The Arts of Friendship: Life in Color

by ColdCutChaos

Intro: Start Campaign

Chapter 1: Start Campaign

“Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.”

Damien Angel Nelson was a man of the arts. No, not those fine arts like classical music and the Mona Lisa. That was reserved for the aristocratic pricks in the office that loved to piss on everyone. He was into the street arts: the unknowingly sophisticated tags of Banksy, the smooth sounds of Grandmaster Flash, and the elusive movements of Underground dance crews that brought the man peace and aspiration during his struggles as a kid in the Bronx. The only ones who supported this crazy dream were his deceased father, Marcus Nelson, and his little brother, Mike. Everyone else, especially his mother simply spat on the poor kid's dream. Perhaps that is why, at age 13, the mulatto child took his 6-year-old brother to be tried in the art. It was that time that the two had soon become the biggest street artists in the nation: DAN and Ghost. However, that soon ended.

Damien, now 20 years old, returned home to the Bronx after a long bus ride home. It was done. He took a picture from his pocket and examined it. My last piece. Time for retirement. The young bearded man approached the building and unlocked it with the key in his pocket. Ascending the stairs, he thought about the events that had transpired. His friends. His little brother. His love... All gone so soon. "I guess maybe I should disappear," he muttered as he took his second key and unlocked his apartment door. Everything was still where it was. Art hung from the walls, CD's placed on a shelf next to the street artist's turntable, and the kitchen was empty, with not a speck of food. Deciding to sleep in his clothes, he trudged into the door and plopped on the mattress. As the sound of distant thunder rumbled, Damien looked outside, to see a thunderstorm rolling in. Music to my ears... he thought as he closed his eyes. One last thought passed through his mind as he drifted into sleep. Funny... Storms don't usually have green lightening...

~~~

A large crashing noise shook Damien from his sleep. He opened his eyes only to see pitch black darkness. He turned his head to the window. More darkness. "Great," he muttered, "City wide power outage..." Then the man got a thought. Power's out... This could be my chance... I could do something new! Start over! He got up and fumbled through the darkness until a leathery strap gripped into his hand. Tossing the bag around his shoulder, Damien reached a gloved a hand in and pulled out a torch. Turning it on, a large, bright beam of light illuminated the room. He ran out the door and promptly tripped on something, causing him to land face first into the dirt. Wait... Dirt?!? Damien looked down and, sure enough, he was lying on a dirt path. Damien turn the flashlight back to the door to find a box lying on its side. Hesitantly, he got up and opened it, revealing three items: a jet black digital watch that appeared to be dead, a spray paint can with no labels except for a tribal D,and a scroll held together by a grey string. First, Damien grabbed the scroll and unraveled it, reading quietly,

Dear DAN,
Congratulations on being the first street artist in Equestria! It is truly an honor. And your still human, even better! As a double prize, I'm going to give you two gifts. The first is a personal invention of mine. It's called the Map Watch. It both keeps time and creates a map of your surroundings. Plus, it tells when other creatures are around. Hostile creatures will be red, non-hostiles, green, and those with a job for you, well, they are the blue ones. The map grows the more you explore, so go nuts!! Literally, if you want!! Second, is the Technicolor Can Mk %i%. This can is unlimited and can go into any color you please. Just whisper the color into the nozzle, and BABOOM!! Different color!!! Have Fun!!
-D
P.S. The residents here have been untouched by the street arts, save for DJing. Try and make a good impression. ;)
P.P.S If your wondering how I found you before you woke up, you fell from the sky.

Again, the note was signed with a tribal D. Damien's mind was swimming with info. Equestria? Map Watch? Unlimited paint? Eventually he picked up the watch and put it on, causing the screen to glow neon green and display a green dot in the middle . "Whoa... Guess he wasn't kidding..." Turning to the can, Damien picked it up and turned back to the path, using the torch to illuminate the path into the town. Spotting it in the distance brought the thought, Whoa, small town. What, do Hobbits live here? Damien stealthily walked passed a cottage covered in foliage until he reached the town. Reveling in its small stature, he soon stumbled across what appeared to be a tall building that looked as if it was a giant closed gazebo of sorts. Checking the watch confirmed Damien's suspicions, which generated into a deviant smile. "Town Hall..." He muttered as he pulled a square stencil and the Technicolor Mk %i% muttering into it, "Shock Red," as the newly inspired street artist got to work on the town hall. He slowly painted square after square as if creating a mosaic until the message of his arrival had been brought to life. By the time he completed his tag, rushing to his new home in the forest, the sun had started to crack as the denizens would soon awake to a new concept that could change their lives...

~~~

Twilight Sparkle sat on the train as it quickly chugged down the countryside as she an her friends came down from the Crystal Empire back to Ponyville. She sighed, the thoughts of Flash Sentry still in her mind.

"Twilight!!"

"Ahh!!" Twilight suddenly met eyes with a pair of magentas belonging to Rainbow Dash, causing her to freak out and fall on her back. The cyan pegasus floated above the purple alicorn, a sultry smile on her face. "Still thinking 'bout that guard?"

"Ugh, Rainbow!!" Twilight blushed as she turned away. "Cut it out!!"

"Aw shucks, Twi," Appleack said, nudging Twilight's shoulder playfully, "There's no shame in havin' feelins' fer somepony. We all do at one point." Twilight giggled and looked down, "Okay, you're right..."

"Hey, Twi!" Pinkie bounced over to her alicorn friend, chirping, "How come you didn't use your chariot to get here?"

Thinking for a moment, Twiight said, "Well, I thought that it would be a good memory... You know, Since we always have our best times on the train-." Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt, sending everypony, save for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, flying into the train car wall. "Except... For that..."

The Mane Six exited the train in a slight daze to observe the incident that had just occured. What was present to them were several ponies running in front of the tracks. Twilight, with a feeling of worry, stopped a passing pony and said, "Excuse me, sir, what's going on?" The pony, covered in sweat and panting, sputtered,

"P... Princess... Town Hall... S... Super important..." before running back towards town hall. Turning to her friends, who all donned concerned looks, nodded and rushed into town with the crowd. When they entered, they saw a large crowd surrounding the hall. "Off! Um... Excuse me!!" Twilight had said as she moved and shimmied her way through the crowd. When they reached the spot in which the crowd grew thickest, she gasped. Painted across the door where the words: Level 2 Press Start to Begin Campaign. The letters themselves were painted as if they were made from small red squares and on the bottom was a name. "DAN..." She looked at everyponyand shouted, "Does anypony know a DAN?!?!?"

"I do!!!"

Stepping out of the crowd which had suddenly gone silent was a chestnut brown unicorn. His eyes were sunken in with crows feet, his Cutie Mark had been that of a scroll, and his mane and tail was different shades of grey (Ha.). "Discord," Twilight said as she gave him an upset look. Pointing at the work with her hoof, she exclaimed, "Are you responsible for vandalizing Ponyville property?"

"Who me?" He made an over exaggerated gesture as if he had actually been offended. "Of couse not! I would never commit such an attrocity on such a building deserving of respect!!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Your acting is improving."

"Thank you, I've been practicing."

"So... Are you in any involvement with this?" Discord shrugged. "Perhaps... And if I am?" "Then we are sending you back to your stone prison." Discord groaned, admitting defeat. "Fine, Princess Sparkle, you win. I'll help you find the culprit, but I'll only help you my way." Chuckling his horn began to glow, saying in his soothing charming and yet bone-chlling voice,

"To find the artist born from rags, you must fist play a game: A game of Tags.

In that instance, a book fell upon Twilight's head as the ponyfied draconequuis walked and faded away into the crown. The others, struggling to push through the rowd made it, helping Twilight up.

"Well, Twi," Applejack said as she lifted her friend onto her hooves, "What's the book for?"

Twilight lifted the cover to he rface and read slowly, "Street Art: A History on a Long Forgotten Art..."

Comments

[Golden87Freddy]

I think graffiti entering the world of equestria is a really cool concept. GOOD JOB & KEEP it up.