Blood, Sweat & Ink

Rain hammered down on the thatched roofs of Ponyville, wind threatening to blow the houses from their very foundations as water lapped at their wooden doors. This was one of the worst storms brought upon them this season, which only seemed typical enough for Inky, as they were the only pony wading through the muddy floodwater as they made their way home.

Drenched to their skin, their grey coat clung to their body, thick with cold, dirty water. They shivered, looking upset and aggravated. However, this was not as a result of the gloomy weather. If the clouds had cleared right then and there, Inky would still be baring that deflated face, and they would still keep their head low as they stepped to their door.

When it seemed the day could go no further downhill, a familiar voice spouted from within the home.

"Inky! How'd your little art thing go?"

Stepping into the building and kicking the door closed, Inky was met with the rather unpleasant sight of their roommate lazily lounging on the couch in their shared living room. An orange pegasus, whose amused green eyes were following Inky as they walked over, leaving a trail of water in their wake. "How do you think it went, Copper?"

"If I had to guess, the same way all your other exhibitions go. No one came." He'd jeer.

Inky scowled, pouting as they wiped the droplets that fell from their mane. "Actually, somepony did show up this time!" They stated indignantly, catching a towel thrown by Copper in their teeth.

Copper raised a brow, sitting up on the couch, looking unconvinced. "Oh, really? Sunny Surefire doesn't count, Inks."

"It wasn't Sunny! It was Fluttershy." Inky grinned. "She walked over and looked at my painting of Twilight!"

Copper crossed his forelegs expectantly. They shared an awkward silence for a few seconds, before Inky's smile fell and they groaned, tossing the towel and shaking off the remaining moisture.

"Okay, so she only glanced at it. B-but, she looked like she liked it. Although she didn't get the chance to tell me because she was in a rush. Something about her snake being late for his haircut."

Copper snorted. "Wow. At least it wasn't Applejack."

Inky slumped onto the couch. "Why, because she'd tell me just how much she hated it? Who am I kidding, my art just isn't interesting. I spend hours on stuff that just doesn't catch anyponies attention."

Copper's gaze softened, and he shuffled closer, placing a hoof on their shoulder.

"I should just quit. " Inky sighed, sorrowfully. I'll never be as good at this as all the others."

Copper bit his lip. He never had been one to comfort, and Inky didn't expect any words of reassurance. In fact, they weren't even sure if the orange pegasus knew any nice words at all. It wasn't his fault, they supposed. He just couldn't show he cared like other ponies.

"There's a competition, you know." Copper began. "That fancy artist Golden Stroke is hosting it. The deadline is in a few days, but I'm sure you have time to enter."

Inky looked up at him. "I've heard about that- But its being hosted in Canterlot. I can't compete with talent like that."

"Just try, damnit!" Copper suddenly snapped, causing Inky to flinch backward. "I'm sick of you moping around the house like this. The prize is having your art framed in the Canterlot Art Gallery! The Princesses will be there when it's framed to introduce it to the public! This is your one shot at being seen, your one shot at finally being something other than a run-of-the-mill pony from Ponyville!"

Inky stared with shock, before smiling. "Okay.. Okay!" They beamed, fluttering their wings. "You're right, I can't just let a chance like this slip by me! I'll do it. It's a shot in the dark, but I'll do it! Thankyou, Copper Shock!" Inky tackled him with a hug, and without giving him a chance to react, they bolted up the stairs and retreated to their bedroom, leaving Copper lying on the couch with a startled look.

"Hey- Don't run off yet! You left your wet towel on the couch!" He'd shout, but if Inky heard him, they didn't care to listen. They had work to do.

By the time the sun rose on the next day, Inky had still not spared the time to sleep. With a deadline approaching so rapidly, they knew they had to give this piece as much attention as they possibly could. They only seemed to snap out of this artistic fever when Copper entered the room to wake them.

“Ink- Whoa, Inks! You’re up early. That’s new.” He’d comment, but when Inky turned to face him, he knew immediately that his initial observation was wrong. Their eyes were reddened with exhaustion and their mane was messy and unkempt.

“Didn’t sleep.” The disheveled pegasus didnt care to meet his gaze for any longer, turning back to their project, which Copper could not see, as it was obscured by their hunched body. “I have to finish this. I need it to be perfect.”

Copper gave a brief look of concern, though it went unnoticed. “Okay, well, I’m going to work. Wanted to let you know that you probably should do that, too, but if I were you, I’d call in sick. You’re going to end up hurting yourself.”

When the only response he recieved was a disinterested hum, he gave in and simply took off for work. Inky barely noticed- how could they think of their job right now? It’s not like they were an asset to the company. They worked as a waiter in the next town over, a twenty minute train ride away. They were on their hooves all day, and their boss seemed to never be pleased with the work they did.

As Inky thought, they began to realise that they couldn’t afford the exhaustion that came with the job while they were working. It’d only be a few days off, and what was Inky, if not punctual most of the time?

They needed to work on their project. It was their one hope to get out of this house, get out of this town, get out of that job and finally be the artist they always dreamed they would become; and this artwork was their golden ticket.

This piece will reinvent art as a genre, they thought to themself. No one will have seen art as unique and eye-catching as this. It has to be perfect.