Brushed Away

by TheVClaw

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Growing Changes

Two Weeks Later

Outside the Ponyville Theater, a small crowd of ponies eagerly waited for the casting to be unveiled. Among them included a grey pegasus standing quietly with her eyes focused on two different spots: the left pointed at the empty bulletin board ahead of her, and the right pointed up at the skies above. As she waited anxiously, the blonde-maned mare wondered whether the sheet or her new friend would arrive first. Just then, the gryphon flew in from above.

As soon as he landed outside the crowd, Troy shook the sweat off his feathers. The mare quickly tried to shuffle through the ponies toward him. Troy gave an enthusiastic wave as he walked over. "Hey, Derpy! How's it going?"

Derpy gave him an equally bright smile. "I've been pretty good, and Dinky says hi." She turned her crossed gaze back to the crowd, staring in confusion at the bulletin board and its continued blankness. "Oh man, I can’t believe it's taking so long for the announcements to be made!"

"I know. It's like the director had no idea what she was going to do for this."

"Probably. I heard that happens sometimes. Do you think she was looking for the right play to include you?"

Troy struggled not to laugh, and rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Oh, yeah right. I really don't think that's gonna happen."

"Oh come on!" The mare playfully jabbed at his shoulder. "Troy, you gotta be more confident in yourself! Ever since your audition, she's been keeping you on for every callback! I mean, that first song you did was brilliant!"

Despite Derpy’s persistent praises, Troy wasn't sure if he was good enough to be among the more experienced ponies around him. The director definitely looked impressed after his first audition, but Troy knew he had some big issues when it came to actually acting. In every callback he was picked for, Troy struggled to memorize his lines, and had no knowledge of the various stage directions. He’d never even heard any of the audition songs before in his life, although he admitted to himself that his renditions were decent, at least. Still, Troy felt that being a decent singer wasn't going to be enough to be given a major role.

Well, I can’t say I didn’t try.

The theatre doors opened up, and an earth pony mare with a light-orange coat and poofy white mane stepped out, whom Troy knew to be the director. She shuffled through the crowd with the sheet in her mouth, and waited until the ponies around her stepped back before walking up to the bulletin board. Once she tacked the paper onto it, she walked back inside without saying a word, seemingly unaware of the impatient ponies pushing themselves to look at the list.

Derpy quickly flew upwards and hovered over the crowd, getting plenty of free space as one of the few pegasi present. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she leaned in and read the names.

Before Troy could spread his own wings open to join her, the grey mare shrieked out in joy and barreled back toward him. She caught the gryphon off-guard and she tackled him to the ground, hugging him in absolute glee.

“OHMIGOSH!!!” she shrieked out elatedly. "I got the lead I got the lead I got the lead I got the leeeeaad!!"

Troy couldn’t help smiling wide at the mare’s good news, and hugged her back before prying her off his chest. As the crowd dissipated, many of them looked disappointed as they sulked away from the cast list. On the other hoof, there were also a few that happily trotted off with content smiles, a clear sign that they made the cut. Troy made his way toward the board, leaving Derpy to dance around and squeal audibly. He bent in to read through the casting, starting at the bottom of the list and working his way to the top, until--

Christine - Derpy Hooves

The Phantom - Troius Clawston

Troy's beak couldn't have dropped any quicker. His name, as clear as day, was at the top of the list alongside Derpy's. His left eye twitched uncontrollably, and he blinked repeatedly in shock. Troy didn't notice at first when Derpy started hugging him again, even when she started cheering and hopping up and down.

"I can’t believe it! We're both leading! We're both leading together!!"

Troy couldn't help himself. He grew a large smile of his own, and he began jumping alongside the pegasus mid-hug. His excitement was unbound at the prospect of his first performance ever being a lead role. Before he knew it, Troy was laughing when he held Derpy up and squeezed her, almost suffocating the mare before yelling out in joy.

"YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes! This is awesome! I can’t wait to tell--"

Suddenly, Troy gasped and dropped Derpy. He looked up at the clock tower nearby, his brows raising up in surprise.

"Oh shoot! I gotta get to the train!" Troy gave Derpy one more big hug, and proceeded to fly off. "See you on Tuesday, Derpy!"

"Alright, have fun!" Derpy shouted back, waving her hoof while watching him leave. It was surprising to see him disappear so quickly after such big news, but she already knew he had big plans for the weekend. “Be sure to tell Canvas good luck on his art show!!”

---

Troy landed at the train station platform just in time, skidding to a halt with his talons grinding against the wooden floor. His entrance terrified half of the ponies around him, but the sweating gryphon didn’t seem to notice while his eyes were pinned on the train. He pulled out the ticket from his satchel, and quickly gave it to the wide-eyed ticket-collector before stepping on board.

To typical pony passengers, the trains were rather spacious and accommodating; but to someone of Troy’s size, it made him feel cramped whilst scanning the rows of seats for his friend. Troy turned around when he felt someone poke at his back.

"There you are, Troy!” Lyra said, relieved to find him. “We were wondering if you were gonna make it! Come on, the others are waiting back in the sleeper cars."

The two made their way to the sleeper cars, with Troy muttering a quick “Sorry” each time his wings accidentally brushed against somepony. Once they reached the outside of the sleeper cars, Troy was surprised to find that the entrance doors were to the right. He opened the entrance to find a narrow hallway within, a row of doors on the left side leading into separate rooms. Following Lyra, Troy entered one of the rooms where Bon-Bon was sitting by herself. Upon seeing the two, Bon-Bon quickly got out of her seat to hug Troy.

"There you are!" The steam engines could be heard rumbling from outside. Troy looked around in confusion before sitting on the bench opposite of them, trying to get himself comfortable as the train began to move.

"So, uhhh… where's Canvas at?” he asked before glancing out the window, seeing the Ponyville train station slowly passing his line of sight. “Is he in another car?"

"He's in the room next door,” Lyra answered. "I think he's asleep right now, so it might not be a good idea to wake him up."

"Oh, alright then." Troy leaned back in his bench while Lyra and Bon-Bon chatted amongst themselves.

As the train moved faster, Troy looked around the room some more with an appreciative smile. Due to the cabin’s spacious size, he could actually sit comfortably with Lyra and Bon-Bon without feeling like he was in a sardine tin. He could remember how cramped his seat was when he first took the train to Equestria from the Gryphon Kingdom, which was horribly cheap in comparison to this one. Troy eventually stretched out across the bench with a pleased sigh, and sat in a more laid-back fashion.

"Man, this is way better than I thought it was going to be."

"I know,” said Bon-Bon, scooting closer to her wife. "I’m pretty sure Glimmer Heart upgraded our tickets to make up for that whole Hot Shot incident."

Lyra groaned and slouched on her seat. "Ugh! Please don't remind me of that homophobic jerk! I really thought I was gonna deck that guy if Canvas didn't do it first."

Troy smirked. He recalled the footage he watched, and how many punches Canvas got in such a short amount of time. He had to admire how tough the pony acted through that whole ordeal.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. Considering how badly he got her husband, I'm kinda shocked that Glimmer would do something like this at all."

“Well, what was she supposed to do?” asked Lyra. “Even if she went through with pressing charges against Canvas, she’d have to deal with a P.R. nightmare after her husband harassed us. If that recording went out, her reputation would likely be worse off than Canvas’.”

Troy nodded in understanding, not saying a word. Canvas may have beaten that guy to a bloody pulp, but it was doubtful that many ponies would blame him after the way Hot Shot acted.

"Oh! I almost forgot!” said Bon-Bon, pointing a hoof at Troy. “Did you hear about what happened to them? Glimmer Heart divorced him!”

"Wait, what!?" Troy jolted. "Holy crap, really!? She dumped him for what he did?"

"No, actually!” Bon-Bon looked just as befuddled as the gryphon. “From what I heard, she tried to get him to do couples counseling because of his anger issues. But during their first session, they got in a huge fight in front of their therapist, and he accidentally admitted to an affair!"

"Whoa!" Troy had to hold a claw over his beak to keep himself from laughing too loud. “Damn, talk about karma! Does Canvas know about that?”

"Well…” Lyra’s muzzle skewed in apprehension. "We talked to him a little bit at the station, but I don't think he was listening too well. He was, like, really tired when he got here! He kinda looked like a zombie! He was even covered in a lot of paint, but he didn’t seem to notice it."

"Oh..."

Troy remembered when he last saw Canvas two weeks ago, right after the stallion had that sudden burst of inspiration. Ever since then, Troy wasn't able to see him at all while locked in that studio. He knew the painting was a big deal for Canvas, but Troy wouldn’t have expected him to be working on it the entire time. However, given how intense of an emotional downpour the artist experienced, the gryphon was sure that the isolation was something Canvas needed to do for himself, regardless of the risk.

“Hmmm…” Troy leaned back against the back wall, humming in thought about what Canvas may have done with all that time. Aside from that one giant splotch of paint, he didn’t have any idea what the pony made for the gallery. Bon-Bon cleared her throat to grab his attention.

"So what's new, Troy? We heard that you've been auditioning for the town musical this year!"

Lyra’s face lit up as she stared at Troy expectantly as well. Troy sighed with a roll of his eyes, and tried not to smile too bashfully. "Yeah, I have. In fact, I just got back from the casting announcements today, and I got the lead role!"

The two mares gasped in pleasant surprise. Lyra hopped out of her seat excitedly. “Whoa, really?! Sweet Celestia, you must have been amazing at the auditions! What's the play? What role do you have?"

"Well, I don't know the play that well…” He looked away from the two in embarrassment. “... but it said I'm playing the Phantom or some--"

The two gasped loudly. "SERIOUSLY!?” shouted Lyra with her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull. “You're playing the Phantom!? I… I can’t believe it! That's amazing!"

Lyra shot forward and hugged Troy tightly, leaving him with a deeper blush that matched his confused smile. Bon-Bon just stared him up and down, taking a moment before saying her piece. "You know what? I can actually see you playing that really well! I mean, the character kinda works for a gryphon, if you think about it.”

“Actually, yeah!” Lyra added after letting go of Troy. “Plus, Rainbow Dash said he had a great opera voice, so he can probably rock those songs without issue!”

Troy still couldn’t comprehend what exactly was so great about this ‘Phantom’ play, but given how optimistically the mares were raving about his news, he still smiled thankfully.

"Well, I honestly never heard of this play before. We don’t really have musicals back in the Gryphon Kingdom, so I'm kind of nervous about it."

"Oh, don't worry!" Lyra levitated her luggage bag from the rack above her. As she spoke, she opened one of the side pockets to rummage through her belongings. "I have a cassette of the soundtrack somewhere in my bag. I'll lend it to you if you need it."

"Really?" Troy’s face lit up. He needed something to occupy his time before Canvas woke up, so he took the tape from her mint aura. "Well… I guess I can use my walkman to hear what all the hubbub is about..."

---

For the rest of the day, Troy rested across his bench while listening to the soundtrack through his headphones. Meanwhile, the two mares left the gryphon alone, occupying their time with a deck of cards Bon-Bon had in her bag. As he listened through the tape, which included the play dialogue between songs, Troy could see why the show was so popular to ponies. In fact, after hearing some of the leads’ songs in particular, he was feeling downright excited to try his claw at them himself.

By sunset, Lyra and Bon-Bon were leaning against each other tiredly in their seat. By then, Troy had already listened through the entirety of Lyra’s tape (as well as played back a couple of the songs on repeat), so he decided to go to the room next door. Lifting himself up, he caught the mares’ attention and said, "Hey, I'm gonna go check on Canvas, alright?"

"Alright,” said Lyra while snuggling with her half-conscious wife. “And you can keep listening to that tape if you want."

Troy smiled with a thankful nod, and silently left the room so they could have their rest.

Troy slid the door closed behind him, and put the walkman back into his satchel before looking into the next room. From the door window, Troy couldn’t see anypony on either bench. But as soon as he slid the door open, the gryphon’s brows rose up when he saw Canvas lying on the floor. The artist was splayed out across the ground, still passed-out while using his art bag as a pillow.

Even with the limited light from the window, Troy could see the various colors of paint splattered all over the stallion’s fur. Canvas' long mane, which also had several splashes of colors matted to it, was covering a large part of his face as he slept. Because of that, a few strands blew out every time he exhaled weakly.

Troy was careful to step over the pony, and laid himself down across one of the benches, all the while looking down at Canvas. Troy slowly reached down and pulled a couple mane strands away from his muzzle. Even as the train passed various structures, causing dark shadows to zoom past the cabin’s interior, Troy kept his gaze on Canvas and his moonlit face. The gryphon eventually rested his head on the bench, his face less than a few feet from the stallion’s. It had been awhile since he last saw his friend, so Troy couldn’t help staring in fascination over how peaceful the pony looked.

Canvas was resting without a care in the world, which made Troy smile in relief after everything that transpired. Without any tears matting his face, or any feelings of worry or frustration to take away his smile, Canvas simply looked at ease throughout his slumber. The chugging of the train engine and the clacking of the wheels against the tracks were the only things that overtook the silence of that moment. That, and Canvas’ calm breathing, which went at a gentle but steady rhythm.

Troy wasn't sure how long he stared at Canvas, but as soon as the stallion’s muzzle began to twitch, and his eyelids began to flutter open, Troy quickly moved his head back to appear as if he was resting more casually.

“Mnnnghhh…” After stretching his back out and yawning loudly, Canvas slowly opened his eyes, looking around before noticing Troy resting on the bench above him. “Huh… Oh, hey Troy…”

Canvas grunted as he got himself back on his hooves, his knees wobbling a little from fatigue. Troy moved himself into a sitting position, leaving more than enough room for his friend to sit beside him. Canvas slowly sat down beside the gryphon, ignoring the other bench across from them. Despite the fact that it was nighttime, Canvas still felt unbelievably tired as he grimaced from the bitter dryness in his mouth. Before Canvas could reach down to his art bag to find a water bottle, Troy handed him one from his satchel.

“Hmm?” Canvas smiled weakly and accepted the gesture. "Oh, thanks."

"S' alright,” said Troy with a light shrug. “You look wiped out anyway."

“Yeah, I know…” Canvas took a few large gulps, nearly coughing as soon as he pulled the bottle from his lips. "I guess it’s pretty obvious, huh?"

The artist chuckled as he looked down at himself, seeing how much paint was splattered all over him. "Jeeze, I guess I should've taken a shower before coming to the train. I'd hate to think what Glimmer Heart will think when she sees me in Canterlot."

"Honestly, looking like that would probably show her you've been working your flank off. If anything, she'd probably admire that."

"You think so?" Canvas ran a hoof through his mane, wincing from how much of a tangled mess it became. "I guess that's the only impression I can hope for right now."

"Hey, don’t worry about it.” Troy relaxed on his side of the bench, stretching out while keeping some distance from Canvas. “You're gonna be great at that gallery, I know it."

The stallion looked back at him with a gracious smile, not needing to question his friend’s sincerity in the slightest. Meanwhile, the gryphon looked back at him for a moment, before his beak skewed slightly in thought.

"So, Canvas… why do you have a long mane?"

"Because I don’t cut it?" Canvas’ sarcastic tone matched his smirk. Troy usually didn’t care much for smartass presonsas (particularly Rainbow Dash's), but in Canvas’ case, it was valid proof that he was feeling a lot better following his rest.

"Well, what I mean is…” Troy noticed a small piece of dried paint that was barely hanging on to a strand of Canvas' mane. He reached out to pick it away before he continued. "How come you don't cut it? I mean, it's probably a bit of a nuisance for you, isn’t it?"

"Well…” Canvas’ face displayed uneasiness. "The thing is… the last time I had my mane cut… it was by my Mom."

“... Oh…” Troy struggled not to cringe awkwardly as he looked away toward the window. “Right. That… That makes sense, I guess...."

He didn’t want to keep an uncomfortable bout of silence between them, but Troy wasn't sure of what to say. After readjusting the wings on his back, Troy looked back at Canvas and tried rewording his question. "I just meant, like... have you ever thought about cutting it? Or at least, trimming it a bit?”

Canvas slowly ran a hoof down some of his chestnut locks. Troy was happy to see a smile on Canvas’ face appear ever so briefly.

"Yeah, it can be a little irritating. I've gotten it caught in more than a few things. Plus, it's a bit of a pain to wash, and especially annoying to dry, since it takes forever to do..." Canvas sighed before letting go of his mane, letting it fall back across his shoulders. He looked up at the ceiling, appearing lost in thought for a moment.

"I guess… I guess that I just didn’t want to, you know... do anything to forget her..."

Another bout of silence began to seep in. Troy sighed once more.

"Hey, it's not like doing something like that will automatically make you forget her. I mean… from what I've heard you say about her, it seems like it would take way more than a manecut to do that."

Canvas kept his gaze upon the ceiling. Troy decided to press his luck and keep going. "Like… it’s obvious that you love your Mom more than anything. Shouldn't… shouldn't having her in your heart be enough?"

Canvas blinked once more, and breathed out slowly while letting those words sink in. He remembered what Troy said about not holding onto the past. Obviously, he knew that didn't include forgetting his own mother. Until several months ago, losing his Mom was the worst moment of Canvas' life. But now, after regaining his footing in a new town, he couldn’t deny how well he’d been able to move forward since. And despite all the changes that had occurred, Canvas knew that he would never, ever stop thinking about her.

Eventually, Canvas bit his lips and slowly nodded. He looked back at Troy with an appreciative smile, while the gryphon showed the same expression beneath the moonlight.

"Yeah, I… I guess so… Thanks."

"Hey, it's alright,” said Troy. “I'm just looking out for a friend."

Canvas nodded again. Both of them kept their smiles and gazes at one another. The stallion observed how Troy's golden eyes were shimmering in the dark, which he could only assume was a benefit gryphons biologically possessed. Meanwhile, the gryphon couldn’t stop thinking back to how Canvas looked when he was asleep, and how that gentleness was still evident in those bright blue eyes...

Neither one of them said a word, not that either of them paid much notice to the silence. The shadows from outside kept dancing around the two, but it was ignored just as easily by the two as their increasing heartbeats.

For a split-second, Troy’s head moved forward the slightest bit, as if some unknown force was making him move closer to Canvas. However, the pony quickly flinched and turned his head away, hiding the blooming blush on his face. "I-I-I, uhhh… Is the snack car still open?"

Troy blinked and shook his head awake, not sure of what happened. "Well, umm… I think it might be?” The gryphon pulled back a little, not seeming to realize he was blushing as well. “You... you can go check."

"Yeah! Yeah, I'll go do that. See ya later!"

Canvas quickly hopped off the bench, and threw the door open to rush out into the hallway. After the pony slid the door back behind him, Troy breathed out heavily while seated in the room alone. He looked back at the window with a confounded look, unsure of how to explain why his heart was racing like crazy.

His eyes blinked repeatedly, and he had to shake his head a second time to try and clear his head. Not wanting to overthink things and ruin this weekend, Troy eventually pulled out the walkman from his satchel, and put on his headphones to listen to the soundtrack some more.

Meanwhile, Canvas was standing at the open platform between the train cars, his hooves tightly clutching the guard rails as they vibrated from the rumbling engines. He was panting just as heavily as Troy was, trying his hardest to ignore the impulsive thoughts that went through his head. He clenched his eyes shut, but winced as he struggled to shake the image of Troy's face from his memory. Canvas focused on the strong winds gusting past his ears, hoping they could keep him from hearing his own thoughts. After a brief swallow, the stallion began to breathe at a calmer rate.

By the time he managed to feel less flustered, Canvas opened the door to the adjacent train car, trying to keep his mind blank while trotting past the aisles of seats. He could overhear the various chatter and noises from ponies around him, and he used that noise to help ignore his thoughts about Troy.

After everything the gryphon had done to help him out, the last thing Canvas wanted to do was endanger their friendship. If anything, losing Troy as a friend was more heartbreaking than that night he spent bawling in his embrace. But alas, as he kept moving forward to find the snack car, Canvas' thoughts slowly devolved to him chanting the same fact in his head over and over.

Troy's your best friend, Canvas.

Troy is your friend.

Just a friend.

… Right?

Author's Note:

Just so any newer readers are aware, I've recently been undergoing a big project to turn the Brushed Away series into physical books for individual sale. Because of that, I just wanted to make a quick note for which chapters have been revised so far, including this one.

I want to give my deepest thanks, as well as some well-deserved credit to my followers helping me out with this process, as well as Double R. Forrest for their proofreading credits. And if anyone is interested in helping out with making this project a reality, I highly recommend checking out my Official Ko-Fi page dedicated to it.

Comments

[ratdeathtrap]

Great story, I love it! I can't wait for the next chapter and see if their relationship will grow to something more then friends.

[Bad_Seed_72]

Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, Canvas!

[Wither and wane]

Damn it! Sooo close!

[Paperbag Wizard]

Aw you tease.

[Bobbin]

I'm imagining Lyra finding a way to peek in.

[Aerin Silverfeather]

Troy and canvas will end their lovely night with-

-coffee, that's right, just coffee

[Wing Dancer]

I like it how the gay guy has to keep reminding himself that they are JUST friends.

[AetherToast]

Just a friend.
… Right?

Little late to the party here but honestly I have had to try to convince myself that with female friends I have had. Unlike where this is probably gonna go we were just friends in my case.

[Violet Sky]

Just a friend.
… Right?

Wrong!

[Bugpone]

6013019

Exactly, coffee usually helps first thing in the morning.

[Geeknerd]

FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT

[The Delicate Architect]

Just a friend.
… Right?
So... it begins

[DapperPengiun]

Mmmhhmmm....... 'just friends' 😂

[Twistedpath]

I have seen this! Gay and 'straight' bestfriends being just friends only that they are both obviously attracted to one another but try to remain just friends because it's complicated.

[Flamingsheild]

Just a friend.

Bull*** detector

Bull*** Dectected!!!

[The Local Rat Queen]

… Right?

no