//------------------------------//
// Chapter Nineteen: Giving Something Back 
// Story: Brushed Away 
// by TheVClaw 
//------------------------------//

Troy perched himself on the edge of Sugar Cube Corner’s roof. To the uninitiated, he could have been mistaken for a gargoyle; but since most local ponies already knew him as part of the weather crew, they simply waved or said hello while passing by. Troy was quick to wave back while he waited for Canvas.

Eventually, he saw the artist wading through the crowd and to the bakery. His eyes narrowed, trying to discern how differently Canvas looked from earlier. He couldn’t put his talon on it, but he could swear Canvas looked a lot brighter. For a brief moment, Troy thought that the stallion was almost… glowing.

Just as Canvas passed through a thick array of ponies on the street, Troy flew down into an open area in front of him and landed, startling the stallion. Canvas then noticed the peculiar way the gryphon was looking at him, almost as if the artist still had some paint on his face. His eyes bored into him with an uncomfortable intensity.

"Umm… hey, Troy!" His words came out somewhat nervously.

Troy shook his head clear. "Oh, hey. Uh, sorry. My head was somewhere else."

“Oh, alright…” Canvas shrugged. "Yeah, that happens to me all the time. You kinda had me worried there."

Once Canvas relaxed, Troy smiled again. He wasn't sure why, but he always felt better when the stallion was happier. Maybe it was because he felt like he helped Canvas get to this point in his life, and was glad to see things going so well. Whatever the reason, Troy just felt glad to be here right now.

"Oh, hey guys!"

Canvas and Troy turned to see Lyra trotting toward them with Bon-Bon in tow. Both of the guys gave a "Hey, Lyra," in unison. The unicorn was cheerful as always, but her wife seemed a lot less enthusiastic with all the lines under her eyes. 

"Bon-Bon, are you okay?" Canvas didn't want to seem intrusive, but he also wanted to make sure she wasn't getting too obsessed with her newest creation. The last time he visited the two for dinner, her experimental mango-flavored candy almost destroyed the basement.

"It’s nothing,” said Bon-Bon with a gruff as she slowly rubbed her eyes. "I was just trying to get some big orders done so I could focus on my candy booth for the art show next week. They just asked me to help out with it last night."

"Wow, really?” Troy asked in surprise. “I was just telling Canvas about that going on! Speaking of which…” Troy looked back to Canvas. "Are you gonna do a piece for the contest?"

"Actually, I think I will!” he said with a confident shrug. “I mean, I have been wanting to do something bigger anyways, so I don’t see the harm."

"Attaboy!" Troy grabbed Canvas in a headlock, using his claws to mess with the pony's wet mane.

"Troy, c-come on! Hehehehe~ I just got my mane brushed!"

"Wait, did you sign up yet?" Lyra asked, blushing faintly at the gryphon’s display. "Because today is the last day for artists to enter."

"Really?!" Canvas pulled himself from Troy’s headlock, not noticing his mane was now in matted tangles. "Where is it?"

Lyra and Bon-Bon both pointed toward the center of town. "It's at town hall. Hurry!"

Not needing to be told twice, Canvas bolted off.

Lyra and Bon-Bon then turned their attention back to Troy, who was now preoccupied with wiping the excess moisture off his forelegs. The gryphon looked up to see the two staring at him with the most peculiar grins.

"So, Troy,” said Bon-Bon, trying to keep herself from giggling. "What was that whole noogie thing with Canvas about?"

“What?” he asked in confusion. “I’m just proud of the guy for coming out of his shell. This art show will do him some good, I think.” Troy stood on his hind-legs to stretch, causing the mares to reel back at the sight of his extended height.

Lyra struggled not to snicker under her breath. “So, you gave him a noogie to show him you’re proud?”

Troy blinked and shrugged. “Isn’t that what friends do?”

Lyra and Bon-Bon glanced back at each other with a new shared look of uncertainty. After a couple seconds of silence, Bon-Bon was the first to reply.

"Umm… sure. We did."

"See? That's what I thought." While Troy smirked confidently to himself, the two ponies were surprised at his obliviousness. Lyra looked like she wanted to say something, but decided to let it go and switch subjects.

"At any rate, we were actually going to have lunch. Would you like to join us?"

“Ehhh… why not? I could use the company."

With that, the three walked into Sugar Cube Corner. Troy's mind was mostly occupied with how long it would take for Canvas to sign up, while Lyra and Bon-Bon’s grew more curious about the gryphon who befriended him.





After an uneventful week, long rows of vending booths were arranged along the streets of downtown Ponyville. Visitors from out of town joined the local populace to fill the streets to the brim. The Equestrian Art Show may have not been as popular as other events like Nightmare Night or the Summer Sun Celebration, but it was still a big enough event to get ponies excited.

The air was buzzing with the vibrant din of conversation and the aroma of various delicious foods. Many ponies were focused in the town square, where four large walls were raised to display the dozens of artworks that the show provided. Paintings and drawings of all different types were hung and displayed next to each other without organization or theme. All of the pieces varied in every way―from theme, to color selection, to skill―and all of them managed to stand out and gain admiration from the crowds.

Troy was perched on a tree branch as he surveyed the scene, not wanting to be cramped in the sea of ponies below. Troy knew he would stick out like a sore talon, and would likely get in their way too, what with him being two feet taller than most of them. He didn’t want to inadvertently cause a scene, even whilst trying to be social.

Troy dug into his box of nachos, munching on the dampening chips and trying to spot Canvas within the crowd. There were definitely a lot of aqua coats and brown manes, but none of them belonged to his friend. He hadn’t been able to see him much in the past week, mostly due to how busy the week had been for both of them. Now, Troy kind of wished his friend still had that eyepatch from a few weeks ago, just so he could spot him easier though the technicolor equine crowd. But just as he was about to go down, he heard Canvas call to him from below.

"Hey, Troy!"

The gryphon looked down and saw Canvas on the grass smiling up at him. He noticed that Canvas looked rather tired, with large bags under both of his blue eyes. Troy glided down to the ground in front of Canvas, careful not to bump into any nearby ponies with his wings.

"Dang,” he said curtly. “No offense Canvas, but you look like crap."

Canvas merely shrugged and swiped a few nachos from Troy's box. "Yeah, I know. I was busy with getting my painting done." He stuffed the chips into his maw. "Ah hada reawy good idea fah dis, and Ah wanded ta geddit done befoh da deabwhime."

Troy was sure the pony was somewhat sleep deprived, especially since it looked like those nachos might have been the first real food he ate in at least a day or two. Regardless, Troy kept the rest of his box out of Canvas' reach. Canvas sucked the remaining melted cheese off his hoof before scoping the vending booths. "You know where Lyra and Bon-Bon are? I heard their candy is a big seller around here, and I’ve been meaning to try that pomegranate they had me test."

Troy shook his head. "I can’t say I do. I haven't really been in the crowd all that much, except to get myself a snack." Troy motioned to his box of nachos, pulling them back when Canvas tried to get at them. "Ew, dude! You just licked your hoof! Why can’t you get your own?"

"But the lines are too long!" Canvas whined. “Besides, it’s not like I have cooties. Did I freak out when you tried my smoothie the other week?”

It wasn’t the greatest comparison, but the gryphon couldn’t say much in defense; he knew Canvas was right about the lines. So Troy simply groaned under his breath and stuck his box out for his friend. As Canvas gorged himself like an uncultured pauper, Troy looked at the wall of artwork.

"So Canvas, which one is yours?"

"Top left." Canvas pointed at one of the walls. Despite being a considerable distance away, Troy's gryphon eyesight was advanced enough to see what the pony made.

Painted on a large canvas base, the piece appeared to be a landscape portrait of Ponyville at night. Under a pensive sky, Ponyville stood in an array of streetlights and colorful banner lights, illuminating the town in a beautiful soft-colored glow. Canvas had painted the night sky just as amazingly, tittering above the town as a backdrop for dozens of intricately painted constellations amongst the ocean of stars around them. On the top right corner, Luna's moon shone brightly above everything, with every crater painted with oil paints from Canvas' brush.

Troy's beak hung open in awe, much to Canvas’ approval who smiled to himself pridefully. Noticing the angle of the town in the painting, Troy turned toward the large hill that hung over the outside of Ponyville, where a large birch tree stood triumphantly at its top. He knew that a lot of ponies liked to sit under it and get a bird’s eye view of the town. When he looked back at Canvas, the blush against his aqua fur was nothing short of incriminating.

"I… I kinda went up there the past few nights to paint that...” Canvas' gaze went back to the town square, watching all the ponies happily chatting and having fun. "I just wanted to paint something for Ponyville." A warm beam came across the stallion's face as he looked upon the town that helped him so much. "It really is beautiful, isn't it?"

Troy looked at the town with him, now appreciating the beauty that Canvas was talking about. Though he may have saved Canvas in the first place, he knew that all of Ponyville helped to make Canvas into a better pony since then. Turning back, Troy could see how grateful Canvas was of everything. All of the happiness, love, and care that Canvas received in that time sank in, and he managed to use all of it as inspiration for the oil painting now displayed for all to see.

The chattering of the crowd began to die down when Mayor Mare appeared at the wall’s front. Several other older-looking ponies stood behind her (probably from Canterlot), each wearing either a tie or expensive glasses. The one closest to Mayor Mare, a dark-purple unicorn stallion with a top hat, levitated a large envelope with his magic to the Mayor before stepping back in line with the others. As she held the envelope in her hoof, Mayor Mare looked back out at the crowd with a graciously wide smile.

"Ladies and gentlecolts! I am pleased to announce the winners of the 56th Annual Equestrian Art Show!"

The crowd gave a large applause, while Canvas and Troy walked their way through it to get closer. The Mayor continued. "But first, I just want to thank everypony who participated for showing just how expressive and artistic Equestria can really be. Your determination, your talent, and above all, your passion has moved the hearts of everypony here. On behalf of them all, I would like to thank you for sharing the fruit of your labor with us. The judges for this year's proceedings have told me that this was hooves-down one of the best galleries they've attended in years!"

The crowd cheered once more. The judges gave formal waves to the audience, trying to keep themselves composed behind their stuffy exteriors. The crowd grew silent as they watched Mayor Mare open the envelope with her teeth. Finally, she pulled out the cards.

"The third-place finisher for this year's Equestrian Art show is… Pokey Pierce! For his awe-inspiring painting of Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

One of the unicorn judges levitated the painting out toward the cheering crowd, showing a minimalistic oil painting of the princess flying upwards above a sunrise. The third-place winner―a powder-blue unicorn stallion with a silver mane, a safety pin on his flank, and a large blush on his face―slowly walked to the front. Canvas recognized the pony from a few casual interactions (mostly because he thought he was kind of cute), but he had no idea that he painted. The piece was a bit simple for Canvas' tastes, but it still looked well-done.

"In second place is… Dinky! For her painting of a… um… blue box!"

The second painting was levitated next to the first one. It showed a watercolor image of what looked to be a blue telephone box shooting through outer space, with a grey pegasus mare looking out from the inside. Even more unusual than the painting was the artist, who turned out to be a little grey unicorn filly. She happily trotted to the judges with a huge smile, and stood next to Pierce. Canvas was impressed by how detailed the painting looked, almost as if it was something she saw for real.

"And the winner of this year's Equestria Art Show, and the grand prize of five hundred bits, goes to…”

As Mayor Mare read the final card, a huge grin popped up on her face.

"Canvas! For his captivating painting of our very own Ponyville!"

The stallion froze for a few seconds while applause thundered around him, until he finally shot up and shouted in glee. Canvas quickly moved his way through the crowd. His painting was levitated with the others, causing a few ponies in the crowd who hadn’t seen it before to marvel at the town’s rendition. All the while, Troy was standing on his hind-legs to tower over the crowd, and smacking his claws enthusiastically in support of his friend’s win. “WOOOOO!!! Yeah, there you go, dude!”

Lyra and Bon-Bon, who were still stuck behind their candy stand, could overhear Troy’s voice enough to blush and giggle to each other.

Mayor Mare was quick to put out her hoof for Canvas to shake as soon as he approached, but Canvas pulled the Mayor into a large bear hug. After letting go of her (and leaving her a bit flustered), Canvas stood next to the other two happy winners while the judges stared in disbelief.

In all their years of critiquing and comparing artwork, never had they seen a painting as skillfully done as that from a mere earth pony. Many of the judges eyed the stallion suspiciously, and then joined in a huddle to murmur to one another. Mayor Mare noticed their behavior, and quickly walked over to them.

Meanwhile, Canvas let his victory sink in as he talked with the other two winners, both of whom seemed both happy and surprised by his win. Pierce shook Canvas' hoof while glancing at his piece, unsure of what to think.

"Congratulations! Did you seriously do that by hoof alone?"

Canvas nodded and tried to look away to hide his blush. "Y-yeah. I… I don't think I ever did anything like this before."

"Well, it looks fantastic!" Pokey Pierce let go of the stallion’s hoof, and Dinky came right up to give Canvas a hoof-bump. Canvas and Pierce then overheard the judges’ hushed bickering, and both looked at them. The group was still huddled tightly, but the artists could hear what sounded to be an argument between the judges and the Mayor. While Pierce tilted his head in confusion, Canvas started to look worried when he heard one of them say ‘earth pony.’

Before Canvas could do anything, Mayor Mare pulled out a sheet of paper from her purse, and held it out for the judges to see. Even though her back was turned to Canvas, he could see that she was holding the portrait he drew for her over a month ago.

After staring at the paper and back at Canvas, the group of judges looked at each other in disbelief. Then, they sighed in reluctant admittance, and one of them pulled out a large bag and hoofed it to the Mayor. Looking triumphant, Mayor Mare walked back to Canvas and the runner-ups with the bag in her hoof.

"Sorry about that. Canterlot bigwigs have big purses, but their minds can be quite narrow." With a smile, Mayor Mare hoofed the bag to Canvas. "I want to say I’m surprised to see you up here, Canvas." The look in her eyes, however, said she wasn’t.

Canvas clutched the bag of five hundred bits in his hoof, and looked between her and the applauding crowd. The stallion was frozen in elation. His gaze settled on his painting which now had a big blue ribbon on it.

Canvas' smile grew, and tears of joy stemmed from his eyes and ran down his cheeks. Feeling happier than he'd ever been, Canvas threw his hooves up in the air.

This, Canvas thought, is where my life really begins.