• Published 17th May 2013
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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 Fifty-Three: Carpe Noctem

"HALT!"

Before Troy could even lift the velvet rope draped across the steps, two royal guards appeared before him and Canvas.

"... Buck,” muttered Troy.

Troy should've expected this place to be guarded, but he was too distracted. Neither he nor his coltfriend said a word to the armored pegasi, but they already knew they were in trouble. The grey-coated one spoke first.

"This is a restricted area. Please head back to the castle immediately."

Troy looked back up at the steps behind him, feeling his frustration seething over. He was so close. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

"We weren't going to do any--”

"Silence!” shouted the brown-coated one. “You have been ordered to return to the castle!"

Troy’s claws were digging into the grass underneath him. His obvious aggravation worried Canvas greatly. Before Troy could do anything he’d regret, the unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash came out from behind the Guards, startling them.

"Hey, Guards! Whaddya think you two are doing to my friends?"

"These two were attempting to trespass onto restricted property,” said the brown guard as he turned and stood before Rainbow Dash. "We have ordered them to return to the Gala, but they refuse to leave."

Rainbow couldn’t decide if she was more irritated at the guards for hassling her friends, or at her co-worker who should’ve known better than to try anything so stupid. She passed the two guards and walked straight up to Troy.

"Troy, just what in the hay are you trying to pull?"

"Dash,” Troy said with faux calmness. "I was just wanting to go up to the platform with Canvas. I wasn't--”

"Why?" Rainbow Dash, now more annoyed, got up closer, poking at his chest with a hoof as she berated him brashly. "Dude, you've been acting really weird lately! I want to know why you've been acting so freaky the past couple weeks, and I'm not letting you go until--"

Troy silently panicked when Rainbow’s hoof stopped at one particular spot. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Troy, stunned. In that moment, she had put it all together. She knew what he was going to do.

Rainbow cracked a quick smile before turning back to the two guards with a more serious expression.

"Guys, let my friends go up to the platform, right now!"

The guards’ stalwartness broke into surprise. They didn’t expect her to change her mind so quickly. Nevertheless, they didn’t want to break protocol, so the brown guard kept his stance and addressed Rainbow Dash boldly.

"Ma'am, I cannot let these two pass onto restricted property!"

By now, the grey guard was looking worried. Rainbow Dash’s eyebrow skewed. "What's that? Are you disobeying the Element of Loyalty?"

Though his demeanor became visibly less confident, the guard stood his ground.

"I… I am supposed to guard this region, and make sure that nopony tres--"

"Dude, I helped save this nation while you were still in training! Multiple times! And I'm telling you that you better let my friends pass before I--"

"Rainbow Dash!" shouted a posh voice from behind the guards. Rainbow Dash looked past them to see Rarity trotting up toward them.

"Do you really think it's a bright idea to use your title as such? Did you not learn anything about why it's wrong to try boosting your own ego?"

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. A couple seconds later, she shut it in defeat.

Rarity then noticed Canvas and Troy. She grinned as she took in Troy and the platform behind them, and swiftly figured out what was going on. Rarity turned toward the royal guards, carrying a mannerism of kind insistence.

"Gentlecolts, Troy and Canvas are good friends of Rainbow Dash and myself back in Ponyville. I can assure you that these two will not do anything of ill intent. All they want to do is see the platform, and I will personally make sure they won’t be there for long. You have my word that nothing bad will happen, and that Celestia will not know anything about this."

Both guards seemed hesitant at first, but with one glance between them, the brown-coated Guard gave their final say.

"Five minutes."

Rarity smiled. "That will be more than enough time. Thank you."

The two guards walked off, and Rarity turned and nodded to Troy in approval.

Troy lifted the rope up, looking at Canvas with a warm smile in hopes of alleviating his worries. Canvas took notice of Rainbow Dash and Rarity looking at him with big smiles, giddily motioning him to go on. This whole situation filled him with so much uncertainty, but one look back at Troy was enough to dispel it.

"It'll be fine, Canvas,” said Troy. “Trust me."

Taking a deep breath, Canvas stepped forward, going underneath the rope and up the stairs. Before Troy could follow his coltfriend, he looked back at the two excited mares.

Rainbow Dash walked up to him with a cheeky grin. She patted that very spot on his chest and whispered cheerfully. "Go get him!"

Troy smiled, not caring that she figured it out. He then went under the rope and rushed up the steps, ready to make this moment perfect.

"So, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said with a smirk. “I take it that you know what Troy's going to do?"

"Yeah. I felt it in his jacket when I was poking him... I'm guessing you had something to do with that?"

Rarity blushed and giggled. "Well… I may have held onto it for him before he came to Canterlot, but I believe he already had everything planned out before I could help."

Rainbow glanced back up at the starlit skies, smiling warmly at what she knew was going to happen. "Well, feather-butt certainly picked a great time to do it."


Upon reaching the top, Troy caught his breath, and he marveled at the platform’s sheer elegance. The floor underneath his claws was made of grey marble, with an intricately designed pattern of Celestia's sun emblem etched across it. The pattern was laid in pure gold, standing out brightly even under Luna's moonlight. Before he could marvel any more, Troy spotted Canvas standing in the middle with his eyes drawn to the starry skies.

Because of Celestia's insistence to make this final event a surprise, only a select few ponies (including the Elements of Harmony) were told about what she had planned. Standing atop her tower, Celestia gave a smile as she lit up her horn.

In a sudden burst of light, Celestia's mane shot out in all directions. Its multicolored glow slowly began to flow into the night skies, spreading out against Luna's star-spangled night like a splash of paint against the smoothest sheet of canvas. Soon, an entire aurora rippled above Equestria for all the ponies below to gaze upon in wonder.

While Canvas looked at it in fascination from where he stood, he almost didn’t notice Troy walk up beside him. Slowly, Canvas turned toward his lover and his loving smile.

"Troy, this is perfect!"

As Troy looked into the glowing hues of majestic color reflected against the stallion's blue eyes, he found it difficult to keep his composure, tears streaming down his face before he opened his beak.

"Canvas… you are the one that's perfect."

Canvas felt like he was going to tear up. Troy stepped forward, keeping his eyes locked on him.

"Canvas, I can honestly say that nothing… nothing… has ever made me happier in my life than you have.

"I have no idea how my life would've been if I never found you, but I know that it wouldn't have been as great. I may have saved your life, but… you saved me as well.”

The aurora above was now meaningless to Canvas. Its majestic glow against the gryphon’s golden eyes was what held his attention, and his affectionate words.

"I love you, Canvas. I never would've thought in a million years that I would ever feel this way about anyone… especially a stallion… but I do. I love you, and I know what I want to do.”

Both of their hearts raced, and their smiles grew. Troy lightly placed his claw over his jacket.

"You mean more to me than anything else in my life. You gave me more purpose and motivation than I ever thought I had, and I… well…”

Troy's claw went inside his jacket. Canvas' breathing started coming out more rapidly. Troy couldn't turn back now, not that he wanted to.

"I know we've only been together a few months, but… life is too short. Just like you said. I shouldn’t focus on what I could've had, and… and I know what I want to do...

“... I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

As Troy pulled his claw back out, Canvas put a hoof up to his muzzle. Troy tried to keep himself together as he stood before the love of his life, holding a small black box in his claw.

"Canvas... there's something I want to ask you…”

Troy kneeled before Canvas, the tears finally escaping. His other claw reached out to gently hold Canvas' hoof. He looked up at the stallion's overjoyed face before he closed his eyes and hung his head.

"By Princess's Will…
Through Good Or Ill…
Our Souls Entwined…
Until The End Of Time…"

He opened his golden eyes to look up at Canvas, whose cheeks were matted with tears of joy. Troy’s voice now came out in a faint creak.

"Canvas… my best friend… my love… my soulmate…”

Troy opened the box. Inside, lined against the smoothest black velvet, laid a stunning hoof band made out of pure white gold. Engraved in the band, in intricate detail, was the image of Canvas' paint palette cutie mark intertwined with a silver feather.

Canvas was barely able to keep himself upright. He was weeping out of sheer, pure happiness.

"Will you marry me?"

Canvas didn’t even need a second to think about it. He lunged forward, hugging the gryphon while screaming out at the top of his lungs.

"YEEEEES!!!"

Troy fell on his back, hugging Canvas back tightly while more tears of joy came down both their faces. With his hooves wrapped around Troy's neck, Canvas clenched his eyes shut as he held his head against Troy's chest, still shrieking in weeping joy.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yeees!!"

Canvas slowly opened his eyes and pulled his head back.

"Yes… I'll marry you, Troy."

Moving back up so he could sit upright, Troy closed his eyes and kissed Canvas deeply underneath Celestia’s aurora.

Canvas never wanted this moment to end. After everything that happened in his life, he couldn't have felt happier. Out of all the amazing moments that occurred in these past months, nothing could ever compare to this. Troy truly meant everything to Canvas. He was first his hero, and then became a bigger part of Canvas’ life than either of them could’ve ever imagined.

Troy placed the band on his hoof. Canvas couldn't hold back his overwhelming glee. He knew he could never find another soul as amazing as Troy: his friend, his true love, his soulmate.

And now… his fiancé.

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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