Troy is a Gryphon who moved to Equestria to pursue a new life; however, his seclusion has left him feeling unsatisfied with how his life was going. All of that changes when he becomes involved in a storm prepping job outside of Ponyville for Princess Twilight Sparkle. Before the storm, Troy finds Canvas, a badly injured Earth pony, lying on the ground near death. As time goes on and wounds start to heal, how will the Gryphon's life change as he helps the stallion struggling to regain control of his life?

I want to give a big thanks to Bad_Seed_72 for her assistance in editing and proofreading. Also, major props to JackAnarchy for the cover art.

Braeburn Apple has always been raised in a conservative household, as a member of the Apple family.
Throughout his life, he's been taught what's 'wrong' and what's 'right', who he was allowed to love, and who he wasn't. Above all, he was told what to be, and how to be it.
When he meets a certain blue Pegasus stallion buying pies at Sweet Apple Acres while he just so happens to be staying there, he discovers feelings he never knew he had.
Unfortunately, they happen to be the same ones he was always taught to suppress.
Can Soarin convince him that it's not wrong to be in love, and that, sometimes, in order to be happy, you need to break out of your comfort zone?
A story about discovering who you are, and being that person, no matter what others tell you to be.

WARNING: M/M, SoarinxBraeburn Coltcuddling! Touches up on some serious social issues in the real world, but with ponies, and at least 20% cooler.
If you don't like it, please do not read it.

Featured on EqD!

Cross-posted to FanFiction.NET.

Rated T for alcohol references, crude humour, and slight language.

Cover image is by Mn27 on DeviantART.

Edited by many people, included Carcer, LunaUsesCaps, and Diexna, but none have contributed more than the amazing Smayds, who has been my main editor for almost every chapter.

A relatively shy earth pony named Rational Cube made his way to Ponyville around 2 years ago. The only people he really knew were people from previous performances he went to only when he was in desperate need for money. But over the winter of the second year, he met another colt and... well... Things got a little more serious.