When he finally awoke the following morning, Canvas hummed to himself upon feeling the warm blanket around his body. He kept his hooves latched around the warm, large mass beside him, feeling a sense of comfort that he desperately didn’t want to pass.
However, when he opened his eyes, Canvas felt his heart sink slightly when he saw nothing but a large pillow in his grasp. The warmth was simply the sunlight beaming through the window. Canvas clenched his eyes shut again and hugged the pillow some more. He tried his best to bring back that allusion from mere moments ago, but it was already slipping.
Canvas' ears perked up when he heard the sounds of something sizzling and things banging around in the kitchen. Canvas opened his eyes again when the smoke alarm went off. Troy's voice rang out from downstairs. "Shut up, you stupid fire thingie! I didn't set anything on fire this time!"
Several loud bangs erupted before the beeping suddenly ceased, sounding like a deflated whistle. After a few seconds of silence, he heard Troy groan, followed by something small hitting the floor. Canvas was now fully awake, and was quick to lift himself off the bed.
Troy stepped away from the skillet and looked toward the sound of hoofsteps coming from upstairs. Once Canvas appeared at the bottom, Troy's heart sank when he saw how badly Canvas looked. His long mane was a ragged mess, with several large tangles strewn around the chestnut locks. His eyes, though dry and no longer red, had dark bags and tear stains underneath. The bottoms of his hooves were still stained with dried paint from the puddles he’d walked through.
Clutching the door frame, Troy breathed in deeply before speaking. "Are… are you okay?"
Canvas slowly nodded and looked around the living area. Before the pony could say anything, Troy held out his claws. "How about you take a shower before doing anything else? Breakfast is almost done anyway."
Troy tried giving him a reassuring smile, but he was sure that a shade of worry was still there. Slowly nodding again, Canvas walked past Troy toward the bathroom. Once inside, Canvas closed the door behind him and headed straight to the bathtub, throwing the curtain back and turning on the water. As it got warmer, and a thick cloud of steam enveloped the bathroom, Canvas began to settle while recollecting what had transpired last night.
“Ughhh… Oh, goddess…”
Canvas struggled to keep himself upright as he recalled his confession to Troy. For so long, the stallion had tried to keep the horrible thoughts from that night as far away as possible, using his artwork as a distraction. But like a nasty scar, those memories remained inside of Canvas, eating away at him while lying dormant. And with the intensity of a loaded spring, all of those painful recollections shot right out when he was at his lowest point.
Canvas felt grateful for his friend, who managed to stay by him before things could get any worse. For the second time since leaving Gallop Creek, Canvas felt that Troy truly saved him from himself.
He eventually dried himself off and stepped out of the bathroom, leaving a cloud of steam behind him. At that moment, Canvas gasped in horror when he remembered what else he did last night. He rushed into his studio, hoping to the Goddesses that nothing was too damaged. Canvas skidded into the open space, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Though it was now much smaller, the row of paint cans was neatly stacked back up along the wall, albeit some stains here and there. On the opposite wall, all of the canvas boards that weren't broken were back in place. A separate pile was made of other boards that were unbroken, but stained with paint laying beside them. On the back wall behind Canvas, the large shelf was propped back up, with every paintbrush meticulously placed back inside and reorganized. Next to it was a well-used mop and bucket, a detail that made Canvas notice that the hardwood floors were now completely clean. His red couch stood proudly in the middle of the room again. It looked as if nothing had ever happened.
When he looked back toward the kitchen doorway, Canvas saw Troy standing there in sheepish guilt. “I… I decided to clean up a little while you were asleep. I tried my best, but it was a bitch to get all the paint from between the floorboards."
Canvas stared back at the studio in disbelief, taking in how much Troy had done. He then looked back at him speechless. Troy rubbed the back of his neck.
"I put the stuff that was too wrecked outside by the trash. Thankfully, it doesn't look like any of your artwork was destroyed."
Canvas brought his gaze to the ground. He was glad that none of his artwork was caught in his path of destruction; but at the same time, he was more shocked that his friend would do all of this for him while he slept. Before anything else could be said, the smell of something burning hit Canvas' nostrils, and he looked past Troy and into the kitchen to see a cloud of white smoke. Troy shouted out in shock and flew back inside.
"BUCK! Why did I break the smoke alarm!?"
Once the kitchen was cleared of smoke, and nothing was found to be seriously damaged (save for one melted spatula), Troy let Canvas sit down at the table while he prepared breakfast.
Troy's cooking skills were almost nonexistent, but he still managed to make some grilled cheeses and a plate of slightly burned fried potatoes for the both of them. As the two awkwardly ate across from each other, neither of them spoke, letting the silence take over so they could process their thoughts.
Canvas was mostly focused on how he could try to fix the mess he made with Glimmer Heart, no matter how pointless it would likely be. Troy thought about how long Canvas had kept his past from everypony, an annoyed scowl threatening to expose itself. He could understand not wanting to talk about something so horrible, but he still felt increasingly upset that Canvas didn’t bring it up at all. Finally, Canvas finished his plate and broke the silence.
"Th-thank you for doing all of this…” Canvas was trying his hardest to smile, but it was notably weak overall. “I still can’t believe you cleaned everything up."
Troy could hear how sore Canvas’ throat was from all the yelling from last night. He figured that now wouldn't be a good time to start anything, so he just sighed with a thankful nod. "It’s no problem. I just figured that after everything last night, the last thing you wanted was to wake up to a trashed home. Plus, I was pretty hungry after I got everything fixed, so I decided to cook for the both of us.”
"Well, this was really nice of you. Thank you." Pushing his plate aside, Canvas looked back at his workspace with his muzzle tightly clasped.
"I put your paintings and stuff on your couch, and I made sure none of them were ripped or anything. When I was cleaning up, it looked like you had those stashed somewhere before you went all Discord on the place."
"Yeah...” Last night was a horrifying emotional blur, but he did remember moving all his artwork to a corner and covering it with a box before he went completely postal. Emotional wreck or not, he knew better than to ruin his own work.
"Frankly, I'm surprised I managed to keep my paintings safe in the state I was in,” said Canvas. "I guess I just didn’t want to get my art destroyed again. If I wrecked my paintings, I…”
Canvas bit his lip. “I think if I did that… I would have just been doing what he did.”
Canvas closed his eyes. Troy clenched his claws in frustration, still irritated over not knowing any of this prior to now. The two had been friends for so long, and Troy cared for the stallion, much more than he thought he did. He decided he wasn’t going to let it slide after all.
"How come you never told me about this?"
Canvas jolted in surprise. When he looked back up, Troy’s glare intensified greatly. "Seriously, why the buck didn’t you ever tell me!?”
Canvas looked away and uttered meekly. "I… I did. I told you that I--”
"Yeah, you told me you got beaten up, but that was it! You never said it was your bucking dad who did that to you! How could you not mention such a huge detail? How can you just keep something like that hidden!?"
Troy couldn't keep himself from yelling. Canvas kept his eyes clenched shut, his muzzle trembling. "Canvas, this is bucking serious! You can't just keep that kind of thing a secret when your friends are trying to help you! You should've told us!"
"I KNOW!!"
Troy froze in surprise. Canvas looked up at Troy in anger, tears already building up as he yelled in a cracking voice, "I know I should have said something, okay!? I know I should've told you, and I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I kept this from you, but you have no idea how hard it's been for me!!"
Canvas kept his glare between heavy breaths, not noticing the fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. Troy immediately winced in shame.
"Do you know how hard it was for me to move on from that night!? The last time I thought about what he did to me, i-it was when I was running from that town! A-And back then, it was because I wanted to just end it all! That was why I pushed myself like that! That was why I ran that bucking far!!"
Canvas' face scrunched up in a mixture of anger and guilt, and Troy just sat there in stunned silence. Canvas sunk his head into his hooves, whimpering morosely.
"I… I just wanted to forget it. I wanted to forget what he did to me, so I could try to move on. I didn’t want to think about it because… I didn't want to do that to myself again…”
Canvas sobbed softly, keeping his face covered even when he heard Troy move out of his seat. The gryphon walked toward him, and placed a claw on Canvas' shoulder. He waited patiently until Canvas looked back up, and responded in a firmly reassuring tone. "Canvas, I know you've been through a lot, and… and you're right. I don't know how bad it was for you..."
As his expression grew more sympathetic, Troy used a talon to wipe the tears from Canvas' face.
"But that doesn't mean I won't help you. Canvas, I meant every word I said last night. You really are my best friend, and the last thing I want is to see you get hurt again. But if you want me to help you, you can’t keep these things locked inside."
Troy put his claws down, and Canvas nodded in silent agreement. His memories were still painful, but he knew he wasn't doing himself any good by holding them in. Canvas wiped his face with his napkin, still listening to Troy.
"Canvas, if you keep those feelings bottled up, they're just gonna build up until they burst out and do some real damage. You saw what happened last night, right? I'm just glad I could help out before you hurt yourself too badly. And I want to help you, Canvas! I really do! But I can't do that if you can't open up."
“... H-How?” Canvas asked weakly, looking lost. “… What do you mean?"
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't drag your past with you. Even if you try to hide or ignore it, it's just going to get worse if you don't try to let go. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but… if you want to move on, you can’t keep avoiding your problems. You have to at least talk about it. And I promise, I'll always be here to listen when you do."
A sheepish, albeit genuine smile slowly grew across Canvas' face. Troy smiled back brightly, feeling a lot more at ease. He knew that his friend went through a lot, and he didn’t want to push things further than he already had. Even so, he hoped that out of all the friends that Canvas had made since then, he could at least be the first one he could truly trust.
A sudden knock came from the door, surprising both of them. Troy quickly held up a claw to stop Canvas. "Don't get up. I'll get it."
Before Canvas could protest, Troy walked over to the door himself. Opening it revealed Glimmer Heart, who was standing silently with a conflicted-looking wince. Her eyes widened before stepping back, not expecting to see a gryphon. Nevertheless, Glimmer quickly composed herself and cleared her throat.
"O-Oh! Ummm… Hello, there. I came to speak with Canvas about what happened last night. Is he here?"
Troy looked back at Canvas for a second, pausing in contemplation before turning back to Glimmer. "Listen, there's been a lot going on right now, so I'm not su--"
"It's alright, Troy."
Canvas huffed in trepidation before walking toward the door. Troy cautiously stepped back from the two, his expression equally as wary.
Once Canvas stood opposite of Glimmer Heart, he tried his best to match the mare’s professional mannerisms through his meager voice.
"Glimmer Heart, I… I just want to start by apologizing for my actions. I know that I lost con--”
"Canvas,” said Glimmer, quick to interrupt him with a raised hoof. The stallion cringed worriedly. "Let me start... When I got to the hospital, my husband, Hot Shot, was found to have a broken snout, and needed several stitches due to lacerations. When I asked him about what happened, he told me that he tried to make a formal complaint before you harassed him."
Canvas bit his lip in anger and looked away with a strong grimace. He figured that bigot would try to twist the story to make himself look like the victim. But before Canvas could retort, Glimmer kept her hoof raised and continued.
"However, I also talked to your two friends, Lyra and Bon-Bon, who visited me earlier this morning." Glimmer pointed outside toward the aforementioned two. Canvas and Troy were surprised to see the couple waiting outside, both looking just as worried but carrying optimistic smiles.
"They told me a fairly different story... in which my husband was harassing them, and you were defending the two."
Canvas caught the change in Glimmer's tone, one of rising hesitance. She took a couple steps back, and lit up her horn brightly. Her aura expanded out to conjure a large rectangular block of grey, fuzzy light between them.
"Before the social, I placed a surveillance spell around various parts of the ballroom, including the kitchen, for security purposes. I originally planned to have this in case anything was stolen or misplaced. When I heard Lyra and Bon-Bon's story, however, I looked back through the footage myself to see what really happened..."
With a quick flash, the screen showed a video feed of the kitchen, playing back the moment when Hot Shot began yelling at the two mares. Canvas was surprised to see legitimate proof in his favor, but kept his muzzle shut. Meanwhile, Troy leaned in with widening eyes as he watched the encounter himself.
As soon as the word ‘filly-foolers’ came out of Hot Shot's mouth, Canvas saw Glimmer cringe especially hard and her eyes pointed elsewhere. When the artist himself appeared on screen and proceeded to give his tirade, Canvas could overhear Troy mutter a "Whoa,” at seeing his friend’s intensity.
When Hot Shot made his final jab, and Canvas beat him down in the ballroom, the stallion looked away in guilt. Troy kept his eyes glued to the screen, and his beak dropped while struggling not to laugh.
"Dang!” yelled Troy, looking back at his friend with an impressed grin. "That is friggin’ badass, dude!"
Troy instantly regretted saying that. Glimmer Heart shot him a nasty glare, and Troy sputtered out as he stepped back, his feathers ruffling out. "Sorry! I mean, I didn't mean like… I-I mean--”
"Just drop it.” Glimmer stopped the feed, the screen disappearing with a flash of her horn. She closed her eyes with a sigh, before turning her attention back to Canvas.
"Canvas, I… I had no idea my husband would act like that.” When she reopened her eyes, Canvas could tell how utterly shameful she felt. “I may have known that he had a temper at times, but I have never heard him say such things to anypony when I was around. I'm not going to say that what you did was right, because it wasn't."
Canvas bit his lip and nodded awkwardly. Hot Shot may have been an absolute prick, but a couple of slurs shouldn’t have equated to a hospital visit.
"However, if there's one thing I absolutely cannot tolerate, it's intolerance. I would’ve never approved of him treating anypony as such, or for him to use that kind of language toward you and your friends. And for that, I am so sorry."
Canvas could only blink in stunned silence. His eyes widened immensely in surprise.
"My line of work depends on how I treat my clients, and that includes how the ponies associated with me treat my clients as well. To say that Hot Shot’s actions were wrong would be an extreme understatement. And I just want you to know that I have absolutely no bias over anypony, and I certainly would not judge a pony for how they live their lives. I’ve told Lyra and Bon-Bon this as well, and apologized to them profusely for what Hot Shot said. While you may have reacted wrongly, my husband acted wrong first, and I feel it's my responsibility to apologize on behalf of the both of us."
Canvas eventually nodded. "Oh, um… w-well, thank you. I really appreciate you telling me all that. But I want you to know that I'm sorry as well for acting violently. I shouldn't have gone that far, and…”
His gaze averted from Glimmer, and he lowered his head in remorse. “... and I completely understand if I'm no longer part of the gallery."
Troy, Lyra, and Bon-Bon looked at Canvas in shock, not wanting him to accept such a defeat after everything was resolved. Glimmer cleared her throat.
"That won’t be necessary, Canvas. I could see that you only acted out to help your friends, which I can completely understand. And while I had seriously considered not keeping you in the exhibit…”
Glimmer looked back at Lyra and Bon-Bon before looking at Canvas with more sympathy.
"I know that you're still a good pony overall. And… I'm willing to allow you to keep your place as part of the gallery."
Canvas put a hoof up to his mouth to contain his shocked gasp. Lyra and Bon-Bon were grinning wide as they hoof-bumped each other. Troy grabbed Canvas from behind, lifting him up so his hooves dangled from the floor. He couldn’t have cared less about Glimmer’s surprised reaction while hugging his friend excitedly and smiling with pride. “Ha, HA!! Holy crap, YES!! That’s awesome!!”
"Really?!” By the time Canvas was put back down from Troy’s embrace, he was smiling just as wide. “Th-thank you so much! I… I don't know what to say!"
"All that I ask,” said Glimmer in a warmer voice. "Is that you focus on your work for the gallery. I'm giving you a second chance because I know you can do this, and I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Understood?"
Canvas stood upright, his grin fading into something more serious. “Yes I do, Glimmer Heart. I won’t disappoint you."
Satisfied by his answer, Glimmer Heart nodded back with a smirk. "Then I hope to see you in two weeks for the premiere."
Canvas and Glimmer shook hooves in agreement. Once Glimmer left and was out of sight, Lyra and Bon-Bon cheered in delight, and rushed inside to hug Canvas with blissful smiles. As the pony grimaced over how tightly he was being latched, Troy could only chuckle while watching the three with amusement.
"We're so glad you're alright, Canvas!" shouted Bon-Bon. "We were so worried about you!"
"It's alright...” Canvas’ voice became weak with emotion once both mares let go of him. "I know things were bad, but… I really do feel a lot better now." Canvas turned his attention back to Troy, and smiled at him with the utmost gratitude. Troy couldn’t help smiling back, his cheeks blushing a little with pride.
"Well Troy,” said Lyra, smirking at him as well. “We're really glad you were here while we got to Glimmer. How did you get in?"
"Through the hatch door on the roof,” answered Troy, pointing a claw up toward the ceiling. "I managed to calm him down before any of his artwork was destroyed."
"Oh yeah!" shouted Canvas as he rushed back into his studio. "I gotta get working on my big piece for the gallery!"
"Oh, of course!” Lyra’s eyes widened upon recalling their conversation last night about Canvas’ artists’ block. But then, as she took a look around, she took notice of the open loft. She recalled that Troy and Canvas were both inside the barn when they came over with Glimmer Heart. To her, this must’ve meant that they spent the night together. Lyra's eyes narrowed on the gryphon before grinning slyly. "Hmmmm… I think Bon-Bon and I should head off so that you can get focused."
“Wait, what?” Bon-Bon blinked puzzledly at her wife. "But Lyra, do you really think we--"
"It's alright, honey. I think they'll be just fine~"
With that, Lyra looked back at the two for a second, trying not to snicker. She was the first to exit Canvas’ place without much else to say, leaving the stallion alone in his studio. Bon-Bon followed her spouse, still looking confused. When the two were outside, Troy heard Lyra shout out one more thing: "Have fun, you two! Hehehehe~"
“Oh, honey!” griped Bon-Bon in annoyance. “Don’t act like that!”
“What? I’m not saying anything~”
“I don’t care, this is not the time!”
“Ugh… Oh, alright, alright…”
Troy blinked in confusion.
"Wait, what did she mean by that? Canvas, what do you…”
Troy’s words quickly trailed off, and his eyes widened when he caught the foreboding silence from his friend. Troy slowly stepped inside the studio to investigate, only to see the stallion’s back facing him. Canvas was standing completely still, staring up at the large canvas board leaning against the wall. Over the past few weeks, Canvas wasn't able to do anything with it due to a lack of inspiration. But now, the board had a large, grey paint stain splattered across the middle. Troy gasped, recalling how he had tried to protect that board the previous night; but alas, he had allowed Canvas to strike the board with the paint can after admitting what his father had done.
Troy looked devastated, but he could only imagine how Canvas was feeling at that moment. Even with the amount of time Canvas had to paint, the gryphon was aware how badly the stallion screwed up the foundation for his biggest piece.
"Canvas, I… I'm really sorry..."
Troy tried to reach forward with a claw, when all of a sudden, Canvas' head jolted upward, as if a light bulb turned on within his conscience. His head started cocking to each side, while his eyes narrowed intensely on the splotch of grey paint before him. Confused by the sudden change, Troy stepped forward to get a glance at Canvas from the side.
“Hmmm…” Instead of devastation or anger, Troy could only see pure focus in Canvas’ eyes. The pony slowly moved around to stare at the board at differing angles, keeping himself silent in thought. Troy blinked in befuddlement. “Dude, are you--”
"I GOT IT!!"
Canvas ran past Troy like he wasn’t even there, and grabbed a thick brush from the back shelf with his teeth. Then he ran over to the wall of paint cans, and grabbed several of the buckets with his hooves. Juggling all the items together, Canvas wobbled on his hindlegs back toward the board, and placed all the cans on the floor before opening the tops. Troy could only stare at the stallion in shock, not expecting to witness such a sudden burst of creativity right off the bat. “So… are you alright, Canva--”
"Yep!"
Canvas dipped the brush into one of the cans, and kept it in his teeth as he started painting part of the left side of the board with a bright shade of yellow.
"Well, ummm…” Troy looked around awkwardly, and merely shrugged. “I guess I'll get going then."
"Yeah, okay,” said Canvas with the brush still in his mouth. “Don’t you have that audition today?"
Troy gasped. “Oh yeah, I do! I need to get ready for that."
"Alright! Don’t worry about me, I got this!”
Troy could tell that Canvas was in his zone. So, Troy gave a quick goodbye before walking out of Canvas’ workspace. Just as he was about to open the front door, Canvas called out:
"WAIT!!"
Troy glanced back to see Canvas rushing out of the studio with a frantic look. He ran right up to Troy and skidded to a halt. Pausing momentarily, Canvas shot forward and threw his hooves around Troy's neck for a tight hug. The gryphon then heard his friend whisper weakly, "Thank you, Troy. For… F-For everything. I just… I'm really glad I have you."
Troy smiled graciously, and closed his eyes tightly while hugging Canvas back. Neither of them said a thing during their long embrace, not that anything needed to be said after last night. Troy wasn't sure how long they held that position, but it didn’t feel nearly long enough by the time Canvas pulled back. Once they were back on all fours, Canvas looked genuinely happy again.
"A-And, ummm… Good luck."
Troy nodded with a smile and left the barn. He made sure to close the door behind him, just as he heard Canvas galloping back into the studio. Troy breathed in the fresh air, pausing as he put a foreleg around his chest to relish the warmth he’d felt from Canvas.
He then glanced up at the sky, feeling a lot more energized. He was still nervous, but he couldn’t break the promise he made to his friend. Troy soared upwards into the morning skies, shooting back to his cloud to get ready for his audition. He remembered what Canvas said to Glimmer Heart, feeling the same way in regards to his own plans.
I won't disappoint.