For the first time since he could remember, Canvas was having a home-cooked meal with other ponies. He sat down at the dining room table with Lyra, Bon-Bon, and the Cakes; as he listened to their conversations and stories (including how the Cakes catered for Lyra and Bon-Bon's wedding), Canvas felt his heart grow warmer with how comfortable everything was. He'd known all these ponies for only a day or two, but they already felt like good friends. He was even able to converse with them when they asked him about how he got into painting without feeling like a leper.

He usually didn’t feel comfortable talking about how he got his cutie mark, but Canvas felt a lot more at ease with the two couples in front of him. While there may not have been many great memories from Gallop Creek, the moment he discovered his destiny in painting was one of the few good ones. After taking a quick drink from his glass of lemonade, Canvas cleared his throat and began his story.

"Well… back when I was a colt, my bedroom was right across from the town drugstore, so I just saw a brick wall from my window. Then one day, some idiots thought it would be fun to vandalize it. When I woke up and looked out the window that morning, I saw nothing but a bunch of swear words and other rude stuff spray-painted on it. Luckily, the guys who did it were quickly caught and got in huge trouble, but the paint that they used was some sort of specialized stuff that was really difficult to clean. And since the owner of the drugstore was an old stallion, he wasn't really able to do it himself."

Canvas took another sip from his glass, noticing the four ponies were now listening with great interest.

"Anyway, because it was a special kind of paint, they had to use a high-grade cleaning agent to get it off. However, it would have to take a month for the stuff to be delivered to town, which meant I had to see that graffiti from my bedroom every night. For some reason, it really, really bothered me, you know? Like, I don’t want to wake up every morning and see those phrases when I look out the window! So… I got myself some paint and figured I could cover it up myself. I mean, it was going to be washed anyway.

"So one night, while my parents were asleep, I snuck out of my room and started covering up the bad words with my paint. I don't know what happened, but I just didn't want to stop. I just kept going all night, adding more and more stuff to make the wall look better. I'm shocked that nopony saw me since I was pretty much out in the open, but by the time morning came, I made this huge mural over all the graffiti. Thankfully, I did this on a Friday night, so I was able to pass out in my bed by the time anypony saw what I did."

Canvas finished off his glass of lemonade before Lyra spoke. "So what happened? Did you get in trouble or anything?"

Canvas chuckled a little. "I honestly thought I was going to! I mean, the owner was absolutely furious that somepony else painted on his wall, and didn’t even care that it was a major improvement. I mean, I painted a lot of stuff that one night, mostly patterns in bright colors at first, but I just kept going with a few symbols and other things to add to it.

"When my Mom woke me up around noon, she saw me all covered in paint and passed out on the bed. I thought she was going to kill me for what I did, but she just hugged me right then and there. I didn't realize why until she pointed to this."

Canvas motioned to the paint palette and brush on his flank, looking at it with a sentimental smile.

"I… I was actually one of the last ponies in my class to get my cutie mark. I knew both my parents were worried about when I'd finally get one, but I remember Mom was so happy for me when it happened. One of the first things she told me afterwards was, 'I'm so proud of you.'

“She… She was my first fan."

Canvas grabbed a napkin from the table, and wiped his eyes while the others waited for the end.

"She talked with the drugstore owner for a while, and made sure he didn’t press charges. All she did was ask him whether what I did was better or worse than what those other kids did. He wasn't a fan of my mural, but even he admitted that it was at least better than a bunch of swear words.

"A few weeks later, everything from the wall was removed when the cleaning stuff came in. I honestly wasn't that upset, though. By then, I was really getting into making more paintings, so I didn't think too much about the drugstore. That was when she got me my art bag." Canvas looked down at his bag, which was lying neatly on the ground next to his seat.

Seeing that his story was over, Bon-Bon smiled as she said, "That's really sweet, Canvas. Your mother sounds like a great pony." She bumped into Lyra. “See? That is a supportive mare.” Lyra grumbled, scraping at her plate.

Canvas grabbed his napkin again, holding it against his eyes as he tried to keep his composure. "She really was."

While Canvas felt he made the dinner a bit awkward at the end of his story, everypony was quick to make him feel better by the end of the night. He collected his supplies (as well as some leftovers), gave the Cakes his thanks, and left with Lyra and Bon-Bon. Canvas closed his eyes while taking in the cool air of Luna's night, and felt a lot better about how his day went. As he walked with the two mares along the darkened streets, Lyra decided to break the silence.

"So, Canvas, I heard you were your school’s valedictorian. I know you’re a wizard with a brush, but you never told me you were a bucking genius on top of that!"

Canvas was a little surprised that she knew that, but he figured that word about it got around since the party.

"Um… Well, all I really did was just study a lot. Anyone could have done it if they wanted."

“That’s still really impressive, Canvas,” Bon-Bon said. “Don’t sell yourself short. I happen to know a certain hamhead who tried eating her cereal with a fork once.”

“Oh har har, Bonnie. You say that like you don’t trip over your own tail whenever you step out of the shower.”

Bon-Bon’s cheeks reddened. “That happens to lots of ponies! And that shower’s tiny!”

“You’re literally the only pony I’ve ever met who has that problem, Bon-Bon. And it happens every time! Honestly, that’s what’s really impressive here.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes. Canvas silently listened with an amused grin.

"So…” Lyra looked at the stallion with a curious grin. "Are you planning on going to college?"

Canvas’ eyebrows raised as he thought about her question. He knew he could probably do well in college, at least academically, but he never thought about it as a path to take. "Honestly, I don't think college is for me. I mean, I already know what I want to do with my life, and I don't feel like an art college would really help me out that much."

Lyra shrugged as she kept walking. "I can understand that. I knew a few art students, and I haven’t heard that many big success stories from them after they graduated. Plus, with your talent, you could probably teach those classes instead. I’d be first in line to ‘How to Unlock Your Third Eye with Le Canvas Magnifique,’ " she said with a flourishing wave.

Canvas gave her a sheepish smile. "Well, I'm thinking of maybe seeing if I can do more jobs around town. I mean, I had a pretty good day already."

Both mares nodded as Bon-Bon chimed in, "No doubt about it, you’ll find work. Well, unless the world’s gone mad or something. As soon as more ponies see what you did with that nursery, I wouldn’t be surprised if you get tons of offers by the end of the week!"

Canvas gave a light chuckle, feeling confident that she might be right. "Thanks, Bon-Bon. I appreciate that."

Suddenly, with a quick whoosh, a large, winged figure swooped past the three. It landed on the street in front of them, causing Lyra and Bon-Bon to jump back in surprise. Canvas, however, simply gave a flat stare at the figure’s showy antics for he knew who it was. Even in the dark, the stallion could recognize someone as distinct as Troy.

The gryphon shook his feathers and made a quick stretch before walking toward the three. Seeing the dark lines under Troy's eyes and the ruffled state of his feathers, Canvas could tell he had a busy day as well.

"Look who decided to drop in." The stallion gave himself a mental high-hoof for that one.

Troy slowly nodded, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes with his claw. "Canvas. Ladies,” the gryphon said by way of greeting. Bon-Bon and Lyra remained speechless at Troy’s sudden appearance. Ignoring them, the gryphon turned to Canvas and said, “The transfer went through, but it was like yanking teeth convincing the boss to allow it. Hardly spoke to the guy before today, but all of a sudden he’s talking my head off about how I’m ‘a valued member of the team.’ ” Troy gritted his teeth. “Buck off, you old tailkisser."

Seeing how agitated Troy was, Canvas decided to keep his muzzle shut about his own. "Well, at least you have a new job now."

Troy shook his head, pacing the ground. His tail whipped around in agitation. "Not quite. I have to train the new guy in ice scraping, and I'm positive my supervisor picked the absolute worst pony to take my place just to spite me!" Groaning under his breath, Troy rubbed his temples to calm himself down. "But it's alright,” he said, more to himself than anypony present. “It's a simple job, and I know I'll get him used to it by the end of the week." A dark expression dawned on the gryphon’s face. “Even if I have to shove the entire bloody ice block down his gullet.”

Troy ran a claw through the feathers on his head in a poor attempt to get them slightly less messy. He once again regarded the mares, his demeanor flipping in an instant. “Sorry you two had to bear the brunt of that. Work’s a pain and a half, y’know?” He adopted a charming smile. “Name’s Troy. So you’re Lyra and Bon-Bon, right? The pirate over here wouldn’t shut up about you two,” he smoothly said, pointing a thumb at Canvas.

Lyra, ever quick to warm up to a new face, was the first to speak up. "That entrance was so cool!” she said, latching onto and shaking her wife. “Ohmygosh, Bonnie, did you see that!?"

Bon-Bon gave a long-suffering sigh. “I saw it, honey.”

“Yeah, this is the gryphon who saved me during that storm,” Canvas said, knowing his friend had made an impression on the mares.

“Troy, you’ve got your hooves full with this one,” said Bon-Bon, nodding at Canvas. “I’m still trying to pick up the pieces of my head after that mind-blowing mural he painted at the Cakes’.”

Troy gave Canvas an amused glance. “That so? Guess I can say the same to you from what I’ve heard. Marriage is a pretty big deal! And I must say, Canvas wasn't kidding. You two do make a cute couple!~"

The two mares blushed and giggled. "Well, aren't you the charmer!" said Lyra, pulling her wife closer. "But she’s already taken."

While Troy and Lyra laughed, Bon-Bon looked up to the clock tower. "Oh shoot!" she shouted. "I have to get the taffy out at ten! I gotta go!"

Before anypony could say anything, she began to gallop off before quickly stopping, turning her head back to Troy with a kind smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Troy!" And with that, Bon-Bon was off, running into the night.

Lyra groaned as she laid a hoof across her face. "Ugh, that stupid taffy idea…” Looking back to Troy and Canvas, Lyra sighed. "Listen, she's probably going to need my help, so I'll talk to you guys later, alright?" The two nodded and made their goodbyes, watching the unicorn trot off after Bon-Bon.

Now standing alone together under the streetlights, Troy yawned and his tiredness came creeping back. Noticing how quickly his mood changed after the mares left, Canvas giggled and caught Troy's attention.

"What?" said Troy, trying not to sound agitated.

"Oh, nothing." A sly smirk spread across his muzzle. "I just didn't think of you as a prowler."

Troy shot up in surprise, holding out his claws in protest. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You think I was flirting with them?"

"Why don’t you tell me, lady-killer?" With his smile growing wider, it was obvious that Canvas wasn't buying what Troy was selling.

"Seriously, that’s just how I act around mares. I’m not even into ponies like that, so bleh,” Troy said, sticking out his tongue at Canvas.

Canvas still raised an eyebrow in skepticism, which caused Troy to sigh with a roll of his eyes.

"Ponies tend to be intimidated by me. Y’know, the big, bad gryphon or whatever. It’s a real drag." Canvas' eyes narrowed a bit in confusion. "So I try acting more… pleasing like that, so ponies get used to me. It worked with those two, didn’t it?"

"Oh.” Canvas felt a little guilty at making an assumption like that, and his ears drooped down to the side of his head. "Um… Sorry. I didn’t mean to―”

"Don’t apologize." Troy held up a claw to stop him, a smirk of his own carving its way into his beak. "To be honest, it wouldn't be the first time a pony took it that way. At least there wasn't a jealous husband with a ketchup packet and a rubber chicken this time."

Canvas quickly covered his mouth in an attempt to not laugh too loud. Troy smiled. Seeing this side of Canvas made him feel lighter, like all the headaches of the day were worth it. He thought back to what he said to him yesterday, feeling odd that he was thinking the same thing right now: Canvas really did look better when he was smiling.

As Troy walked alongside the right side of Canvas, he kept looking toward the eyepatch, and the smooth, black fabric sticking out against the rougher aqua fur. The look didn't seem to suit the pony, but Troy kept his beak shut about it.

Though the silence was quite companionable, the eyepatch did stir a few questions in the gryphon. "So…” Troy drew a blank, but he knew he had to go on. "Did the doctor say anything else?"

He wasn't sure why he asked that, other than it came off the top of his head. However, he began to regret the question when he saw Canvas' face fall.

As he looked up at Troy with an unreadable expression, Canvas said, "Well, I… I told him what happened."

The atmosphere of the streets suddenly became heavy. He thought back to what he told Canvas the previous night, knowing in his heart of hearts he was the reason the pony said anything to him.

"He… He asked me about it before I left the first time. And when I went to see him today, I just felt like letting him know."

Troy nodded. He may have thought about what happened a lot before Canvas told him, but he was sure that the doctor thought about it even more. When one’s job involves looking over the health of the injured, questions are bound to burn brighter in cases like Canvas'. "So, what was the good doctor’s professional opinion?"

Once again, Canvas bit his lip. "He told me the same thing you did. About… About telling somepony about it." Though Canvas seemed a little bit better about bringing it up, Troy could tell he was still hesitant about actually taking the advice given to him. "I just… I…”

"Hey…”

Canvas focused on the gryphon, who had that same look of concern that Stable did. "Doing this won't change how everypony else will treat you here. I promise." Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Canvas breathed out uneasily as he let Troy's words sink in. "But if you do tell somepony who can help, it could change things for the better back there."

Canvas looked down at the ground, slowly nodding his head. He knew that he was safe here in Ponyville, and he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t felt this accepted in a long time. However, it was still hard to think about what happened in Gallop Creek, let alone speak about it out loud. It was like a bad dream he wanted to forget about, but the more he focused on looking away, the tighter its grip on his mind became.

As Canvas tried to think of a clear answer among the bombardment of conflicting thoughts, he felt a gentle warmth on his shoulder. He saw a claw resting there, and he looked back up at Troy, who gave him a look of assurance. The clouds in his mind started to clear up. As he gazed into the gryphon's shining golden eyes, brighter and more magnificent than any treasure beheld, Canvas saw the only answer that remained. And with that, the artist knew what it was that he had to do.

"I… I gotta see somepony. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Blinking, Troy let him go. “If you’re sure,” Troy said questioningly, unsure of what the stallion was up to.

Canvas trotted off in a different direction than before, and Troy stared after him, hoping he had gotten through to the pony... Just as he opened his wings, he heard Canvas call out to him.

"Hey, Troy?"

Surprised, Troy looked over to see Canvas in the distance.

"Good luck,” he said with a genuine smile on his muzzle. “With the job, I mean."

Smiling a bit, Troy nodded as Canvas trotted back off into the night. He then flew off into the night sky.

Canvas didn't know much about the layout of Ponyville just yet, but he knew some of the basic landmarks. He felt confident as he moved toward Town Hall, for he knew what he was looking for, having passed it before. After making a right turn, Canvas sighed in relief as he saw the place ahead of him: a huge tree, which was supposed to house the Ponyville Library. Though he still felt hesitant, he knew he had to say something. He also knew that if anypony would be able to help him, it would be a princess.

Steeling himself, Canvas took a deep breath before walking up and knocking on the door.

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.