Yawning loudly, Troy slowly opened his eyes as he woke up on his cloud. Since it was his scheduled day off, the gryphon was able to appreciate waking up without a blaring alarm while the morning sun warmed his back. Troy groaned as he rolled off of his stomach, and he could feel the cooling mist of the cloud evaporating as they brushed against his warmed feathers.

Troy drew a blank as he looked up into the clear blue skies, trying to think of something to do. Usually, he would spend his days off with Canvas and try to do something fun. However, ever since the pony bought that old barn from Applejack, he'd been spending all his time either fixing the place up or making more paintings for Filthy Rich.

As he rolled back to his side, Troy looked out from the cloud’s edge to the waterfall nearby, which poured into a pristine lake below. With the lake at the bottom of a cliff amongst a grassy field, Troy could swear he saw this landscape from a painting somewhere back in the Gryphon Kingdom; heck, maybe that was why he liked having his cloud here. He always preferred the solitude in comparison to the hustle and bustle of Cloudsdale, so being in a little spot of nature like this helped the gryphon feel more relaxed.

Troy decided to start off by getting himself washed up; however, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply as he considered what he could do with his free time alone.

"Okay, that's everything, Mister Canvas."

The stallion nodded and signed the paperwork for the orange pegasus in front of him. Meanwhile, several other pegasus ponies continued to move in the new furniture he bought. Even though Canvas tried to stay frugal on his purchases (especially after buying all his art supplies for the barn walls), he still ended up spending a large portion of his bits on the bed and dresser being moved into the loft. Then came several other amenities for his place, like food and shampoo. He wasn’t broke again just yet, but Canvas hoped he would be able to sell some more paintings to Mister Rich soon.

After the movers left, Canvas walked upstairs to his loft, and sighed in joy as he looked upon his newly purchased king-sized bed. The mattress alone took up nearly half of the side wall it was up against, and already had a fluffy blue comforter and pillows on top to complete it. Canvas remembered when he went to Carousel Boutique to paint Rarity's wall, and he made a mental note to purchase himself a bed that looked as plush and luxurious as the fashionista’s. And now, he had his very own bed that was set to last him for a long time.

Canvas made sure that the movers were out of sight, and shouted in glee as he threw himself on the bedspread. He giggled to himself while rolling around like a dog in the grass, and savored the sensation of the soft, cushy bedding that served as his first major interior purchase.

After taking a quick shower under the waterfall, Troy shook himself dry and glided down to the ground. A modest field served as a clearing within the thick woods that surrounded the region, with Troy’s cloud resting on top to serve as the only shadow. Considering how pristine the lake and clearing looked, the gryphon considered himself lucky that no ponies had come around to claim it for themselves. He’d been living in this area for several months, but he’d only ever seen one pony come around here; and even then, that was just because the yellow pegasus was trying to look for her pet bunny. Other than that, Troy considered the region his own personal slice of heaven outside of Ponyville.

He started his morning stretches as he looked around, knowing that since he had nothing else to do, he might as well do something he hadn’t done in a while. Since everything seemed to be in the clear, Troy bolted off the ground to soar back up to his cloud. An eager grin spread across his beak, since he already knew exactly where he had stashed away his things for a quick and effortless setup.

Canvas sighed in trepidation as he stood outside his new home, and gawked at how much work needed to be done. The Apple Family may have done an amazing job fixing up the barn for him, but Canvas knew that he would need a ton of paint just to get the primer down himself. The barn was taller than most of the ladders the Apples had, so he knew he would need some assistance to help with getting it all painted. More specifically, he would need a pair of wings in order to do the job right.

A small skew could be seen across the stallion’s muzzle, mostly due to how awkward he felt about his plans. Nevertheless, the necessity of the matter was enough for Canvas to huff sharply to himself, and then trot off to look for his friend.

Troy was vague about where he put his cloud, but Canvas knew that it was actually somewhere nearby. As he looked through a map he had in his art bag, Canvas tried to see if it had anything regarding a waterfall. The last time he and Troy hung out at the bowling alley with his coworkers, he remembered the gryphon mentioning something about being near one.

After several minutes of scanning, Canvas noticed a familiar icon for one near a pond less than a mile from his home. Canvas noted which way it was with a compass, and then headed into the woods behind his house. He may have not been the most outdoorsy of ponies, but he hoped that his good sense of direction would guide him on the right path through the thick foliage.

Canvas almost felt like he was going through the Everfree Forest as he traversed through the dauntingly thick brush, and tried his hardest not to get scratched up by all the hanging branches. A couple squirrels scurried past the stallion, with both of them looking rather surprised to see anypony out here. Canvas almost considered turning back to double-checking his map, just in case he felt himself getting lost with how unfamiliar everything looked.

However, when Canvas stopped moving to check his bag, he realized the forest wasn't completely silent. Amongst the sounds of buzzing insects and branches rustling in the wind, the stallion began to hear something completely different in the distance.

Music.

On the ground underneath Troy's cloud, a vintage record player spun an even older-looking vinyl record. A booming orchestral arrangement was playing out from the cone-shaped speaker, which still sounded amazingly pristine among the crackles of the vintage audio. Meanwhile, Troy was soaring freely above the skies and gliding around to the music without a care in the world. Since he knew exactly when the vocals would begin during the song, the gryphon cleared his throat after making a pronounced loop over his cloud.

Canvas finally reached the clearing with a stroke of luck, but continued to look around for the source of that music. When he noticed the record player, Canvas looked around in confusion to see who the heck left an antique out in the middle of an open field. It wasn’t until he walked up to the player that he realized that it was not only super old, but looked to have been made from a non-Equestrian manufacturer. The knobs looked to be more attuned for claws as opposed to hooves, and the manufacturer logo was clearly in Gryphonian text. Next to the player was the case for the spinning record, with the sleeve well-worn with a painting of a clown on the front; Canvas’ knowledge of Gryphonian was novce at best, but he could read the words ‘Leoncavello-Pagliacci’ on the bottom.

Canvas blinked a couple times in confusion, before he heard a booming voice above him start to sing:

“Recitaaar! … Mentre preso dal delirioooo…”

Looking up to the skies, Canvas' eyes widened in shock when he saw Troy soaring high above. His flying looked absolutely majestic as he glided theatrically around his home, and didn’t even open his eyes while he sang along with the record.

“Non so più quel che dico… E quel che faccio! … Eppur… è d’uopo… sforzati! … Baaaah! Sei tu forse un uom!”

Canvas couldn’t understand a single word of what he was singing, but he instantly recognized the song as being a well-known opera track. He remained silent as to keep from disturbing his friend, and sat down next to the record as he listened. All the while, his wide-eyed gaze never left Troy while looking up at the skies, and he followed the seamless path the gryphon made among the cloudscapes.

“E se, Arlecchin… t’invola Colombina… Rridi, Pagliacco... E ognun, applaudirà!”

Canvas never had much of an interest in opera music growing up, but his jaw dropped as he heard his friend serenading those vocals with such a passionate intensity. Troy's singing voice was as smooth as the gliding of a hoof against freshly-pressed velvet, and came out with such a flawless mixture of power and grace. Meanwhile, the stellar movements of his body carried just as much tenacity and skill as his singing, as his soaring movements carried a level of experience that even Rainbow Dash would’ve considered to be impressive. Unaware of the unintentional audience watching below him, Troy spread his wings to full length as he belted out the big finish.

“Ridi, Pagliaaaaa-ccioooo…”

The final note of his ballad lasted for nearly half a minute, and left Canvas in complete silence by the time his friend’s beak finally shut. After the song faded out, Troy sighed in relief and nearly collapsed when he landed on his cloud. He used a chunk of the cloud to dab the sweat from his brow, and smiled from the satisfaction of being able to do that in peace. He then stretched his back upward as he bent down, hoping he didn't throw out his posture from his theatrical flying. Unfortunately, his eyes immediately shot open in shock when he looked down from his cloud, and he saw Canvas sitting down below.

Canvas' eyes and mouth were fully gaped like a goldfish while staring back at the gryphon, whose pupils shrunk to the size of pin-pricks from being discovered. Troy may have had some dark feathers across his face, but that didn't stop the violently-red blush from glowing over his face when Canvas threw his hooves up and applauded.

"Woooooooo!! Encore! Encore!"

Troy quickly hid himself away from Canvas' sight within the cloud, and groaned while covering his face with both claws. Even though he was glad the pony wasn’t laughing, he still felt absolutely mortified from hearing Canvas’ cheerful clapping. After shuddering uncomfortably in embarrassment, Troy tried to calm himself down and figure out how long his friend had been down there. Eventually, Canvas' clapping ceased so he could shout up to his friend.

"Aw, c'mon, Troy! That was awesome! I swear, you have nothing to be embarrassed about!"

A strong grimace shot across the gryphon’s face, and it took everything in him not to feel insecure from the stallion’s assurance. Slowly but surely, Troy popped his head out from under the cloud, and looked down at Canvas with a notable blush. As he looked around to make sure nopony else was there, his voice came out in an audible, but still feeble tone. "... How… H-How long were you sitting there?"

Canvas tried not to smirk in amusement, mostly since he felt a bit surprised at seeing his friend looking so shy. Fortunately though, the artist was able to keep from giggling when he replied. "Well… I only heard a little bit, but holy CRAP!~"

Canvas' sudden excitement caught Troy off-guard when the pony stood up to start raving. "Seriously, that was incredible! How long have you been singing like that? I mean, I couldn't sing that well if I spent years practicing, but YOU! Like... Sweet Mother of Celestia, that was amazing, Troy!"

Troy rubbed the feathers on the back of his head, and his blush could be seen deepening in response to Canvas' high praise. As he kept his eyes away from the pony, he was able to gave a meek smile and say, "Um… Thanks, I guess. I mean, I… I thought I was alone…”

"Okay, seriously dude?!” Canvas’ voice turned insistent as he shouted up to the gryphon, “Can you at least come down to the ground? I’d rather not keep shouting in the middle of a field like a crazy pony.”

Even in his flustered state, Troy couldn’t help shouting down in response, “Yeah, Pinkie Pie would probably get mad at you for stealing her title.”

That little quip was good enough to make both of them laugh, and helped to get the gryphon in higher spirits. Troy reluctantly hopped off the cloud, and slowly glided down until his claws and paws touched the ground. He tried not to blush too heavily while looking at Canvas with an embarrassed expression. Meanwhile, the stallion just kept that big smile on his muzzle while staring back at Troy. Canvas then looked around to take notice of their surroundings, and said "Wow… I’m not gonna lie, you really do have a nice place, Troy."

"Thanks,” said the gryphon with a thankful nod, even though his sheepish squirming was more evident as he avoided eye-contact with Canvas. “L-Listen, I… I never really, like… sang in… in a situation like…”

While Troy tried to muster out any words that could come to his head, Canvas' brows rose up in response upon noticing the shakiness in his voice. "Wait a minute. Are… Are you telling me you never sang in front of anypony before?"

"Well… um…” Troy's blush grew even deeper when he tried to give an answer, and he rubbed his foreleg while keeping his eyes on the ground. "... Technically, I never sang in front of a pony, yeah. I mean… I’ve only lived in Equestria for a few months, after all...”

Canvas' smile grew even wider in astoundment, and he chuckled to himself while staring pridefully at his friend. "If that's so, then I'm really glad I have the distinction of being the first. If you ever put out an opera record yourself, I’ll be sure to tell ponies about that little fact~"

Troy’s eyes widened when he caught the sincere smile on Canvas’ face upon giving such a nice compliment. Not only was the pony refraining from laughing or pestering him, but he was able to show genuine appreciation for the candid performance he witnessed. Troy may have known that he had a good singing voice, but it still felt weird to know that one of his friends felt the same way. However, since he could tell how honored Canvas felt to have heard him in private, Troy could only smile back while his blush began to dissipate.

"So, Canvas, what the heck are you doing here!?” he asked with a befuddled huff, finally coming down from his embarrassment to take notice of Canvas’ unplanned appearance. “I mean, did I even tell you where I lived?! All I said was that I lived near a waterfall!"

Canvas shrugged his shoulders in response to Troy’s confusion, and was quick to pull out the map and compass from his bag. "Yeah, you technically didn’t tell me the exact location, but there aren’t too many waterfalls listed on this map of the region. And since you mentioned living nearby my new place, I put two and two together when I saw the lake right here."

Canvas pointed a hoof to the small indication on the map, which caused Troy to shrug with an impressed look on his face. The fact that his friend could find a private residence so easily felt a little unnerving, but it wasn’t like he could claim Canvas was invading his privacy either. After all, if he wanted to remain secluded, he probably shouldn’t have been blasting opera in the middle of the woods and flying about like a protagonist in a kid’s movie’s first musical number.

"But with that being said,” continued Canvas as he struggled not to wince, and looked away from Troy in anticipation for his request. “I, uhhh… I was kinda wanting to ask for your help sometime."

Troy raised his brows with interest, but he kept himself silent while Canvas put the map away. "The renovations to my place just got finished on the inside, and I already got myself moved in and everything. But I still needed to paint the outside myself, so... I was hoping to ask whether or not you could maybe… help me with that sometime soon?

Now Canvas was looking more timid between the two, mostly since he knew just how big of a project that would be for Troy to help with. "Wait, really?" asked Troy with a surprised look on his face. After blinking a couple times, he huffed with an astounded smile and said, “Wow, your place is already fixed-up? I’m not gonna lie, I would’ve expected you guys to need a month to get that place up to code!”

Even though he was proud of his newly-purchased property, Canvas couldn’t blame Troy for feeling that way about the barn’s former state. “Honestly, the exterior damages were the biggest issues the barn had. By the time we got everything cleared out, it took less than a week to make all the bigger repairs. I was planning to paint the barn myself, but… I kinda needed someone with wings to help apply the primer first.”

“Aaaaahhhhh…” Troy nodded in understanding, and tried his hardest not to look upset by his realization. While he certainly wasn’t going to refuse if Canvas asked for his help, the gryphon could only imagine how taxing such a project could be for his wings. However, considering where Canvas was previously living, Troy wasn’t one to complain about the stallion having his own place to call a home. “Well hey, at least you can paint it however you want!” he said optimistically. “Heck, you could even put some big mural on the side walls or something!”

"That was the idea!" Canvas said with an especially chipper tone. His smile widened even more as he looked up at his friend and asked, "So… you wanna see it?"

With Canvas grinning at him like a little colt wanting to show off a new toy, Troy couldn’t help smirking back as his curiosity got the best of him. "You know what? I’d love to see what you guys did with the place. Lead the way!"

"Great!" Canvas began to trot off back into the woods, but eventually stopped in front of the line of trees. As he looked around, Canvas started to appear confused while trying to remember his previous path. He could’ve sworn he remembered which clearing he exited the woods from, but now all the trees seemed to have looked identical to the aqua stallion. After a few seconds, Canvas slowly turned his head back to Troy with an sheepish blush on his face. "Umm…”

Troy sighed and looked at Canvas with a deadpan stare. "Canvas, did you seriously forget how to get back to your own house?"

Despite how embarrassing it was to answer such a stupid question honestly, Canvas cringed while nodding his head in guilty silence. Troy had to cover his beak with a claw, and tried his hardest not to laugh out-loud at his friend's mistake. "Oh man, Rainbow Dash would never let that go if she heard that!” he said with a brief chuckle and a shake of his head. As Canvas’ head lowered a little more in shame, Troy was quick to ask, “So, do you need me to fly you back?"

"Umm…” Canvas didn't expect Troy to make such an offer, and looked up at him with a confounded stare. "Wait, are… are you actually alright with doing that?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders rather casually, and then nodded his head back at him. "Well, yeah. I mean… I saw where the barn was, and it’s not like I can’t lift up things twice your weight. It seriously wouldn’t be a big deal. Besides... that's what friends do, right?"

Canvas felt a distinct warmth across his cheeks upon seeing Troy’s smile, which carried just as much sincerity as his assuring tone of voice. Even though he never would’ve thought of asking for such a favor, he also knew that his friend wasn’t one to veer away from close personal contact. And despite his own apprehensions, Canvas felt a lot easier about accepting the offer as he smiled back at him. "Ummm… Right."

Troy spread out his wings, and caused the wind shooting out to brush strongly against Canvas' fur. After a couple profound flaps of his wings, the gryphon hovered a few feet in the air as he maneuvered himself above Canvas. As the wind gusted around wildly beneath Troy’s wings, Canvas' long mane stirred around unprotected and got in his face.

Canvas tried to get the chestnut strands out from his eyes, but his heart suddenly began beating rapidly when he felt Troy's chest brush against his back. The gryphon’s claws came down and wrapped around his chest, which caused Canvas to gasp sharply from the close contact. The artist may have been hugged by him before, but the positioning now felt a lot more… intimate than he would’ve predicted. While Troy didn't seem to notice how nervous or overwhelmed his friend was getting, Canvas had to clench his eyes tightly shut when he felt his body being lifted off the ground.

In less than a few seconds, Troy flew the two of them high into the air, and well above the forest line as he headed toward Canvas' home. The stallion slowly opened one eye, and nearly had a heart attack when he saw how far the ground was from his dangling hooves. Canvas tensed up greatly as he clenched his eyes shut again, and he was trembling in fear before he felt Troy's claws gripping him tighter. Almost instantly, Canvas’ trepidation began to dwindle down as he felt how securely the gryphon was holding him, and realized how serenely they were gliding across the endless blue skies.

Even with how dangerously high he was, Canvas' heart rate actually began to settle down as he felt Troy's surprisingly warm body nestled against his back. He could also feel the high-altitude winds brushing against his fur, which caused Canvas to breathe in deeply while savoring his friend’s secure embrace. Just as his home was coming up within view in the distance, Canvas felt himself blushing hotly when he felt the beating of Troy's heart through his feathered chest, and he caught the gryphon’s soft and steady tempo.

Without even thinking, Canvas closed his eyes as he tried to feel that heartbeat as much as he could. As the rushing winds gusted loudly around him, the artist tried to breathe calmly while being held so firmly by his friend. Even with how scared he still felt, that looming fear wasn’t enough to counteract the trust he felt that his friend wouldn’t let him go. The flight might have only lasted a couple of minutes, but it felt much longer to the pony by the time he felt the winds change, and he opened his eyes to see his barn below.

Canvas shook his head, and quickly got himself recomposed while Troy lowered him down to the ground. When his hooves touched the cool grass along the side of the property, Canvas suddenly felt a bitter rush of cold wind creep across his back when Troy pulled away. After landing himself, Troy immediately winced in dread when he looked up at the massive wall of aged and unprotected wood.

"Hoo boy… I guess you really do need my help painting all this, huh?"

Canvas giggled guiltily and nodded his head, but remained hopeful Troy wouldn't be too upset about agreeing. But before either could say anything more, the sounds of fresh hoofsteps could be heard from the front of the barn. As the two looked over, Canvas was surprised to see Filthy Rich happily walking up to them with another stallion.

"Oh, there you are, Canvas! I tried knockin’ a few times, but I didn’t realize you were away from home."

“It’s alright,” assured Canvas as he walked up to the two with an apologetic smile. “If I knew somepony was coming by, I probably would’ve stayed home. I hope I didn’t leave you two waiting for too long.” As he smiled, Canvas’ attention turned towards the white unicorn standing next to Mister Rich. The posh-looking stallion was wearing a regal tuxedo jacket, had a monocle over his left eye, and sported a pencil-thin mustache that matched the light blue coat of his well-kept mane.

The stallion blinked a couple times as he stared at Canvas with a look of surprise. Fortunately, he was quick to smirk contentedly when he glanced back at Filthy Rich. "Well, I must say, Mister Rich. You certainly know how to impress me in the most unexpected ways!”

The unicorn then brought out a hoof to Canvas, and smiled politely as he introduced himself. "I was rather surprised when Mister Rich told me about you, but it's a pleasure to actually meet the creator of the most recent pieces of artwork in my collection. My name is Fancy Pants."

Canvas shook the stallion's hoof, and blinked a couple times upon recognizing his charming smile. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. If I may ask, though… Are you actually the Fancy Pants? As in… the Canterlot Noble Fancy Pants?"

“Why, yes I am!” Fancy looked pleasantly surprised by the artist’s recognition, and narrowed his eyes when he asked, “Have we met before? Because I could’ve sworn I’d remember if we did.”

“No, I don’t believe we have,” admitted the artist with a shrug before letting go of the pony’s hoof. “I did a couple of painting jobs for Rarity at Carousel Boutique, and she mentioned you a few times in conversation.

“Aaaaahhhh…” Upon hearing that mare’s name, Fancy pointed a hoof at Canvas and said, “She actually showed me that wall portrait you made for her the last time I visited her shop. I wouldn’t have expected that to be from the same pony who made that Phoenix portrait, but I guess that only proves how varied your talents really are, Mister Canvas.”

Canvas began to blush as he smiled wider in response to Fancy Pants’ sincere praises. Meanwhile, Troy tried not to smirk to himself while watching the interaction nearby, and keeping himself silent out of politeness. Filthy Rich quickly interjected, and caught Canvas’ attention when he spoke with an enthusiastic smile. "I was in Canterlot last week for some business deals, and I ended up sellin' some of your paintings to this lovely gentlecolt. He was actually doin’ some renovations to his penthouse, so he ended up buyin’ two of your pieces in an instant! Of course, as soon as I mentioned you weren't a unicorn, he insisted on coming down to Ponyville to meet you himself!"

Canvas turned his attention back to Fancy Pants, who was quick to hold up his hoof to correct Filthy Rich. "For the record, I like to visit every artist I purchase a piece from. I can assure you, it has nothing to do with your race. But I must admit, it is rather refreshing to see such immaculate skills from such a young pony. You should be very proud of your work, good sir."

Canvas blushed even more and looked away out of bashfulness. Even though this stallion was a bit older than he would’ve preferred, Fancy Pants’ charming attitude made the artist feel more than a little flattered.

"Th-thank you, Sir." Canvas tried not to giggle, hoping his giddy reaction wasn't too obvious. “I-I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting for my work to be noticed by a Noble.”

Once again, Filthy Rich was quick to put himself into the conversation. "Now Canvas, I told him all about your art and how you won the Central Equestrian Art show. And because of that, he was interested in making a deal with you."

"Really?" asked Canvas and Troy at the same time, with both of their brows raised up in surprise.

"Well, yes,” said the unicorn, who used his magic to remove the monocle from his face. "But if you don’t mind, I would also like to see some of your other work first. It’s always good to look through an artist’s portfolio before making negotiations, after all."

Canvas nodded rapidly and fumbled for the keys inside his bag. "O-Of course! Sure! I was just about to show my friend Troy the place anyway." After Canvas motioned to the gryphon behind him, Troy walked up to the two while trying not to feel out of place.

"Um… hello,” Troy said as he brought out his claw, and tried to give the Noble a friendly smile.

Fortunately, Fancy Pants was quick to shake the gryphon’s claw, not looking phased at all by his presence. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Troy. I take it that’s short for Troius?"

Troy blinked a couple times in surprise, and grew a more impressed smile when he said, “Actually, yeah! It is!”

Meanwhile, Canvas pulled the newly-renovated doors open with ease, and motioned to the three as he showed them his new workplace.

"Well guys,” he said with a kind smile, “come on in."

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.