were talking after the show, we… We all kinda assumed that it was because you lived in the same town as Twilight Sparkle and knew her personally.”

Canvas’ head reeled back with a strong look of shock. “Wait, what?!”

“I know that’s a dumb assumption to make!” she said in an instant. “Seriously, I know that nowadays! I mean, I’ve heard about all those other pieces you’ve done for Royalty, and it’s pretty damnclear you earned those through your own talents. I promise you, I’m not depleting your work at all! It was just…”

With that uncomfortable pause, Flamingo eventually sighed with her eyes closed, and her tone became guiltier. “... I was going through a lot back then. Even if I was good at hiding it from everypony. And… A-And it was hard for me to accept certain things as being fair…”

Canvas grew a saddened look, his ears pulling downward. Though learning of Flamingo’s true thoughts about him in the past was a little jarring, he couldn’t blame her in the slightest for having a lot on her plate back then. He couldn’t claim that he understood how she personally felt back then, but he could certainly sympathize with somepony struggling to come to terms with who they were. Not to mention, Canvas was sure if he was in Flamingo Fire’s hooves, he most likely would’ve been pissed about somepony else receiving that kind of praise as well.

“Well, I… I guessthat all makes sense,” he admitted with hesitance. “I mean… I did happen to know Twilight Sparkle personally before that show, so… there’s always a chance that it may have skewed things in my favor the tiniest bit.”

“No, don’t be like that,” she said even more insistently. “Dude, I remember that art piece you made of your husband for the show, and it was friggin’ amazing! Even if you didn’t have history with the Princess, I’m sure that it would’ve sold way easier than the painting I made.”

“Well, you had a really impressive piece too.” Canvas tried to give the mare a reassuring smile. “I mean, it might not be something I’d hang up in my living room or anything, but I can think of a few horror fans who’d love something like that.”

Flamingo sighed with a weak smile, and said sheepishly, “Well, thanks for telling me that… And to be honest, Celestia did recommend my work to her sister. I even received a letter from the castle a week after the show, asking me to send pictures of my work for Luna to assess herself! I never heard back after that, but I still consider it a pretty big deal.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you! I would’ve said the same thing!” Canvas was smiling wide, and looked like he wanted to go across the table and give her a congratulatory hug. But due to how uncomfortably things felt earlier, Canvas kept himself in his seat. “Seriously, you’re a talented artist, Flamingo! You had one of the most memorable pieces that stuck out to me from that art show, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that you were able to find success doing something you clearly love. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

Flamingo grew a touched smile. The stallion continued to speak, but his expression turned discomforted as he looked away from her. “And, uhhh… yeah, I’m not assuming we have any bad blood or anything, I swear. I probably would’ve been upset in your position as well…”

“Hey, that’s no excuse for how I treatedyou,” she said. Canvas reeled back in surprise. “Dude, I was thinking all day about how I acted back in Canterlot, and I… I realized how little I actually got to know you as an artist. If anything, I… all I did was just ask questions about how you could paint without a horn.”

Canvas brought up his hoof to make a point, but nothing was able to come out of his mouth. Instead, he stopped himself just as lips parted, giving himself a moment to contemplate. Canvas may have been grateful to learn so much about Flamingo today, but he couldn’t claim their very first interaction as artists was too different from what she stated. Back at the Canterlot show, Canvas really didfeel like the outsider of the artists group due to how superficial their interactions were. Still, Canvas quickly interjected. “Well, I know that a lot of the more technical aspects of art were easier for unicorns to master due to magic, and… not a lot of Earth Ponies were able to reach that kind of recognition back then.”

“Well, that was also back when I was trying to follow an art path that didn’t work out for me. I… I can’t say I was completely upset about leaving the Canterlot crowds to be myself. I mean… It’s pretty obvious I wasn’t being myself back then, and… I wasn’t being myself towards you either…”

She looked down at her hind-legs, which prompted Canvas to glance down as well. He could see the countless stick-and-poke designs that adorned the mare’s bare legs, similar to the mishmash of designs he saw on High Flier. But down at the end of Flamingo’s right hoof, Canvas saw a row of differently-colored bands that wrapped around her ankle. The pink, pale blue, and white stripes stood out prominently against her red fur.

“I got into tattoos less than a month after the Canterlot show, when I was starting to explore better means of making myself more comfortable in my own body. And as I allowed myself to think more about what I wanted, I… I eventually came to terms with what I really wanted underneath…”

Flamingo looked back at Canvas, smiling weakly. “Marzo really helped me around that time, and even got me into tattooing. And by the time he officially hired me as an apprentice, he told me I had to tattoo something on myself to truly express how I felt within. And… That was how I came out.”

Canvas gave a warm smile. “Wow, really? So… you ended up starting tattooing and transitioning at the same time? That’s… that’s legitimatelyimpressive.”

“Yeah, it was…” As she pulled her ankle back, Flamingo shrugged while trying to keep herself from looking overwhelmed. “It… It was certainly a lot for me to adjust to back then. But if anything, focusing on my artwork and self-image reallygave me a better incentive to make myself who I wanted to be. And… And it meant everythingto have someone like Marzo to help me accept myself without any judgement at all. The moment I told him I wanted to be a mare, he didn’t even flinch. He was totally accepting of it, and was quick to start gendering me correctly like it was nothing…”

Despite how optimistically Flamingo was speaking earlier, her head started to hang morosely before her tone soured up. “Unlike certain ponies who I thoughtcould understand…”

Canvas didn’t want to pry on any details, but his smile quickly disappeared to reveal a veil of concern. After a moment of silence, Flamingo looked down at her hooves on the floor. “My Mom, she… she really wasn’t willing to accept it. Part of me wanted to think she’d understand, since she was willing to accept the piercings and tattoos. But… In the end, I guess she couldn’t take the idea of losing her ‘sweet little colt’...”

With a strong sigh, the mare reeled her head back while keeping her eyes tightly shut. “It’s… been about three years since the last time I spoke to her. The last time we spoke, she… she told me I would never be her daughter…”

Canvas held a hoof to his chest, staring at Flamingo with a heartbroken look. “Oh Goddess… Flamingo, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she quickly huffed with a wave of her hoof, while the other pinched the bridge of her muzzle tightly. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to get all personal like that. I just... I‘ve been able to do so much since then, and… I can’t imagine my life having gone this well if I didn’t invest myself into tattooing...”

With that last statement in mind, Canvas looked down at the table while Flamingo quickly wiped her eyes. The stallion had to take a moment to process his thoughts on the matter, but he still nodded his head silently with an understanding look. After some contemplation, Canvas was able to sigh with a genuine smile back at Flamingo Fire. ”Well… from what I saw of you earlier, I can see how important all of this to you. And… I really think you have what it takes to kick ass in that competition tomorrow~”

Canvas’ smile widened genuinely, which caused Flamingo to giggle with a blush. “Oh, come on!” she blurted while covering her face and looking away from him. “You just met me today! You don’t even know any of the competitors.”

“That may be true, but I do know this: I was brought to Baltimare by the Cutie Map, and you have a big competition tomorrow. I think it’s easy to make the connection, Flamingo.”

“Psh~ Oh, really? You were destined to come and help me? What do I need help with? I already have it all planned out on my end.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean I can’t offer my assistance. I mean… a lot can happen in six hours, right?”

Flamingo raised a brow, and her muzzle tightened in thought. “Hmmm…” After looking back down at her hooves for a moment, the mare shrugged reluctantly. “Okay, yeah. I mean… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a second artist on hoof for something like this…”

She then looked back up Canvas with a conflicted smile. “Are you sureyou wanna stick with me for this? I mean, Baltimare is a pretty big city, and I don’t wanna think I’m keeping you from painting a mural for a cancer patient or whatever.”

Canvas had to laugh while shaking his head with a wince. “Jeeze, thanks for giving me that hypothetical!” After the two ponies shared a good laugh, Canvas sighed while still smiling. “But seriously though… do you really think that the two of us weren’tdestined to try and be friends again?”

Even though the question was certainly an odd one, it didn’t take long for Flamingo to give a hesitantly truthful response. “I… I can’t really think of anything different either…”

Canvas and Flamingo Fire ended up smiling at each other for a long moment, and brought their hooves out to shake in solidarity. “Alright then,” she said with a pert nod. “If you wanna help me in this competition, I’ll gladly accept your offer.”

“That’s great to hear,” said Canvas cheerfully. “Besides, I’m really wanting to see how your rose will look on a ponyinstead of paper.”

“Heh~ Nice to know I’m getting you so interested.” Flamingo shot the stallion a cocky smirk, emphasizing her pride. And now that the mood was lightened up, the mare raised a brow curiously. “So, let me ask you something… I know you don’t drink alcohol, and I’m not gonna push that at all. But I was wondering… do you happen to partake in anything else?~”

Canvas narrowed his eyes on her confusedly with a head-tilt. “Hmm?”

“What I mean is…” The mare’s smirk widened quite a bit while her brows perked devilishly. “I didn’t want to say anything around the others, since Cherry Bomb is a bit straight-laced since prison. But… I happened to smell something familiar from your bag earlier~”

Canvas jolted with his eyes bulging worriedly. “UH! Ummmm…” He tried to look away from Flamingo while blushing heavily over his nervous smile. “Heh heh heh… I happen to have a prescription for it from Zecora. She’s an apothecary back in Ponyville, and I have the paperwork to verify.”

“That’s good to know~” The mare grinned mischievously as she lit up her horn, and opened up one of the kitchen cabinets. She pulled out a large glass jar that hovered in her pink aura, which was carrying enough dark, sticky green kush to make Canvas gasp with an elated smile. Even from far away, the stallion could see the many bright red hairs protruding from the thick nuggets that were clinging to the inside of the glass. Meanwhile, Flamingo spoke pridefully. “I happen to have a prescription too~”

Canvas grinned just as wide as she was, and reached into his bag to pull out a large ziplock baggie he had in a hidden pocket. “Man, I’m sooooo glad Lyra got me back into this stuff after my wedding.”

Not too long after, the sounds of giddy giggling could be heard from outside the dark tattoo shop. The streetlights may have stayed illuminated all through the night, but only the top two windows of Flamingo’s home remained lit as two old acquaintances shared some much-appreciated bonding.

Chapter Seven

Author's Note

Trigger Warning: This chapters contains brief instances of transphobia (including a particular term expected of J.K. Rowling), so reader discretion is advised.

Chapter Seven

By the time mid-morning arrived in Baltimare the following day, Troy’s train was just arriving at the station with steam bellowing from its engines. The silver gryphon was one of the first passengers to exit the train, nearly toppling over other ponies impatiently to burst out and start his search for his spouse. Troy didn’t want to do anything stupid, and planned to be as non-intervening as possible for the sake of Canvas completing his Friendship Mission solo. But even then, Troy’s feathers were already ruffled out of worry as he made a beeline to the station’s front doors.

“Nnnnghhhh…” Despite the pleasant evening he spent with Rarity back in Manehattan, Troy still felt anxious about what may have happened to his husband since his summoning. He trusted that Canvas was perfectly fine wherever he was, but that didn’t change the hallowing fact that Troy had no idea where he actually was. When he reached the glass doors of the station, revealing the sheer scale of the city of Baltimare. The gryphon’s face scrunched inward with trepidation, but he only needed a quick breath before muttering, “Alright, Troy… If Canvas can do this by himself, so can you…”

Troy exited the train station, not even having a plan on where to go like his husband previously had. But also unlike Canvas, Troy had the distinct advantage of soaring up into the skies the moment he was outside. The gryphon flew up several stories to see Baltimare from a higher vantage, which he hoped would be enough to better scan his surroundings. Fortunately, it was a beautiful clear day over the seaside city, and Troy smiled when he realized just how far he could see.

“Well then, now all I have to do is see where an artistic pony like Canvas could’ve trotted off to.”

“Here you go, Flamingo!”

Back at the Baltimare Tattoo Convention, Canvas trotted back to Flamingo’s booth with a smile on his face and a fresh cup of coffee in his hoof. Since the mare was scheduled to compete in less than a couple hours, she was keeping herself from doing any additional art for walk-in clients. Instead, Cherry Bomb was taking the reins as she went to work tattooing a simplistic piece across a mare’s inner foreleg. After hoofing Flamingo her coffee, Canvas leaned in to get a glimpse of Cherry’s design. “Ooh, nice outline!”

Down the length of the writhing mare’s foreleg, Cherry Bomb had drawn an intricate outline that resembled a line of pine trees to mimic a forest backdrop. She was already finished with the outer lines, so now she could color it in with a deep shade of black. The mag tip of her tattoo machine swirled tediously across the pony’s skin, and Canvas winced from the intensity of the client’s straining moans. “Mnnnghhhh!!”

“Hey, you already got the linework nailed-down,” said Cherry Bomb assuredly, still slowing down her technique the tiniest bit to ease the mare. “As soon as I pull away from the inner elbow, I promise it’ll feel wayless intense.”

Canvas had no idea how painful the experience must’ve felt, but his muzzle was still skewed in sympathy. Since Cherry Bomb was occupied with her client, Canvas looked back at Flamingo to see her furiously scribbling in her notepad. Her horn glowed brightly as she held the paper and marker in her aura firmly, while her hooves carefully held the cup of coffee she was sipping. When Canvas got a look at what she was drawing, he was impressed by the sight of a multicolored Phoenix flying through rainbow flames.

“Oh, wow!” he exclaimed. “That looks really cool! Is that something for a client?”

“No, it’s just something I’m doodling to keep my head clear.” By the time she put down her half-empty cup, Flamingo Fire looked a bit frazzled, her eyes narrowing on the notepad in her magic. Though the piece itself looked really good from Canvas’ perspective, his attention was focused more on Flamingo. “Sometimes when I get nervous, I try to keep my head occupied with art. As long as I’m doing this, I’m not overthinking the rose I have ready.”

“Hmmm… Okay, that makes sense. I will say though, that design could probably sell as a tattoo around here if you’re lucky.”

“Heh~ You know, some of my best designs were actually done through sessions like this, so you’re not wrong there.”

“She’s also made some wicked pieces while drunk off her butt~” added Cherry Bomb without looking away from her work; though she was still sporting a jeering grin that made Flamingo’s muzzle clench tightly. “I remember one time on her birthday, she got absolutely blasted before drawing out this massive pirate-themed backdrop piece. I don’t think she was planning to use it on anypony, but it managed to catch someone’s attention when she put it in her portfolio.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that!” Flamingo Fire smiled more naturally, and she used her magic to pull out a thick binder from underneath her stool. She floated it over towards Canvas and pre-opened the book to the correct page. “It’s the one on the bottom right.”

“Holy crap!” Canvas usually wasn’t one to make such an expletive outburst, but he couldn’t hold back his surprise upon seeing the chest tattoo Flamingo was able to pull off. The polaroid in the binder showed a well-lit photograph of a stallion’s muscular body from neck to waist, with a detailed portrait of a pirate-themed pinup girl proudly etched across it. The pictured mare was dressed in full pirate attire, and carried a surprising amount of detail amongst the black and grey shading. “Wait, you seriously drew this design while drunk?!”

“Well, not on the pony himself,” she clarified with a brief chuckle. “But yeah, I had one too many shots one night and just started drawing on paper. And when I woke up the next day, I saw what I made and thought to myself, ‘You know what? I should polish that up for my portfolio and see if it sells.’”

Her smirk grew more confident as she pointed at the picture. “I managed to sell that less than a monthafterward. It took me twelve hours total to finish over two sessions, but it also paid off my last mortgage payment for the house.”

“Jeeze, only two sessions?!” Canvas huffed in astonishment, his eyes glued to the picture. Eventually, the other photographs nestled in the binder took his attention. He already looked through Flamingo Fire’s tattoo portfolio before, which included a multitude of talented pieces that ranged from original designs to expertly-done cover ups. The sheer range of the mare’s art was astounding to say the least, and Canvas could recognize some of the styles he learned about the previous day. He especially liked the tattoo of an eagle pictured on a stallion’s bicep, its thick black lines and deep composed colors emphasizing Equestrian Traditional style perfectly. “Wow… some of these pieces would take half a day for me to paint out on canvas. I can’t even imaginewhat it’s like trying it on some pony screaming in pain throughout the entire thing.”

Flamingo and Cherry Bomb both giggled. “Yeah, sometimes it can be a nightmare dealing with ponies fidgeting the whole time.” said Cherry Bomb. She then turned her attention back to the mare on her table. “You’re doing great though.”

“Th-Thanks,” she muttered, her teeth remained tightly gritted. Though Cherry wasn’t stopping her tattooing process anytime soon, her client seemed to bear the pain a little better as those needles dragged further away from the crook of her elbow.

“Uhhh… Flamingo Fire?”

Canvas and the mare glanced back at the front of the booth, where a large white stallion was standing. The bulky Earth Pony was smiling wide while holding a couple sheets of paper in his hoof. Canvas could see that the stallion already had several tattoos on his body, including an impressive changeling-themed design that went down the bottom half of his left foreleg. Whereas his right foreleg was completely bare of anything but his natural fur. “I was told to come to you about the tattoo competition?”

“Oh! You’re my guy!” Flamingo Fire smiled excitedly as she got up from her seat, greeting the stallion with a hoofshake. “Pleasure to meet you, Mister…”

“Home Grown,” answered the stallion with a motion of his head towards his backside. Canvas leaned over to see the pony’s cutie mark, which happened to be a couple tomato plants connected by a green vine. Considering what Flamingo had planned for a tattoo design, Canvas could see him sporting it quite naturally. After he whipped back his blonde mane, Home Grown asked, “So, did you have any questions to ask me before we get prepared, or should I just have you read through my papers?”

Flamingo lit up her horn to put down her sketchbook, and picked up Home Grown’s application papers to scan through studiously. Meanwhile, Canvas turned his attention back to Cherry Bomb, not wanting to interrupt Flamingo’s talk with her subject before the competition. By that point, the mare was getting about a third of the way through filling in the trees with her black shading. But even with how focused she looked, Cherry tried to speak up. “Hey, ummm… Just so you know… I ended up having a chat with Flamingo while you made that coffee run.”

“Uhh, you did?” asked Canvas, his eyes narrowing confusedly. “What about?”

“Well…” Cherry Bomb squirmed with a slight look of discomfort. The whirring of her machine temporarily stopped as she pulled away from the mare’s foreleg to give the needles a couple dips in her ink with accompanying buzzes. “I just wanted to say that I… I reallywasn’t trying to insult you last night with that Twilight comment, Canvas. She told me about the conversation you two had last night, and… I’m sorry if I made things uncomfortable for you guys before that. I wasn’t trying to paint her as some petty bitch or something, I swear.”

Despite how hesitant the unicorn sounded, Canvas could catch the sincerity in her apology. “Hey, it’s not a big deal,” he assured. “Flamingo told me how you two originally met, so it’s not like I don’t understand. You helped her out a lot after the Canterlot show, and… hopefully you don’t see me the same way nowas you may have back then.”

“Oh, absolutely!” she said without hesitation. She looked up at Canvas with an impressed smirk. “The fact that you were able to hang with all of us yesterday without any judgement is something I can respect. Like, you didn’t even freak out at seeing High Flier, which makes you cooler than ninety percent of the ponies who usually talk with him.”

Canvas smiled wider, unable to find any fault in Cherry Bomb’s reasonings. “Well, I wasn’t wanting to dismiss any options when it came to my Cutie Mark mission. Not to mention, he’s a reallytalented tattoo artist! I’m really impressed by how much confidence he has in his work.”

“Yeah, High Flier doeshave a bit of an ego.” She giggled while her machine continued to buzz against the mare’s foreleg. “In a way though, he and Flamingo are pretty alike. Both of them found a lot of self-confidence in their appearances after getting into tattooing, and learned how important it can be for others to experience the same thing.”

Canvas hadn’t considered that comparison before, and he rubbed his chin in thought. When he glanced back at Flamingo Fire, she was smiling wide and shaking Home Grown’s hoof again. “Alright then! It seems like we’re on the same page.”

She used her magic to sign the bottom line of his form for verification, and then hoofed it back to him. “Just send that to the staff ponies waiting by the main stage, and I’ll be by later on.”

Home Grown nodded with a smile and left the booth. Meanwhile, the mare was practically prancing with glee as she turned her attention back to Canvas. “Ohmigosh, he loved my rose design! He didn’t even ask for any alterations!”

“Hey, I’m not surprised there,” noted Canvas confidently. “You really think he’s going to alter a winning piece?~”

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet…” Even with her thankful smile, Flamingo tried to keep herself focused. “We need to get ready as well. Since Home Grown is good with the design, all we have to do is get to our station and make sure all the paperwork is complete.”

“Sounds good!” While Cherry Bomb was left alone with her writhing client, Canvas picked up his art bag to hang over his shoulder. He also took the handle of Flamingo’s toolbox with his muzzle, while the mare used her magic to get the rest of her equipment. In an attempt to hype her up a bit, Canvas placed her kit on his back before asking, “So Flamingo, what’re you planning to do when you get that ten thousand bit prize? Add some more renovations to your shop?”

“Nope,” she said without hesitation while exiting the booth and waving Cherry Bomb goodbye. “I already have plans for what to do the instantI get that check, and it’s the best incentive I can think of.”

“Oh, really now?” Canvas followed her as they trotted back down the packed aisle of the convention center. With his smile growing more curious, Canvas perked a brow. “And what might that be?”

Flamingo Fire continued to look ahead as she spoke with a smile. “Finishing what I started all those years ago…”

It was now just past eleven AM, the sun now pounding down surprisingly hard on Baltimare. Troy had stopped flying around an hour ago, needing to rest his wings after soaring around the cityscape multiple times. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking when he tried to get an aerial search of the city for his husband, but he was still upset that it didn’t give him any results. Instead, all that he was left with was a pair of burning lungs, and a very strong possibility of sporting some nasty sunburn by the time he went to his next dress rehearsal.

“Jeeze, how hard can it be to find an artistin this city?” Troy sighed to himself as he walked alone down the Baltimare walkway bordering the sealine. He wanted to hunch his head low in tiredness, but the gryphon tried his hardest to keep note of his surroundings in case anything stuck out. “Seriously, I know that summoning wasn’t for me, but could I at least get a friggin’ break after--”

“Wait a minute, are you Troy?”

The gryphon’s head perked up upon hearing an unknown voice call out for his name. By that point, Troy was fairly close to the Baltimare Convention Center, and was within sight of a particular zebra who had gone out for a donut run. “I thought that was you!” said Marzo with a smile, not minding Troy’s weirded-out expression from seeing a tattooed zebra trotting up to him with a box of donuts on his back. As he looked the gryphon up and down, Marzo smirked to himself and nodded his head in approval. “Wow… I’m not gonna lie, your husband’s photos did not do you justice~”

“Wait, what?” Troy grew wide-eyed, and he walked up to him without hesitance. “You mean you saw Canvas?”

“Yeah, of course!” Marzo was smiling wide as he pointed a hoof towards the large convention center behind him. “He showed up to the tattoo convention yesterday and met up with Flamingo Fire. He explained everything to me and our friends, and we’ve been helping him try to get his Friendship Mission solved. And I gotta say, you have a reallysweet husband, Mister Clawston.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” That compliment was more than enough to make Troy blush with a bashful smile. However, Troy was quick to shake his head in an attempt to keep his focus. “Wait, wait! So… are you telling me that Canvas has been at a convention this whole time!? I flew past that thing like, five times in a row!”

Marzo chuckled with a head-shake of his own, then motioned for the gryphon to follow. “C’mon, man. I’ll see if we can find him before the big competition starts.”

“Wait, a competition?!” Though grateful for such a coincidental break in regards to his search, Troy looked pretty alarmed considering where they were headed. “Okay, what actually happened yesterday?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain on the way.” As the two walked in tandem to the convention center, Marzo took a moment to smile up at the gryphon. “By the way, would it be alright to get an autograph from you sometime? My boyfriend Eirjan is a hugeBridleway fan, and he’d lose his mind if he knew you were here today.”

Troy blinked before looking away, and muttered to himself, “Who the heck has Canvas been hanging out with?”

Inside the convention center, a large stage had been erected to stand prominently over the middle of the spacious ground floor. Metal music continued to rumble out from the speakers above, while various sideshow performers adorned the stage for the cheering audience below. A stunningly beautiful mare covered in tattoos was standing upfront while holding a longsword in her hoof; and as she leaned her head back with her muzzle opened wide, the roaring applause didn’t seem to affect her concentration in the slightest while sliding the sharp metal effortlessly down her gullet. Meanwhile, at both sides of the sword-swallower, twin stallions in black leotards worked in unison as they juggled flaming bowling pins without any protection.

“Holy crap…” Canvas’ head was peeking out from the stage curtain, his jaw agape from the dangerously impressive feats happening for the audience. But despite how eye-catching the displays may have been, Canvas quickly retreated backstage before shuddering involuntarily. “Man, I bet Troy wouldn’t mind learning a skill like her’s...”

Much to Canvas’ surprise, it turned out that the actual competition wasn’t happening out in the open like he expected. Instead, there were six small tents that were built across the backstage area, which were meant to give the artists and clients privacy during the actual tattooing process. Even though the idea seemed weird at first, it ended up making sense when Canvas found out the actual judging process was meant to be done blind. Since the winner was to be decided solely by the art itself -- without any knowledge of who actually made it -- Canvas was even more hopeful that Flamingo Fire’s thorny rose would stand out amongst the competition.

While a large package of bottled water was lugged atop his back, Canvas was smiling when he trotted inside of Flamingo’s assigned tent. “Alright, here’s the water! It wasn’t missing, it was just misplaced by staff.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Flamingo sighed in relief as she got up from her stool, and floated the package off Canvas’ back with her magic. “Thank you again for checking for me. I’ve already been getting fidgety about everything going smoothly, and I didn’t want to leave my tent unless absolutely necessary.”

“I totally understand what you mean.” Canvas helped her load the bottles inside the small minifridge nestled between Flamingo’s seat and the empty tattoo table. “And believe me, I want you to win this cash prize just as much as you do.”

Just outside Flamingo Fire’s tent, Home Grown had just come back from the bathroom with a satisfied sigh. But just as he was about to open the tent flap, the stallion paused when he overheard Canvas and Flamingo’s conversation inside.

“So, you already have an appointment set up with the surgeon?”

“Yep! He’s supposed to be one of the best gender reassignment specialists in all of Equestria. It’s been tough being on the waiting list for so long, but he’s been nothing short of supportive.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you for feeling that way. I’m just glad you have the chance to afford the procedure.”

“I know, right? I swear, I wish I invested in bottom surgery first before all my facial reconstruction.”

“Don’t be, it looks amazing! Seriously, you pass incredibly well.”

Home Grown grew wide-eyed and his head reeled back in shock, his reveal resembling the kind of reaction expected from a character in a very poorly-aged comedy. Unfortunately, that expression quickly morphed to that of disgust, before the stallion trotted away from the tent with an angered grimace. “Oh, for crying out loud!”

His outburst could be heard from inside the tent, prompting Canvas and Flamingo to pause their conversation to look over at the door-flap. “Hmm?”

Back out at the convention floor, Troy was standing by the entrance with his eyes bulging out of his skull, and his beak hanging agape. His left eye twitched uncomfortably as he looked around the massive convention floor, staring at the multitude of ponies he neverwould’ve encountered in his regular life. Ponies may have had wary opinions at best about things like tattoos or excessive piercings, but it was a whole different thing for someone who was raised in the ultra-conservative Gryphon Kingdom. Sure, Troy may have broken apart from his culture fairly easily due to being gay, but that didn’t stop his upbringing from seeing all those body modifications like they were going to be contagious. “…This is where Canvas has been hanging out?” he asked with a worrisome wince.

“Oh, don’t be so paranoid,” said High Flier, who was standing beside Marzo and shooting Troy a teasing smirk. “I promise you, none of us got any needles near him, alright?~”

“Dude, come on!” Marzo gave his apprentice a warning nudge with his elbow, and tried to speak more assuredly for the sake of Troy’s frazzled expression. “Seriously though, we mostly just showed him the ropes about how we perform our craft. He actually knew Flamingo Fire from back at that Canterlot art exhibition you guys attended.”

Troy’s head reeled back. “Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah, I know, right? We were all surprised by the coincidence as well! But even then, Canvas has really been learning a lot about tattooing since yesterday.”

The zebra smiled pridefully, while Troy was left to look away from him and High Flier with his eyes repeatedly blinking. The gryphon glanced back around the venue, his expression struggling to look less put-off by the event’s inked clientele. “Wow. I… I’m not sure how to respond to that…”

Seeing how uncomfortable Troy was getting, Marzo and High Flier shared similarly wary glances back at one another. The pegasus was the first to look back at Troy to ask, “Hey, uhhh… You’re not, like… against it or anything, are you? Because Canvas said a lot of reallynice things about you, and I don’t want this to be a red flag on your end.”

“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” Troy was quick to dismiss such an assumption with his claws raised in sincerity. “I’m not against Canvas learning about tattoos and stuff! I mean, he is an artist, and… I’m not gonna lie, this definitely seems like the kind of venue he’d go to for a Cutie Mark mission…”

Despite how truthfully that assurance was spoken, Troy still paused for a second upon hearing it out loud. Regardless, he shook his head with a brief exhale before continuing. “I mean… It’s still a lot for me to adjust to, but… I suppose Canvas was the same when hefirst came here, right?”

The two tattoo artists shrugged with reluctant nods, not disagreeing with the gryphon’s assumption. Meanwhile, Cherry Bomb showed up just in time to take notice of Troy with an elated smile. “Oh my gosh, you’re Troy, right?” When he turned around to see the white unicorn, she quickly put her hoof out to introduce herself. “It’s great to see you in the flesh! Canvas told us so much about you. My name is Cherry Bomb.”

“Oh, umm… Hello there.” Troy gave a slightly less hesitant smile while shaking the mare’s tattooed hoof. As he looked around at the three artists, Troy had to ask. “So, all of you were hanging out with my husband, huh?”

“Don’t worry, we were gentle on him,” said Cherry with a jeering smirk. “Also, we’re all prettysure that he and Flamingo are already becoming good friends.”

“Yeah, totally!” added High Flier with a nonplussed smile of his own. “I mean, if that whole Cutie Mark thing isn’t about her, then that map might just be broken or something.”

Since he had only just arrived at the convention center, Troy could only shrug while nodding in acceptance of such an idea. The name Flamingo Fire did ring a bell for the gryphon, although he couldn’t necessarily pin down any specifics. And since her friends were all present with curious smiles on him, Troy ended up trying to ask, “Well, uhhh… if that’s the case, then I wouldn’t mind hearing what happened since--”

“HEY!! GET THE BUCK OFF ME!!”

That enraged shout from behind the curtains may have been muffled enough for most of the convention center to miss; but since Troy and the artists were close enough to the stage to hear Home Grown’s voice, they all whipped their heads towards the source just in time to hear Flamingo scream out, “Please, you can’t just leave me like this! THIS ISN’T FAIR!!”

Marzo, Cherry, and High Flier all gasped fearfully before running off, making a beeline straight towards the backstage with Troy running in tow. “W-Wait up, I’m coming too!”

Meanwhile, behind the curtain, Home Grown was furiously trying to kick away Flamingo’s pink aura as it tried to grab his ankle. Canvas tried to block the stallion’s escape route by standing before him on his hind-legs with his hooves in front of him; his expression bordering between worry for Flamingo’s distressed look, and unbridled anger that left his teeth tightly clenched. Since none of the convention staff were present to witness the unruly behavior, Flamingo Fire was basically on her own as she desperately tried to keep her client at bay. “Home Grown, PLEASE!!” she pleaded, the corners of her eyes already beading in worry. “You already signed the paperwork!”

“BUCK YOUR PAPERWORK!!” With a profound kick of his hoof, the stallion managed to kick away her aura and free his hoof. Canvas tried to lunge in and stop Home Grown, but was unfortunate enough to receive a strong head-butt square in the chest. With a pained “OOF”, Canvas collapsed to the floor with his hooves clutched to his chest, his breaths now severely limited in harsh wheezes. Just as Marzo and the group were able to rush in and see the altercation, Home Grown got up to Flamingo’s face and screamed, “I’m not gonna ruin my body with something made by a BUCKING TRANNY!!”

P’TOO!!

After spitting in Flamingo’s face, Home Grown was only able to see for a split-second upon turning around. Of course, that was because of the avian claw that instantlystruck the stallion’s face, delivering a punch brutal enough to knock Home Grown out cold in a single hit. The pony fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes, already growing a nasty shiner over his left eye. Troy didn’t even realize what he just did until he stood over the stallion with his claw still clenched; even upon reflection, however, Troy looked ungodly pissed as he shouted down at the unconscious bigot, “DON’T YOU EVER TREAT A WOMAN LIKE THAT!!!”

If Canvas had been paying attention to his husband in that moment, he likely would’ve been freaked-out at how much Troy sounded like his Dad. But instead, Canvas struggled to get back on his hooves so he could check on his friend. “Flamingo! Flamingo, are you--”

As soon as she wiped that loogie from her cheek, Flamingo Fire bolted away from the group with tears streaming down her eyes. Canvas instantly ran after the mare, her sobbing cries echoing loudly across the backstage. Marzo and the others began to run off as well; but unfortunately, the artists and Troy were all quickly caught up in a couple strong auras of blue magic.

“Alright! Alright!” Just in that moment, two police ponies in uniform walked up to the group, taking notice of Home Grown still lying unconscious on the floor. One of the officers was carrying an annoyed grimace as he glanced over at the tattooed individuals, already looking like he was assuming some incorrect things about what may have happened. “Now just what the hayhappened here?!”

“That guy assaulted our friend in a blatant hate crime!” Cherry Bomb may have been restrained by the police, but she made that claim confidently enough to make them turn their attention towards her. With that, the mare motioned down towards a randomly-placed stool right beside Home Grown, which Troy knew wasn’t there just seconds earlier. “That jackass tried to run off after spitting on Flamingo, but tripped and hit his head on the stool! Ask any of us!”

Troy was staring at the mare wide-eyed, but didn’t even think of trying to say anything that went against her claim. Marzo and High Flier nodded their heads towards the officers, with the zebra saying, “Yeah, that’s exactly what happened! The dumbass should’ve been paying attention to his surroundings.”

High Flier made sure to shoot Troy a smirk while winking in solidarity, which the gryphon accepted with a nod before the cops could glance over at them. Troy quickly looked down at his claw, and sighed in relief when he saw his knuckles didn’t appear bruised by that knockout punch he delivered. Therefore, the gryphon was nodding right alongside the others as he spoke. “Uhhh… Yeah! He also knocked my husband down to the floor, but ran off before I could grab him.”

The two cops looked at each other for a moment, and then down at the pony laying motionless on the floor. The two unicorns had their muzzles skewed for only a moment, before giving some health-hearted shrugs with their hoofcuffs drawn. “Well, we did overhear a slur being thrown out from outside the curtains…”

While Home Grown was knocked-out cold, his hooves were tightly restrained by the pairs of cuffs. But before Marzo and the others could sigh in relief, one of the cops pointed at them with a stern, “BUT! We still need to take statements from allof you before being released!”

Though none of them were willing to complain after the transphobe was dealt with, the four all groaned in disdain with strong eyerolls.

“Flamingo… Flamingo, please talk to me!”

Canvas was close to tears as he stood outside the ladies room, its door locked shut to keep him from intruding on Flamingo’s privacy. Unfortunately, Canvas could still hear the mare’s muffled sobs from the other side. The stallion had both of his hooves pressed up against the door, but could only hang his head with a pained look while standing on his hind-legs. “I’m so sorry,” he said with a heartbroken quiver of his muzzle. “Flamingo, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to talk about all that stuff for him to hea--”

“SHUT UP!!!” shrieked Flamingo from the other side of the door, prompting Canvas to reel back with a scared look. The stallion winced with his eyes tearing up, but he kept his muzzle tightly closed with a quiver. His ears dropped down in shame when he heard the mare’s voice struggling to choke out between sobs. “Please… Please just… Just leave me alone…”

Canvas wished more than anything that he could respect Flamingo’s wishes; but when he glanced up at a nearby clock on the wall, he cringed when he saw the minute hand already nestled between eight and nine. He closed his eyes with a hoarse sigh, knowing that he had to do something to keep Flamingo from leaving the competition less than twenty minutes away. Even so, Canvas was sure that if he tried to bring it up outright, she would likely scream at him with the same anger that transphobe had earlier. Not to mention, Canvas wasn’t sure what he could actually do to help when her assigned pony was being carted off by police.

Nevertheless, Canvas took a deep breath before reopening his eyes. “Flamingo… I’m just going to say this once, alright? If you really don’t want to talk, I completely understand. Believe me, I’d be justas upset as you are right now.”

Canvas heard a bitter groan through the door, which made him wince worriedly. He was sure that Flamingo wasn’t a fan of hearing such a basic statement, but his expression grew more determined as he kept speaking. “But I really… really do not want you to give up, Flamingo Fire! I’ve seen how talented your work is, and I knowthat you can win that competition! And I’m not just saying that to make you feel better, okay?! I’m saying that because you’re an amazing artist, and the last thing I want to do is see you lose this chance!”

Canvas closed his eyes with an awkward grimace after saying that last part, hopeful that he didn’t get too insistent for Flamingo’s liking. He reallydidn’t want her to give up on her dreams, but he was fully aware of how vaguely the two could be considered ‘friends’. Sure, they certainly bonded a lot the previous day (especially after their smoke session later that night), but that didn’t mean Canvas had the right to give Flamingo any kind of pep-talk. Still, since he was the only one present to try and console her, he tried to remain as hopeful as possible while listening to Flamingo’s sniffling through the door.

“... I… I get that you’re trying to help,” she muttered with a voice that bordered between a pained whimper, and a bitterly sharp tone of insistence. “A-And I am grateful for that… I really am… But I’m REALLY not in the mood to deal with somepony trying to give me some bullshit words to pass a stupid Friendship Mission!”

“THIS ISN’T ABOUT THE FRIENDSHIP MISSION!” Canvas didn’t want to snap at her so quickly, but he couldn’t let her dismiss his help as he put his hooves back up against the door. “I’m sorry for yelling! I really, really am sorry! But I am NOT bullshitting you about this! Flamingo, are you reallygoing to let some asshole get to you like this!? After everything you’ve managed to accomplish since Canterlot?”

Canvas hoped that his words were getting through to her, but there was no way for him to know when all he could hear on the other side was silence. Regardless, the stallion continued to speak, his tone growing emotional by the passing second. “Listen, I… I know you’ve been through a lot, and… and I know that I can’t compare my own struggles with yours, so I’m not even going to try and insult you by doing so. But I willsay this, Flamingo… Even if my Friendship Mission was destined for someplace else, I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave you right now. And you know why that is?”

After a long bout of silence from the bathroom, Canvas closed his eyes with a deep breath before saying, “Because… Because I know that you’ve had your chance in the spotlight taken by me before, and… And I really don’t want to think that I could’ve done something to keep that from happening again, only for you to turn it down…”

Canvas sighed, his head hung low, silently cursing himself for how meaningless his words felt in that moment. If that stupid door wasn’t in the way, Canvas would’ve lunged in to hug Flamingo as tightly as he could and give her all the support she deserved. But since the two were separated, all that Canvas could do was hope that she wouldn’t dismiss his pleas too quickly. As the seconds of deafening silence passed between them, Canvas eventually pulled away from the door to stand on his hooves regularly. He looked away from the door with a worrisome wince, trying his hardest not to glance up at the clock ticking away.

Click

Canvas looked back at the door the moment he heard the knob unlock on the other side. Unfortunately, as soon as the bathroom door reopened, the stallion found himself standing firmly in place in response to Flamingo’s appearance. The mare’s amber eyes were visibly reddened from the tears that matted her cheeks, and her mascara had been smudged badly enough to make her resemble a pissed-off raccoon. Flamingo didn’t say anything at first, and just stared at him with an unamused glare that made him wince. “Alright then,” she stated with an impatient tone that emphasized how little she was giving in to Canvas’ fluff. “Let’s say that you do want to help me out. If that’s the case, how the BUCK do you expect that to happen, huh!? Because as far as I’m concerned, my ten thousand bit prize just left me after spitting in my BUCKING FACE!!”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” pleaded Canvas. “Flamingo, we can still find a volunteer if we--”

“WHERE!?” Flamingo got right up in Canvas’ face with a furious scowl, more tears already stemming at the corners of her glaring eyes. “Where the BUCK are we going to find a pony who can take a six hour tattoo with a bare foreleg!? Are you aware how hard it was to find THAT guy!? Do you remember how many ponies out there already have tattoos on their forelegs!?”

“Th-That doesn’t mean it’s impossibleto find somepony!” Canvas stepped back from the livid mare, and held out one of his hooves to keep some distance between them. “Listen, we still have about fif…”

The very moment Canvas took notice of his raised hoof, his eyes instantly widened while his words began to trail off. “... teen minutes… Until…”

Due to how suddenly Canvas’ attitude changed, it took Flamingo a moment to realize why he was staring at his left hoof in silence. When she took a moment to calm herself down and keep from screaming again, her eyes eventually glanced down at Canvas’ foreleg too. But unlike Canvas, whose face was hard to read due to the gears already turning in his head, Flamingo’s expression quickly morphed to a panicked look the moment her eyes widened like his. “Wait… Wait a minute, are… are you…”

The two ponies instantly looked back up at each other, sporting the same expression that said everything their open muzzles couldn’t. Neither of them could say what they were thinking in that moment, but it was obvious from their enlightened stares that they were thinking the exact same thing. Canvas’ cheeks practically exploded with a heavy blush, but he tried his hardest not to appear too fearful while his hoof was still raised. As for Flamingo, her eyes repeatedly blinked before she tilted her head with a confounded look.

“Ummm… Canvas?”

“…Y-Yeah?”

“... How much does your family hate tattoos?”

“... A lot…”

“Oh… is that so?”

“Uh-huh…”

“...”

“...”

“... Are you doing it anyway?”

“Buck yeah.”

By the time Home Grown had finally gained consciousness, he was lugged in the back of an ambulance carriage outside the convention center; however, since he was rightfully restrained by his cuffs and a muzzle guard, he wasn’t able to interfere with the group who gave their statements inside. Even if their testimonies were faker than a politician’s smile, it was doubtful that the authorities were going to press too hard in defense of somepony who committed a hate crime. Because of that, Troy couldn’t help smiling at the artists in appreciation after the police officers dispersed from the backstage.

“Okay, okay…” Due to all the commotion that occurred, members of the convention staff had only now arrived at the scene to take statements of their own. Even though none of the ponies in yellow vests tried to evict Marzo or his friends, there was still a pressing matter at hoof while a pegasus mare was looking through her clipboard. “So, that was Home Grown who was arrested, correct?”

Troy and the others all nodded while standing as a group across from the head staff member. The mare ended up sighing with a disappointed scowl. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m not sure what we can do for Flamingo Fire in regards to this competition.”

“Wait, what?!” shouted Marzo, High Flier and Cherry at the same time. The zebra spoke up insistently. “Wait a minute, you can’t just take her off the bracket after she was assaulted!”

“Yeah!” shouted High Flier with an enraged glare. “What, do you really think you can get away with that without a lawsuit?!”

Before Cherry Bomb could try to shut him up, the staff pony spoke with a more sympathetic tone. “Trust me, this is notsomething I want to do! I heard from the police what happened, and we’re going to do everythingwe can to set things right with Ms. Fire! But unless she has a backup pony scheduled for the event, which she doesn’t, then I don’t have any othe--”

“Who says that I don’t?~”

All of them turned around the moment they heard the mare's confident voice. Flamingo Fire trotted into the backstage with a determined, albeit freshly re-makeuped smile on her face. Her eyes may have been a little red still, but she didn’t appear too overwhelmed while Canvas was walking in beside her. Troy’s eyes shot wide-open the moment he saw a couple of papers held in Canvas’ mouth, which were handed to the head staff pony by him.

“Here you go,” said Canvas with a blush and a nervous smile. “Ummm… I hope that’s everything, ma’am.”

The mare read through Canvas’ application forms with a studious eye, not seeming to notice the gawked stares that Flamingo’s friends were all giving to the stallion. Troy looked especiallywide-eyed while looking at his husband with his beak agape. Canvas flinched the moment he saw Troy, not having noticed him during the initial assault. But as the gryphon stood in pure bafflement, Canvas’ blush deepened immensely before he squirmed in guilt.

“Uhhhh… Heh heh heh… Honey?” asked Canvas in the most sheepish tone of voice the gryphon ever heard. “I… I reallythink we need to talk…”

Chapter Eight

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Chapter Nine [Ending]

“Alright, everypony!” shouted the tattooed announcer, tipping his top-hat towards the six ponies now standing beside him on the stage. “The judges have made their private deliberations, and we’re just about to reveal the winner of this year’s Baltimare Tattoo Showdown!!~”

The audience roared in applause from all around. Troy was back in the crowd to stand beside Flamingo’s artist friends, not looking uncomfortable about being among tattooed ponies in the slightest. In fact, he was feeling content with himself while wearing his skull tank top and holding a shopping bag full of tattooing books that he purchased from one of the stands. Even though the contents inside were meant for his husband, the gryphon hoped that Canvas would appreciate the gesture.

While Canvas was standing at the front of the stage, trying his hardest not to appear too overwhelmed in the middle of the line of white-furred ponies, Flamingo Fire was among the row of artists standing in wait near the back. All of the tattoo artists looked disheveled following their brutal six hour marathons, save for their freshly-pressed outfits. Flamingo was smiling nervously while wearing a short black dress, being the only mare among the five stallions in the competition. Despite her wariness, the mare couldn’t have felt more sure of herself while smiling over at her new friend.

“Now before we announce the winning design, let’s take a moment to appreciate every piece that’s up here today. All of these ponies have just been put through the ringerto get these custom-made pieces of art, and we couldn’t be happier about the hard work that each artist gave for us tonight!”

The crowds cheered wholeheartedly, and Troy gave a couple hard pumps of his claw while hooting loudly. Flamingo blushed and beamed in pride alongside the other artists. Canvas had to breathe slowly to calm himself as he felt so many eyes on him and his new tattoo. It took considerable effort for him to try and not appear too scared while the flashes of multiple cameras went off continuously across the audience.

“So with that being said…” The announcer brought his cane up to point at the scoreboard, revealing the large drop-down display that was unrolling beneath it. An unseen projector hit the screen with crystal-clear clarity, ready to show off the close-up displays to the crowds. “Here’s one last run-through of the designs from this year, starting with tattoo number one!”

The large projector showed a high-definition photo of the first pony’s tattoo over her left shoulder. The pony in question smiled from the praise, but didn’t try to hide the portrait of a determined-looking gryphoness that was beautifully rendered across her white fur in various shades of black and grey. The gryphoness in the tattoo was staring outward with an intimidating scowl, wearing a wonderfully-detailed headdress made from a lion’s head. The taxidermy angle may have been a bit taboo for most ponies to process, but the audience’s cheering applause made it clear that they loved the talented artistry nonetheless. Even Canvas had to shrug with an impressed nod, mentally noting how quickly such a piece would’ve sold at his studio for the right price.

“And here’s tattoo number two!”

The slideshow projected the next entry. This tattoo was etched down a stallion’s hind-leg, portraying a grim reaper ripping through the skin and coming out with its scythe in its bony claw. Canvas was downright impressed by how realistically the artist emulated the effect of torn flesh over the pony’s fur, which gave the design much more depth than expected. It was another black and grey piece like the first, but the applause that it received was strong enough to make the stallion look away bashfully.

“Excellent work! Now for tattoo number three!”

The next one was done over a foreleg like Canvas’, only this was a detailed etching of a bonefish scrawled with a tribal-like motif. Canvas may still have been a novice when it came to tattooing, but he could tell from the design’s grainy texture and precise cornering that it was likely done with a stick-and-poke instead of a machine. Even though such an idea might’ve been risky for a competition like this, he couldn’t argue with how masterfully done it looked on the stallion beside him.

“And for tattoo number four, we have…”

Canvas’ tattoo was then shown across the projector screen, eliciting a strong round of applause like the previous three. Canvas smiled pridefully while all the attention was focused on his piece, which looked spectacularin the photo. He could hear Troy and the tattoo artists beside him all cheering wildly, which caused Canvas to giggle nervously. Though it was still fresh and slightly red around the sides, the rose and wrap-around vine of thorns looked amazing around the stallion’s teal hoof. And given how it was only one of two color pieces out of the six, the fact that its colors stood out so prominently over non-white fur was nothing short of impressive to every pony.

“Amazing work! Just like tattoo number five!”

The slideshow revealed the fifth tattoo entry, which was the only other colored piece. The tattoo was a stunning portrait piece of a photorealistic lion, its muzzle open wide to show off its glistening fangs for a silent roar. It’s gold and brown fur stood out beautifully against the back of the stallion’s shoulder, as did the bright pink shutter-shades that were nestled over the lion’s snout. Underneath the wild and colorful portrait, there was a bright purple text in a bold font that read ‘PARTY ANIMAL’, most likely a detail insisted by the wearer himself as judged by his content smile.

“And last, but not least… here’s tattoo number six!”

When the last photo popped up on the screen, Canvas gulped nervously while the crowd applauded loudly. The final tattoo was a black and grey portrait of a crying clown, which carried an obscenelyphotorealistic amount of detail against the mare’s shoulder. For all his confidence, Canvas couldn’t ignore how astounding the portrait looked with its high-contrast shading and perfect proportions. Even the large tear streaming down the clown’s cheek included a thin trail that was caught by the light’s sheen, and showed the slightest hint of makeup being undone. Canvas was unsure if hecould pull off an effect that impressive on a canvas board within six hours.

After the applause finally finished, the projector screen slowly rolled back up while the announcer spoke down below. “Okay, everypony! As you can all see, the judges had a lot of deliberation over which designs were the best. But without further ado, let’s start the rankings from sixth place to first!”

Amidst the audience’s excited cheering, Troy’s eyes widened with worry. He glanced over at Marzo, who merely shrugged. “Yeah, I know how that sounds. But don’t worry, even the last-place finishers are usually okay with what they have.”

“Well, duh,” noted High Flier.”It’s kinda hard to get pissed when you get a free tattoo.”

Cherry Bomb gave an apprehensive nod in agreement, but couldn’t say anything before the announcer continued. “In sixth place, we have tattoo number…”

A magical aura not belonging to the announcer floated a small stack of cards towards him. He picked up the first preassigned card, nodding before shouting into the microphone. “... FIVE!”

There were some strong groans from the audience, but none were as loud as the one from the pony beside Canvas. The artist felt shocked that such a well-applied tattoo received the bottom placement. Out in the audience, Marzo leaned in close to Troy and whispered. “That’s not too surprising. Adding text to an artistic design is fairly frowned upon in these contests.”

Troy felt equally as surprised about that piece losing, but he could only shrug while watching the losing ponies exit the stage. As the sixth placed ponies dispersed, the announcer continued on with his countdown. “Yes, I know. That was a wonderful design. Now then! At fifthplace, we have tattoo number… THREE!”

Canvas cringed from hearing the disappointed groan of the pony on his other side. He may have been grateful that histattoo wasn’t out of the game just yet, but his heart was still thundering over how high his friend’s design could get. Of course, he could only imagine how Flamingo Fire was feeling as she stood with a fidget among four suited stallions. The fifth place ponies exited the stage peacefully.

“In our coveted fourthplace. The design goes to tattoo number… TWO!”

That elicited some surprised responses from the artists in front, but the group still cheered their friend on for staying higher in the leaderboards. Canvas and Flamingo glanced over at each other briefly, smiling as giddily as they could through their nervous winces. By that point, only six ponies were present on the stage: the three ponies with tattoos, and the three antsy artists.

“Our third place finisher of the Baltimare Tattoo Showdown, and winner of one thousand bits goes to… tattoo number ONE!”

The mare sporting the gryphoness tattoo sighed with her eyes closed, but still smiled contently. As she exited the line, she gave a hoof-bump to the burly stallion who exited the artist’ line. The announcer floated out a large check with his magic, and allowed the duo to take some photos while the audience applauded their efforts.

“And now! The moment we’ve all been waiting for! We only have two tattoos left, but just onewill win the ten thousand bit check! So without further ado…”

The announcer motioned for the two remaining ponies to come forward on stage. Canvas breathed out with a shudder, not even trying to look back at the mare sporting the clown tattoo. He could only guess which design would appeal more to the judges. Meanwhile back at the artist line, Flamingo Fire was squirming badly enough to stain her teeth from how badly she was biting her lipstick.

“The winner of the Tenth Annual Baltimare Tattoo Showdown belongs to…

“...

“... Tattoo Number FOUR!!!”

Canvas gasped in shock, and practically leapt out of his skin as he shrieked out in joy. “OH MY GOSH!!” The audience was roaring in applause, and Troy was shouting out in excited glee for his husband. And while the announcer continued on to give his sympathies for pony number six, Canvas turned his attention back to the mare shrieking on stage with him. “OH MY GOSH!!!”

“I WON!!!” Flamingo Fire was jumping up and down in unbridled glee, the fringe of her dress waving about wildly. She laughed hysterically as she lunged into Canvas’ hooves, being careful not to touch the tattoo with her hug. “Oh my gosh, Canvas we WON!! WE ACTUALLY WON!!”

“No, you won!” assured Canvas with a tearful smile, hugging her back as best as he could with one hoof. As the mare’s elated laughter began to subside, it didn’t take long for Canvas to hear them turn to choked-up sobs. Flamingo couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down her face and ruining her mascara, but she was still smiling wholeheartedly. “Th… Thank you… Thank you so much, Canvas…”

Canvas felt a few tears of his own building up. “It’s no problem, Flamingo. I’d do it for any friend.”

Canvas and Flamingo didn’t pay much heed to the cheering audience, or even to the announcer while sharing such a caring hug on stage. However, the two did take notice of the round of shocked gasps that broke across the convention center in an instant. The moment they pulled away from their hug, Flamingo jolted with a gasp of her own while pointing at Canvas. “Holy crap! Canvas, it’s your Cutie Mark!”

Canvas let out an excited gasp while the audience grew rowdier by the second, and he lept around to catch a glimpse of his glowing flank. Much like back in Sugar Cube Corner, Canvas could feel the tiny pulsations in his nerves each time that unexplainable glow emanated from around his Cutie Mark. Everyone in the convention center was either gawking or shouting in response to seeing the phenomena up close, many of them not even aware that a pony on their Friendship Mission came to Baltimare in the first place. However, despite how excited Flamingo Fire may have been for her friend’s success, Canvas’ look of satisfied elation quickly turned to a panicked wince when he saw the cameras flashing wildly.

“Ohnogosh, congratulations!” said Flamingo with a huge grin. “Canvas, you gotta--”

Before she could finish, Canvas instantly rushed off the stage, much to the surprised gasps of many of the attendees. Flamingo ran after him, only to see the stallion hop behind the curtains with his Cutie Mark still glowing. Fortunately, Canvas popped his head out from the curtain’s opening to smile back. “Listen, I know this is a big deal, but I already stole the spotlight from you back in Canterlot! This is your moment, girl! Get back out there and celebrate your achievement!”

Only a moment passed before Flamingo saw the flashing cameras being redirected back towards herself. The mare looked unsure about accepting the glory for herself, not wanting to overstep Canvas’ success for her own selfish win. But when she saw Canvas nodding with a warm smile and a prideful wink, it didn’t take long for Flamingo to respond in turn with a smirk of her own. “Well… we’re still having a party at my shop tonight to celebrate!”

“Sounds good!”

Canvas and Flamingo shared one last hug before the stallion disappeared backstage. And while Flamingo Fire went back out to jumping for joy on the stage, savoring the immense applause and praise she was receiving from the crowds below, Canvas was giggling with pride as he danced by himself with his Cutie Mark brightly lit.

The Next Day

It was just about midday when Troy and Canvas’ train finally arrived back in Canterlot. After the eventful day both of them had back in Baltimare, the couple were more than happy to reconnect during Flamingo Fire’s afterparty. Troy may have been brand-new to the culture his husband had just accustomed himself to, but he couldn’t have been more proud of the accomplishments Canvas made since the previous day. Not only did the stallion manage to solve his friendship problem with flying colors by himself, but he also ended up with atalented new friend in the process.

Upon arrival, Canvas took a moment to marvel at the polaroid he was holding. It was a photograph he took just before leaving the Baltimare station with Troy, with himself and Flamingo Fire nestled close together for an impromptu selfie shot. Both of the ponies looked blissful while holding each other close, smiling at the newly-formed friendship they discovered. Canvas was already planning to meet up with Flamingo Fire as soon as possible, and couldn’t have looked happier while slipping the photograph back in his art bag.

When the couple arrived at Canterlot Castle, Canvas was instantly granted access due to his visit the other day. Of course, as he and Troy trotted down the spacious marble halls side-by-side, Canvas blushed quite a bit as he felt so many different eyes on him. He knew that he would likely be the center of attention upon returning due to just completing his Cutie Mission for Princess Twilight; but Canvas didn’t need to ask why so many of the Guards or castle staff were gawking at him wide-eyed as they passed. His foreleg was still shimmering with a thick layer of clear gel he reapplied back at the station, which allowed his new tattoo to stand out prominently against his fur like a badge of pride.

“So, Troy… You don’t think your family is going to, like… disown me for getting this, do you?”

Troy scoffed with a playful smirk. “Dude, come on! Your tattoo literally solved a Friendship Mission for Princess Twilight! Mom and Dad might be sticklers about a lot of things, but they’re not thatdense! I’m pretty sure they’ll understand enough to see your work as an exception.”

“Yeah, I hope so…” Canvas nodded affirmatively, but he still looked wary at best. “I mean… I know I shouldn’t be thatworried, since I already changed their minds about a lot of things.”

“Exactly! Seriously, if they’re able to adjust to me being married to a stallion, they’ll be cool with me being married to a tattooed stallion~”

Canvas giggled nervously, unable to refute it by any means. “Yeah, that’s true. I just hope they’ll be okay with me getting more…”

Troy was already aware of Canvas’ plans of exploring the craft further, and most likely receiving more tattoos to cover the rest of his forelegs. The mental image was definitely something to get used to, but the gryphon still smirked with intrigue while looking down at his husband in approval. “Well, you already got one. If anything, leaving it only at that is gonna make your forelegs look bare.”

Canvas was now smiling more naturally. “Troy, you have noidea how happy I am to hear that from you~”

Troy smiled right back, and the couple stopped in the middle of the hall to lean in for a kiss. The couple may have been fortunate enough to share the previous evening together in a hotel room, but that wasn’t enough to keep the two from remaining affectionate in Canterlot Castle. However, both of their ears perked up when they overheard the very distinct woofs of a large dog echoing down the halls. “WOOF! WOOF, WOOF!!”

A considerable distance away from the married couple, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike were all smiles while enjoying their first summoning with the newly-inducted Council of Friendship. The Mane Six were left by themselves as they trotted down the hallway in tandem, laughing contentedly without any interruptions from the Castle Guards. Since ‘Twilight having some much-needed time with her friends’ was literally the first law she passed as Ruler of Equestria, everypony staffed at Canterlot Castle knew better than to bother her with anything that wasn’t an emergency. And even with the most recent Friendship Mission being solved by Canvas Clawston, Twilight seemed more focused on regrouping with her friends while Tenor was barking happily alongside them.

“GAH!!” The moment Rainbow Dash rested her wings and landed back on the ground, the Saint Bernard instantly lunged in to give the pegasus several sloppy licks of his giant tongue. The Wonderbolt’s grossed-out grimace elicited quite a bit of laughter from the others, including Fluttershy who was trying to hold onto Tenor’s leash. She wasn’t used to lugging animals this big around Canterlot Castle, but Fluttershy was happy to bring Tenor along after receiving the request from Twilight. Rainbow tried not to gag while wiping the slobber from her face. “Geeze, Tenor! I know you haven’t seen us in a while, but you don’t have to drown us in your drool!”

“Oh, he’s just a little excited,” cooed Fluttershy, scratching Tenor behind one of his big floppy ears. Tenor panted happily, sitting firmly in place to receive the pegasus’ pets. “As soon as he found out his owners were coming back from Baltimare, he’s been really anxious about seeing them again!”

“Oh yeah!” Applejack, who was the only Element to have seen Canvas before his summoning, perked up her brows curiously while staring back at Twilight. “Sugar Belle told me about Canvas’ Cutie Mark lightin’ up back at Sugar Cube Corner the other day. Did he really solve his Friendship Problem already?”

“As a matter of fact, he did!” Twilight was beaming proudly while she used her horn to conjure out the parchment with a flash of her magic. Spike was hovering right beside her with his flapping wings, leaning in to double-check the details she was reading out loud. “Just before seven pm last night, the Cutie Map reactivated to indicate that Canvas’ mission had been successfully completed! I have no idea where he went while in Baltimare, or what he had to do to solve the problem. However, he and his husband are set to arrive at any moment to relay their findings.”

“OOH! Troy’s here too?!” Pinkie Pie, who was constantly hopping around the group with cartoonish “boings” in her steps, was already grinning like a madpony. “Well if that’s the case, we should get the kitchen staff to prepare some meat! I bet he’d like some fried chicken to celebrate his husband kicking Cutie Mark patootie!”

Tenor let out several excited barks while straining against his leash, clearly pent-up after hearing the words “fried chicken.” Rarity tried not to wince from Tenor’s excitable stance, but refrained from appearing too judgemental. “Fluttershy, you said it was alright for dogs like Tenor to consume meat products, correct?” she asked with a strong hint of concern in her tone.

Fortunately, Fluttershy was quick to nod. “Oh, absolutely! In fact, most of the dog food I purchase for my sanctuary contains animal protein for--HUUUHHHH!!!”

Fluttershy’s profound gasp of shock was soon accompanied by similar responses from everyone else in their group. Even Tenor’s ears perked up when he saw Troy and Canvas at the end of the hallway, their presence eliciting some stunned stares from the Elements and Spike. Even though the couple were a considerable distance from them, it was obvious their bulging eyes took notice of Canvas’ foreleg. Meanwhile, Canvas had to stop with an embarrassed blush, trying his hardest not to hide the rose tattoo that was pridefully adorned to his left hoof.

“Uhhh… Heh heh heh…” Canvas looked away from the group sheepishly, and addressed Troy. “I guess I don’t need to ask if they noticed it--OOMF!!”

The very moment Canvas looked away, Tenor took advantage of the perfect opportunity to pounce on top of him and start licking his face. The stallion had to keep his tattooed hoof out of reach due to it still healing, but his grossed-out smile remained as he writhed from the Saint Bernard’s affectionate greeting. Meanwhile, Troy and everyone else couldn’t help laughing while the stallion was pinned to the floor.

“Oh, man…” As soon as he saw Canvas’ new body art, Spike groaned in disappointment while crossing his arms against his chest in midair. “How come hegot a tattoo on his Friendship Mission and I didn’t?”

The End

Chapter Three

After a quick teleportation and some warm goodbyes from Twilight and Spike, it didn’t take long for Canvas Clawston to begin his solo journey as assigned by the Cutie Map. Just as the Princess promised, a train heading for Baltimare was already waiting when they arrived at the Canterlot station. Canvas wasn’t sure what to expect when he boarded the train with nothing but his ticket in hoof and his art bag hanging over his shoulder; but much to his surprise, Twilight Sparkle managed to reserve him a first-class seat in one of the front passenger cars. He was a little worried about accepting such luxury, but he knew it was to help keep him in high spirits.

“Hmmmm…” Canvas was comfortably seated by one of the windows, allowing him to look out at the beautiful landscape zooming past him at lightning speed. If this was just some conventional trip from one city to another, he would’ve likely pulled out one of his sketch pads to start drawing whatever caught his interest. But since he was on an important mission assigned by the Ruler of Equestria herself, Canvas decided to pull out something else from his art bag: a small stack of photographs he kept for inspiration.

The first photo was the one from his wedding, with himself and Troy standing at the altar with elated smiles in their matching suits. As the stallion and gryphon smiled for the camera, Princess Twilight Sparkle was posed right between them with a wing over each of their backs. Even though several years had passed since then, it was still jarring to think that Twilight herself gave her first wedding officiation for Troy and Canvas. The stallion stared at the photograph for a long moment, and sighed to himself in bliss.

Canvas flipped to the next photograph in his stack, and his smile trembled a bit upon seeing the first photograph of himself with the Clawston family’s newest edition. Shortly after Troy and Canvas’ wedding, the two managed to return to the Gryphon Kingdom in time for the birth of Angela’s sixth child, which was also her very first daughter. The baby hatchling was born as healthy as could be, and was resting peacefully in Angela Clawston’s arms in the photo. As the older gryphoness laid in her bed for some much-needed rest, Canvas could be seen beside his husband as the two posed with teary-eyed smiles next to their mother.

Canvas sighed before leaning his head back with his eyes closed. It had been a couple months since he and Troy were last able to see their sister Breeze, who was still living with her parents in the Gryphon Kingdom. The last time she was able to visit Troy and Canvas in Manehattan, the little gryphon was as precocious as could be behind her big blue eyes, her snow-white feathers reminiscent of her mother’s. Canvas knew that the Clawstons had plans to enroll her in the School of Friendship in a couple years, since she wasn’t old enough to attend just yet. But until that day, Canvas could only count the days before he could see her again.

Canvas waited to reopen his eyes after he moved that photo to the back of the stack. This allowed him to look at another photo that was slightlyless wistful, but one of a similarly significant day for Troy and Canvas. The photograph had the two posing with extremely wide and prideful smiles, standing in front of the metal gates of what looked to be a large storage building. The two-story abode was formerly a pottery manufacturing plant when it was first built a century prior in Manehattan. By the time Canvas and Troy were able to purchase the property to serve as their secondary home, however, it had been left abandoned for years under police custody. Canvas couldn’t help but shake his head in astonishment over how they were able to find a place that nice for such a discounted price. Sure, the couple had to spend a significantamount of bits to repair the place and make it a livable home, but by the time the two were finally finished, it proved to be just as unique and comfortable as their modest farmhouse in Ponyville.

Canvas then flipped to another photo, which actually made him giggle out loud. The picture was taken at one of the many stunning vantage points at Mount Aris, where he and Troy vacationed several months prior. The silver gryphon was smiling confidently while holding the camera in one claw, and pulling his husband in close with the other. The stallion was bent in to give a sweet kiss to Troy’s cheek, and in an act that his brothers-in-law all described as an “Epic Photobomb,” their dog Tenor had leaned into the shot to look at the camera with his muzzle open wide, his tongue sticking out sloppily with visible drool trickling from his mouth.

“Daaawww!~”

Canvas flinched upon hearing that sudden coo from a mare beside him. When he looked up from his seat, he was greeted by the sight of a train attendant with a bubbly smile underneath a poofy blue mane. The purple mare was wearing a standard attendant outfit that matched her colors, and she pointed at the photograph Canvas was holding in his hooves. “That is such a cute picture!” she said cheerfully. “What’s the dog’s name?”

“Oh, his name is Tenor,” said Canvas, quick to smile back in response. “He’s a Saint Bernard that Troy and I got years ago. He’s a big boy, but he still thinks he’s a lap-dog.”

The attendant giggled with a hoof over her mouth. “Yeah, I’ve met dogs like that before. My sister’s roommate had a rottweiler who acted the same way. His name was Hooter.”

Canvas may have still been smiling, but his head tilted in confusion as he raised a brow. She quickly sighed and added, “She was an Ornithologist, and named him after a pet owl she used to have.”

“Oh! Okay, that makes sense.” He gave a small scoff as he shook his head in nostalgia. “Geeze, the only reason I even knowabout Ornithology is because of Troy.” He pointed to his husband in the photograph for clarification. “You know how sometimes you learn things about your partner after you get married, that you never would’ve expected to know? Well, in my case, it was when I found out that my husband had Ornithophobia.”

The attendant’s head reeled back and her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, seriously?” she asked, before taking a closer look at Canvas’ photo to make sure he was referring to that specific gryphon. “But… But how could a gryphon be afraid of birds?”

“Well, not all birds,” noted Canvas in clarification. “Only talking birds, like parrots or cockatoos. He had a traumatic experience as a kid when he was attacked by a parrot, and ever since then he can’t even be in the same room as one. And yes, he’s already aware of the irony.”

Despite the mare’s surprise, her pause only lasted for a second before she tapped her chin in thought. “Hmmmm… Well, I supposeit would make sense for a gryphon to be creeped out by them. I mean, if I was part avian, I’d likely see parrots in the same veil as ventriloquist dummies.”

“That’s exactly what he said!” said Canvas, looking up at her wide-eyed. After letting out a bewildered huff, the stallion smiled and added, “Still, I’m just glad that it wasn’t anything too shocking to learn after getting married, you know?”

“Yeah, I can’t deny that,” she said with a playful roll of her eyes. As she reached into the inner pocket of her blouse to give Canvas a menu for the snack car, she spoke with a smile. “I willsay though, it really seems like you got yourself a great husband there.”

Canvas’ smile widened immensely at hearing such sincerity. Considering how much discrimination and heartache he faced in his teenaged years as a closeted stallion, it really meant a lot for him to hear such genuine praise for the love he was experiencing now. And as he looked back at the photo of Troy, Canvas let out a long and forlorn sigh while smiling optimistically. “Yeah… he really is the perfect mate.”

“I WANT A DIVORCE!!!”

Back in Manehattan, the silver gryphon was looking absolutely livid while standing at the head of a large table. Several ponies were seated across both sides of the table, and had their gaping muzzles covered with their hooves in shock. But among the horrified gasps and remorseful looks on their faces, it was a skinny brown stallion at the very end who tried to speak out. “W-Wait a minute!” he shouted frantically. “You… Y-You can’t actually mean that, can you?!”

“DO I LOOK LIKE I’M LYING!?!” roared Troy as he shot a venomous glare at the stallion who dared to speak up. “I have spent YEARS dealing with nothing but absolute CRAP!! And you know what?! I’M SICK OF IT!! I WANT TO BE SINGLE AGAIN!!!”

Another round of stunned gasps swept across the table, with a couple of ponies pushing their half-eaten plates forward from lost appetites. One of the mares had to hold both hooves over her face to keep from sobbing, though it did nothing to dampen Troy’s furious scowl. After several seconds passed, the gryphon slumped back in his seat with a bitter groan, and tried to keep himself from snapping again as he clenched his beak tightly. “Ughhh… I swear… Sometimes I wish I never even got married to her…”

He then leaned forward to rest an elbow on the table, and perched his chin atop his raised claw for leverage. Meanwhile, across the crowded and silent dinner table, all that Troy and the others could see was a black void starting at the edge of the stage. The audience chamber was visibly empty, save for the front row where several ponies were watching studiously and jotting down notes on their clipboards. And in the middle of the tightly-packed group, a burly stallion with a thinning mane and thick glasses pulled out a large megaphone to yell out, “CUT!!! Minty Fresh, you had a line there!”

“GAH!” The green mare who had been ‘crying’ earlier instantly broke character, and winced in annoyance. “Dammit,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head disappointedly. She quickly wiped the tears off her cheeks with a hoof, and glanced over at the gryphon apologetically. “I’m really sorry, Troy.”

“Hey, it’s totally fine,” he assured her with both claws raised and a smile on his beak. “Trust me, I’ve had a few blank-out moments like that myself. Just be glad it happened here and not during the actual show.”

Minty blushed with a thankful smile, and nodded at Troy graciously while the other actors all chuckled to themselves. As soon as the director stopped their scene, everypony at the table went right back to acting normal on the stage. Since they were all sitting in chairs, everypony felt comfortable and the mood became fairly calm. But alas, Troy breathed out heavily as he looked up at the stage lights high above. “Geeze, do those haveto be so hot?” He then used a handkerchief in his pocket to carefully dab his forehead of any excess moisture. “I swear, I’m sweating more than a hoofball player in this thing.”

Such response received several affirming nods from the other actors, who were all struggling to keep cool in their thick vintage clothing. Troy may have been raised in warmer climates, but even hewas growing hot underneath his black woolen jacket. Fortunately for them, they overheard the director shout once more “Alright, let’s take a fifteen minute break for now, guys. We just got some fresh ice at the refreshment table, but be careful to not smudge your makeup!”

Half the cast barely heard the director’s warning as they instantly rushed out of their chairs. The group of overheated ponies were quick to trot backstage, with several of the unicorns in the group helping to pull off each other’s costumes with their magic. Troy was the last to exit the main stage, but was fortunate to feel his jacket being undone with the help of Minty Fresh’s aura. As soon as he slipped past the curtains, the gryphon sighed in relief when he felt the cooler air against his damp feathers. “Aaaahhh…”

Troy’s face lit up when he saw a bottle of root beer floating in a green aura in front of him. Minty Fresh was holding a bottle of her own, and waited for Troy to take his own before they tapped the caps in solidarity. Troy used a swipe of his talons to quickly uncap both of them without issue, and was the first to take a hearty swig. “Mmmnnnnghhh…” Troy sighed out even deeper, and nodded appreciatively to the mare still chugging her own. “Thanks, Minty! I swear, I nearly tried to drink that fake glass of water on the table a couple times during rehearsals.”

“Same here,” said Minty with a shrug, taking a couple breaths to keep from belching. She was still smiling up at the gryphon, but her apprehension was still visible behind the thick locks of her white mane trailing down her face. “Ugh… I still can’t believe I flubbed that line, though. That was like, one of three lines I had in that scene!”

“Hey, it’s okay!” Troy was quick to try and console her despite his own fatigue. “Believe me, I felt justas worried about myself when I was performing my first stage show. And I was the friggin’ lead!”

Minty giggled with a nod while covering her mouth with a hoof, and then shrugged in understanding. “Yeah, I suppose you have a point there. Like, I’m still reallyflustered about finally getting a Bridleway role, but it means a lot to hear you say that.”

“Hey, I know how it feels to be put under pressure. I mean…” Thinking it over, Troy had to scoff with a shake of his head as he reflected on his first Bridleway role. “... Man, it’s still nuts to think my first role ended up being the first gryphon to perform Hinny of the Hills. I swear, I was worried I was going to start molting from all the stress I was under.”

“Yeah, but that performance was fantastic!” Minty Fresh huffed with a skewed muzzle. “Seriously, I remember seeing one of your shows when I was still in high school, and I was totally flooredby your singing! Like, I’m still kinda mad that you didn’t get nominated for a Poni Award as ‘Best New Performer’.”

The mare’s praise was starting to get to Troy. He looked away from her with a sheepish smile. His feathers began to ruffle out in embarrassment, and he blushed heavily underneath; but he felt compelled to say humbly, “W-Well, uhhh… Yeah, my parentswere just as upset about that as you were. Heh heh heh…”

Despite the gryphon’s attempt to downplay his stage success, it was hard for him to deny how lucky he felt to achieve such a high reputation so quickly. The weeks spent in rehearsals and choreography for Hinny of the Hills may have been absolutely ruthless, but the moment he heard the audience’s thunderous applause at the end of his first show was nothing short of gratifying. Not to mention, since Troy had spent most of that time away from his husband -- who was busy painting that portrait for Shining Armor and Princess Cadance up in the Crystal Empire -- being able to reunite with Canvas after his performance was justas rewarding as the pay he received for his hard work.

“Troius Clawston?” shouted an unfamiliar voice from nearby, prompting Troy and Minty to glance over towards the source. For all the chatter and banging equipment backstage, the mood quickly turned silent when the cast and crew saw who was at the entry doors. Three Royal Guards in full armor walked in, with the unicorn in front holding an envelope in his aura. As Minty and the others all watched in stunned silence, the Guards went up to Troy and handed him the letter. “This is an urgenttelegram issued by Princess Twilight Sparkle, which she insists on you reading in private.”

The gryphon was left wide-eyed, and he instantly snatched the note before running off. All of the other cast members started to look at one another while muttering in hushed voices, many of them worried about what the ‘urgency’ in that telegram could possibly mean. The three Guards stood in wait as they looked over at the doors of a nearby dressing room, where Troy scurried off to read the telegram privately. After only a minute of awkward silence, even the director out in the auditorium could hear the bellowing shout of Troius Clawston’s voice:

“CANVAS WAS SUMMONED BY THE CUTIE MAP!?!”

Much like Princess Twilight Sparkle had promised back in Canterlot, Canvas’ train arrived in Baltimare just around noon. Because of that, the train station was absolutely packedwith ponies by the time the artist hopped off the train. His art bag was closely nestled to his side as he tried to maneuver himself through the crowds; and since this was the first timethat Canvas had visited Baltimare in years, his lack of knowledge about the city was leaving him feeling overwhelmed already. Regardless, by the time he was able to venture down a large hallway towards a less dense portion of the station, the stallion could only sigh to himself and mutter, “Man, I’m soooo glad I decided to leave Tenor with Fluttershy…”

Since he only had his art bag to worry about, Canvas was able to walk around the station freely while scanning the area. He highly doubted that his friendship mission was going to start here, but he wasn’t one to be dismissive when the details of his quest remained so vague. All that he knew from Twilight was that he was destined to head to Baltimare for… something. No specific names. No address. No familiarity with the city itself. And worst of all, not a single clue pertaining where to actually go.

Canvas let out an exasperated breath as he rounded another corner, and found himself near one of the station’s main exits. From the massive windows that covered the wall from floor to ceiling, Canvas paused his steps as he stared out at the giant city waiting before him. Due to how many buildings and houses he could see, his muzzle clenched tightly along with a feeling of overwhelming dread. Nevertheless, the stallion tried to quell his worries as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Okay, okay…” Canvas tried whispering to himself in order to organize his thoughts. “So… you’re an artist in Baltimare who has to help somepony with a friendship problem. Or, someone, if they’re not a pony… Hmmmm…”

A few ponies walked past Canvas while he stood by himself, but none of them tried to approach him and interrupt his thoughts. Meanwhile, the stallion continued to mutter to himself as he tried to think logically. “Let’s see… if I was meant to find a specific place in Baltimare to go, where would I try to look?”

Canvas remained in the station as he looked around with narrowed eyes, hoping to find something that could catch his attention and give him a starting point for his quest. Unfortunately, despite how large the main station may have looked, all he could see were dozens of ponies trotting to and from the trains. At the opposite end of the station, Canvas could see automated ticket dispensers. Beside the row of futuristic-looking machines was a small window with a sign above that read ‘Information’; unfortunately, Canvas could also see a sheet of paper taped over the window with the words “Out until 3pm.”

“Pbbt~” With a sharp whinny, Canvas sighed hoarsely before deciding to walk up towards it anyway. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to at least check…”

As he walked across the spacious entryway, Canvas tried to keep note of his surroundings while countless ponies trotted past him. However, it was hard to really discern much when the concrete floors were impeccably clean, and the loudspeakers hanging by the ceiling weren’t announcing any additional information. By the time he got up to the Information counter, Canvas groaned once more when he saw nothing but an empty chair through the little window. After rolling his eyes, he turned himself around to head back to the exit. “Well, that was a waste of…”

The stallion froze in place, and his eyes widened when he caught sight of something unexpected. From the point he was previously at, he had assumed that the Information counter was at the corner of the entryway; but much to his surprise, there was actually a small hallway that led to some public restrooms. And hanging on one of the walls of that hallway, a massive bulletin board was posted up and littered with posters and pamphlets. Above the corkboard was another sign, which was titled “Upcoming Local Events.”

“Oh, perfect!” Canvas’ face lit up, and he quickly ran up to the board. He knew that his discovery was barely a hunch at best, but it was still something to give him some kind of clue about his goals. After all, any information about what the city could provide was worth its weight in goldright now. “Alright, let’s see,” he said to nopony in particular while scanning the large board. “There has to be somethingworth noting…”

Canvas took his time while reading through the countless posters and fliers hung up on the board; unfortunately, despite how promising his find may have seemed, it didn’t take long for his muzzle to skew in disappointment. Most of the posters hung up were either for events that happened weeks ago, or were for venues that he had no interest in. For example, Canvas was sure that his talents weren’t needed at an Elderly Clogging Lessons Class. And to add to his frustration, it was growing difficult to actually read some of the posters when so many others were overlapping one another with tacks or sticky tape.

“Jeeze, how can anypony find an event through these?” Canvas leaned in closer to better scan some of the older fliers, regardless of any additional doubt. He even reached out with a hoof to lift up some of them, just in case something was hiding underneath. But alas, as the minutes passed with the station continuing like normal, Canvas was growing more upset the longer he spent fiddling through various worn-out posters. “Ugh… At least give me something meant for this weeke--OH!”

The moment those words escaped his muzzle, Canvas’ eyes widened when he saw today’s date posted on a bright pink poster. It was nestled underneath two older fliers, so the pony wasn’t too surprised to have missed it for so long. He lifted up one of the papers to see what was above the date, and Canvas’ face lit up excitedly upon seeing some key words printed across the eye-catching design:

Art! Expression! Competition! Entertainment! And More!

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” It may have only been the bottom descriptions of something he had no knowledge of, but Canvas’ attention was piqued the moment he saw the word ‘Art’ in such a bold font. Considering how cluttered the board already was, the artist decided to simply rip the poster from the display with a hard yank of his hoof. The paper came out effortlessly with only a tiny tear at the top, the title of the event proudly displayed right underneath:

10th Annual Baltimare Tattoo Convention

“... Uhhhhhh…”

Canvas grew especially wide-eyed the moment he read that title, his muzzle remaining partially open in confoundment. A moment of confusion later, he read through the event’s details without saying a word. According to the flier, the convention was slated to have over one hundred artists in attendance, and was set to be a weekend event that began at noon that very day…

Canvas had no negative opinions about such a taboo craft, but he still needed a moment to process such a… discovery. As he stared out blankly in the middle of the station, all he could think to do was say to himself, “... Well… That’s definitely not what I expected…”