Dawn came, with the yawning sun shining into the hotel room and waking the stallion inside. Canvas groaned as he stirred in the bed, wanting nothing more than to rest a couple more minutes. However, the pony reluctantly raised his head as he remembered he had to make more bits if he wanted to stay in this hotel another night.

As he looked over to the clock on the nightstand, Canvas saw that it was a quarter past seven, which was just enough time to get ready and packed back up before heading to the stationery store. With a yawn, Canvas pulled himself off the bed and headed to the bathroom, feeling both surprised and extremely grateful that he didn't have any nightmares the night before.

While Canvas was just starting his day, Troy was already halfway through his exercise regimen up on his cloud. As he began his wing stretches, Troy felt happy that today was his day off after all that work he did in Appleloosa. And after everything that happened the previous night, he was hoping to talk to somepony about whether or not he could be transferred to weather patrol.

Troy figured he could also spend a little more time in Ponyville, and at least try to pull himself out of his cloud more often. While he didn't spend much time in places on the ground other than his waterfall, Ponyville seemed like a pretty nice town. And after his talk Canvas the night before, Troy figured he should check up on him to see how he was holding up.

After completing his stretches, the gryphon blasted off into the morning sky, smiling as he felt the newly risen sun warm his feathers. As Troy soared above Equestria, he noticed the unmistakable rainbow trail that could only come from one pony shooting off ahead of him. Troy remembered that Rainbow Dash was the captain of the weather patrol around Ponyville, so he figured she would be the best bet in helping him out. With the trail quickly dissipating in the distance, the gryphon barreled off to catch up with her.

Canvas made sure to buy as much paper as he could with his remaining bits, as well as some graphite pencils and a sturdier rubber band for his hoof. By the time he left the stationery store, he breathed in the brisk morning air with a smile before trotting off to the fountain.

When he arrived, the stallion looked into his reflection in the water to make sure his bandage was reapplied properly. Despite how badly his appearance made him want to wince, he was confident enough with his bandaging to try to look past it. Canvas pulled out a new pad of paper from his art bag, and placed it beside him on the bench in preparation for what he hoped was going to be a busy day.

Using the back of yesterday’s empty pad, Canvas pulled out a black marker from his bag and wrote down his prices for the day: 5 BITS PER PONY - 8 FOR TWO.

Canvas placed the sign next to him on the ground, figuring having an advert like that could help attract more customers. He heard hoofsteps approaching from behind him, and he hoped it wasn't some policepony coming to tell him he was breaking any rules. However, Canvas was relieved to see that it was actually the mint-colored mare from yesterday. The unicorn had a pleased smile as she walked over to Canvas, and paused for a moment to take note of his setup.

"Well hello, Canvas,” said the mare. "You're looking much better now."

Giving a quick shrug, Canvas put the rubber band over his hoof as he replied, "Thank you, um... Lyra, was it?" Looking up at the mare, he saw her nod in confirmation before he continued. "I was just getting ready to do some sketches for ponies today."

"Yeah, I saw the ones you did for Roseluck and Colgate last night. You’re a regular Titian!" Canvas blushed as he pushed the graphite under the band on his hoof, but he still shot her a gracious smile while she continued. "Seriously, I can't draw that well with my horn magic, and I was shocked when they said it was done by hoof! Anyway, you said you're going to be drawing ponies all day today as well?"

Canvas nodded and started rubbing the new, white sheet with the blackened cloth in preparation for his first customer’s arrival. "I sure am." Canvas looked back with a smile on his face. "You want one done? It's only five bits."

"Actually…” Lyra looked down at the sign, noting the prices. "I might have to ask Bon-Bon if she wants to be in a drawing with me. How long do you think you'll be here?"

"As long as I still have paper." Canvas patted the pad in front of him while smirking confidently. Lyra smiled at his assurance and nodded her head.

"Great!" said the mare before walking off. "Hopefully I'll see you back here when her shift ends."

"You will." Canvas smiled back as he continued to make the graphite layer an even shade of grey. "Tell your friends, too!"

Troy was hunched over like a gargoyle while perching on a nearby cloud, struggling to catch his breath. By the Divines themselves, the gryphon felt like he was going to hurl. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was hovering over him with a raised brow, looking rather confused at his request.

"So, let me get this straight,” said the cyan mare, watching the gryphon start ripping off pieces of the cloud to wipe off sweat with. "You want to be part of the weather patrol around Ponyville now?"

Troy merely nodded at the pegasus, unable to speak any full words. Even though he knew Rainbow was a national hero and star athlete, the gryphon had to wonder how the buck somepony could fly so fast without even breaking a sweat.

Rainbow Dash shook her head in skepticism as she thought about what he was asking of her. "I dunno, Troy. I mean, don't you have a good job at the Weather Factory right now? From what I heard, you're one of the best ice scraper guys they've had since Snowflake quit."

Troy shrugged as he remembered Snowflake, the freakishly huge white pegasus with a buzzcut who was bigger than he was. Troy wasn’t used to having to look up at a pony. He only met him a couple times when he trained Troy on how to do the job (which mostly amounted to the guy grunting or yelling "Yeaaahhh!"). Sometimes he wondered how the guy managed to keep his almost grotesquely muscular body in the air with wings that tiny, or why a pony with a dumbbell cutie mark had the name Snowflake, but he wasn’t going to say any of that to his face; the guy looked like he could bite into a boulder and spit out pebbles. Still, the pony was helpful in teaching Troy how to scrape ice, and getting him used to being around ponies his first month in Equestria.

"Yeah, I've heard that, but honestly…” As Troy thought about how to explain it to Rainbow Dash, he wanted to come up with a better reason than “I want to check up on a gay stallion in case he gets bullied again.”

“I just want to be more social, you know? I mean, I'm cooped up in that little freezer room all day, scraping blocks of ice, and I barely know anypony around there! I just want to try something new and… maybe make some friends or something."

This excuse wasn't necessarily a lie. He really was sick of being in a room by himself all day with nothing but an ice scraper, a block of yet-to-be-scraped ice, and his brooding, intrusive thoughts; and he really didn't like the fact that he only knew as many ponies as he had talons on his claws (eight, to be precise). When Troy thought back as to why he moved to Equestria in the first place, it made him feel kind of pathetic to still be as antisocial as he was back in the Gryphon Kingdom. When he glanced back at Rainbow Dash, the look of pity on her face told him that she wasn’t not considering it.

"Well…” While the pegasus contemplated what Troy told her, he became worried that she wasn't going to buy his excuse. "...I guess I can see if I can talk to somepony about transferring you. I mean, I did hear some good things about how you helped with the Appleloosa drought, so I don't think that you would be that bad on weather duty around here."

A huge smile grew across Troy's beak. He reached in to grab Rainbow Dash's hoof, shaking it vigorously. "Thank you so much for helping me out! I mean it, I really appreciate you doing this for me."

The mare quickly pulled her hoof back and looked at Troy with an annoyed expression. "I'm just going to ask, okay? I'm not saying you'll get transferred."

Quickly nodding, Troy gave a quick thank-you to Rainbow Dash as she went off to complete her weather duties. Before he could fly off to Ponyville to check on Canvas, Troy decided to get a quick meal in Cloudsdale to slake his hunger. That salad did barely anything for him, and after that dinner the two had last night, Troy had the strongest hankering for some cheesy hay fries. He was curious as to what all the hubbub was about.

As the sun began its slow descent from the top of the cloudless skies, the area around Ponyville's fountain was buzzing with excitement. After the attention Canvas' drawings got yesterday, the center of town was now filled with anxious ponies as they either watched or waited for his next sketch to be completed.

With a huge smile on his sweating face, Canvas focused solely on his art as he worked on the drawing of his current pony, forgetting how many he had drawn already just from today. The mare in front of him―a magenta earth pony with what looked to be a bundle of grapes as a cutie mark―was in the middle of a story regarding a stallion she met at the bar the other night. Canvas didn't notice when a tan mare approached him. A few murmurs sparked in the wary crowd as they parted for the mare:

“Uh oh, Mayor Mare’s here…”

“Here comes the hammer. Poor guy.”

“When’s the last time she’s shown us her tax returns again?”

“Dangit, and I was next in line!”

After trying to catch Canvas' attention with several throaty grunts, the grey-maned mare lightly tapped his shoulder with her hoof. Finally noticing somepony wanted his attention, Canvas looked up to see Mayor Mare, who was looking back at him through the pair of respectable reading glasses perched upon her muzzle.

Scrutinous dark-blue eyes peered into the stallion’s, her gaze that of a shark that caught the scent of blood in the water. "Good afternoon, sir,” said the mare, noticing the sign placed on the bench. "I'm actually the Mayor of this town, and I couldn’t help but notice your little stand here."

Canvas’ ears lowered, already having a good idea of what Mayor Mare was going to say.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but ponies have to have a permit to conduct businesses like this here."

He winced at the Mayor's words, and most of the crowd groaned in worry about the stallion having to stop drawing, a few departing in agitation. Canvas dropped his head worriedly. He didn’t have the money for a fine! He was only scraping just enough together each night for a bed to rest his head on. "I… wasn't aware of that, ma'am. I'm sorry."

Mayor Mare noticed the drawing he was currently in the middle of, and her eyes widened at just how flawless a translation it was of the pony in front of them; of course, the mare herself looked like she was going to bolt off the stool at any moment and head for the hills. The Mayor glanced over at the large crowd before turning back to Canvas' sketch, and lowered her head close to the stallion as she whispered into his ear:

"Tell you what. You do one of me next, and we’ll forget about the permit for today, okay?"

Canvas' ears shot back up as he smiled at the Mayor, quickly agreeing with a hoofshake before finishing the magenta pony.

Troy opened his eyes, still feeling groggy as he laid stomach-down on a random cloud. His belly ached, and the gryphon had to take a mental note not to eat three whole orders of cheesy hay fries in one sitting before taking a nap. But those fries were so worth it.

As he looked around, Troy realized his quick nap wasn't as “quick” as he had hoped: the sky was now a familiar shade of pink, indicating it was almost dusk. He shakily stood back up on the cloud, even though his stomach groaned in protest, and awkwardly flopped off the cloud so he could fly back to Ponyville.

Meanwhile, Canvas was peacefully wiping the excess black dust off his hooves after finishing his last pony for the day. Taking a deep breath in relief as he rested his hooves, the stallion looked back to his huge stack of unused paper, going only halfway through it in the course of the whole day.

Even though Canvas was disappointed that he would have to get a permit to do this again (unless he could bribe the Mayor with another drawing, which he knew would be a fat chance), the pony still felt great after looking down at his larger bag of bits next to him, now completely full, and even overflowing slightly. He didn't get a chance to count his money yet, but he could already tell he had enough bits to stay at the hotel for at least a few more nights without any worry.

Canvas rested his back against the bench and closed his eyes to appreciate the first moment of serenity he felt all day; however, the artist then heard the sound of several hoofsteps coming towards his direction. When he opened his eyes, Canvas saw that Lyra was returning to the fountain with a cream-colored earth pony alongside her. Guessing that this was the “Bon-Bon” mare she was talking about, Canvas studied her curly blue-and-pink mane, which glimmered in a way only somepony who pretended to not concern herself with her appearance would. His eyes then trailed down to her cutie mark, an image of three pieces of candy.

Canvas felt pretty tired from drawing ponies all day, but he remembered his promise to Lyra. So after doing a quick stretch to re-energize himself, Canvas pulled out a fresh piece of paper and greeted the two mares. "Hey there, Lyra! I'm guessing this is Bon-Bon?"

Smiling at the stallion, Bon-Bon stuck out her hoof for Canvas to shake, her light-blue eyes twinkling with mischievous mirth. "Lyra already told you about me, huh?” she said, playfully bumping into her friend. “She’s told me a bit about you, too, you know.”

“Bonnie, don’t.” Lyra said, glaring at Bon-Bon with her cheeks puffed out.

“‘His work sends my spirit aflutter as my hooves dance ponderously across my lyre,’ ” Bon-Bon said, smirking.

“I’m warning you, Bon-Bon!” Lyra said, blushing.

Placing her hoof over her eyes, Bon-Bon tossed her head back theatrically. “‘My muse has been reawakened after so many lonely aeons beneath the umbrageous, impotent waves of seething lethargy! Hark, O winter-scented cherubim! Hear my soul as it pours its agony, its love, its blooming emotion into you, in tandem with that of the field-coated incubus as he―’ ”

Lyra shoved her hoof into Bon-Bon’s mouth, eyes wide and face red as she laughed nervously. “Haha! Bonnie, ever the jokester! She’s just yanking your leg, hahaha! Anyway, about that picture!”

Canvas looked between Bon-Bon’s smirking face and Lyra’s desperate, tooth-filled smile, fighting back a smirk of his own. He had to hide his mouth behind his hoof when he said, “So... your muse, huh?” with a chuckle that he only barely bit down.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it, Canvas,” Bon-Bon said, her smirk threatening to stretch past the bounds of her face.

Lyra growled. “About that picture!” she said through gritted teeth, narrowing her eyes at the two.

Canvas raised his hooves in a placating gesture, snickering. “Okay, okay, I didn’t forget about the picture… or the ‘blooming emotion’ it’ll inspire.”

Lyra groaned, even when Bon-Bon nuzzled her teasingly.

Remembering that he had a second stool next to the bench for couples' sketches (which, surprisingly, didn't sell as well as he thought they would), Canvas pulled it out and placed it next to the other one in front of him. After nodding to the girls, Canvas started applying the graphite cloth to his paper while Lyra and Bon-Bon sat themselves down.

"I'm sorry we showed up this late,” said Lyra, looking embarrassed when she saw how dark it was getting. "Bon-Bon’s been testing a new recipe and got way too caught up with her work."

Bon-Bon gave the unicorn a glare before she replied, "For the last time, Lyra, the taffy was too thick to turn! And it’s not like you helped, you lazybones. It wasn't my fault it held us up!" Lyra made a sigh she was sure was supposed to be intentionally loud, so Bon-Bon scoffed once more. "Seriously, honey, you know I'm wanting to try this new pomegranate flavor, and I really think…”

While Bon-Bon talked, Canvas slowed down his wiping as he realized what he had just heard. This mare just called Lyra “honey.” He knew he shouldn’t assume, but the implications caused his guts to twist and his chest to hum.

As he finished his preparations, he tried to keep himself together, even though he couldn’t stop thinking about what this meant for him. For the first time in his life, Canvas would actually be talking to ponies like him.

There IS hope!

Canvas held the graphite in his hoof, and looked up to see Bon-Bon still arguing with Lyra about her candies. "This is just like the time you got all, ‘Oh, Bonnie! You’re too obsessive over your work!’ when I was perfecting the recipe for that kiwi candy! You don’t see me smothering you whenever you lock yourself away in your room with your ‘muse’ to tangle yourself up in that lyre of yours."

Gasping, Lyra said, “Don’t you dare bring Lilac into this! Her strings can sunder mountains and divide the heavens! Take it back!”

"Umm…” Although Canvas didn't want to interrupt, he was anxious to start talking to them. "I'm ready to start drawing."

Quick to get started, Lyra and Bon-Bon sat upright on their stools, smiling as he began drawing the basic shapes of the two. "So, tell me…” said Canvas, "How… How long have the two of you been friends?"

Though Canvas didn't want to ask a question that generic, he knew better than to just be upfront in asking about them. With the bitter memories of Gallop Creek still on his conscience, Canvas wanted to approach this delicately so he could test the waters.

"Oh, well…” Lyra seemed a little surprised at Canvas' question as she responded, "Actually, Bon-Bon and I are married."

Feeling his heart practically burst out of his chest, Canvas was swimming in ecstasy as he continued to draw. "Wow, really? That's… That’s great!"

With his out-of-the-blue happiness coming across as frantic and, frankly, frightening to the mare, Bon-Bon's eyes narrowed a little as she looked at the stallion suspiciously. "Are you okay, sir?"

Canvas stammered a little as he realized the girls might think they freaked him out. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine! It's just…”

Just what? The first time I ever met ponies like me? The first time in my life I actually feel like I'm not alone? Like I'm not some freak?

Canvas could only smile as he looked at the two mares. "You two make a great-looking couple."

Lyra and Bon-Bon both smiled graciously, which helped Canvas remain in high spirits as he went back to his drawing. "So, tell me,” he asked, "how did the two of you meet?"

"Actually, that's a great story!" exclaimed Lyra, looking excited as she glanced over at the mare beside her. "You see, a few years ago, I was performing in Canterlot as part of their Philharmonic Orchestra." She pointed to the lyre on her flank. Before Canvas or Bon-Bon could say anything, Lyra said, “And no there was no muse involved.” Canvas and Bon-Bon shut their mouths, still smiling. "Well, one night I was performing for a big show at Canterlot Castle, and Bon-Bon happened to be there as one of the caterers. I just finished a performance when I decided to get a drink…”

While Lyra and Bon-Bon continued on with their story, Canvas couldn't help but feel completely overjoyed as he drew the two of them. As the drawing started looking closer and closer to the two ponies in front of him, Canvas continued to listen, and was able to feel the love these mares had for each other while they reminisced about how they became a couple: Meeting in Canterlot, becoming quick friends, how that friendship blossomed into love, and how they ended up engaged. By the time he got the key details of their faces nailed down on the paper, Canvas' heart felt tremendously warmer as he realized how lucky these two really were.

As the final touches of the sketch were being completed, the stallion couldn't help but feel a tad envious at what these mares had. He wanted nothing more than to feel that way for somepony. Once the drawing was completed, Canvas felt a wave of optimism wash over him, realizing he actually might now get that chance.

“...And to think, I was planning to propose when I got the money for the ring later that week!" With a tear in her eye, the mint unicorn looked back at her wife with a big smile on her face. "But there she was when I got home, on her knees with the box in her mouth." Lyra leaned over and nuzzled the mare before sitting back down. Her eyes remained glued on Bon-Bon, whose smirk had settled into a far more heartfelt smile. "It was the greatest moment of my life."

Both mares looked back at Canvas, who had a tear coming down his cheek from his un-bandaged eye as well. "Wow. That's… beautiful. You two are… really lucky."

Canvas quickly wiped the tear away with his clean hoof, the couple going “Aaaaawwwww!” in unison at seeing him like this. "I mean it,” he added sincerely. “I'm actually kind of jealous of you two."

"Well, don't worry,” said Lyra while giving Canvas a kind, assuring smile. "I'm sure you'll find the right stallion when he comes along."

"Yeah, thanks,” he replied with a meager shrug. “I just don't kno―"

Canvas immediately stopped talking as soon as he realized what Lyra said. He stared at the two with wide eyes, motionless as he tried to figure out how she could’ve known something like that. "Wait, I… H-How did you…”

With a little smirk, the mint unicorn pointed to the bench where his art bag was. Canvas stared in shock as he saw the bottom of his bag was no longer held by the pins, and the inside flap was now hanging off the bench, displaying the two male symbols for everypony to see.

Canvas' eye twitched, his body frozen in place, and his mind desperately trying to comprehend just what the buck happened. The two mares became increasingly concerned at his sudden aura of fear, and Canvas could only stammer as he tried to think how long his bag was like that. "W-W-When did…”

"Canvas,” said Lyra, now slightly worried that the stallion might have a panic attack, "the… the bag was like that all day. I saw the symbol this morning. I thought you knew…”

The mare stopped talking while Canvas just stared at the bag with his mouth hung open. Even though he knew it was already too late, the stallion quickly stuffed the bottom back into the bag as he breathed heavily, feeling absolutely dumbfounded by his idiocy. When he finally looked back to the two, Canvas could only stutter out a few noises, which were supposed to be words. However, his babbling stopped when he felt a hoof on his shoulder, and he saw Bon-Bon giving him a confused look. "Canvas, what’s wrong?"

"I-I-I didn't…” Struggling to think, Canvas’ tail swished back and forth in agitation, and his muzzle wrinkled tightly as he tried to speak coherently. "Th-That-That wasn't… I mean, I didn't think…” His eye, watery and unfocused, jumped from alley to alley, searching for an escape.

"Hey." Lyra looked at him in worry, and took hold of his hoof to caress it consolingly. "Why are you acting like this?"

Bon-Bon looked back at the bag before looking at the stallion. "Were you worried about ponies seeing that? Why would you think…”

Bon-Bon's eyes slowly widened as she saw the fear in Canvas' face, before her gaze went to the bandage over his eye. Canvas tried to look away from the mare, and saw Lyra put a hoof to her mouth as she realized the same thing her wife did. He closed his eye in an attempt to look away from both of them, but he knew that they figured it out. Why he was scared. Why he felt that way about his bag being open like that. Why he had the bandage in the first place.

"Oh… Oh, Canvas…”

Canvas opened his eye when he felt Bon-Bon's forelegs wrap around him, holding him in the second hug he'd received since everything happened. The stallion simply put his head against her shoulder, staying silent as a few tears came from his uncovered eye. He was only in that position for about a minute before Bon-Bon let go, feeling extremely grateful that he didn't cry again like he did last night. As he wiped his eye with his hoof, he felt Lyra's hoof on his shoulder. He turned to see her with a gentle smile on her face.

"It's okay. I don't know what happened, but… it’s alright, Canvas."

Canvas quickly nodded to her before he managed to speak again. "Yeah, I know. I… I heard that before."

Canvas breathed out sharply before he gave them their drawing, which showed the two of them looking at each other with the same love and admiration they had when they were telling their tale. Both of them loved the drawing, looking grateful and impressed at how well he drew the both of them together.

Lyra asked whether or not he had a place to stay for the night, but Canvas pointed out he had enough bits to stay at the hotel for a while. Despite their insistence, Canvas refused to let them take him in, or to let them pay for the drawing, telling them that their story and kind words were more than enough. After another quick hug, Lyra and Bon-Bon left Canvas to be alone as he gathered his things.

As the stallion reapplied the pins to his art bag, he heard the sound of something being dropped into his bit bag. Canvas turned around to see nopony there. However, a folded note was now on top of the pile of bits. When he opened the note, Canvas smiled as he read what it said, feeling a tug on his heart:

If you need somepony to talk to, we will always be there to listen. Never forget that you have friends.
-Lyra & Bon-Bon

P.S. Bon-Bon needs somepony to test some candy ideas. Are you allergic to pomegranate?

Seeing that it was now almost completely dark, Troy felt a wave of disappointment as he landed in Ponyville. While he was sure Canvas was likely back at the hotel by now, the gryphon decided to head to the fountain anyway to stretch out his legs.

Troy reached the town center just as the streetlights lit up, revealing the aqua stallion as he stood by the fountain with a smile, looking at the note in his hooves. Troy blinked, pleased by the coincidence. As his claws clicked on the stones beneath him, Canvas noticed him approaching.

"Oh, hey Troy,” said Canvas, placing the note back in his art bag. "If you want a portrait done, it’ll have to wait till light. Kinda late out."

"Oh, no, I’m not here for anything like that! Figured I’d stroll through because, uh...” Troy tried thinking of a reason he was around, other than to check up on Canvas. "I found out I might get transferred to weather patrol around here, so I wanted to get the lay of the land," he said a little too insistently. The pony raised a brow.

"Uh huh." As Canvas replied with an obvious tone of skepticism, he gave the gryphon a wry smirk. "Well, I guess I can see why you would want to do that. I mean…”

"What?" Troy asked, confused at Canvas’ pause.

"You were right, Troy. Ponyville is a lot better." Canvas looked around the town with a smile as lights from the houses and buildings began to illuminate around them. Troy was transfixed by the way the shadows accentuated the glow of Canvas’ hopeful eyes, hidden as they were behind his scraggly mane. His smile, soft and longing, left Troy nearly breathless, even though he wasn’t chasing a rainbow trail this time. For some reason he couldn’t explain to himself, he really wished he had that camera right about now. Canvas looked at him, and Troy realized he’d been staring. "I'm really glad I came here."

Troy gave a slight smile, wings fluttering. "So… did something happen? You seem a lot less jumpy."

Canvas closed his eyes as he breathed in the cool air, and exhaled deeply before giving his answer.

"The nights really are beautiful in Ponyville."

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 the editors helping me out with this process: SirReal, and Double R. Forrest. 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.