//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty-Six: Revelations // Story: Brushed Away // by TheVClaw //------------------------------// Troy didn’t care about Canterlot being a no-fly zone. He soared low through the city streets as quickly as he could. His heart felt like a cannonball in his chest, and his mind felt frayed over what just happened. But even while having difficulty thinking coherently, he knew he would likely crash into something if he kept flying in his overwhelmed state. So, in an attempt to calm himself down, he landed by a small collection of ponds in the middle of the city. His beak was tightly gritted, as were his eyes, while he desperately tried to collect his breaths. His claws dug into the earth underneath him, ripping at the manicured grass.Troy tried to think of literally anything else, not wanting to imagine what he almost did with his best friend. All the while, paranoid questions bombarded his conscience. What was I thinking? What was I doing?! He's my best friend! What was I about to do? What… What the buck is going on!? Troy sat on the grass, pulling at the feathers on his head. He held his head down to his chest, unsure of what to do. He cared about Canvas, he knew that he did, but his heart still felt heavy with unease. He wanted nothing more than to keep his friendship from changing anytime soon. He hoped to Celestia he could still face him after― "Troy, is that you?" Troy felt his tensions grow even higher when he heard that familiar raspy voice flying over. Of all the things that could’ve happened in that moment, the last thing he wanted to do was talk with Rainbow Dash. He certainly didn't need her to pester him about their relationship even more, either. Rainbow landed on the ground nearby, looking rather confused. "What are you doing out here, Troy? Shouldn’t you be at your hotel room with Can--" "SHUT UP!!” yelled Troy, pulling himself up to get right up in her face with a livid glare. "JUST SHUT THE BUCK UP ALREADY!!!" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in shock, not expecting Troy to act like this. She tried to take a couple steps back, but the gryphon just went up toward her to keep ranting. "It's all your fault! It's all your bucking fault!!" He pointed a talon at her accusingly, pacing around the pond while fuming. "Why couldn’t you just leave me alone!? Why couldn't you just stay out of my personal life!?” "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Troy, just calm down! I don't know what--” "You couldn't keep your little assumptions to yourself, could you!? No! You just kept pushing, with all the 'you like Canvas' here, and 'listen to your feelings' there! I was doing just fine before all that, and now everything's bucked up!!” "Troy!" Rainbow was getting angry. "I'm trying to be nice right now! Just calm down and--" "I never tried to make any assumptions about you! I never said anything about you when you hung out with your friends, did I!? No! Because I keep my opinions to myself! Because I know better than to say anything about you that I don't know about! Because unlike you, I have the decency to keep my beak shut, not intrude in on you or say you're a filly-foo--" SLAP! The Canterlot ponds suddenly turned silent again. Troy stood in shock, feeling the strong sting on his face from Rainbow Dash's hoof. Breathing heavily, he slowly looked back at the pegasus standing in front of him. She didn’t say a word, but her furious glare said far more than any statement ever could. Troy hung his head and sighed shamefully. "I’m… I’m sorry... I'm really sorry." The mare stood silent for a moment, glaring at the guilty gryphon in front of her before speaking firmly. "Troy... you have no idea how easily I could pummel you to the ground. So unless you want to get your ass kicked by a mare, you better tell me what is going on. Right. Now.” Troy knew Rainbow Dash was being serious, so he slowly nodded before sitting himself down. "I… I don’t… I don't know what to do.” Rainbow Dash sighed, and sat down in front of him. "Okay… Troy, I need you to be honest with me. I might still be mad at you, but it’s pretty clear you need somepony to talk to." Troy looked at her with fear in his eyes. As he wallowed in post-shock, his mind kept reeling with rising confusion. His beak tried to open, but he couldn’t think of anything to say to her. Rainbow maintained her serious demeanor, even as she took in Troy’s flustered appearance. "Troy… is this about Canvas?" Troy painfully sighed, and averted his eyes before giving a meager nod. "Okay.” Rainbow let out a calm breath, her glare lessening significantly. “Now, what happened?” Troy winced as he felt a knot in his stomach. With the frustration building up inside of him, it was hard enough for Troy to admit to himself what happened, let alone to somepony else. He held up a claw to cover his face, seeming unable to say anything. Despite his extreme reluctance, Rainbow Dash kept a warning stare on him. "Troy, I'm serious! I know you're having some crisis right now, but I can’t do anything about it if you don't speak up." Troy breathed in shakily, but it did nothing to quell the strain in his gut. Slowly, his beak opened, and his voice came out faintly. "I… I think…” Troy squeezed his eyes shut in apprehension. But then, he thought back to what he told Canvas after his meltdown. If he wanted to get through this, he had to open up at least a little.  "... I think… I was about to kiss him.” Troy opened his eyes and stared at the ground, feeling like a small weight had come off his chest. Exhaling heavily, the gryphon waited for Rainbow to say something. The silence continued, however, even when Troy felt her hoof rest on his shoulder. Troy was surprised to look up and see Rainbow looking at him with a slight smirk. "There. You said it. Was that so bad?" Troy didn’t expect the mare to be so casual. He sighed in frustration. "What, so that's it? That's all you're going to say? No 'I told you so,’ or 'I knew it,’ or 'Applejack owes me twenty bits' or something?" Rainbow Dash scoffed with a strong eye-roll, her smile becoming more natural. She figured that Troy would be stubborn about his feelings for Canvas. "Dude, c'mon! I'm just glad that you admitted it! I’m really happy for you, and I mean that." "Yeah…” While Troy hung his head low, Rainbow Dash could tell there was still something up with him. Having a good idea of what it was, she waited patiently until Troy spoke again. "It’s just that… I don't know what to do! I never thought that something like this would happen! I never thought of doing something like… like that..." Troy turned his gaze down on the grass, his beak skewed in uncertainty. All this time, he just thought he cared about Canvas as a friend. He may have known about Canvas being gay from the very beginning, but he never considered it to be something worth worrying about. But now, there he was, freaked out over nearly starting something that intimate with him. Could he really see himself with him in that way? Rainbow sighed in understanding, letting go of his shoulder. "Troy, I want you to tell me something. And I need you to really think about it… How does Canvas make you feel?" Troy blinked as he processed her question. "What do you mean?" "I mean, how do you feel? When you're with Canvas, what do you think of him? I mean, what emotions do you have when you’re with him?" After a moment of silence, Troy slowly opened his beak to try and quell his confusion. "Well, he… he makes me happy. I really like being with him. He’s funny, and caring, and one of the most hard-working ponies I know. He always looks out for me and… and I really care about him… “I... I like him…” Those were the last words Rainbow Dash could hear from him. Troy’s whispers to himself became inaudible from there, his beak clicking open and shut. She then noticed one of Troy's forelegs move up and wrap around his chest. Eventually, Troy's eyes widened as his breathing became heavier, causing the mare to grin confidently. The gryphon didn’t say it outloud, but she could tell that he finally figured it out. Troy looked back at Rainbow Dash with a faint smile. "Thanks, Dash. I… I gotta go!" Before the pegasus could get up from her spot, a large gust of wind blew past her as Troy flew off. Rainbow Dash smiled to herself, and managed to stand up on her hooves before she felt another gust of wind. Out of nowhere, Troy came back to pick her up from the ground and hug her tightly. "Thanks, Dash,” said Troy as he squeezed her. "You really are a good friend." "N-no problem." Rainbow's words came out in a strained wheeze. When Troy finally let go, his expression turned from a gracious smile to a more guilty pout. "And I'm really sorry about what I said earlier! I swear, I didn't mean any--” "Troy! I'm gonna punch you in the face if you don't fly over to him right now! Do this, and we'll be fine! So go!" Not needing to be told twice, Troy once again flew off to the hotel. Troy's heart felt much lighter as he soared through the pitch-black night, his mind now crystal clear with determination. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he knew exactly what he wanted to say to Canvas. He just hoped that he didn't mess up things too badly. Back in the suite, the hotel room lay silent. The strawberries strewn all over the floor (and the ceiling) were laid forgotten. All of the lights were turned off, save for the sliver of illumination peeking from under the bathroom door. Canvas was in the bathroom, lying in the bathtub filled with warm water. He never really cared for baths much, but this time around, Canvas appreciated how the water muffled the sounds around him as he kept his ears submerged and his eyes closed. Right after Troy flew off, Lyra and Bon-Bon tried coming into his room to check on him. He had no idea how they knew he was distressed, but he appreciated their presence nonetheless. Regardless, Canvas managed to talk them down by telling them he was just about to go to bed. He eventually got them to leave, despite their hesitance, and then decided to take a bath. He was glad to have some peace, but his heart still felt weary as he thought about Troy. Exhaling heavily, Canvas couldn’t stop thinking about how Troy looked back on the bed. How his golden eyes looked while they stared at each other. How his head was undoubtedly moving in toward his own, much like how he envisioned in his wildest dreams. What could've happened if they were never interrupted, or if Troy didn’t burst out of the room like it was on fire. He wanted nothing more than to be with that gryphon, to hold him in his hooves as he told him how much he loved him. But now, in the tub, with his mind constantly replaying Troy’s hasty exit from the balcony, Canvas hadn’t felt more alone in a long time. He thought back to his conversation with Lyra at the gallery, which only confirmed to him how accurate his worries were. No matter how hard he tried not to think of Troy that way, knowing it was likely that he could never reciprocate those feelings, Canvas still fell in love with him. Even with that stare Troy held upon him, even with how close Canvas was to kissing him, that dream still shattered like the finest crystal. Now he had no choice but to move on. He lifted himself from the bathtub and opened the drain, trying to think of what else he could do. Though it felt like it happened a million years ago, Canvas knew he still had the painting for Celestia, which was more than great for him. Not to mention that because of all the attention he received from the gallery, he knew he’d be busy enough to keep his mind occupied. Drying himself off with a towel, Canvas sighed and decided to head off to bed. He at least hoped he could get some sleep, even though he didn’t want to go near the bed after everything that happened. However, a loud crash out on the balcony caught his attention. More specifically, the sound of crunching metal. Troy knew he was flying pretty fast, but he still cringed at how badly bent the balcony railing was from his hard landing. That would probably result in a nasty repair bill, but he couldn’t have cared less as he moved forward and tried opening the balcony door. Unfortunately, the glass door was locked, and Troy groaned in dismay. He didn’t want Canvas to be alone, especially after all the promises he made to always be there for him. So after breathing out hoarsely, Troy started banging on the glass door, yelling out for Canvas in a panic. "Canvas! Canvas, please! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I flew off like that!" Canvas heard the banging and pleads from the gryphon, but could only stand still in shock. He faced toward the balcony as Troy kept yelling. "Canvas, I shouldn't have flown off without saying anything! I know I messed up, but please listen! I…” Clenching his eyes shut, Troy leaned his forehead against the door. He didn't want to admit to himself why he flew off in the first place, but he did know the reason. "I… I was scared. I was scared, okay?" Troy couldn’t see much past the door curtain, but he could still see a figure walking toward the door slowly. Canvas walked his way toward the balcony, staying cautious as he listened to Troy's sincere words. "I was scared about what was going to happen, because… because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do… Or what I wanted to do..." Troy could see that the figure was right at the other side of the curtain. Because of that, he leaned back so he could stand more confidently for his friend to see. "But I know what I want to do now! I know what to do, and… and I'm not scared anymore." When the curtain pulled open, Troy shrieked when he saw a mare with facial cream and hair-rollers looking at him. The mare screamed in horror, and Troy quickly darted backward. He hovered a few feet from the building, blinking confusedly as he tried to figure out what was going on. "Troy?” Troy suddenly looked up, and saw Canvas staring down at him from the balcony above the one he was at. Troy grew even more puzzled, and tried counting the row of windows again. "Umm…” Canvas waited until he had Troy’s attention. "The lobby takes the first two rows of windows… That's why you were at the wrong one." "Oh..." Before Troy could chuckle to himself in embarrassment, a hair-curler hit him right across the forehead. “GAH!! What the?!” The mare he woke up was now standing at her balcony, throwing things at him while yelling, "Get away from me, you pervert!" “H-HEY! Come on!” Blocking himself from the barrage of items, Troy quickly flew up to Canvas’ balcony. "Ow! C'mon, I'm sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you!" Troy could still hear the mare yelling when he landed beside Canvas. "And you better pay for what you did to my railing!" Troy went back inside the hotel room with Canvas, and quickly locked the door behind them. Not wanting to deal with that issue right now, he turned his focus back to Canvas. Even in the darkened room, Troy could tell that he looked upset, which just made him feel even worse.  "Canvas, I… I'm so sorry..." Canvas only nodded, his muzzle remaining shut. Before Troy could keep apologizing, Canvas took a breath and spoke up. "You… said you were scared." “... Yeah.” Troy could see that familiar shade of blue in the pony's eyes, almost glowing in the room against the moonlight. Despite his own apprehensions, Troy felt his chest growing warmer from seeing his face once more. "Canvas, when I flew off, I was in a full-blown panic mode, alright? I was scared about what was going to happen, and I didn’t want to screw anything up. You're the closest friend I ever had, and I… I didn’t think I was doing something friends should do." Canvas only blinked. "But… I realized why I almost... did that...” Troy gulped, his heart racing from knowing what ‘that’ actually meant. "You… you've been such a good friend to me since we met, and I didn’t want to do anything to ruin that. I still wanted us to be close. But then… then I found out why I wanted to be close." Looking at him through the darkness, Canvas could see the glow of Troy's eyes against the shadow of his body, shining like a golden beacon. With his own heart beating faster as well, Canvas stayed in place while Troy came closer. The moonlight helped to better illuminate his face as he looked at the stallion with intensity. "Canvas… I thought that I cared about you because you were my best friend. B-But… but now I know… I know you mean more to me than that." Canvas' breathing came out harder, and his eyes started to widen in realization.  "You mean more to me than any friend ever could, Canvas… You're more than just a friend to me.” Troy stepped closer until he was only a couple of feet from him. Tears now ran down his face, and he felt his throat tighten up as he struggled to admit it with a trembling smile. "Canvas… I always want to be there for you… I want to be there because I care about you… because you mean so much to me… because…” Troy breathed harder as he tried to push those last words out. Unfortunately, the gryphon found himself stuttering. He lowered his head away from Canvas, his beak clicking incessantly “... Be… be-because… because, I…” As he tried his hardest to muster up the courage, his claws dug into the carpet underneath him. Knowing it was now or never, Troy kept his eyes shut as he fought against his mental restraints. Even with the tears coming down his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to tell Canvas what he should've said ages ago. What he should've realized long before being here. "Because... “... Because I love you!" Troy was left frozen for but a moment, his eyes slowly reopening. When he finally gazed back at Canvas, he saw the stallion looking equally as stunned. Breathing heavily, Troy felt himself becoming weightless as a faint smile appeared on his beak. "I…. I mean it…” As soon as he said that, Troy gave him a teary smile and repeated himself sincerely. “... I love you, Canvas." After all this time, after all these months of thinking of Canvas as just a friend, saying those words out loud felt indescribable. But more than that, saying it sounded so right. He could see a couple tears streaming down Canvas’ cheeks as well. But much like himself, a trembling smile soon came across the pony’s muzzle. "I love you. I love everything about you… I love how you always try to make me happy… I love the way you smile… I love that no matter what, you always kept me by your side. A-And… and I always want to be by your side." Troy looked down at his claws, smiling at himself over how natural his confession felt. He didn’t notice when Canvas' hooves began to move forward. "I never felt this way about anyone... Not for a gryphon or a pony, or a mare or a stallion, or anything! But I know what I feel. Canvas, I lo--MMPHH!!!" Canvas lunged forward, grabbing the back of the gryphon's head before pressing his muzzle against his open beak. Troy felt a wave of warmth he’d never felt before as Canvas' mouth tilted to the right position, and the stallion’s lips pressed tightly against his. More tears came from Canvas' clenched eyes as he held him in place. Though he wished it happened sooner, he cherished every single second of the moment he finally kissed his best friend. Troy closed his eyes as well, holding onto Canvas as he kissed back. Even in the darkness around them, his beak meshed perfectly with Canvas’ lips to provide a proper kiss in return. Canvas slowly reopened his eyes as he pulled back, staring at Troy with a teary smile while holding him so tightly. He could feel the gryphon’s claws were wrapped around his back in return. He finally spoke in a faint, cracked voice. "... I love you too." In that instant, Canvas and Troy couldn't hold back, and they embraced each other once more. Their faces intertwined under the glow of Luna's night, their kiss lingering on with unbridled passion and love. Neither of them moved from their bipedal stances. Their heartbeats synced together. The stallion's lips and the gryphon's beak remained tightly locked, neither of them daring to let go. As time stood still for the two, both of them came to the same wondrous realization that out of all the time they spent as friends, nothing would ever compare to the moment when they became something more.