• Published 17th May 2013
  • 11,082 Views, 780 Comments

Brushed Away - TheVClaw



For Troy the Gryphon, life in Equestria wasn't exactly as fulfilling as he imagined on his own. However, after volunteering to help out with a storm prepping project, he discovers a pony who helps to change everything.

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Chapter Thirty-Two: The Biggest Honor

Troy had become increasingly surprised at how weak Equestrian alcohol really was as the night went on. Even after taking full advantage of the open bar, Troy didn’t even feel the slightest buzz. While the bartender started pulling the pile of empty glasses away with an obvious glare aimed at him, the gryphon sighed and looked back toward the crowds. He was finding it difficult to see where Canvas could be through the masses of different ponies in fancy outfits and garments. That said, he could easily pick out the technicolor mane of Rainbow Dash before she got close enough to sit at the bar with him.

"Hey Troy.” She held a hoof up for the bartender. "Yo, barkeep! Get me whatever my buddy's drinking!"

The bartender reluctantly made two more glasses, and levitated the drinks to them. Upon seeing Troy’s drink of choice, Rainbow Dash gave him a skeptical smirk.

"Really, dude? A Sea Breeze? That's something Fluttershy would drink!"

"Well, I'm not drinking it for the buzz. I just wanted something that tastes alright."

Rainbow gave a shrug before both of them downed their drinks. Normally she'd rather have something a bit stronger, but Troy wasn't kidding when he said it tasted good. Once she took a moment to appreciate the fruity sweetness, Rainbow looked over at Troy who was eyeing the crowd again. "Canvas is by his exhibit."

"Oh, thanks." Troy looked over and saw that Canvas was there, though he seemed to be on edge about something. Moments later, he suddenly realized what Rainbow Dash had said, and he turned back to see her grin.

"H-HEY!” he blurted with blush. “I wasn't… I… I was just trying, like--”

"Dude, cut the denial! I think we both know what's going on."

Troy groaned "Can't I just have a drink in peace? Why are you so insistent on digging into me about this?"

"About what? I'm just trying to keep conversation."

"Oh, don't give me that!” Troy had to look away from his employer and her cocky smirk. “Ever since that slip-up at the sports bar, you keep bringing up these little jabs about me and Canvas, and it's really getting on my nerves!"

Rainbow Dash sighed, and her smile dropped. "Listen Troy, I'm not trying to jab at you or anything. I'm just trying to point out something you might not realize yourself."

Troy face-clawed. "Rainbow, please stop making assumptions. It’s really annoying."

"Oh come on! Do you really think this is just an assumption? I've seen what you've been doing, and I think it's pretty clear that you like Canvas."

Troy tensed up, groaning once more, and used two talons to pinch at his temples.

"And I'm not just talking about the sports bar either, “which, may I remind you, I never brought up since I'm your friend.”

Troy knew that detail was true. He let his silence serve as a sign of acknowledgement.

"Ever since you joined my crew, you spend almost all your free time with Canvas. I mean, I spend a lot of time with my friends too, but I don't spend every day off with just one of them! I'm just saying, it seems like you care a lot about him."

"Well, of course I do!” Troy exclaimed in puzzlement. “I saved his life, remember? And after he got released from the hospital, I wanted to make sure he got better! And after that, I mean… What do you want me to say? He turned out to be a great friend."

"Uh-huh. And how about that wingboner you got today?"

"What?!” Troy nearly fell out of his stool over that bold question.

"Oh, please! You almost knocked Fluttershy out when you prepared for takeoff, and don’t try to deny it!"

"For crying out loud, can you just shut up about this!?" Troy was getting angrier. He crossed his forelegs while averting his glare. "Besides, gryphons don't even get those! That's a pegasus thing!"

“...Are you kidding me?” Troy glanced back at her to see her expression as flat as a pancake. “Dude, I'm not a moron. I was best friends with a gryphon back in Flight Camp. I know how the gryphon body works, and I know what you just said is a lie. You popped a wingboner."

By that point, Troy was just about irritated enough to leave in a huff. But before he could get off his stool, Rainbow Dash had one more question.

"Troy… do you remember when you told me why you wanted to be part of the Weather Patrol?"

Despite not wanting to listen anymore, Troy kept himself still. "Yeah. I… I wanted to be more social. And I am!"

"Well, sort of."

Troy looked at Rainbow Dash’s small smile in confusion.

"Troy, I knew you joined my crew only so you could look over Canvas at first, which I allowed because I wanted to make up for that storm. But ever since you started working for me, I’ve seen how often you've been there for him. Even after he was all healed up and started his own career, you still stood by his side whenever you could. And yeah, you have been more social around town and stuff, but there’s something different about you when you're with other ponies."

Troy was now looking curious as she continued. "Whenever you're with other ponies, like my crew or with Lyra and Bon-Bon, you're usually pretty neutral. I mean, you smile here and there, but not nearly enough for me to see that you're actually happy. But when I see you with Canvas, or talking about Canvas, or even just thinking about him... I always see a smile on that beak."

Rainbow’s smile had become warmer, but Troy seemed nonplussed. "Okay, so... what's your point?"

"My point is that I can see that Canvas makes you happy. Happier than anypony else around here. I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything, alright? I'm just being honest. That stallion makes you happy, and you should know that."

With that, she got off her stool and left Troy to his lonesome. Troy sighed in relief and went back to looking across the ballroom, his gaze slowly returning to Canvas' display. Now Troy could see that Canvas was chatting and laughing with a few ponies.

He couldn’t hear what Canvas was saying from that far, but Troy could see that he was looking a lot less stressed. He thought about everything Canvas had managed to do for himself, how much he had to overcome to reach this point, and where the two of them were now; and he felt a strong amount of respect and admiration for the stallion. Before he realized it, a small smile grew on his beak. With his attention on Canvas, Troy didn’t notice Rainbow Dash leering in close to his face, sneaking up to him before whispering in his ear.

"Told ya!"

Troy quickly swiped his claws in her direction out of both surprise and annoyance, missing her as she quickly darted off laughing. Troy decided to stretch his legs to walk off his irritation, and finally left his stool. As soon as the gryphon left the bar, the bartender silently cheered to himself in relief.


Glimmer Heart looked up at the clock to see it was almost eight, and smiled to herself excitedly. After her undignified morning, she looked grateful that the main event was about to begin. She stood in the middle of the ballroom and levitated a microphone, tapping the end with her hoof. Once everypony turned their attention toward her, Glimmer Heart cleared her throat.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, I would like to thank everypony here for coming to this gallery. Every year, this event is held to showcase the best and brightest up-and-coming talents in the Equestrian arts. And over the years, it has always been my greatest pleasure to meet so many new, shining artists."

Canvas stood by his artwork, a blush growing anew as he tried to keep his smile restrained.

"Because of this, “I am honored to present the highlighting pieces of the six artists displayed for tonight."

Glimmer Heart's horn grew brighter as she directed the room’s attention to the first collection of artwork. A white unicorn mare with a blonde mane stood proudly beside her designs while being introduced by Glimmer.

"From Manehatten, I would like to present Gemini's piece, titled Heart of the City."

Glimmer Heart slowly pulled back Gemini’s curtain, showing a large painting of the Manehatten skyline. The outline of the city itself was painted pitch-black, with blue windows meticulously added in a minimalistic fashion. Meanwhile, the white background carried a large image of a pink heart, which looked to be rising above the city like a sun. Canvas thought the piece was rather striking, albeit a tad clichéd, and was quick to clap his hooves alongside the others.

Glimmer Heart then walked over to the second unicorn mare, a powder-blue pony with a purple mane in pigtails. Most of her paintings were adorned with enough glitter to make Pinkie Pie proud, but they were done in a surprisingly tasteful fashion.

"From Las Pegasus, here is Glitter Shine's painting, titled Shining in the Night."

Many ponies looked in admiration as the curtain revealed a large painting of one of Las Pegasus' most well-known casinos standing against the night along the Pegasus Strip. The hotel was built to resemble a modern-day pyramid, and had a bright beam of light that cut through the night sky along the top half of the painting. Canvas was especially impressed with how the golden glitter was used against the large buildings, making it all look like a natural part of the cityscape.

After the applause died down, Glimmer's aura then reached for the third curtain. This piece belonged to a yellow unicorn with a matching blonde mane, wearing an expensive-looking green dress.

"From Appleloosa, this is Country Comfort's piece, titled Buffalo Roam."

The curtain gave way to a large, detailed painting of the buffalo migrations running through the apple orchards of Apploosa. Boasting the brightest colors possible, the piece reminded Canvas of the old-fashioned paintings he'd seen in traditional places. Given how intense the migrations could get, he was impressed to see a depiction of something that happened so quickly be made in such detail. There looked to be dozens of buffalo in the painting itself, so he wondered how long it took her to get all the little details just right.

The fourth curtain came next, belonging to the last unicorn mare standing anxiously. She wore a thick pair of fake glasses and a red, plaid scarf that clashed with her green coat. Her pink mane was kept within a grey fedora, which she used to hide her blushing face.

"From Portlandia, I would like to show Vintage Vinyl's piece, titled Mane Stream."

Applause followed after the curtain was unveiled, but many of the patrons stared in confusion or unease at the revealed painting. It displayed what appeared to be a pure-black stallion trying to pull himself out of a raging blue river, situated against a blood-red sky. Looking closer, Canvas could see that the river wasn't supposed to be water, but many different objects making up the blue surface, including a bunch of newspapers and garbage. Canvas wasn't sure what to think of its meaning, but it was an interesting piece to look at nonetheless.

Glimmer Heart then walked over to the curtain of the only unicorn stallion in the exhibit: a surprisingly tall and thin red pony with a pure, white, spiked mane. He was looking just as uncomfortable as the mares before him, nervously tugging at the collar of his ill-fitting suit. If it wasn't for the large amount of hair gel, or the piercings along both his ears and nose, Canvas would've considered him to be kind of cute.

"From Baltimare, here is Flamingo Fire's piece, titled Within Darkness."

The moment Glimmer opened the curtain, many of the attendees gasped in shock. The painting displayed the inside of a dark alley, and a bloodied pony walking toward the viewer with a knife in its mouth. A large cross-shaped scar went across its grinning face, emphasizing a look of terror that was difficult to describe. Canvas definitely didn’t expect to see a piece that dark to be displayed here, but he had to admit that it looked pretty cool. Not to mention, both he and the actual artist had to struggle not to laugh at the shocked faces of the uptight Canterlot crowd.

"And finally…”

Glimmer Heart walked over to Canvas' display. The earth pony tried not to look too nervous while standing proudly. Meanwhile, he could see that a good portion of the crowd was staring at him in confusion or curiosity.

"From Ponyville, this painting from Canvas is titled Soaring Through Sound."

With everypony, including Troy, watching enthusiastically, the curtain opened to reveal Canvas' largest painting to date. While many went ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’, Troy could only stare at the painting with his beak agape.

Looking like an abstract painting at first, the background was flooded with almost every color imaginable, all of them blending together in a tie-dye motif that swirled around toward the highlighted center. In the middle of the piece stood the image of a grey and silver gryphon, his wings and legs spread out in flight with his beak wide open.

Troy blushed heavily behind his feathers, trying not to notice the countless stares from attendees who made the connection themselves. As soon as he saw the piece, the gryphon recognized it as how Canvas saw him while he was singing Vesti La Giubba. The swirling colors were there to represent his music, how his voice and dedication helped burst out so many different emotions so different from himself. He may have been seen as nothing more than a grey gryphon to most ponies, but Canvas saw him for much more than that; with his painting, he was able to accurately convey what Troy had inside of him as well.

The crowds began to move around between the displays yet again. Troy himself slowly walked over to Canvas' exhibit to take a closer look. He almost didn’t notice when Canvas walked up beside him, carrying a particularly deep blush against his aqua fur. Troy kept a calm and contented smirk on his beak all the while.

"So, when you were looking at that grey splash of paint two weeks ago, you… saw me?"

Canvas slowly nodded as he looked away in sheer embarrassment. He then winced upon noticing how many ponies were whispering and motioning over at Troy.

"Ye-yeah. It… it just came to me, I guess…” Even though Troy was smiling, Canvas still hung his head shamefully. “I… I know I should've told you sooner. I-It’s just, ummm... I’m sorry."

Troy didn’t seem the slightest bit upset, and gently placed a claw on Canvas' shoulder. "Hey, don’t say you're sorry.” When Canvas looked up at him, he was surprised to see the prideful smile on his friend’s face. “Dude, you did a great job! Frankly, I'm just glad everything worked out for you."

"Wait. You… you're alright with this?" Canvas had to do a double-take between Troy and the painting.

"Well, why wouldn't I be? This is a really good painting, Canvas! I'm impressed by it. Besides… It’s kinda cool to know I was your inspiration for this."

Troy smiled at him, and Canvas' blush grew even deeper. He felt his heart beating even faster as he looked at Troy's vibrantly golden eyes. Those eyes peered back at Canvas with warmth and gentleness, leaving Canvas feeling frozen at the spot. His chest got warmer, and he wanted nothing more than to be closer to the gryphon beside him. Before he could say or do anything, though, Troy quickly turned around.

"Ooh!” Troy excitedly sniffed the air. "I think Bon-Bon just made more of those caramel candies."

Canvas was left surprised at how quickly he picked up such a scent, and with a heavy heart at how quickly he darted back into the crowd.

Several ponies came up to the stallion, all of whom seeming interested in his art. So, after taking a deep breath, Canvas forced out a genuine-looking smile, and stood tall while hearing their praises.


After dealing with snooty ponies all night, most of whom were quick to criticize any visual imperfections of her food, Bon-Bon was happy to see Troy come up to her station. The gryphon looked legitimately thrilled to see that her caramel-chocolate candies were just brought out. Very few had touched them since they weren't ‘visually appealing,’ so Bon-Bon didn’t mind when Troy started quickly eating them from her platter. Bon-Bon cleared her throat to try and catch his attention. "So Troy, how's the gallery going for you?"

"Nod bud." Troy finished chewing before swallowing, allowing him to speak clearly. "I mean, it's a bit boring, but I'm really glad I came here with you guys. Did you see Canvas' big painting for this?"

"Well, yeah. I did help carry it here from the station, remember? Lyra and I saw the painting before the curtain was draped over it. I was wondering what you’d think about seeing that."

"I think it's awesome! I mean, I wasn't expecting him to paint a picture of me, but it's still pretty cool, you know? It's a little flattering to know that I was a big part of his work."

Bon-Bon nodded with a smile. Suddenly, her wife rushed up to stare daggers at the gryphon. "Troy!" Lyra shouted with an upset pout. "Why are you here?! Shouldn’t you be talking with Canvas?"

"Umm… I did?” said Troy, confused. "I told him how I liked the painting, and then I came here when I smelled the chocolate being brought out."

Bon-Bon's eyes widened in surprise. Lyra facehoofed with a groan before looking around. Noticing something near the center of the ballroom, Lyra turned back to Troy, and used her magic to wrap his body in an aura. "Come on, birdbrain!"

Before Troy could protest, Lyra pulled him away from Bon-Bon's station. While the gryphon squawked and struggled in her magic, Bon-Bon was left looking utterly confused. "Wait… Can a gryphon really smell that far?"


Because of the large number of ponies who’d come up to Canvas after his unveiling, the earth pony had to move closer to the ballroom center in order to not feel so overcrowded. None of the other artists had crowds comparable to the mass of ponies circled around Canvas. Granted, many of them were there to ask the same technical questions as the artists earlier on, so Canvas’ smile remained fairly forced throughout.

But amongst the sea of ponies asking him questions, Canvas noticed the voice of one particular mare within the crowd, coming out from an unknown direction.

"Canvas, what's your inspiration for your big painting?"

Canvas swore he recognized the voice, but couldn’t see who it was. Nevertheless, most of the crowd went silent after that question was heard, curious to the answer. Though the answer in his head caused him to blush, Canvas cleared his throat.

"Well, ummm… I guess I can say my piece was inspired by my best friend...”

Canvas felt like he should say more, mostly for himself, even if he was likely one of the only ponies who would understand.

"He… he found me several months ago, when I lost everything I had…” Canvas found it difficult not to feel choked-up. He rubbed a foreleg with his hoof, looking down at the floor as he continued. “I… I was going through a lot back then, and… and at one point, I felt like I could have ended my own life...”

Canvas kept his gaze downward to avoid the worried looks and gasps. Canvas’ voice grew shakier.

"But, he found me, and he saved my life… He had no idea who I was or what happened to me, but… but he still saved me. And… A-And he stayed by my side ever since."

Canvas wiped his face to dry off his moistened eyes. A smile appeared thereafter.

"He became the best friend I ever had, and he was there for me when I needed him the most. I… I honestly don't know what I would’ve done without him… I don't think there's anything I can do that can fully make up for everything he's done for me. He was always there for me since that day… and…”

And I love him.

The very instant that thought came up in his head, Canvas was rendered speechless. He breathed out a shaky gasp over how truthful that declaration felt. Luckily, the pause was only momentary, and his smile became more enamored.

"…I just wish he knew… how much I really care about him…” Canvas felt like he could say a lot more, but all that came out was a contented sigh. “Because he means so much to me..."

Throughout his speech, Canvas didn’t seem to notice his position by the statue, or under the dome for that matter. Since the crowd of ponies blocked his sight, he couldn’t see how on the opposite end from the statue, Troy was standing wide-eyed by himself.

As soon as Lyra dragged him to the spot and asked Canvas that question, she told Troy to stay where he was before walking off. Because of her quick thinking, Troy was able to hear every word Canvas said like he was standing right beside him. And even when Canvas started answering more questions, Troy remained there in silence. He felt floored, but he also felt a smile coming on from the knowledge of how important he was to his best friend.

Meanwhile, Lyra stood proudly by the entrance, ecstatic at seeing how grateful Troy looked to have heard all that. She almost didn’t notice when two particular ponies walked past her into the ballroom. However, the moment she caught a glimpse of a shimmering mane from the corner of her eye, Lyra gasped before quickly bowing to the ground.

Soon after, everypony else took notice and hurriedly bowed as well, letting their gratitude be known for the two alicorns entering the gallery. Twilight Sparkle had left shortly after the event started, but now she was back. This time, however, she was standing next to her mentor, Princess Celestia.

As the almighty alicorn stood amongst her subjects, her stunning, multicolored mane flowing weightless in the ballroom, Celestia slowly raised a hoof to the room, allowing everypony to rise.

"Good evening."

Author's Note:

Just so any newer readers are aware, I've recently been undergoing a big project to turn the Brushed Away series into physical books for individual sale. Because of that, I just wanted to make a quick note for which chapters have been revised so far, including this one.

I want to give my deepest thanks, as well as some well-deserved credit to my followers helping me out with this process, as well as Double R. Forrest for their proofreading credits. And if anyone is interested in helping out with making this project a reality, I highly recommend checking out my Official Ko-Fi page dedicated to it.

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