• 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.

  • ...
33
 780
 11,082

PreviousChapters Next
Chapter Fifty: The Return (Part 2)

Troy felt more and more uneasy as he walked along the dirt road with his coltfriend, knowing very well what happened to Canvas here. There were no other ponies visible in between the rows of grey and white houses that flanked the couple on both sides, but Troy could still feel the piercing stares from their windows as they went past. He secretly hoped that Canvas was doing the right thing.

When a small, brick building came up in the distance, Canvas' trot changed slightly; his hooves began to shake with each added step. When they reached the drugstore proper, his shaking had reached his whole body. Troy moved up next to him quickly in an attempt to calm him down, but even with the warmth of his lover by his side, Canvas was still quivering. It wasn't until the house was in clear view that Canvas' mood changed.

The home was still there, standing tall at two stories, like nothing ever happened. The paint was still the same shade of off-white that Canvas remembered, with the dark-green window shutters that gave the slightest semblance of color. The front lawn was shining with a vibrant shade of green grass, now slightly overgrown. The ‘For Sale’ sign was an obvious cue for the reason why.

Canvas clenched his eyes shut. His old home really was no longer his. Troy put a foreleg around him and held him tight. Canvas slowly bent his head in toward him, letting the warm feathers brush against his face. They stood like that in the middle of the street for some time, until the sound of a door banging open behind them caught their attention.

The two turned their heads to see a light-blue pegasus fresh out the swinging drugstore doors, looking absolutely shocked.

"CANVAS!?” shouted Cloud Thresher. "Holy buck, I can’t believe it!"

The stallion tried to rush over, but his hooves skidded against the dirt road when Troy stepped out in front of Canvas. He shot open his wings, and Cloud Thresher froze up in a panic. He couldn’t speak over the fear of this gryphon ready to tear him apart

Canvas was quick to put his hoof out. "It's okay! It's just Cloud Thresher, don't worry."

He looked back at Cloud Thresher. "He won't do anything. It's alright."

Troy slowly nodded and lowered his wings, keeping his eyes pinned on Cloud Thresher as he stepped back. Seeing that he wasn't going to end up as a fur rug in some gryphon den, Cloud Thresher stopped shaking, and spoke faintly.

"C-Canvas… I-I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Canvas nodded sadly.

"Yeah, I… I heard the house was for sale, and--”

"It was. He… really wanted to find you.”

Canvas bit his lip, then sighed. "Yeah… He did.”

"I know. He was here about a week ago. I met up with him and he… he told me about what happened. And he mentioned you were doing really well.”

Cloud Thresher then looked at the gryphon, a smirk appearing in recognition. Even as Troy maintained a stern look, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"I guess he wasn't screwing with me when he told me about the gryphon."

Canvas and Troy kept silent. His attempt to lighten the mood had failed. Cloud Thresher became serious once more.

"Canvas, it… it's really great to see you again. I'm happy to hear you're doing so well."

Canvas gave a light smile. "Thanks. I just wanted to… I wanted to see my Mom again. You know, before the Gala."

Cloud Thresher nodded in understanding, looking back in the direction of the graveyard briefly.

"I get it… You actually made the front page of the paper for that Celestia thing... Actually, wait right here!"

Cloud Thresher ran back into the drugstore as quickly as he’d exited. While Canvas and Troy stood there, slightly confused, they could hear his voice coming from inside as he talked with what sounded like another stallion.

One moment of silence later, and the head of the grey-coated shopkeeper poked out from the door. Upon noticing Canvas, his eyes widened in shock. His head went back in, and the sound of things banging could be heard before Cloud Thresher came back out, holding a large frame in his mouth as he trotted toward the duo.

Cloud Thresher propped the frame in front of the two, and Canvas' eyes widened when he read the newspaper headline inside. It was from the Gallop Creek Gazette a few months ago, boasting the same picture of Canvas with Celestia that'd been in every other paper in Equestria. The headline in question was printed in a bold font.

Gallop Creek Valedictorian Makes Equestrian History!

Canvas didn’t need to read the huge wall of text underneath that took the entire page to know how important this was. He smiled at how Gallop Creek managed to not only see, but appreciate his largest accomplishment since leaving.

Once he knew Canvas had an eyeful, Cloud Thresher picked the frame back up and propped it against the side of the building. A look of strong shame overtook him.

"There are… no words to describe how horrible I feel right now... I should've helped you, Canvas. And I know there's nothing I can say that can make up for not doing so. I saw what he did, but… but I didn’t do anything about it.”

Canvas looked back at him in disappointment, and Troy gave a particularly strong glare. This only made Cloud Thresher feel worse.

"I know I'm not the only one, but… I'm so sorry, Canvas. I just want you to know that.”

After a long bout of silence between them, Canvas nodded slowly.

"Th-thanks, Cloud Thresher. I know you helped him out a lot trying to find me, so it's alright."

Cloud Thresher was surprised to find out Canvas knew that. Regardless, a small smile came back on his face as he nodded back. Taking note of the house behind them, Cloud Thresher sighed and spoke up.

"Just so you know, I still have the spare key. You know, from when I used to foalsit you and stuff.”

Cloud Thresher lifted his right wing and pulled out a ring of keys from underneath it. Without saying anything, Cloud Thresher flew over to the house, and used the correct one to open the front door.

Canvas and Troy walked over to the front door together. Cloud Thresher stood beside it, still guilty. "I know this doesn't make up for anything, but it's the least I can do.”

Canvas smiled at Cloud Thresher, holding out a hoof.

"Thanks for doing this, Cloud. You really were a good friend."

Cloud Thresher smiled back and shook his hoof, grateful that things were fine at the moment.

"Not a problem. Just lock up before leaving, okay?"

Canvas nodded, and stepped inside. Troy followed him inside shortly thereafter and closed the door behind him. Cloud Thresher sighed before stepping off the front porch and leaving to give the frame back.

Canvas stood in the middle of the house, looking up at the stairs leading to the second floor.

"You okay, Canvas?” Troy asked, walking up and standing beside him. "I didn’t think you would be so alright with talking to him after everything."

"I know,” said Canvas. “But I talked with Twilight a week ago about what happened to me. She told me about this thing called the Bystander Effect…

"Apparently, during a traumatic event, a large group who is watching something happen might not help out that quickly, or even at all. When a pony knows they're not alone in seeing something bad happen, they might not do anything because they think somepony else will. It's actually a big psychological thing that happens a lot in bad situations."

Such a concept made sense to Troy. Still, if that could’ve killed his lover so easily, it wasn’t one he could care for.

"I mean, I know it doesn’t excuse any of them for what happened to me, but… I get it."

Canvas' tone became optimistic. "I don't know if I can ever forgive anypony in this town, but there is one thing that makes me feel better.”

Canvas put a hoof around Troy's neck. "Of all the help I could've gotten that night…

You were the best help I could've ever asked for."

Canvas then put his head on Troy's shoulder, and leaned on him. As Troy hugged him back, he knew that Canvas was right. All these months of becoming friends, getting to know each other, and becoming happier as they became closer; none of it could've happened if he wasn't the first one to help him. The pain Canvas went through, though nigh unbearable to think about, brought forth so much love and happiness afterwards.

Canvas slowly pulled back and looked around the house. Since the blinds were closed, most of the house was dark, making the stuffiness feel even more uncomfortable. He hoped he was doing the right thing by returning to this place after so long.

He remembered all the things that happened in this very spot the last time he was here. His anxiety grew when he saw the doorway to his father's study.

Despite this, Canvas slowly walked over to that room, his breathing coming out harder with each passing step. Looking inside, Canvas found that the green room was completely bare. The walls were cleaned like they were brand new.

Canvas sighed and slowly made his way to the stairs. With his boyfriend close behind, both of them walked up silently. Canvas looked down at each step, expecting to see at least a drop of blood or two. But much like the rest of the house, the stairs were immaculately cleaned and wiped down, all to be presentable for any potential buyers. Once they reached the second floor, Canvas walked down the hallway, and to his old bedroom.

Canvas walked inside and stood in the middle of it, while Troy stayed at the doorway. His heart sank over how barren the space was now. There was absolutely nothing between the four blue walls, the blue carpeted floor and the wooden ceiling.

He knew exactly where everything had been, from the spot for his modest bed to where his painting easel used to be. But now it was all gone. Sensing his distress, Troy quickly walked in and offered a foreleg to Canvas.

With Troy by his side, Canvas couldn’t hold back anymore. He threw himself onto Troy, fresh tears streaming down his face. He sunk his head into the feathered chest, and Troy clutched him tightly in return.

For all his expectations of sad feelings, Canvas couldn’t have predicted how hard the bitter truth would hit him here in his old room. This was no longer a place of his own. He wasn't a part of this town anymore. Like nothing had changed since he left.

Just then, Canvas felt Troy's talons gently brush against his mane. To Troy, this felt similar to that one night when he held Canvas after his breakdown. Therefore, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Keeping the stallion against his chest, he began to sing softly.

The song that came from his beak, was the very same one he sang for that audition dedicated to him.

Canvas closed his eyes and gripped him tighter, smiling as he relished Troy's beautiful voice. Troy remembered that this was how he really wanted to sing this song back at that audition. Even before he even realized how much he loved Canvas, he knew this song was for him.

Canvas smiled and pulled his head back, looking straight into Troy's vibrant golden eyes. Troy used a claw to slowly wipe the tears off Canvas' matted fur, looking back into his shimmering blue eyes. All the while, he sang sensually, and slowly leaned in closer.

Once the final note was finished, Canvas closed his eyes and locked his lips against his beak. In return, Troy closed his eyes and kissed back lovingly.

Neither one was sure how long they stood in Canvas' old bedroom, sharing their deep kiss while a faint light came in from the closed blinds. At the same time, neither cared. When Troy did pull back, he was still smiling. His plans for Canterlot felt so much closer.

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.

PreviousChapters Next