Brushed Away: Canvas' Cutie Mark Mission

by TheVClaw

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 surprisingly high 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 slightest bit 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 especially concerned 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 against him 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 course I’m not against it! Believe me, I couldn’t be happier for 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 really proud 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 never seen 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 know he’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 countdown to 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 really overworking 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 letting me…”

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 is a 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 chance to 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 know he 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 day before 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 worst thing 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 long time 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 completely understand.”

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 grateful that 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 lot since 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 sworn I 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 unbelievably risky, 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 offend you.” Canvas shrugged as he smiled back at her, not showing any discomfort at all. “Besides, I have a place in Manehattan where 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 Manehattan now? 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 long time!”

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 years since 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 have changed 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 month after that show. Since none of my paintings were purchased, I figured that it was better to use my talents for a less stuffy clientele.”

“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 was awesome. 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

Comments

[readsponies]

So...we're not going to address how tattoos on fur work?

[Leviathan Splash]

10284931
Intricate fur dye, I’d guess

[jaime_lion]

At least the Cutie Mark Crusaders have their cutie mark. Otherwise it would be like all I have to do is get stuck with a needle a couple thousand times and I can have my own cutie mark.

[TheVClaw]

10284931
That'll be given some explanation in the next chapter.

[Perpetually Confused]

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 is a 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!”

Meanwhile in Canterlot castles gardens

Adjusting her sun hat, Rainbow Dash looked across the table at her former monarch squirmed in her seat, one hoof idly scratching her ear.

"Sage senses Celestia?"

Smiling slightly, Celestia took a sip of tea before saying "What do you know about that dear my little pony?"

Taking a sip of tea herself, Rainbow shrugged.

"Earth pony ability, albeit a pretty rare one. Pretty much a sage, or Luck Maker, are able to guess and even jerrymander destiny and Probablity through willpower. It can show itself in all sorts of way, such as through whispering lamp posts or ghostly images, but the most common is the body itself reacting, IE, Pinkie Sense. So whats yours?"

"Itchy ear and like a bee stung my cutie mark."

"Right ear twitch three times, pointing towards the castle, so thats someone close... someones close is talking, but its not burning so its not about you... pain in the butt... Yup... all classic signs of Twilight being a stupid bitch."

"

[Geeknerd]

Trans representation FTW!

[The Bricklayer]

10285584
Damn straight!

[Bruno]

So, since pony names are usually tied in some way to their cutie marks, I do wonder how that whole... thing would work. I don’t think I can accurately articulate what I’m thinking right now, both because it’s pretty late and it’s a very complicated topic, but it’s very interesting to think about, and I’m glad Flamingo mentioned deadnaming.