Chapter Twelve: Not Alone
Dawn came, with the sun shining into the hotel room and waking the stallion inside. Canvas groaned and stirred in his bed, wanting nothing more than to rest a couple more minutes. However, the pony reluctantly raised his head, knowing he had to make more bits if he wanted to stay in this hotel another night.
He looked over at the clock on the nightstand, which read a quarter past seven. Just enough time to get ready and packed back up before heading to the stationery store. With a yawn, Canvas pulled himself off the bed and headed to the bathroom. He felt both surprised and grateful that he didn't have any nightmares the night before.
Troy was already halfway through his exercise regimen up on his cloud. He felt happy that today was his day off after all that work he did in Appleloosa. And now after everything that happened the previous night, he was hoping to talk to somepony about whether or not he could be transferred to weather patrol.
Troy figured he could spend more time in Ponyville, do something to try and pull himself out of his cloud more often. He didn't spend much time in places on the ground other than his waterfall, but Ponyville seemed like a pretty nice town. Plus, Troy wanted to check up on Canvas to see how he was holding up.
After completing his wing stretches, the gryphon blasted off into the morning sky, smiling as he felt the newly risen sun warm his feathers. Soon, he noticed the unmistakable rainbow trail that could only come from one pony shooting off ahead of him. Troy remembered that Rainbow Dash was the captain of the weather patrol around Ponyville, so he figured she would be the best bet in helping him out. With the trail quickly dissipating in the distance, the gryphon barreled off to catch up with her.
Canvas made sure to buy as much paper as he could with his remaining bits, as well as some graphite pencils and a sturdier rubber band for his hoof. Upon leaving the stationery store, he breathed in the brisk morning air with a smile and trotted off to the fountain.
When he arrived, the stallion looked into his reflection in the water to make sure his bandage was reapplied properly. Despite how badly his appearance made him want to wince, he was confident enough with it to try to look past it. Canvas pulled out a new pad of paper from his art bag, and placed it beside him on the bench in preparation for what he hoped was going to be a busy day.
Using the back of yesterday’s empty pad, Canvas pulled out a black marker and wrote down his prices for the day: ‘5 BITS PER PONY - 8 FOR TWO’.
Canvas placed the sign next to him on the ground, believing having an advert would help attract more customers. He heard hoofsteps approaching from behind him. He turned hoping it wasn't some policepony coming to tell him he was breaking any rules. However, Canvas was relieved to see that it was actually the mint-colored mare from yesterday. The unicorn had a pleased smile as she walked over to him, and paused for a moment to take note of his setup.
"Well hello, Canvas,” said the mare. "You’re looking much better now."
Giving a quick shrug, Canvas put the rubber band over his hoof as he replied, "Thank you, um... Lyra, was it?" The mare nodded. "I was just getting ready to do some sketches for ponies today."
"Yeah, I saw the ones you did for Roseluck and Colgate last night. You’re a regular Titian!" Canvas blushed as he pushed the graphite under the band on his hoof. "Seriously, I can't draw that well with my magic, and they said it was done by hoof! Anyway, you said you're going to be drawing ponies all day today as well?"
Canvas nodded and started rubbing the new, white sheet with the blackened cloth in preparation for his first customer’s arrival. "I sure am." Canvas looked back with a smile. "You want one done? It's only five bits."
"Actually…” Lyra looked down at the sign, noting the prices. "I might have to ask Bon-Bon if she wants to be in a drawing with me. How long do you think you'll be here?"
"As long as I still have paper." Canvas patted the pad in front of him, smirking confidently. Lyra smiled and nodded.
"Great!" said Lyra, walking off. "Hopefully I'll see you back here when her shift ends."
"You will." Canvas continued making the graphite layer an even shade of grey. "Tell your friends, too!"
Troy was hunched over like a gargoyle while perching on a nearby cloud, struggling to catch his breath. By the Divines themselves, the gryphon felt like he was going to hurl. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was hovering over him with a raised brow, looking confused at his request.
"So, let me get this straight,” said the cyan mare, watching the gryphon start ripping off pieces of the cloud to wipe off sweat with. "You want to be part of the weather patrol around Ponyville now?"
Troy merely nodded, unable to speak. He knew Rainbow was a national hero and star athlete, but the gryphon had to wonder how the buck somepony could fly so fast without even breaking a sweat.
Rainbow Dash shook her head in skepticism. "I dunno, Troy. I mean, don't you have a good job at the Weather Factory right now? From what I heard, you're one of the best ice scraper guys they've had since Snowflake quit."
Troy shrugged as he remembered Snowflake, the freakishly huge white pegasus with a buzzcut. Troy wasn’t used to having to look up at a pony. He only met him a couple times when he trained Troy on how to do the job (which mostly amounted to the guy grunting or yelling "Yeaaahhh!"). Sometimes he wondered how the guy managed to keep his almost grotesquely muscular body in the air with wings that tiny, or why a pony with a dumbbell cutie mark had the name Snowflake, but he wasn’t going to say any of that to his face; the guy looked like he could bite into a boulder and spit out pebbles. Still, the pony was helpful in teaching Troy how to scrape ice, and getting him used to being around ponies his first month in Equestria.
"Yeah, I've heard that, but honestly…” As Troy thought of a good reason, he wanted to come up with something better than ‘I want to check up on a gay stallion in case he gets bullied again.’
“I just want to be more social, you know? I mean, I'm cooped up in that little freezer room all day, scraping blocks of ice, and I barely know anypony around there! I just want to try something new and… maybe make some friends or something."
This wasn't necessarily a lie. He really was sick of being in a room by himself all day with nothing but an ice scraper, a block of yet-to-be-scraped ice, and his brooding, intrusive thoughts; and he really didn't like the fact that he only knew as many ponies as he had talons on his claws (eight, to be precise). When Troy thought back to why he moved to Equestria in the first place, it made him feel kind of pathetic to still be as antisocial as he was back in the Gryphon Kingdom. When he glanced back at Rainbow Dash, the look of pity on her face told him that she wasn’t not considering it.
"Well…I guess I can see if I can talk to somepony about transferring you. I mean, I did hear some good things about how you helped with the Appleloosa drought, so I don't think that you’d be that bad on weather duty around here."
A huge smile grew across Troy's beak. He reached in to grab Rainbow Dash's hoof, shaking it vigorously. "Thank you so much for helping me out! I mean it, I really appreciate you doing this for me."
The mare quickly pulled her hoof back and looked at Troy with annoyance. "I'm just going to ask, okay? I'm not saying you'll get transferred."
Quickly nodding, Troy gave another quick ‘thank you’ before Rainbow Dash went off to complete her weather duties. He then decided to get a quick meal in Cloudsdale to slake his hunger before flying off to Ponyville to check on Canvas. That salad from last night did barely anything for Troy, and he had the strongest hankering for some cheesy hay fries.
The sun began its slow descent from the top of the cloudless skies, and the area around Ponyville's fountain was buzzing with excitement. It was now filled with anxious ponies as they either watched or waited for Canvas’ next sketch to be completed.
Canvas wore a huge smile on his sweating face as he worked on the drawing of his current pony. He was so focused on his work, he’d even forgotten how many he had drawn today. The mare in front of him―a magenta earth pony with what looked to be a bundle of grapes as a cutie mark―was in the middle of a story regarding a stallion she met at the bar the other night. Canvas didn't notice when a tan mare approached him. A few murmurs sparked in the wary crowd as they parted for her.
“Uh oh, Mayor Mare’s here…”
“Here comes the hammer. Poor guy.”
“When’s the last time she’s shown us her tax returns again?”
“Dangit, and I was next in line!”
The grey-maned mare tried to catch Canvas' attention with several throaty grunts, and when that failed, she lightly tapped his shoulder with a hoof. Canvas looked up to see Mayor Mare, who was looking back at him through the pair of respectable reading glasses perched upon her muzzle.
Scrutinous dark-blue eyes peered into the stallion’s, her gaze that of a shark that caught the scent of blood in the water. "Good afternoon, sir. I'm the Mayor of this town, and I couldn’t help but notice your little stand here."
Canvas’ ears lowered, already having a good idea of what Mayor Mare was going to say.
"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but ponies have to have a permit to conduct businesses like this here."
Most of the crowd groaned in worry over the stallion having to stop, a few departing in agitation. Canvas winced and dropped his head worriedly. He didn’t have the money for a fine! He was only scraping together just enough each night for a bed to rest his head on. "I… wasn't aware of that, ma'am. I'm sorry."
Mayor Mare noticed the drawing he was currently working on, and her eyes widened at just how flawless a translation it was of the pony in front of them. The Mayor glanced over at the large crowd before turning back to Canvas' sketch. She then lowered her head close to the stallion and whispered into his ear:
"Tell you what. You do one of me next, and we’ll forget about the permit for today, okay?"
Canvas' ears shot back up. He smiled at the Mayor, quickly agreeing with a hoofshake before finishing the magenta pony.
Troy opened his eyes, still feeling groggy as he laid stomach-down on a random cloud. His belly ached, and his brain took a mental note not to eat three whole orders of cheesy hay fries in one sitting before taking a nap. But those fries were so worth it.
He looked around, and realized his quick nap wasn't as ‘quick’ as he had hoped. The sky was now a familiar shade of pink, indicating it was almost dusk. He shakily stood back up, even as his stomach groaned in protest, and awkwardly flopped off the cloud to fly back to Ponyville.
Meanwhile, Canvas was peacefully wiping the excess black dust off his hooves after finishing his last pony for the day. Taking a deep breath in relief as he rested his hooves, the stallion looked back to his huge stack of unused paper. He had only gone halfway through it in the course of the whole day.
Even though Canvas was disappointed that he would have to get a permit to do this again (unless he could bribe the Mayor with another drawing, which he knew would be a fat chance), he still felt great after looking down at his bag of bits next to him, now completely full and even overflowing slightly. He didn't get a chance to count his money yet, but he could already tell he had enough bits to stay at the hotel for at least a few more nights without any worry.
Canvas rested his back against the bench, and closed his eyes to appreciate the first moment of serenity he had all day. However, the artist then heard the sound of several hoofsteps coming toward his direction. When he opened his eyes, Canvas saw that Lyra had returned with a cream-colored earth pony alongside her. Guessing that this was the ‘Bon-Bon’ mare she was talking about, Canvas studied her curly blue-and-pink mane, which glimmered in a way only somepony who pretended to not concern herself with her appearance would. His eyes then trailed down to her cutie mark: an image of three pieces of candy.
Canvas felt pretty tired from drawing ponies all day, but he remembered his promise to Lyra. So after a quick stretch, Canvas pulled out a fresh piece of paper and greeted the two mares. "Hey there, Lyra! I'm guessing this is Bon-Bon?"
Smiling, Bon-Bon stuck out her hoof for Canvas to shake, her light-blue eyes twinkling with mischievous mirth. "Lyra already told you about me, huh?” she said, playfully bumping into her friend. “She’s told me a bit about you, too, you know.”
“Bonnie, don’t.” said Lyra, glaring at Bon-Bon with her cheeks puffed out.
“‘His work sends my spirit aflutter as my hooves dance ponderously across my lyre.’”
“I’m warning you, Bon-Bon!”
Placing her hoof over her eyes, Bon-Bon tossed her head back theatrically. “‘My muse has been reawakened after so many lonely aeons beneath the umbrageous, impotent waves of seething lethargy! Hark, O winter-scented cherubim! Hear my soul as it pours its agony, its love, its blooming emotion into you, in tandem with that of the field-coated incubus as he―’ ”
Lyra shoved her hoof into Bon-Bon’s mouth, eyes wide and face red as she laughed nervously. “Haha! Bonnie, ever the jokester! She’s just yanking your leg, hahaha! Anyway, about that picture!”
Canvas looked between Bon-Bon’s smirk and Lyra’s desperate, tooth-filled smile, fighting back a smirk of his own. “So... your muse, huh?”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it, Canvas,” said Bon-Bon, her smirk threatening to stretch past the bounds of her face.
“About that picture!” growled Lyra, narrowing her eyes at the two.
Canvas raised his hooves in a placating gesture, snickering. “Okay, okay, I didn’t forget about the picture… or the ‘blooming emotion’ it’ll inspire.”
Lyra groaned, even as Bon-Bon nuzzled her teasingly.
Remembering that he had a second stool next to the bench for couples’ sketches (which, surprisingly, didn't sell as well as he thought they would), Canvas pulled it out and placed it next to the other one in front of him. Canvas nodded to the girls and started applying the graphite cloth to his paper, while Lyra and Bon-Bon sat themselves down.
"I'm sorry we showed up this late,” said Lyra, looking embarrassed. "Bon-Bon’s been testing a new recipe and got way too caught up with her work."
Bon-Bon gave the unicorn a glare. "For the last time, Lyra, the taffy was too thick to turn! And it’s not like you helped, you lazybones. It wasn't my fault it held us up!" Lyra made a sigh she was sure was supposed to be intentionally loud, so Bon-Bon scoffed once more. "Seriously, honey, you know I'm wanting to try this new pomegranate flavor, and I really think…”
While Bon-Bon talked, Canvas slowed down his wiping. This mare just called Lyra ‘honey.’ He knew he shouldn’t assume, but the implications caused his guts to twist and his chest to hum.
As he finished his preparations, he tried to keep himself together, even though he couldn’t stop thinking about what this meant for him. For the first time in his life, Canvas would actually be talking to ponies like him.
There IS hope!
Canvas held the graphite in his hoof, and looked up to see Bon-Bon still arguing with Lyra about her candies. "This is just like the time you got all, ‘Oh, Bonnie! You’re too obsessive over your work!’ when I was perfecting the recipe for that kiwi candy! You don’t see me smothering you whenever you lock yourself away in your room with your ‘muse’ to tangle yourself up in that lyre of yours."
Lyra gasped. “Don’t you dare bring Lilac into this! Her strings can sunder mountains and divide the heavens! Take it back!”
"Umm…” Canvas didn't want to interrupt, but he was anxious to start talking to them. "I'm ready to start drawing."
Quick to get started, Lyra and Bon-Bon sat upright on their stools, smiling as he began drawing their basic shapes. "So, tell me…” said Canvas, "How… How long have the two of you been friends?"
Though Canvas didn't want to ask a question that generic, he knew better than to just be upfront about them. With the bitter memories of Gallop Creek still on his conscience, Canvas wanted to approach this delicately so he could test the waters.
"Oh, well…” Lyra seemed a little surprised at Canvas' question. "Actually, Bon-Bon and I are married."
Feeling his heart practically burst out of his chest, Canvas was swimming in ecstasy as he continued to draw. "Wow, really? That's… That’s great!"
With his out-of-the-blue happiness coming across as frantic and, frankly frightening to Bon-Bon, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the stallion suspiciously. "Are you okay, sir?"
Canvas stammered, realizing the girls might think they freaked him out. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine! It's just…”
Just what? The first time I ever met ponies like me? The first time in my life I actually feel like I'm not alone? Like I'm not some freak?
Canvas could only smile as he looked at them. "You two make a great-looking couple."
Lyra and Bon-Bon both smiled graciously, which helped Canvas remain in high spirits as he went back to his drawing. "So, tell me, how did the two of you meet?"
"Oh, that's a great story, actually!" exclaimed Lyra, looking excited as she glanced over at the mare beside her. "You see, a few years ago, I was performing in Canterlot as part of their Philharmonic Orchestra." She pointed to the lyre on her flank. “And no, there was no muse involved.” Canvas and Bon-Bon just kept their smiles on. "Well, one night I was performing for a big show at Canterlot Castle, and Bon-Bon happened to be there as one of the caterers. I just finished a performance when I decided to get a drink…”
While Lyra and Bon-Bon continued on, Canvas couldn't help but feel completely overjoyed as he drew the two of them. He could feel the love these mares had for each other as they reminisced about how they became a couple: Meeting in Canterlot, becoming quick friends, friendship blossoming into love, and ending up engaged. By the time his drawing neared completion, Canvas' heart felt warmer as he realized how lucky these two really were.
He also couldn't help but feel a tad envious at what these mares had. He wanted nothing more than to feel that way for somepony. Once the drawing was completed, though, Canvas felt a wave of optimism wash over him; he might actually get that chance now.
“...And to think, I was planning to propose when I got the money for the ring later that week!" The mint unicorn looked back at her wife with a big smile on her face and a tear in her eye. "But there she was when I got home, on her knees with the box in her mouth." Lyra leaned over and nuzzled the mare. Her eyes remained glued on Bon-Bon, whose smirk had settled into a far more heartfelt smile. "It was the greatest moment of my life."
Both mares looked back at Canvas, who had a tear coming down his cheek from his un-bandaged eye as well. "Wow. That's… beautiful. You two are… really lucky."
Canvas quickly wiped the tear away with his clean hoof, the couple going “Aaaawwww!” in unison at his reaction. "I mean it. I'm actually kind of jealous of you two."
"Well, don't worry,” said Lyra, giving Canvas a kind, assuring smile. "I'm sure you'll find the right stallion when he comes along."
"Yeah, thanks. I just don't kno―"
Canvas immediately stopped talking. He stared at the two with wide eyes, motionless as he tried to figure out how she could’ve known. "Wait, I… H-How did you…”
With a little smirk, the mint unicorn pointed at the bench where his art bag was. Canvas stared in shock as he saw the bottom of his bag was no longer held by the pins, but now hanging off the bench, displaying the two male symbols for everypony to see.
Canvas' eye twitched, his body frozen in place, his mind desperately trying to comprehend just what the buck happened. The two mares became increasingly concerned at his sudden aura of fear. "W-W-When did…”
"Canvas,” said Lyra, now slightly worried that the stallion might have a panic attack. "…the bag was like that all day. I saw the symbol this morning. I thought you knew…”
Though he knew it was already too late, the stallion quickly stuffed the bottom back into the bag, breathing heavily and feeling dumbfounded at his idiocy. When he looked back to the two, Canvas could only stutter out a few noises that were supposed to be words. His babbling stopped, however, when he felt a hoof on his shoulder, and he turned to see Bon-Bon giving him a confused look. "Canvas, what’s wrong?"
"I-I-I didn't…” Struggling to think, Canvas’ tail swished back and forth in agitation, and his muzzle wrinkled tightly as he tried to speak coherently. "Th-That-That wasn't… I mean, I didn't think…” His eye, watery and unfocused, jumped from alley to alley, searching for an escape.
"Hey." Lyra looked at him in worry, and took hold of his hoof to caress it consolingly. "Why are you acting like this?"
Bon-Bon looked back at the bag. "Were you worried about ponies seeing that? Why would you think…”
Bon-Bon's eyes slowly widened as she saw the fear in Canvas' face, before her gaze went to the bandage over his eye. Canvas tried to look away, and saw Lyra put a hoof to her mouth as she realized the same thing her wife did. He closed his eye to block them both out, but he knew that they figured it out. Why he was scared. Why he felt that way about his bag being open like that. Why he had the bandage in the first place.
"Oh… Oh, Canvas…”
Canvas opened his eye when he felt Bon-Bon's forelegs wrap around him, holding him in the second hug he'd received since everything happened. The stallion simply put his head against her shoulder, staying silent as a few tears came from his uncovered eye. He was only in that position for about a minute before Bon-Bon let go, feeling thankful that he didn't cry again like he did last night. As he wiped his eye with his hoof, he felt Lyra's hoof on his shoulder. He turned to see her with a gentle smile on her face.
"It's okay. I don't know what happened, but… it’s alright, Canvas."
Canvas quickly nodded. "Yeah, I know. I… I heard that before."
Canvas breathed out sharply before he gave them their drawing, which showed the two of them looking at each other with the same love and admiration they had when they were telling their tale. Both of them loved the drawing, looking grateful and impressed at how well he drew the both of them together.
Lyra asked whether or not he had a place to stay for the night, but Canvas pointed out he had enough bits to stay at the hotel for a while. Despite their insistence, Canvas refused to let them take him in, or to let them pay for the drawing, telling them that their story and kind words were more than enough. After another quick hug, Lyra and Bon-Bon left Canvas to be alone as he gathered his things.
As the stallion reapplied the pins to his art bag, he heard the sound of something being dropped into his bit bag. Canvas turned around to see nopony there. However, a folded note was now on top of the pile of bits. When he opened the note, Canvas smiled as he read what it said, feeling a tug on his heart:
If you need somepony to talk to, we will always be there to listen. Never forget that you have friends.
-Lyra & Bon-BonP.S. Bon-Bon needs somepony to test some candy ideas. Are you allergic to pomegranate?
Seeing that it was now almost completely dark, Troy felt a wave of disappointment as he landed in Ponyville. He was sure Canvas was likely back at the hotel by now, but the gryphon decided to head to the fountain anyway to stretch out his legs.
Troy reached the town center just as the streetlights lit up, revealing the aqua stallion standing by the fountain with a smile, looking at a note in his hooves. Troy blinked, pleased by the coincidence. His claws clicked on the stones beneath him, catching Canvas’ attention.
"Oh, hey Troy,” said Canvas, placing the note back in his art bag. "If you want a portrait done, it’ll have to wait till light. Kinda late out."
"Oh, no, I’m not here for anything like that! Figured I’d stroll through because, uh...” Troy tried thinking of a reason for being around other than to check up on Canvas. "I found out I might get transferred to weather patrol around here, so I wanted to get the lay of the land," he said a little too insistently. The pony raised a brow.
"Uh huh." said Canvas skeptically, giving the gryphon a wry smirk. "Well, I guess I can see why you would want to do that. I mean…”
"What?" Troy asked, confused.
"You were right, Troy. Ponyville is a lot better." Canvas looked around the town with a smile as lights from the houses and buildings began turning on around them. Troy was transfixed by the way the shadows accentuated the glow of Canvas’ hopeful eyes, hidden as they were behind his scraggly mane. His smile, soft and longing, left Troy nearly breathless, even though he wasn’t chasing a rainbow trail this time. For some reason he couldn’t explain to himself, he really wished he had that camera right about now. Canvas looked at him, and Troy realized he’d been staring. "I'm really glad I came here."
Troy gave a slight smile, wings fluttering. "So… did something happen? You seem a lot less jumpy."
Canvas closed his eyes as he inhaled the cool air, and exhaled deeply.
"The nights really are beautiful in Ponyville."
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
947 users online
1,412,515 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Even though Lyra and Bon-Bon really don't have canon personalities, I think your characterization of them is pretty damn spot-on.
Why doesn't it have all the likes
4149812
Clearly ten people liked it so much they up voted, then turned their screens upside down so they could give the story another upvote.
4176854 11 dislikes.
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-wr3MRPlVT8inAegQ_vM1wR-TPbw76Hl9wkYf91iPMLF1cg4s
4683098
*Gives it a like*
Ha! Take that, haters!
5747835
Doesn't matter, had ponies.
Aww.I ship Lyra and Bon Bon so much
7739837
Even better, it's cannon that they are "BEST FRIENDS"wink wink
Not the Philomena Orchestra?
8097922
It's Mayor Mare, the all-powerful (in her office only) leader of the town numerous years running
Oh, I really liked this chapter. This chapter was great.
Awww. It's really nice to see Canvas getting solid reassurance, and some with good evidence behind it, no less.
Another tear jerker. I hope this isn't becoming a habit... or maybe it is. Bring on the tears. Hopefully they will be mostly happy tears.