Brushed Away: Canvas' Cutie Mark Mission

by TheVClaw

Chapter Eight

All around the convention’s main event, attendees and artists alike were gathered around to cheer in excitement. Hard-hitting rock music was thundering from the speakers above, while sparks and flashing lights danced across the stage. At the front of the stage, an extremely tattooed stallion was standing on his hind-legs while wearing a bright green trench coat and a matching top hat that went with his cane. He also sported a large pair of rounded sunglasses, which almost looked like goggles to match his apocalyptic steampunk aesthetic. “WELCOME, everypony! To the Tenth Annual Baltimare Tattoo Showdown!!!”

Several strong surges from the spark machines sent fizzling lights shooting high above the announcer’s head. The crowd below applauded excitedly with hoots and hollers all around. Near the front of the randy audience, Flamingo Fire’s artist friends were all standing together with antsy smiles on their faces, though Troy and Canvas weren’t anywhere present. The three artists remained hopeful that things were going to be alright for them behind that curtain.

“Just backstage,” said the stallion with a toothy grin, pointing his cane towards said curtains. “We have six of the most talented tattoo artists on the East Coast ready to battle it out! They’ll only have six hours to craft the best tattoo they can on some lucky pony, for the chance to win the grand prize of Ten!! Thousand!! Bits!!”

There was another energetic roar of applause, but not everypony was cheering. Marzo was smiling pridefully before glancing back at his friends. Cherry Bomb looked equally as content as the zebra, but still had to take a calming breath to keep herself from feeling too flustered. Meanwhile, High Flier was standing with a very cocky smirk pointed right back at them.

“I don’t wanna say I told you guys so, buuuuuttttttt--”

“Ugh!” groaned Cherry Bomb. “Yeah, we know, High Flier! You were right about Canvas, I will fully admit that.”

“Honestly, I kinda had a feeling myself,” admitted Marzo. “I mean, it just made sense for the Cutie Mark mission, you know?”

Cherry and High Flier nodded, and all three smiled in anticipation while the announcer kept the audience on their hooves.

“As soon as that timer up above starts to count down…” The host’s cane was now raised up high over his head, pointing up at a large scoreboard timer. It was currently showing a digital six hour display, the seconds not counting down just yet. “... our artists will have the entire afternoon to tattoo their ponies in private, before displaying their works for our panel of jurors for a blind judgement!”

A few impressed “Ooohs” came from within the crowd. “Whoever has the best design wins! Are you guys ready to start this bitch?!”

“WOOOOOOO!!!”

“I can’t heeeeeaarr yooouuuuuu!!!~”

“WOOOOOOOOOO!!!~”

“THEN LET’S COUNT DOWN!!!”

Back behind the curtains, all six of the artists’ tents were fully occupied as they heard the audience shouting out a countdown from ten. Inside Flamingo Fire’s tent, the mare was sitting anxiously in her stool right beside the table. Canvas was seated on top of it, his bottom lip tightly bitten and his left hoof glistened with a freshly-sanitized sheen. One of the convention staff ponies was standing at the tent’s entrance, only present to make sure everything began smoothly. And on the other side of the tent, Troy was sitting in a folding chair while blushing extremely hard.

“FIVE!! FOUR!! THREE!! TWO!! ONE!!!”

The crowd’s countdown finally finished, and the blaring blast of an airhorn followed. “Alright!” Flamingo Fire shot up from her stool, her horn already brightly lit to pick up her waiting sheet of the rose design. Canvas hopped off his table as well, and stood with his left hoof extended for the application. Troy didn’t say a word as he squirmed worriedly in his seat. His beak was clenched tightly as he watched Flamingo carefully wrap the transfer paper around his husband’s foreleg.

“Goddess, I hope this lines up.” Flamingo huffed with a wince as she tried to discern which lines she could see through the paper, hoping that the thorny vines were applied at the right angle. Even though it wouldn’t be too hard to re-apply the stencil if needed, the last thing she wanted to deal with was constantly readjusting the design with tedious scrubbing. Canvas kept his hoof as firmly in place as he could, skewing his muzzle while watching.

“Almost in place, and… GOT IT!” The moment Flamingo pulled back the transfer paper to see Canvas’ teal fur, she pumped her hoof with an elated grin when she saw a flawless connection of the two ends of her vines. She used her magic to carefully peel back the rest of the application, and shuddered in satisfaction from how clear the dark purple outlines of her ink transferred to Canvas’ foreleg. By the time the paper was fully removed, Canvas breathed out sharply upon seeing the framework of his first tattoo fully laid out. The linework appeared impressive, with the vines of Flamingo Fire’s rose wrapping around the girth of the foreleg. Of course, that didn’t stop Troy from shooting up out of his seat. “W-W-Wait a minute! Why is that purple?! Shouldn’t it be like, black or something?”

The stallion standing by the front of the tent tried not to snicker. Meanwhile, Flamingo was quick to reply. “It’s just the stencil ink, Troy. It’s meant to be purple so I can know where to fill it in with black, alright?”

“Ohhhh…” Troy sat back down with a nervous chuckle, looking away in embarrassment. “Uhhh… heh heh heh… Y-Yeah, okay.”

Canvas tried not to wince over his husband’s frazzled state, but he couldn’t exactly blame him either. Even though he truly felt that the Cutie Map brought him to Baltimare for this, he was also aware of how life-changing the end result was likely to be, and how impromptu it was. Canvas looked back at his spouse with an apologetic smile. “So, uhhh… Does the positioning look alright?”

Canvas brought his hoof out for Troy to get a better look, emphasizing the rose’s positioning across the front of his foreleg. The gryphon still appeared uneasy, but he scanned the sketch nonetheless before reluctantly nodding. “I… I think it looks okay.”

After nodding back with a smile, Canvas quickly trotted over to the mirror placed beside Flamingo. He stood upright while looking at the reflection of his foreleg, taking a moment to perceive how well the piece was wrapped around the limb. He let out a contemplative hum while narrowing his eyes, not seeing anything inherently wrong about Flamingo’s application. But even so, Canvas knew he had to make absolutely sure before going through with such a permanent change to his body.

Flamingo Fire stood beside Canvas to look at the reflection as well. Much like the stallion, the artist’s muzzle was tightly clenched in thought before she spoke. “I… I think it looks perfect like that. But I can easily change it if you have any issues.”

“No, no!” Canvas quickly shook his head, and then pulled himself away from the mirror. He pulled up his foreleg to give a closer inspection of the line work. “I… can’t say I have any issues either…”

Canvas closed his eyes for a second, then nodded his head. “Yeah… Yeah, I’m good with this.”

Troy sighed rather audibly while trying to remain still in his seat. He didn’t try to say anything in opposition of Canvas’ upcoming tattoo, but he was clearly nervous as he glanced over at Flamingo’s laid-out tools. Her tattoo machine, along with all the pre-made caps of ink, was sitting in wait on a little tray right beside the table. And when he caught a glimpse of the nub of needlepoints standing at the tip, Troy looked as nervous as a kid in a doctor’s office.

Canvas took note of his husband’s distress, which prompted him to ask, “Troy, are you sure you’re okay with me doing this? I mean… I know this is a big thing for me to do but--”

“It’s alright, I swear!” Troy quickly put out his claws. “Seriously, I… I completely understand why you want to do this. And I promise, I’m not going to intervene if it means completing your Friendship Mission…”

Canvas may have still been worried, but he nodded as a sign of trust. Troy then looked away again before giving a brief shrug. “Besides… I’d probably be a dick if I were to try and control what my husband does with his own body, right?”

Canvas huffed with a weak smile, and nodded again more insistently. “Yeah, you probably would be. Hehehe~”

“Uhh, Mister Clawston?” asked the staff pony waiting by the tent opening. The brown stallion made sure he had Troy’s attention as he glanced back outside. “Did you want to stay in here for the tattooing, or can I escort you back out to the convention floor?”

“Oh, I’m definitely staying!” Troy didn’t show a shred of hesitance. “If my husband is going through with this, I want him to know I’m right by his side the whole way.”

The staff pony nodded in respect before exiting the tent himself. Canvas looked happy, but Flamingo couldn’t help raising a brow. “Are you sure about that? I mean, I totally understand wanting to be there for your mate, but this is going to be six hours long. And I’m not planning to take any breaks either.”

“It’s alright, Flamingo.” Canvas hopped up on the table to seat himself comfortably. He then gave his husband a firm stare. “Just as long as you don’t try to stop her, alright?”

“What?” asked the gryphon with a downright offended look. “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to do that?”

Canvas’ stare remained pertly flat. “Do you remember the first time you scratched up my back on accident, and how distraught you felt from seeing me in pain?”

Troy cringed. Hard. Even though that incident was more from his guilt of injuring him, he was aware that he had some weak spots. And of all the things that drove the gryphon crazy, seeing or even envisioning Canvas in pain was an absolute nightmare.

“Ughhh… Listen Flamingo, I… I promise I won’t try to break your focus or anything, I swear. Canvas… He told me about what happened and who you were, and…”

Flamingo Fire’s brows perked up for a second, before she leered away with an uncomfortable blush. Canvas was just about to clarify when his husband continued. “And I’m not going to keep you from winning this, okay? I mean… I really want you to get this for yourself.”

When Flamingo looked back at him, she was surprised to see the gryphon sporting a kind and honest smile. The mare had to shut her muzzle tightly in an attempt to keep her eyes dry, but her touched smile remained visible. Meanwhile, Canvas put out his hoof in wait. “Well, I… I guess this is it, huh?”

“Pretty much.” Flamingo smiled as she got herself on the stool beside the table. However, her muzzle skewed uncomfortably before she decided to add, “But ummm… I should warn you that I have no idea how you’ll respond to the pain until it begins. Different ponies have different pain thresholds around needles, and… well, six hours would be a challenge for a lot of ponies to handle. Especially as a first-timer…”

Canvas gulped with a worried pout, but he only needed to breath in before sighing contently. “I-I know that, but I promise I’m not going to tap out, okay? I’ll Pinkie Promise it if I need to!”

Flamingo looked up at him with a puzzled glance, obviously not knowing that Ponyville standard of trust. Canvas was quick to realize his mistake, and averted his eyes from her with a fidget in his seat. Flamingo just sighed and rolled her eyes. “Listen, a lot of ponies say that, but I’ve lost count of how many times a pony quit on their first time. Not to mention, some ponies have literally passed out the moment they felt the needle.”

Troy winced, not wanting to envision such a hypothetical for his spouse. Regardless, Canvas took a second to contemplate that point before letting out a brief whinny. “I know you’re worried how I’ll react, and… I know I shouldn’t promise you something, only to let you down immediately after. Believe me, I understand that fear.”

That was when Canvas took one final breath, before looking at her with determination. “But I can tell you for a fact that I’ve been put through more pain in my life than some high-powered needles. Troy can attest to that.”

Flamingo looked over to see Troy looking surprised, but it didn’t take long for him to respond. “I… I honestly can’t deny that. I agree…”

Flamingo could see how uncomfortably Troy shuddered. Despite the number of questions that popped into her head, she refrained from asking for specifics. Instead, she sighed and nodded back at Canvas. “Alright then. Here goes nothing…”

Flamingo picked up her well-calibrated machine with a hoof, and used her magic to turn on the power source. The moment her bottom hoof pressed down on the pedal beneath Canvas’ table, a sharp and concentrated buzz spat out of the machine like an aggravated swarm of hornets. Troy’s feathers ruffled out intensely, his beak gritting hard. Canvas’ fur was sticking up slightly as well, although that was more due to the needles being pointed in his direction.

“Okay, two things before we start this,” said Flamingo while dipping the machine tip in a cup of black ink. “One, ummm… You should probably take a deep breath right before, and breathe out slowly during, okay?”

Canvas kept his lips tightly shut as he nodded affirmatively.

“Okay, good. And secondly, I…” Flamingo paused for only a second, then gave Canvas a gracious smile. “Thank you so much for doing this for me. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

Canvas gave the mare a teary-eyed smile, looking rather touched. Unfortunately, Canvas couldn’t hug her before she went in towards his outstretched hoof. “Alright, deep breath…”

Her machine whirred loudly, prompting Troy to grip the bottom of his chair with both claws. Canvas took a deep breath as told, his face tightly scrunched in anticipation. He could hear the drones of other tattoo machines buzzing around nearby, making him aware of how far he was getting into something with no safety net. But despite how badly his heart thundered in his chest, Canvas kept himself silent when she brought the needle down carefully to the first line.

VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRVRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…

Troy had to struggle to keep his eyes open though his cringed expression, not expecting to see such a sudden change across his husband’s face. The moment Flamingo’s machine buzzed a little louder, the electric motor droned mercilessly to deliver a barrage of strikes through the skin. Canvas’ eyes shot wide open, and his face tightened as badly as his frozen stance on the table. His muzzle hung open with a deeply pained look, but Canvas refrained from letting any audible noises escape his mouth.

VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRVRRRRRRRRRRR…

The drag of Flamingo’s first line only lasted for about six seconds total; but based on the multitude of times his eyelids blinked in succession after she pulled back, it was obvious that he felt every single second of it. His muzzle hung open for only a moment longer before taking a deep breath, and exhaling through a tight ‘O’ shaped mouth. “Nnnnnnghhhhhh… Th-That felt like a needle, that’s for sure…”

Flamingo giggled while buzzing her machine in the ink cup again. Canvas’ voice came out in a very strained croak, sounding like an old lady who had been smoking cigarettes since birth. But before Troy could try to ask anything worth concern, Canvas took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, alright. I… I wasn’t expecting it like that. But I can handle it, let’s do it.”

Flamingo didn’t hesitate, and Canvas already tensed up for more. The mare’s machine buzzed back to life while her eyes narrowed in concentration, and Troy could only watch as the bulb of needles went to work over another purple line. Much like the first time, Canvas tensed up from the intense pain that dragged across his foreleg like the dragging of broken glass. “Nnnnnghhhhh…”

Canvas’ eyes were as tightly clenched as his teeth, and he quickly had to learn to listen for Flamingo’s tattoo machine for the distinct changes. Every time he heard the motors buzzing at a weaker volume, Canvas had to hold his breath and tense himself up tightly. And as soon as the motors buzzed loudly from the added pressure, Canvas tried to take Flamingo’s advice to heart by letting out a quivering breath during the lengthy drags. “Oooohhhhh… H-Hoooollllyyy crap…”

“Is it too much?” she asked while dipping in her ink cup again, not that she looked like she was planning to slow down. Luckily for her, Canvas shook his head firmly despite his grimace.

By that point, Troy was able to lean in and catch a small glimpse of what had been jotted down. It was only a few lines that formed into an oblong circle-esque shape, which served as the first petal inside of Canvas’ rose. Unfortunately, Troy only needed to take one glance at that tiny petal before realizing how massive the rest of Canvas’ tattoo was going to be. “Ohhhhh… W-Wow, that’s really there, huh?”

“Yes it is~” Since Canvas wasn’t passing out or wetting himself, Flamingo looked much more comfortable while smirking confidently. “There’s no going back now. Let’s fill this canvas!”

Canvas’ foreleg may have still been stinging, but even he couldn’t help making a scoffed chuckle. “Really, Flamingo? Did you just make that pun on purpose?”

“Hey, your name is Canvas. Kinda hard not to think about it.”

She didn’t wait for Canvas to say anything, and immediately went back in with the ink cup. Canvas quickly tensed himself up and closed his eyes, allowing him to focus on his composure. Troy slumped back into his chair with a fretful look, and he couldn’t help wincing from how badly his spouse’s teeth were clenching. While he was thankful for Flamingo’s sake that Canvas was handling the needles so far, Troy could only imagine how sharp the pain must’ve been to elicit such whimpering groans. “NnnnnnnNNNNNNnnnghhhhh…”

“Ughhh… Sweet Celestia, this is nuts,” muttered Troy under his breath. He didn’t want to get in the way, but he couldn’t help feeling helpless while his husband was writhing rigidly. Those sharp metallic buzzes kept going in rapid succession, with the mare delivering line after line across the foreleg without much pause. Each precise drag of the needles left a flawlessly identical layer of black over the purple stencil it was confirming. The first few lines were already starting to show some redness around the fur, but Flamingo’s tedious linework continued on to bring more of her rose design to life over the teal canvas.

“Yeah, it certainly is nuts,” noted Flamingo with a brief huff. “But, uhhh… you two could easily chat with me while I do this. If anything, it might help me focus easier.”

“Oh, ummm…” Troy tried to look over Canvas for topics of conversation, but he only saw the stallion grimacing. Troy cringed from the sight, despite how proud he was of his fortitude. The gryphon then knew it was up to him to start. The couple may have had a limited window of time before this tattooing to discuss things, but Troy was informed of who Flamingo Fire was in his husband’s justifications for doing this. So after a moment of recollection, Troy narrowed his eyes on her and asked, “So, uhh… You made that one painting in Canterlot, right? The one with a pony with scars on his face and a knife in his mouth?”

“Yeah, that was me!” she chirped cheerfully. “Wow, I honestly didn’t expect you’d remember that!”

“Well,” retorted Troy with a cheeky smirk. “I did catch the obvious reference to the Scarred comics.”

Flamingo whipped her head back at Troy, her machine turned off and her eyes wide open in surprise. After seeing the gryphon’s sly grin, she looked over to see Canvas shrug his shoulders sympathetically. “Uhhh… Our brother Lyle actually interned at Morbid Comics when Equestrian Nightmare was being made. He even got to help design one of the cover pages.”

“Oh, really?” Her face lit up excitedly, despite her embarrassment. She dipped her machine back in the cup with a couple of quick buzzes. “Jeeze, your husband is a Bridleway star, and your brother-in-law worked on Scarred? You got any other weird family facts, Canvas?”

Troy and Canvas grinned wide with a shared glance back at each other. Considering how their other brothers-in-law included the lead of a metal band, a successful florist, and a stormball legend, the couple had a feeling that Flamingo was going to learn a lot during her tattooing.

---

Two Hours Later

“Oh, come on, Marzo!” High Flier was shooting a particularly flat stare back at the zebra while the two stood outside the concession stand of the convention center. “You can’t tell me it wouldn’t be a sweet gesture if I asked him!”

Marzo just groaned with an irritated eye roll. “Dude, just because Canvas is getting tattooed, doesn’t mean that Troy should get one too. Besides, how do you think he’s going to explain that to ponies in that Bridleway show he’s in? Canvas can get away with getting a tattoo in his career, but I can’t say the same for his spouse.”

After a second of thought, the pegasus eventually relented. “Well… Okay, yeah. It does sound kinda stupid when you word it like that.”

Cherry Bomb trotted back from the counter. “Alright, they said the nacho orders were going to take a little while since they were flooded with customers earlier.”

Marzo and High flier groaned simultaneously. “Oh, for crying out loud,” griped Marzo. “I swear they had the exact same problem during the competition last year!”

The three glanced over at the main stage that still sported a packed crowd, despite the competition itself happening away from the public’s viewing. Instead, the stage was being used to host various entertainment acts during the six hour timeframe. At that current moment, two mares with intimidatingly loud chainsaws were effortlessly working in tandem, cutting a large log into an impromptu sculpture. “Well, you gotta admit,” said Cherry Bomb. “They’re definitely adding some variety to this year’s entertainment lineup.”

As the other two artists nodded their heads, none of them noticed Troy as he walked up to the group with a large tray on his back. Of course, since he was also carrying three large paper bags stuffed with fast food, the smell was more than enough to catch the three’s attention. “Hey, guys!” said Troy with a smile. “Flamingo’s doing just fine with Canvas, so I decided to take their advice and get some fresh air. I also stopped by that hayburger stand outside to get you guys some lunch.”

“Oh, thanks, dude!” High Flier instantly snatched one of the bags with a dark sheen of grease that stained the bottom of it. While the pegasus dove in to scarf down on the burger inside, Marzo and Cherry Bomb had equally appreciative smiles.

“Yeah, that’s really nice of you Troy!” Marzo wasn’t one to turn down free lunch while his stomach was rumbling. “You really didn’t have to go that far, but we really appreciate it.”

“Hey, it seemed like the least I could do after you guys covered my ass.” Troy gave an appreciative shrug. “Also, Canvas wasn’t able to tell me everything that happened yesterday, but he mentioned how helpful you guys were at teaching him about all this stuff.” Troy motioned a claw outward, emphasizing the convention center as a whole for clarification.

“Yeah, he’s really been perceptive about what we do,” said Cherry Bomb with an approving smile, her horn brightly lit to take the last bag. “To be perfectly honest, the moment we all found out he was here for a Friendship Mission, we kinda had a hunch that something like this would happen.”

“Yeah, I can kinda see why…” Troy may have nodded in agreement, but his expression still showed the slightest hint of worry. “Of course, that was kinda why I wanted to find you guys in the first place.”

“Wait, really?” asked High Flier after swallowing a mouthful of hay fries. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well… I was hoping you guys could bring me up to speed about all of this.” Troy knew that he was asking for a pretty big favor, since he had no idea if any of them would have the free time to explain everything. But at the same time, he knew he had to be honest about his feelings if he wanted to be a good partner for Canvas in a moment like this. “I literally just learned about all this tattoo culture stuff today, and I… I really don’t want to be ignorant about tattooing if Canvas decides to get into it himself.”

All three of the artists’ brows rose up, not expecting to hear that kind of revelation from Canvas’ mate. However, since they already agreed that the artist was likely destined to learn the craft from Flamingo Fire, none of them showed any hesitance as they smiled in agreement. “You know what?” said Marzo as he put out his hoof for Troy to shake. “Anyone who punches out a transphobe like that is an instant friend of mine. And I would be honored to bring you up to speed.”

Troy smiled while accepting the zebra’s gesture, shaking his hoof with a strong grip of his claw. "Thank you so much, Mister Marzo.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal about it! Seriously, look at me! Do I really look like the type who gets addressed ‘Mister’?”

“Heh…” Troy was only trying to be polite, but Marzo’s honest assessment prompted him to blush and nod reluctantly. “Okay, yeah… Touchè.”

Troy and Marzo shared a good laugh, while Cherry Bomb lit up her horn to retrieve her walkie talkie. She clicked on the device with her magic before asking through the mic. “Hey, Flamingo?”

Only a couple seconds passed before she heard Flamingo respond. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“We just wanted you to know that Troy wanted to hang with us and see what we do. Is Canvas gonna be alright without him for a while?”

Troy was glad to hear Cherry Bomb ask about that detail, as he was already planning to do that himself. Since the gryphon was wearing a V.I.P. lanyard around his neck (graciously gifted to him by staff as an apology for his earlier scuffle), he was able to check up on his husband’s progress backstage whenever he pleased. After a moment of silence, Troy heard Flamingo answer with, “Yeah, Canvas says it’s cool. I just finished the linework on my end, and I’m just about to get to color.”

“Ooh, good to hear!” The mare smiled as she glanced over at the timer above the stage. While the chainsaw sculptures continued to grind down their piece with sawdust spewing everywhere, the digital display indicated that there was still over three and a half hours to go. “Looks like you’re ahead of schedule, Ms. Fire. Keep it up!”

“Will do, hun~ Thanks!”

Meanwhile on the other end, Flamingo Fire smiled while using her magic to float the walkie talkie away. She was still holding her tattoo machine in her hoof, and was looking pleased with the progress she made so far. In only a couple of hours, she managed to nail-down most of the basic linework that made up Canvas’ tattoo. The petals of his rose, as well as the vines with all its individual thorns, had just been applied to wrap all around the stallion’s foreleg. It was nothing but black lines over teal fur at that moment, but Flamingo already had her cups of differently-colored inks on the ready while switching out her needle points.

“Well, Canvas, it seems like your gryphon is already adjusting to the idea of you being inked~”

“Y-Yeah, it certainly sounds like it.” Canvas tried to chuckle, but the strained lines at the sides of his eyes showed how difficult the experience was. He was proud of himself for enduring over two hours of near-constant drags of the tattoo machine, but he had to struggle not to glance over at the clock and remind himself of how much further they had to go. His foreleg was already burning intensely after all that linework, which left him feeling like he just contracted a wicked sunburn. Of course, even with his tattoo unfinished, Canvas couldn’t say he felt any regrets when he stared at the progress with admiration. “Man… I’m so glad that he’s not against me getting this.”

“Yeah, I’m grateful to hear that too,” said Flamingo, dipping the tip of her mag tip in the red ink with a couple sharp buzzes. “Didn’t you say that gryphon culture looks down on them?”

“Well, there are a lot of gryphons that do,” noted Canvas uncomfortably. “Like, I know that my In-Laws are strictly against tattoos, since they’ve only seen them on criminals and quote-unquote ‘Unemployable types.’”

Flamingo pouted with distaste, but continued to listen while getting back into position. Canvas took a deep breath when he saw her going back in, and waited until she started to drive the needles into the first petal with her red ink.

VRRRRRRRRRRRVRRRRRRRRRRRRR…

“NNNGHHHHH!!” Canvas writhed hard on the table, the pain now a little more intense due to his irritated skin becoming more sensitive. But regardless, Canvas tried to keep talking over the pain in an attempt to quell his nerves. “O-Okay, okay, nnnfffff… B-But I… I’m really hopeful that they’ll understand me getting this. I mean… It’s not like it’ll affect my career as an artist.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” said Flamingo. The red ink repeatedly punctured the flesh within the first rose petal, permanently altering Canvas’ follicles to morph his formerly teal hairs into a flawlessly deep red. Flamingo would’ve preferred somepony with a lighter coat for better contrast, but she was pleasantly surprised to see how well Canvas’s fur was handling the application. “If anything, you’re in the best position to get tattooed. Like, this might give you some more street-cred among the higher-class types you sell to.”

“Yeah, I suppose…” Canvas sighed with a strained shiver, trying to process Flamingo’s point while wincing from her needles. He chose to look away from his foreleg while the mare continued, not wanting to spoil himself on the end result before she had the chance to finish. But as he did so, Canvas took a breath before speaking again. “Honestly, I… I wouldn’t mind exploring tattooing myself after all of this is done…”

Flamingo didn’t stop her coloring, but her brows rose with interest as she went to work on the next petal. “Really now? You got that curious about tattooing after a single day?”

“W-Well, can you blame me?” Canvas tried to give a flattered chuckle, but it sounded rather fake due to his tense state. “Like, you did show me a lot about how it was done yesterday, and… I dunno, it’s totally different from what I would’ve imagined.”

“Yeah, I know, right? Trust me, I felt that same kind of epiphany when Marzo let me under his wing as an apprentice. I was still getting the tribal on my forelegs touched-up when he offered me a job. I had told him how upset I was about my Canterlot show not working out, and… Well, I guess he knew that I was dealing with more than just that without me saying anything…”

Canvas didn’t need to say anything, and just nodded his head in understanding. “Well… I really am grateful for everything you taught me, Flamingo.” Canvas managed to smile warmly, even as his foreleg endured those painful buzzes. “Nnnnghh! I-I just… I’m glad that we got the chance to meet up like this…”

Time may have been their enemy, but Flamingo finally clicked off her machine. She looked up at him with slight guilt behind her thankful smile. “Thanks, Canvas. I… I’m really happy we got a second chance to connect as well…”

During her brief pause, the mare looked away with a sharp huff that caused Canvas’ smile to lessen worriedly. Flamingo Fire eventually glanced back up with a nervous look. “Listen, I… I know that there’s no way of knowing if this’ll get you your Friendship Mission. And… And I also know that there’s no guarantee this tattoo will win today. But…”

After closing her eyes for a moment to take a breath, Flamingo gave the stallion a hopeful smile as she said, “No matter what happens today, I really do hope that we can stay friends when this is all over.”

Canvas smiled without hesitation, and replied with an eager nod. “I was hoping you felt that same way.”

The two shared a silent moment smiling at one another, both of them appearing grateful that the other could recognize their blooming friendship. But instead of any strong hugs or checks to Canvas’ Cutie Mark, Flamingo let out a quick huff before turning her machine back on. “Alright then! Let’s get this tattoo finished~”

Canvas took a deep breath, but was smiling as he kept his hoof held out. “Lead the way, Ma’am.”

---

Three and a Half Hours Later

Just outside the backstage area, the convention center was booming with excitement as the sun began to set outside. The timer hanging above continued to tick away the seconds, now with less than two minutes remaining. Tattooed ponies were chanting and cheering in excitement, eager to see what the competing artists managed to create. At the front of the crowd stood Marzo, High Flier, and Cherry Bomb all waiting with eager smiles of their own, hopeful that their friend was able to pull off her design with Canvas’ help. The three had already brought Troy up to speed about his husband’s experiences, and could only wait outside while the gryphon was backstage with Canvas.

“Alright, you’re almost finished, babe!” Troy was now wearing a black tank top with a beautiful avian skull design plastering the front, and was standing beside his husband like an expectant father helping his wife give birth. The gryphon was clutching Canvas’ hoof tightly, allowing him to squeeze as hard as he could to help bear the throbbing pain coursing through his foreleg. Canvas had his eyes tightly clutched while groaning through his teeth, and was trying his hardest not to squirm from the final swipes of Flamingo Fire’s machine. After all the time he had managed to sit through his session, it was obvious that the hours of strenuous torment were finally catching up on the stallion.

“Hmmmmm…” Flamingo Fire was working furiously to get the last of the details nailed down. Sweat was beading from her forehead, but she let the droplets stream down without care. Her needles were constantly moving between Canvas’ foreleg and the nearby ink cups, which were now nearly empty from how much she had used. Beneath her stool, several discarded water bottles and energy drink cans were strewn about the floor. Meanwhile, the staff pony from earlier was back at the main flap of the tent to watch the mare studiously, his eyes glancing back at the ticking clock.

“Gah!” Canvas cringed painfully as the last of his thorns were colored in, but he refused to open his eyes and see the finished product just yet. Instead, the stallion clutched Troy’s talons tightly, and bit the inside of his cheeks while struggling to breathe out slowly. Luckily for him, just as he felt like the pain was reaching his limits, his ears twitched when he heard the countdown outside.

“Ten! Nine! Eight!...”

“C’mon, c’mon!” groaned Flamingo to herself as she dug into Canvas’ foreleg with more determination, hoping to finish her work before the timer could elapse. “Just about there…”

Canvas and Troy looked equally as worried while hearing the final seconds ticking away; but as the two held each other tightly in solidarity, they could only watch as their artist got the last of her work finished up. “And we… are…”

“THREE! TWO! ONE!”

“FINISHED!!!~”

The moment Flamingo Fire pulled her machine away with a relieved sigh, the thunderous blast of an airhorn indicated the competition was over. The staff pony immediately threw his hooves up to shout, “Alright, that’s it! Machines down, Flamingo! No more ink!”

Flamingo Fire was smiling tiredly with a nod, and put down her machine after turning it off. Canvas leaned back on the table, panting heavily. He could hear the audience cheering wildly outside, but he could barely process the noise while savoring his personal achievement. Troy looked just as relieved as he did, and continued to hold him in support while Flamingo Fire got the topical cream.

“Alright, it’s all finished!” The mare was grinning in elation while rubbing the clear gel across Canvas’ foreleg, eliciting a pleased shiver from the stallion. Troy blinked repeatedly while staring down at the design wide-eyed, not expecting the piece to look so detailed behind the gel’s glossy sheen. Canvas couldn’t look down at his new tattoo just yet, and continued to collect his breaths when he heard Flamingo speak. “Don’t worry, dude. I am officially finished stabbing your foreleg today~”

Canvas huffed out a weak chuckle, and grew a quivering smile by the time he managed to reopen his eyes. Of course, the very instant Canvas looked downward, he gasped in shock when he finally caught a glimpse of the finished product. “OH MY GOSH!!!”

Flamingo and Troy chuckled with prideful smiles back at each other, both of them looking happy about the pony’s reaction. Canvas may have felt fatigued, but he managed to use the last of his remaining energy to hop off the table to see himself in the mirror. Meanwhile, Troy went up to stand behind Canvas with a supportive smile. “I know, right?” The gryphon didn’t show a shred of regret, and looked absolutely pleased with Flamingo’s hard work. “She really knocked it out of the park!”

Flamingo Fire squirmed with a bashful blush, smiling thankfully. Meanwhile, Canvas’ jaw remained rightfully dropped while staring in silence at his hoof through the mirror.

Even while standing, Canvas’ eyes couldn’t look away from the stunning red rose that stood out beautifully against his foreleg. The outline sported rich, thick blacks that helped to make the design stand out against his aqua fur, guaranteeing that the rose would stand out for years, if not decades after healing. Despite Flamingo’s worries about contrast, Canvas’ fur didn’t affect the bright saturation of his new rose in any way; each individual petal carried the most flawless shade of red, making the piece pop astoundingly well against his limb. And with the additional bright green vine that wrapped around his foreleg, littered with symmetrically pleasing red thorns to add some depth, Canvas couldn’t find a single flaw or missing patch of ink.

“I… I can’t believe it…” Just a couple days ago, Canvas would’ve never even imagined getting himself a tattoo. But as he looked down at his freshly-inked hoof, contorting his foreleg to scan every inch of the design that encompassed his fur so flawlessly, Canvas didn’t feel a shred of remorse. Instead, Canvas’ smile widened immensely, and tears began to bulb at the corners of his eyes. “It’s… It’s perfect!”

Canvas finally gave Flamingo Fire a strong hug, making sure to keep his tattooed hoof extended away to avoid contact. The mare looked surprised for a moment, but only a second passed before she smiled warmly, and she hugged Canvas in return. “Th-Thanks for telling me that. I… I’m glad that you were the one to get it.”

“Oh believe me, I couldn’t agree more!” Canvas chuckled to himself after the two pulled away, and he looked at his tattoo again with a giddy grin. “Jeeze, could you imagine if you gave it to that guy instead?”

“Ugh!” Flamingo instantly groaned with a disgusted sneer. “Please do not make me think about that prick so soon after this win.”

“Right! Sorry, sorry…” Canvas went back to staring at his completed tattoo with pure contentment. “Wow… So I’m really a tattooed pony now, huh?”

“Looks like it,” noted Troy with a happy shrug. “I gotta say, that’s a really good design for a first tattoo! I saw a few other rose pieces out on the convention floor, but none of them look as impressive as yours.”

“Awwww, thanks!” Canvas looked back at his husband with a touched smile. “So, you’re really alright with me having this?”

Troy scoffed playfully. “Dude, I think it’s a little late to ask something like that.”

Canvas giggled in embarrassment while Flamingo tried to conceal a snicker of her own. Fortunately, Troy was quick to add, “But I will say though, I have no issue with you getting tattooed. I mean…”

Troy knew the next thing he was about to say would likely surprise Canvas, but he knew it was something the stallion would appreciate hearing. “In fact… I would be totally on board if you were to, like… you know… get more of them~”

Luckily for Troy, Canvas’ face lit up quickly. “Really?!” he asked like a colt on Hearth’s Warming morning. “You’d really be cool with that?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying that, but…” Despite his pause, Troy still smiled with an honest nod. “Yeah, I seriously wouldn’t mind. I mean… if anything, it kinda makes sense for you.”

That last remark prompted Canvas to tilt his head with a surprised look. Flamingo raised a brow at the gryphon as well, and asked, “It does? How so?”

“Well…” Troy pointed a claw over at Canvas’ art bag lying beside the table. “Look at your bag, Canvas! Or your mural back home in Ponyville! Or any of the other times you went all-out to cover something from inch-to-inch in your art! I mean…” Troy paused with his eyes staring down at Canvas’ first tattoo, but his tone of voice remained sincere when he said, “Seriously, if… If anypony could pull off full tattoo-sleeves like some of those ponies outside, it would be you.”

Canvas looked surprised while blushing deeply. However, his stunned reaction was quickly followed by a sheepishly wide smile. “Uhhhh… I know it might be jumping the crossbow a bit to say this so soon, but…” Canvas lowered his head with an embarrassed wince. “I was kinda already considering that myself.”

Luckily for the stallion, his husband didn’t look upset in the slightest. Meanwhile, Flamingo Fire was grinning devilishly, her eyes pinned on Canvas. “Heh~ Looks like I corrupted you to the dark side.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” admitted Canvas with a shrug. “And hey, who knows? Maybe someday I can give you a design as good as the one you gave me?”

Flamingo looked rather intrigued by such an offer, and smirked at him with an approving nod. “You know what? If you’re actually serious about getting into tattooing yourself, then I would be honored to help you hone the craft~”

Canvas used his un-tattooed hoof to shake Flamingo’s with a confident nod. “Sounds good to me.”

Troy smiled proudly while watching the two ponies form such a strong connection. Even if this wasn’t the friendship problem Canvas was destined to solve, the gryphon could tell that he definitely made a new friend that day.

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

Canvas the artist, covered in art. Yeah, I can dig it.

[Perpetually Confused]

10286990
I fail to see the issue. When one like Canvas beholds the amusement park that is the female form it should bring him comfort to know that yes, the log ride is open

[Starlight Nova]

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

[TheVClaw]

10288142
I'm honestly not 100% sure. Or at least, the voices I have for them in my head aren't easy to compare with anyone I can recognize.

[Perpetually Confused]

10288190
Jason Statham (Troy) and Eric Mccormack (Canvas)