//------------------------------//
// Chapter Thirty: New Appearances 
// Story: Brushed Away 
// by TheVClaw 
//------------------------------//

Canvas wasn't sure how long he’d walked around the train car after that… moment with his friend. The stallion couldn’t stop thinking about it. How quickly his heart raced... how overwhelmed he’d felt... how long he’d stared at Troy...

But most importantly, how intensely Troy was staring back.

He kept his head hung low as he finally returned to the cabin car, despondent after finding out that the snack car was closed. There wasn’t much else he could do that late in the evening, but he wasn't sure whether he was ready to face his friend again. Even though neither of them actually did anything, the image of the gryphon's golden eyes had an impact on him. Or the peculiar way he stared at him...

Canvas kept replaying the moment in his head over and over, thinking about what could've happened if he hadn’t moved back. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he was certain that Troy had been moving in closer. As if Troy was trying to lean in for a k--

STOP IT!!

Canvas violently shook his head, breathing heavily in guilt over his blasted conscience. He was now standing outside the door, not wanting to open it yet while repeatedly chanting the same mantra in his head.

Troy is your friend.

Just a friend.

After letting out a hoarse breath, Canvas put a hoof to the door and slowly slid it open. The very moment he glanced inside, the stallion felt worlds better when he found Troy asleep on the bench. Canvas knew he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, partially thanks to his long nap that afternoon; but at least now, he wouldn’t have to deal with any more awkward moments for the time being.

He sat down on the bench opposite of the gryphon. He then realized he had to do something to pass the time until sleep came to him. Luckily for him, the answer could be found in his art bag, where Canvas quietly shuffled around its inside for his supplies...





Just as Celestia's sun rose from the horizon, the train slowed its engines down when Canterlot showed itself in the distance. The train began to shake slightly, which caused Troy to stir from his rest. Lying on the bench with his forelegs around his chest, Troy kept himself still in apathy. He opened his eyes and looked around, quickly taking notice of Canvas, who was sitting silently and drawing in his sketchpad.

He could see how focused Canvas was as he drew with the graphite strapped to his hoof. Even in his half-awake state of mind, it didn’t take long for him to figure out what Canvas was drawing. Although, that was mostly because Troy was the only other thing inside the cabin.

Troy knew he should’ve been unnerved by the fact that somepony was drawing him while he was asleep. But at the same time, he didn't seem to care enough to move from his comfy position, so he simply stared back. The artist bit his lips in concentration, until his bottom lip escaped from between his teeth to form a small pout covered in saliva. As soon as he spotted that glossy shine, Troy breathed out a little heavier. A small smile crept across his beak, and he wondered why he never noticed a detail like that before. 

While he knew that Canvas was passionate about art, seeing the pony like this up-close was a new experience for him. The way his eyes almost never blinked; how his hoof jerked and swished across the page like it had a mind of its own; how he barely showed any emotion beyond determination. He could now appreciate just how much care and talent his friend had for his craft. He remembered how supportive Canvas was when he heard him sing that one day; and considering how well things have been going since that play audition, Troy felt truly grateful that his friend was taking advantage of his own talents as well.

Troy felt his left wing beginning to cramp while nestled under his weight. After silently groaning under his breath, Troy slowly raised his wing outward. Canvas gasped at the movement, and tried to hide his sketchpad. Unfortunately, Canvas knew that he was caught as soon as he saw Troy’s smirk. The gryphon couldn’t keep himself from chuckling coyly, especially when he saw how flustered Canvas looked.

"T-Troy! Oh, um... g-good morning!” Canvas tried his hardest to give him a friendly smile, but it was far too wide to be natural. “I was just, um... trying to pass the time. Er, I mean... I didn’t mean to do anything weird, I just--”

Canvas stopped talking by the time Troy sat himself upright on the bench. As his friend leaned back in his seat, Canvas glanced away from him and bit his lip in worry. Troy kept his amused grin, and his eyes focused on the pad now clutched in Canvas' hooves against his chest.

"So…” Troy let out a big yawn, doing a huge stretch before resting his back against the wall again. A second smaller yawn followed, and Troy continued.

"So, Canvas… Can I see it?"

Canvas' head reeled back, his eyes the size of saucers.

"Aw, c'mon! If it means anything, I promise I’m not mad, alright? Besides, I really want to see it."

Canvas looked away for a second before closing his eyes and sighing deeply. With his muzzle pursed tightly shut, he slowly held out the sketchpad with an extended hoof and turned it around. Troy blinked upon seeing the piece he had created overnight.

Even in the monochromatic medium, Troy could see how incredibly well-detailed the sketch was. It consisted of Troy lying down on the bench asleep, a look of pure calmness on his face. The drawing looked almost like a photo, looking exactly like him in every way; especially since most of his body was either silver or grey in real life, meaning the shades of graphite were fairly identical to his own colors. All of these details impressed Troy even further, bringing a genuine smile to his face.

"Wow,” he said, his tone growing happier with each word, "that’s… actually really impressive, dude. Even by your awesome standards, this is stunning!"

Canvas blushed and looked away bashfully. "Well, I… I was mostly bored since I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t mean to do it without asking you, but…”

Canvas wasn't sure how to finish, knowing how creepy his actions may have looked.

"Hey, don’t worry about it. I know you were asleep all day yesterday, so it’d make sense that you’d want to find something to do at night. I mean yeah, it's kinda weird…”

Before Canvas could wince, Troy made sure to add sincerely, “but it's still a really, really great drawing regardless! I'm actually kind of honored, you know?"

Canvas looked back in surprise. "R-really? You mean… you're not mad?"

"Nah. It's fine, dude. This just shows how much you deserve to be in the gallery."

Canvas' blush deepened. "Th-thanks, Troy."

Just then, the train speakers came on to announce the upcoming stop at Canterlot. Canvas and Troy picked up their bags, with the artist being the first to head for the door. Before sliding it open, Canvas turned back to Troy and said, "I have my paintings in the storage cars, so I gotta make sure they're alright."

Troy held out his claw in understanding. "Hey, I get it, Canvas. I'll see you at the station, alright?"

Canvas nodded and headed off, leaving Troy alone in the room once more. Tightening his satchel, Troy noticed the drawing of him was left lying on the bench. He picked the page up to admire it once more. He still felt flattered at the thought of being an inspiration for Canvas’ impromptu piece. Troy then carefully rolled the sketch up, and placed it in his bag with the intent of returning it later.

When Troy finally exited the train, he was surprised to see so many ponies gathered around the platform. They scooted and pushed their way around each other, making Troy feel completely out of place while catching the dozens of stares on him. Before he could think of flying to a high vantage point to perch and wait for his friends, he spotted several Royal Guards patrolling the area, making sure that nopony (or gryphon) tried anything funny within Canterlot limits. Groaning under his breath, Troy was forced to walk on the ground floor amongst the ponies, excusing himself frequently as he slowly reached inside the station.

It wasn't nearly as crowded as the platform, but the inside of the Canterlot Train Station was still densely packed when Troy walked in. He walked toward the center, smiling in relief when he saw Lyra and Bon-Bon sitting next to each other on one of the benches. The couple were quick to wave at Troy once they saw him.

"There you are, Troy!" shouted Lyra. "Did you actually walk through that crowd? I'm kinda surprised you didn’t just fly over them."

Troy scoffed before pointing a talon back outside. "What, with all those guards outside? I'd rather not get arrested for doing anything dumb, thank you very much."

Both mares shrugged in agreement. "You know,” said Bon-Bon. “I heard that Twilight and her friends came to Canterlot today for some royal business. I'm not sure what it is, but I think their train showed up right before ours. Maybe that's why security is so heavy right now."

"Ah." Troy understood how important Twilight and the other five were after all their efforts over the years. All the same, he hoped that it wouldn’t take Canvas that long to get all of his artwork collected.

As dozens of different ponies moved past the three, none of them seemed to notice Glimmer Heart stumbling up to them. The pink mare was carrying a goofy smirk on her face, and trying her hardest to keep from falling over. It wasn't until she made a hiccup that Bon-Bon noticed Glimmer Heart leaning against one of the benches. "Theeeerrre you arreeee!!!"

Before any of them could react, the unicorn threw her hooves out and hugged both Lyra and Bon-Bon. The mares yelped in surprise, their muzzles quickly grimacing as they caught the strong scent of alcohol on her breath. After trying to let go of the two, Glimmer stumbled a little in her attempts to stand freely. Troy moved in instinctually to help, using both claws to hold her upright. When she finally took notice of the gryphon, she kept a drunken gaze on him for a few seconds before slurring, “You... You're a pretty, pretty bird! You… You remind me of a parrot I once owned."

She giggled from her own words, while Lyra and Bon-Bon struggled not to crack up in second-hoof embarrassment. Meanwhile, Troy’s expression carried a mix of embarrassment, and slight offense to such a comparison. "No really! You’re a cute guy. Way, way cuter than that other guy..." Glimmer's face immediately went from a drunk happy to a drunk angry as she looked down at her hooves bitterly.

"Stupid Hot Shot... Mister Sleeping-with-a-mare-half-my-age! What a jerk!" Glimmer Heart looked back up at Troy, and prodded her hoof hard against his chest. "You know how long I've been with that idiot? We've been together for--”

Glimmer poked at the feathered plume a few times, almost as if she was trying to count the number of years manually; but alas, she eventually gave up after another sudden hiccup. "Nevermind! I-I don’t think I can really do big maths right now, but it was a lot!"

Since none of them were expecting to see a drunk pony this early in the morning, they didn’t notice Fancy Pants galloping frantically into the station. Running up to Glimmer, Fancy used his magic to carefully pull her off Troy's chest. The white unicorn turned her around in his blue aura, and maintained eye contact as he tried to get through to her.

"Glimmer Heart! I really need you to head back home and get some rest. You have to get ready for the gallery tonight, remember?"

Glimmer blinked a couple times with a blank look. "Uhhhh... Oh, oh yeah. I… I gotta do that, don’t I..."

Suddenly, she pushed him away and looked back around the station. "I gotta talk to Cabinet! He… he needs a big hug for punching that prick! If he never did that I… I would have never--THERE YOU ARE, CABINET!!"

Glimmer stumbled over to the confused aqua stallion pulling a large cart behind him. Not sure of what was going on, Canvas just stood there baffled while Glimmer Heart threw him to the ground and hugged him. Canvas nearly gagged from the suffocation of her weight, as well as her breath smelling like a distillery. "Cabinet! You… You are my new hero. I… I kinda want to kiss you right now for saving me from Mister Cheating-with-an-underaged-slu--”

Fortunately for both ponies, Fancy Pants pulled the mare off Canvas with his magic before things could get more uncomfortable. He enveloped her whole body in his aura, leaving her levitated about a foot off the ground. The stallion looked unbelievably embarrassed as he glanced back down at Canvas, extending a hoof to help him up.

"I'm so sorry about that,” said Fancy Pants as he got Canvas back on his hooves. "Glimmer Heart's been having a rough time adjusting to the divorce."

"NO I'M NOT! I've been great since I dumped his stupid flank!" Glimmer Heart hiccupped once again. She squirmed in Fancy’s aura, but stopped when she noticed Canvas’ worried expression.

"Thank you Cabinet, and I'm gonna love seeing you at the art thing tonight, so have fun!"

Fancy Pants turned her body around so she was no longer looking at Canvas, hoping that would stop her drunken monologue. Unfortunately, Glimmer Heart continued while being pulled away. "And take a bath, Cabinet! You smell like Hot Shot…”

With that, the mare passed out. Lyra and Bon-Bon got out of their bench, allowing Fancy to carefully lower her onto it. Canvas, still looking stunned, eventually lifted one of his forelegs and smelled himself. Canvas' face grimaced from a single sniff, confirming Glimmer’s suggestion. With all the pieces of paint still on his fur, Canvas couldn’t remember the last time he had a shower while working on his painting. Fancy Pants walked toward the artist with an embarrassed look.

"Again, I apologize for Glimmer Heart's behavior. I hoped that the fresh air would help her a little, but I'm going to get her back home so she can rest."

Fancy Pants then lit up his horn, pulling out a ring of keys from the inside of his jacket and floating it toward Canvas. "My penthouse is at the Cadenza Suite a block away. How about you go over there so you can freshen up? I think the hotel Glimmer reserved for you is across town, so it might be more convenient to use my place."

He took the keys with his hoof reluctantly. "Is… Is that really alright? I mean, I don't want to impose or--"

Fancy Pants held out his hoof and used his magic to pick up Glimmer Heart once more. "I assure you, you won’t be imposing. The gallery is closer to my place anyway, so you can head there after taking a shower. Besides, I have one of your pieces on display there, so it would be nice for you to see where I put it.”

Canvas smiled at his generosity before nodding in acceptance. "Well, I… I wouldn’t mind seeing how my art looks in a Canterlot apartment”

"Good. I'll be seeing you at the gallery then, Mister Canvas." With a polite shake of Canvas’ hoof, Fancy Pants headed out. Even with a passed-out mare hovering in his aura, the stallion’s confidence allowed him to exit the station without any ponies batting an eye.

Canvas looked back at Troy and the mares, who were all still rather stunned from the unusual interaction they witnessed. But as they walked up to him, Canvas bursted out laughing. It didn’t take long for Troy and the couple to start laughing as well.

"Oh, man that was crazy!” said Canvas. He looked back at his cart. "Well, I guess I gotta get these to the gallery."

"Oh, we can do that,” insisted Bon-Bon, sharing a glance with her wife. "We were going to head straight there anyway to get preparations ready. You just get yourself fixed up for your big night. We'll make sure your stuff gets there safe and sound."

Canvas looked back at his cart one more time. "Well, alright. It would be good to get myself cleaned up as soon as possible anyway."

Bon-Bon smiled while Lyra levitated the cart over to them, leaving Canvas to glance back at Troy. Troy couldn’t help smirking while looking him up and down. "Yeah, you really do need a bath. I'm just gonna head to the hotel and get my stuff unpacked before heading over to that gallery thing… Oh! Wait! You left this back in the cabin."

Reaching into his satchel, Troy pulled out the sketch. As soon as he unrolled the piece, Lyra and Bon-Bon shared peculiar looks at one another. Troy tried to hand it back to Canvas, but was surprised when the stallion held out his hoof in dismissal.

"Actually, I kinda left that there for you. I mean… It seemed only fair that you got to keep that one.”

Troy blinked, and then glanced back at the drawing meant to be a gift. "Wow… um, really?"

Canvas nodded with a sheepish smile. His cheeks were growing too red for him to want to stay for much longer. Before Troy could take notice, the artist headed off with a wave of his hoof. “Okay, I'm gonna go to that Cadenza Suite. See you guys at the gallery!"

Canvas quickly rushed out of the station with his art bag, looking back only once to see the three waving him goodbye. Troy tucked the drawing back in his bag while the mares secured Canvas’ cart.

"Well Troy,” said Lyra, "I guess we'll be seeing you at the gallery later?"

"Yep, I just gotta unpack at the hotel. See ya later!"

Troy headed out while the mares got their things together. As soon as the gryphon was out of earshot, Lyra shot her wife a stare and whispered. “He drew a picture of Troy? That’s… kinda interesting, don’t you think?”

Bon-Bon, not liking the way her wife was grinning, was quick to speak firmly. “Don’t even think about it, Lyra Heartstrings.” 

“Oh, come on! You don’t even know what I’m thinking about.”

“Yes, I do.” She took hold of the front of Canvas’ cart, leading the way out of the station with her wife in tow. “And considering how much work we have to do, I really don’t want you to try anything funny.”

“Pbbt…” Lyra looked elsewhere while muttering to herself, “Well, I wasn’t going to do anything during work…”

“I heard that!”





Canvas received some odd looks while walking to the Cadenza Suite in his dirty state. When he entered the lavish abode with Fancy’s key, he was shocked to see how luxurious the place really was. Stylish furniture and ornate décor was strewn about the large suite, all standing before a huge window that gave an exceptional view of the Canterlot cityscape. Canvas took a moment to look around in pure amazement, having never expected to step hoof in such a place by invitation. It didn’t take long before he noticed the wall by the window.

Above the white faux-leather chairs and crystal coffee table, Canvas' painting of a phoenix rising from its ashes was proudly hung above the spotless fireplace. He remembered that it was one of the paintings he repainted while at the hotel. It seemed quite appropriate that the painting of something being reborn would be placed here.

After admiring the painting and the immaculate suite some more, Canvas made his way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. Much like the rest of the penthouse, Fancy Pants’ restroom looked immaculate from top to bottom. He almost felt bad using such a pristine porcelain bathtub, especially when he saw how much paint and grime washed off his fur the moment he turned the water on. Nevertheless, due to how powerful the showerhead was, Canvas wasn’t willing to feel too guilty while enjoying such a luxurious wash by himself.

Eventually, the water coming off the stallion became clear as he washed himself off. There were several bottles of what looked to be very expensive shampoos arranged along the shelf by the tub, but Canvas opted to use the bottle of shampoo and conditioner in his bag. Sadly, the artist grimaced when he realized he was already almost out of conditioner again.

About twenty minutes later, Canvas turned the water off and stepped out, wiping some steam from the mirror to look himself over. His mane was now clean of all the leftover paint, but it was still tangled after his constant scrubbing. Groaning under his breath, Canvas pulled out his hairbrush from his bag to try and tend to such a monstrosity. Over the years, Canvas hated how long it took to get his mane straightened, and all the tangles pulling against his scalp.

After almost ten minutes of brushing and re-brushing, Canvas looked at his wet mane in frustration, knowing it might still be wet by the time the gallery started. Before he could look around for a hair dryer, he overheard the sound of muffled laughter from outside the bathroom door. He used a towel to dry off the rest of himself, and then put his bag back on before stepping out.

Back in the living room, Canvas was surprised to find not only Fancy Pants and his wife Fleur De Lis--a very tall, white unicorn with a light pink-mane, whom even Canvas could see was beautiful--but Rarity as well. They were seated across from her on the couch, happily laughing at something Fancy Pants had just said. As soon as they noticed Canvas at the doorway, Fancy Pants called out to him cheerfully.

"Canvas! What an exquisite coincidence. I was talking with Rarity here about your painting."

Fancy Pants pointed a hoof toward the phoenix painting. Rarity looked at Canvas with a cheerful smirk. "Well, I must say,” said the posh mare. "I didn’t know that you sold a painting to Fancy Pants! It's quite an interesting feeling to know I received a commission from you before he did."

Fleur moved her head to look at Canvas from her spot on the couch. "Oh yes, the last time I visited Rarity in Ponyville, she showed me the design you made for her bedroom! I have to say, it's quite amazing!"

"Well,” said Canvas, blushing bashfully while rubbing the back of his neck. "To be honest, I was just following the designs that Rarity made."

"Oh, don’t act like that,” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof. "You're an outstanding artist, Canvas! And my friends and I already have plans to visit you at the gallery tonight!"

"Speaking of which,” said Fancy Pants, raising himself from his couch. "My wife and I are supposed to visit Twilight there. We'll let you two get more acquainted as you prepare for the gallery."

As the unicorn noble and his wife made their way out, Fleur looked back at Canvas. "If you want, the hairdryer is in the bottom shelf of the bathroom."

With a quick smile, the two stepped out, leaving Canvas and Rarity alone in Fancy Pants' penthouse. Canvas put a hoof to his mane, groaning at the thought of how long it would take to dry it out. Observing his irritated look, Rarity stepped forward with caution. "Canvas, is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just…”

Canvas paused as he looked back at the unicorn, his muzzle skewing in thought. Remembering how good she was with detailing, his mind started ticking. After feeling his mane again, his brows rose up with a look of revelation.

"Ummm… Hey, Rarity.” Canvas secretly hoped that he wasn't asking too much from the Element of Generosity. "I was wondering if I could ask for a small favor...”





Inside the penthouse’s bathroom, Canvas was seated on a folding chair with a worrisome look. His ears twitched each time he heard the constant snips of the scissors behind him. Said scissors were being held in Rarity's magical aura, who wore a grin of Cheshire proportions in excitement. Canvas didn’t expect Rarity to be so willing to assist. She practically threw him onto the chair with her magic the moment he mentioned a light trim. As more strands fell to the floor, Canvas winced from the shears continuing to snip while Rarity talked eagerly.

"Canvas, you have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this! Ever since I first met you, all I wanted to do was fix this mess you called a mane! No offense, of course, but if my mother saw you? My goodness! She would probably say something like, 'That colt has more split-ends than a...’ Oh wait, how did it go?"

Rarity stopped for a moment. "Oh yes! She would say you had 'more split-ends than a Las Pegasus Divorce Court!’"

Rarity giggled at her own joke, while Canvas wondered whether it was a good idea to let somepony like her do this. The grin spreading across Rarity’s face made her look like a psychopath, and Canvas felt even more freaked out as her snips came closer to his scalp.

"Well, um… thank you for agreeing to do this for me." Canvas kept a cautious smile, not wanting to anger somepony with scissors so close to his head. "I was actually kind of surprised you would do this, but it means a lot."

"You're very welcome! And don't you worry a bit, Canvas. You are going to look simply fabulous for the gallery! And I am so glad that you're finally getting your mane cut! What was it that inspired you?"

"Well…” Canvas thought back to Troy and their conversation on the train, which caused his cheeks to blush slightly. "... I guess I just found out I didn’t need to have a long mane anymore. I mean, it was a big hassle to deal with all the time, and… I think I realized how much I needed it after talking with Troy."

Rarity's snips became less frequent as she came closer to completion. Since he wasn't able to see it himself with his back to the mirror (something Rarity insisted so it would be a surprise), Canvas had to put his trust in her as she kept cutting happily. Thinking over Canvas' answer, Rarity couldn’t contain her amused smirk.

"Well, you certainly did need this, Canvas! And I must say, you already look great with the way your mane is coming out. I'm certain that your boyfriend will love to see--"

"Wait, what!?"

Canvas' head shot upward, almost messing up the style she was working on. Rarity paused and glanced at Canvas with a confused look. "What? I'm just saying that Troy would like seeing you with--"

"Whoa!" Canvas threw his hooves up from underneath the towel tied around his neck. "Wait, wait, wait! Troy… Troy isn’t… he's not, like…”

A heavy blush appeared on Rarity's face. Canvas bit his lip before sighing and closing his eyes.

"He's… he's just a friend."

Rarity looked extremely embarrassed at her assumption, and turned her head away while covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry Canvas, I… I just figured that since you… well..."

Noticing how upset the stallion looked, Rarity decided to stop her apology and went back to the manecut. "J-Just forget what I said, alright? I promise, I'll stay silent for the rest of this."

"It’s alright, Rarity,” Canvas said with guilt. He didn’t want to make a national hero feel bad about her mistake. "I mean, he… he is a great friend. He’s been there for so much, and… he means a lot to me…”

Rarity's snips came at an even slower pace while listening to his disheartened voice.

"I just… I just know he's my friend… and that's all that matters."

Canvas closed his eyes, trying not to wince. Though he was glad to set things straight, it didn't explain why he felt so bad after saying it. It wasn't like he was lying, because Troy really was his friend.

Troy is your friend.

Just a friend.

After several more snips, Rarity's satisfied grin came back up as she stepped back and looked at Canvas. Keeping a hoof to her mouth, Rarity was unable to contain her excitement. She used her magic to lift up Canvas' chair, and pulled off the towel with a sharp whip. "So Canvas, are you ready so see your new look?"

After breathing in shakily, Canvas nodded. She slowly spinned the chair around, while Canvas’ eyes remained tightly closed. When the chair finally stopped and faced the mirror directly, Canvas slowly opened his eyes with a worrisome cringe.

Canvas' expression quickly changed. His blue eyes shot wide open, and he gasped with both hooves over his face. “H-HOLY!!”





The ballroom where the gallery would be held was mostly empty now, but that didn’t stop Troy from noticing the large levels of excitement when he walked in. Lyra and Bon-Bon could be heard laughing as they prepared their catering in the kitchen. Fancy Pants and Fleur happily chatted with Princess Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie near the ballroom center. Rainbow Dash, however, was walking around the ballroom with a bored look until she noticed Troy.

"There you are!" said Rainbow Dash, trotting over to him. "Where've you been, man? Lyra and Bon-Bon said you'd be here!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!” Troy readjusted the black tie around his neck, which was the only attire he was wearing before the formal event. "It took forever to walk over to the hotel and get myself ready! And when I tried to fly back here, I got stopped by one of the guards, who told me I was in a no-fly zone!"

"Oooohhh… Oh yeah,” Rainbow’s head lowering sheepishly with a wince. "Yeah, I should’ve warned you about that. They never stopped me about it, but you know... what could they do? Arrest the Element of Loyalty?"

Troy shrugged, wondering how much Dash and her friends could get away with after saving Equestria so many times. Even after working for her for so long, it was still a little weird for him to know he was friends with a national hero and Royalty. Troy then noticed Lyra and Bon-Bon coming out from the kitchen, happily trotting together.

"There you are, Troy!" Lyra exclaimed. "I forgot that we were in a no-fly zone. Sorry for not telling you."

"Oh, that's alright. I am a little thirsty, though. Is there anything to drink?"

"Actually,” Bon-Bon chimed in. "I saw a bunch of bottles of soda for the gallery back in the kitchen. I don’t think they'd mind if you took one."

"Cool. Thanks, Bon-Bon."

Troy headed back through the kitchen double doors, not noticing Rarity as she entered and stood at the main doorway. After clearing her throat, Rarity raised a hoof to the room and spoke out loudly.

"Attention! May I have everypony's attention, please?"

As Fancy Pants and the others turned their heads toward Rarity, Canvas' voice could be heard faintly from behind the entryway. "Seriously?! I didn’t want it to be a big deal, Rarity."

"Oh, don’t be embarrassed,” Rarity assured, turning back behind the doorway. "This is going to be fabulous. I promise."

Rarity then returned her attention to the group ahead of her, and cleared her throat once more. "Everypony, I would like to introduce to you all the new, and improved, Canvas!"

Directing a manicured hoof toward her side, Rarity looked over with a warm smile while Canvas slowly walked into view. As soon as he stood in front of the doorway, everypony gasped.

Against his aqua coat, Canvas was now wearing a light-blue dress shirt with a light-green tie. None of them seemed to notice that, however, as everypony’s eyes were directed at his freshly-styled mane. Now cut to a length where it barely reached his shoulders, Canvas' chestnut locks shone vibrantly in the ballroom. The ends stuck out with volume from the back of his head, while the rest of his hair parted in the middle. The two sides came down along his face, just reaching his blue eyes as they stared back at the ponies in front of him.

After a few seconds of silence, Canvas was trying not to feel too nervous while smiling sheepishly. Rainbow Dash was the first pony to speak up. "Nice, man! You don’t look like a hippie anymore!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted. "That's a bit rude, don’t you think?"

"What, for giving a compliment?” Rainbow scoffed as she looked back at the alicorn with skewed eyebrows. Twilight groaned and facehoofed, which didn’t seem to bother Rainbow. "Seriously, dude, you look a lot better with a short mane. It's a nice manecut."

"Thanks,” said Canvas and Rarity at the same time. As Rarity turned away from the stallion with a blush, Pinkie Pie and Bon-Bon rushed up to Canvas in amazement while Lyra ran back into the kitchen.

"Canvas!" Pinkie shouted as she grabbed him in a huge hug. "You look super-duper-kablooper AWESOME!" With that last word, Pinkie squeezed Canvas so hard that a loud wheeze came out of him, almost sounding like an accordion before Bon-Bon pulled her off.

"I gotta say, Canvas,” said Bon-Bon, putting a hoof to his mane, "this does look great on you! I mean, I liked your mane before, but this is definitely an improvement."

Canvas blushed heavily from the praise he was receiving, and had to look away from the mares with a light giggle. He knew it would take a while to get used to his new mane, but he was glad to have finally gotten it done without screwing up. But before he could give any replies or thanks, Canvas noticed Troy being pushed out of the kitchen doors by Lyra.

"Hey, come on! What's the big deal!?" Troy groaned while holding a bottle of grape soda in his claws. "I only took one! And Bon-Bon said it--”

As soon as Troy stumbled forward and looked ahead, his golden eyes widened when he saw Canvas’ new mane for the first time. The gryphon almost dropped his bottle in his claw, and his beak immediately went agape. He didn’t seem to notice when his wings popped out, almost hitting Fluttershy who was standing nearby. He also didn’t hear Rainbow Dash cracking up behind him. He slowly walked up to Canvas with a blush and a stunned expression. 

Much like Troy, Canvas was standing frozen with a wide-eyed stare. Just like on the train, the artist didn’t notice how rapid his heart rate was becoming. Troy waited until he stood a few feet from Canvas before finally speaking.

"Wow… Ca-Canvas… you look…”

Amazing...

Stunning...

Remarkable…

Perfect…

You look perfect.

"... You look great."

With a smile growing on his beak, Troy tried not to huff in amusement when he saw Canvas' blush growing even deeper. His wings slowly pulled back in, not that either of them seemed to notice. None of the ponies around them said anything, but there were quite a few looks being exchanged with one another. The mood was luckily broken when Glimmer Heart slowly walked into the room.

"What the…” Glimmer’s words came out slightly slurred while holding an ice pack to her head. "What's going on? And who's the new guy?"