Yeah, his face was pretty cute.

Pretty cute.

Cute.

Troy knew how dumb it was to fly with a clouded mind, but he still couldn't stop thinking about that one bucking word. That’d never happened before, so why did it happen then? Though he knew it was just a small mix-up of words, he didn't want to think about why that particular word popped up in the first place.

A gust of wind brushed past him as he soared through the dusk skies. Troy tried to focus on his surroundings while so high up in the air, mostly in hope that the slightest thing could shut up his stupid thoughts. But when he saw Canvas' house in the distance, Troy tried not to take notice of how quickly his heart sank into his stomach. While he certainly didn’t want to turn back like a coward, he also wasn’t sure of what to do when he got there. Surely that slip of the tongue wasn’t enough to make him feel awkward around the stallion.

Would it?

Troy was just about to cringe from that random thought slipping into his head, which only intensified the feelings he was trying so hard to avoid for this night. But before he could do anything to quell his uncertainties, the gryphon’s wings shot open as he stopped midair.

Troy's eyes widened in an instant, and a distinct scent caught his senses strongly enough to make his pupils shrink. It had been months since he left the Gryphon Kingdom, but that familiar aroma of salty savoriness still hit him like a bag of bricks. After taking several rapid sniffs like a bloodhound, his sights peered downward when he realized it was coming from Canvas' house. His left eye twitched without him even realizing it, and he shot to the barn like a bullet.

Meanwhile in the barn itself, Canvas was working studiously in his kitchen to get everything done before eight. Even though the process took a bit longer than he’d like to admit, the pony hoped that Troy wouldn’t be late. As the cast iron skillet sizzled the contents inside, Canvas tightened both his ponytail and his apron, not wanting to get hit with the scalding-hot splatter of that grease again. The smell that filled his home was borderline nauseating for the vegetarian, but he persisted enough to pull the last of the sizzling pieces out of the skillet with the tongs in his teeth. He then carefully placed them on the plate lined with paper towels, and brought down the dial on his stove to a simmer for later on.

Canvas was just about to bring the plate to the table, but he nearly dropped it when he jolted from a loud barrage of knocks at his door. The stallion yelped sharply enough to make his fur stuck out, but was grateful that he didn’t stumble after the preparations he made. He quickly rubbed his fur back down before putting the plate down, and smirked to himself when he went to answer the door.

“Hey there, birthda--GAAAHHH!!” Canvas inadvertently shrieked when he saw Troy at his door, even though he was expecting him to arrive. The gryphon’s stare was downright terrifying as he stood before him with a serious expression, and almost took up the entire doorway in his upright stance. Troy didn’t say anything as he eyed him down, which made it look like he was trying to break something down with his wide-eyed stare alone. As Canvas stood with a fretful look, he could see how much the gryphon’s eyes were darting around like a hawk looking for its kill.

"Umm… h-hey Troy!” he said while trying to recompose himself, and he shot the gryphon a friendly-looking smile. “S-So, I just got the--"

"I smell bacon."

Canvas took a second to blink in disbelief from his friend’s statement, but then gawked as he looked back at the kitchen. "S-seriously?! You can smell it from THAT far?! I didn't think gryphons could smell tha--"

Canvas wasn’t able to finish his comment before Troy's face loomed less than an inch from his. The stallion froze up again, and could only glance up at the gryphon staring him down like a hungry dog.

"Did you make bacon?" asked Troy, his voice bordering between stoic concern and unparalleled need.

Upon taking notice of his friend’s behavior, Canvas sighed with a smile before stepping a few steps back. "Just sit down at the table, buddy."

Canvas then trotted back into the kitchen, which left Troy the chance to calm himself down as he walked to a modest abode. Troy noticed that Canvas' living space was much more decorated than the last time he was here. Several small, framed pieces of artwork were now hanging on the walls, and a potted plant rested by the base of the loft stairs. There was also a large decorative rug draped on the floor underneath him, which seemed to go with the décor fairly well. And with the smell of bacon emanating in the air, Troy breathed in deeply as he sat down in his chair at the dining table.

His hind-paws tapped at the floor as he anxiously waited, feeling like a little kid at a restaurant in wait for the dessert cart to wheel by. Troy eyed the kitchen door when it opened, which revealed Canvas entering the main room with a large plate in his mouth. As he walked to the table, Troy's wings shot open when he saw that the plate was filled with a large pile of steaming bacon. The moment Canvas rested the plate on the table, he nearly burst out laughing when he caught sight of Troy’s enamored stare and gaped beak. Even though he figured a gryphon like Troy would get nostalgic about meat in a vegetarian society, it was hard not to giggle when he saw his friend staring at the bacon like it was the most magical item in existence.

"That's… that’s--that’s.. that’s… ba… baco… you made…”

"Yeah, I made you bacon,” said Canvas with a prideful grin. “Happy Birthday!"

With the way he shuddered with his claws fidgeting, Troy looked like he was going to eat the entire plate instantly. However, much to Canvas’ surprise, the gryphon didn’t hesitate to shoot a serious glare back at him. "Please do not tell me you killed an animal to make this for me!"

"NO!” Canvas instantly threw his hooves up in a panic, and waved them in sincerity as he shouted, “No, no, no, no! I swear I didn't do anything like that! When I was in Baltimare, I met a guy who sold me the meat! I promise, all I did was cook the meat. I wasn’t beating it or anything."

Troy would’ve sighed in relief from the stallion’s sincerity, but that last statement caused him to clutch his beak shut with both claws so he wouldn’t crack up. Meanwhile, Canvas tilted his head when he saw the gryphon’s immediate response, and he blinked a couple times before asking, “Uhhh… what did I do now?”

“N-Nothing! Nothing…” Troy was quick to wave his claw assuredly while trying to control his breathing, not wanting to get into explaining the context of why that got him to nearly start laughing. Instead, he turned his attention back to the plate in front of him, and stared at the pile of salty pork like it was a gift from Celestia herself. Troy began to salivate as he breathed out shakily, and his claws slowly loomed towards the pile. Even though his impulses were screaming at him to dig in, he struggled not to worry whether or not it would actually be meat, instead of some plant-based crap ponies would try to pass off as meat.

"Ugh! Dude, go ahead!” griped Canvas with a roll of his eyes while he stood by the table. “You’re looking kinda creepy leaning into the plate like that. Just eat it already!"

Troy didn’t need to be told twice, and instantly sunk his claws into the bacon. A primal groan came out of his beak before he tried shoving half of the pile into his open maw. Various chunks of bacon fell from his beak to sprinkle back onto the table, along with copious drippings of bacon grease that likely would’ve stained any tablecloth. Canvas could only stare in a mix of disgust and disbelief at the scenario he created but he refrained from saying anything while the gryphon gorged himself right beside him. But upon remembering what else he had planned, Canvas trotted back to the kitchen before he could get caught staring at Troy’s display. Although, the pony couldn’t resist looking back one last time, and giggled when he saw Troy laughing to himself with his head reeled back and his beak stuffed with half-chewed bacon.

Troy kept cramming as much of the salty gift from the goddesses as he could into his mouth, and could swear that he heard choruses playing in his head. After spending months in a society where eating meat was taboo, Troy savored every piece of the forbidden bacon on his tongue and grease-slathered claws. By the time he picked up and ate every piece of the pile, Troy couldn’t have cared less about how he looked when he started licking the remaining grease on the plate.

Canvas eventually came back to the dining table, and said with a sing-song tone, "Oh, Trooooyyyyy…”

"Yeah?" Troy's response came out as more of a moan than anything else, and his eyes were blissfully shut while he cleaned the remainder of his plate.

"I still have the pan ready, so how do you like this cooked?"

Troy's heart almost stopped when he finally looked up, and he dropped the plate in his claws. Only a few inaudible gasps could come out of his beak, as he was left in utter disbelief upon seeing what his friend was holding in his hoof: a five-inch thick, prime-cut steak.

"Gustav told me that this was one of the best cuts,” said the stallion as he looked down at the marbled slab with a curious shrug, “but I wasn't sure whether or not he was right…” Canvas' words trailed off as he saw Troy’s awe-stricken stare, which prompted him to huff with a smile and ask, "but I'm guessing by how much you're drooling that this was a good pick?"

Troy slowly nodded, his head slowly moving forward and his claws held out like he was going to eat it raw right there. Canvas cautiously stepped back and repeated his question. "So, ummm… Troy? How do you want this cooked?"

"Medium rare. Always medium rare." Troy didn't even look at Canvas, and kept his eyes glued to the steak like it was about to do a backflip. Canvas merely sighed with an accepting smile, and went back into the kitchen without asking anything else.

Cooking the steak took longer than Canvas expected, but Troy didn't seem to mind when it was finally brought out. He nearly snatched the plate from Canvas' hooves as soon as he came out the doorway, but was able to keep himself in his seat for the sake of politeness. By the time Troy started gnawing on the steak without any utensils, the talons of his claws pierced through the strip while the juices dripped down his forelegs. All the while though, Canvas just watched him from across the table with curious amazement as he quietly ate his garlic bread. Even though the whole concept of eating animals was beyond discomforting for the stallion, he didn't seem to mind watching Troy eating his steak. Of course, that was most likely due to how much Troy was savoring every bite with absolute pleasure, which was quite a confidence boost for the pony who never cooked such a thing before that night.

"Uhh…” Troy laid back in his chair in a dazed state, and the back of his chair creaked a little as he held a claw against his stomach. "I might not celebrate birthdays that much, but… I can safely say that’s the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten."

Canvas was certain that may have been one of the only birthday gifts Troy could say he received, but that detail wasn’t enough to keep him from smiling cheerfully. "Well, I'm really glad you liked it,” he said as he picked up another piece of bread. "I was honestly a little worried whether or not I cooked it right, since I never cooked meat before."

"Dude…” Troy closed his eyes while holding out a greasy claw, and chuckled a little to himself while basking in the afterglow of his meal. “That steak… was absolutely perfect."

He may have been close to a food-coma, but Troy still managed to muster a genuine smile when he looked at Canvas. "Seriously, this was really thoughtful of you. Thank you."

"Oh, don't mention it,” Canvas said after swallowing a mouthful of bread. "That's what friends do."

Before Canvas could wipe off his hooves with a napkin, he quickly looked back up to Troy with a more serious expression. "Seriously though, please don't mention this to anypony. I'm pretty sure I'd get in huge trouble."

Troy smiled and nodded his head in understanding. But before he could say anything else, a distinct 'ding' came from the kitchen which made Canvas bolt up from his chair. "Oph! The cake's done!"

“Wait, what?!” Troy gawked at the stallion as he went off to the kitchen, mostly since he wasn’t sure whether he could eat anything else. "Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!” chirped the pony. “It's chocolate too!"

By the time half of the cake was eaten (mostly on Canvas' part), the smell of bacon was partially masked with the aroma of chocolate in the dining room. Because of that, Canvas felt a little more comfortable as he listened to Troy talk about his day. When he got to the part about what happened when he got home, Canvas couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Meanwhile, Troy just sat there with an embarrassed blush, which was almost deep enough to conceal his bashful smile.

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Canvas as he tried not to giggle. "The WHOLE weather team heard you?"

"Yeah…” Troy rubbed the feathers on the back of his neck, trying not to look too humiliated. "Luckily they weren't too mean about it. A lot of them actually said I should sing professionally or something."

"Dude, you totally should!” exclaimed Canvas with a smile. “I seriously don’t see why you don't do that! In fact…” Canvas quickly lifted himself from his seat, and left Troy slightly confused when he rushed into his workspace.

After a few seconds, he came back with a flyer in his mouth, and hoofed it to Troy before sitting back down. "When I got back into town, I saw that the Ponyville Theater is planning to hold auditions for their next play in about a month."

Troy glossed through at the flyer, and then stared back at Canvas with a skewed brow. "Seriously? A musical?"

"Why not?” asked Canvas with a huff while smiling optimistically. “I mean, it’s not like Ponyville has any singing bans like Griffinstone or anything. I really think this would be great for you."

Despite understanding the pony’s point, Troy scoffed before placing the flier back on the table. "Ehhh… I don't think so."

Canvas tried not to look so sullen when he grabbed the flyer, but he still sighed while looking back up at the gryphon. "Troy… Do you remember when you found that flyer for the art show, and how insistent you were that I should go for it?"

Troy held his beak shut as he looked away, already knowing where Canvas was going with this. His beak skewed uncomfortably, but he couldn’t say anything while avoiding the pony’s stare on him.

"Seriously, Troy... that was one of the best things that ever happened to me.” Canvas looked back down at the flier in his hooves, and breathed out through his nostrils before adding, “And when I saw this flyer, I… well… I thought of you."

Troy slowly turned back to Canvas, and cringed a little when he saw how upset he looked. One of the last things Troy wanted to do was disappoint his friend, especially after he cooked meat for him. Not to mention, he could tell that Canvas didn’t just keep that flier to catch his friend’s interest; he kept it because he really believed in Troy’s abilities as a singer, just like the gryphon believed in Canvas’ abilities as an artist.

So with a low sigh, Troy closed his eyes before he broke the silence. "Oh, fine. I… I’ll see if… If I can audition."

"Awesome!" Canvas suddenly looked ecstatic again as he cut another piece of cake. "You want another piece?"

Troy shook his head and held his claws to his stomach. "Dude, you did more than enough." Seeing how bloated his friend was looking, Canvas shrugged before going back to his own plate. Troy waited until Canvas finished his piece before asking, "So, Canvas… Where did you learn to cook like that? I mean, I never saw you cook before."

"Well, I’ve never had a kitchen before,” he said nonchalantly, which caused Troy to shrug with an understanding nod. The stallion then added, “Honestly though, I mostly learned to cook for myself growing up, since I was at home alone so often."

"Seriously?" asked Troy. "Didn't your parents teach you to cook?"

"Well, not really…” Canvas’ voice became a little more somber. "Neither of them really knew how to cook, except for maybe those pre-made boxed dinners or whatever. And uhhh…” Looking down at the table, Canvas bit his lip before he said in a quieter tone:

"... And.. my Mom, she… she died when I was a colt…”

The mood fell deathly silent across the dining table, which caused Troy to sink his face into his claws in guilt. "Oh, buck,” he hissed to himself with a painful wince. He quickly looked back at his friend to say, “I'm sorry, Canvas, I shouldn't have asked! Seriously, I'm really sor--"

"It's alright,” Canvas said in an instant while holding up his hoof. "I never told you about it, so you couldn't have known. I mean… If anything, I should've said something beforehoof."

Canvas pushed his plate aside as he breathed in deeply. "Besides, it happened a long time ago. It's not like it happened last week or anything. I've gotten past it since then."

Unsure of what to say, Troy kept his beak shut as he looked down at his lap in remorse. Meanwhile, Canvas’ muzzle skewed a bit before he let out another weak exhale. "It.. it happened two weeks after she got me my art bag."

Both of them looked over at the bag, which was hanging on a hook between the kitchen and bathroom door. After a few seconds, Canvas turned his attention back to Troy while squirming in his seat.

"She… she died of an aneurysm while walking through town. I… I was still in school when it happened." Canvas put a hoof to his mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to tear up. "I… I remember hearing how much she was loved by everypony in town. She did a lot of volunteer work for the school and weather duties, and… it really hit everypony hard when it happened."

Troy hated to see him like this, but he knew that Canvas had to let this out. Birthday or not, the gryphon listened patiently as Canvas kept talking, even when he saw tears running down his friend’s aqua cheeks.

"I… I remember that was one of the only times when ponies in town were legitimately nice to me. After the funeral… I was invited to a few dinners and stuff." After wiping his tears away, Canvas was able to smile a little. "Heck, even the ponies that usually messed with me backed off for a long time, but…” Canvas' smile slowly dropped. "... But that didn't last forever. After a while, I just kept to myself at home, either painting or reading. Eventually, I had to learn to cook something other than macaroni and cheese every night, and…”

Troy noticed how much Canvas' muzzle wrinkled up, which how apprehensive he looked about saying anything else. But before Troy could ask what was wrong, Canvas sighed softly with his eyes closed. "... And… my Dad, he… he wasn't home much after she died… We… We didn't talk much..."

Troy could tell that his friend wasn’t going to say much more, and waited only a moment before giving a sincere response. "Canvas, I'm really sorry."

"Th-Thanks...” He wiped his face dry with a napkin, and tried to lighten the mood when he said with a shrug, "Heh~ Honestly, I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to bring this up on your birthday."

"Hey, don't worry about it,” said the gryphon assuredly. “I already told you I don't really see the point of these things anyway." Even with his comforting smile, Troy could tell that Canvas still felt bad. "Besides, I'm glad you're actually talking to me about this kind of stuff. I didn't know that much about your family, so…"

From the way Canvas' face scrunched in, Troy decided to change the subject before things got too awkward again. "So, ummm… you want me to tell you about my family?"

Canvas’ brows rose up in surprise, and he looked around before saying with a shrug. "Uhh… sure! I mean, as long as it isn’t too personal or anything.”

"Nah, it’s all good.” Troy put his claws on the table and tapped his talons against the wood, trying to think of a good place to start. "Well, uhh... my parents both work in the shipping industry. My Dad used to be a Brigadier General for the gryphon military, but he retired since then. Now he helps my Mom manage their company, which ships feathers to be used as quills."

"Oh, nice,” said Canvas with a look of interest as he leaned into the table. “Any siblings?”

"Mmhmm. I actually have four brothers.” Troy smiled a little more naturally as he leaned back in his chair. “My three older brothers are triplets, and my younger brother, Lyle, is still a kid, I guess. I'm the second youngest but… well… I'm kind of the runt of the group."

Canvas' eyes widened, and his eyes scanned the gryphon up and down due to how vast their height differences were while seated across from each other. “Ummm… Okay, I’m not gonna lie. I really can’t imagine you as a runt.”

"Oh yeah? You should see how big the triplets are!" Troy chuckled under his breath as he thought about his brothers, and shook his head in nostalgia. "One of them, Blaze, is actually a professional Stormball player, although I think he's on break right now. Another, Blade, is the lead of a death metal band, but I really doubt you heard of them."

"What are they called?" he asked with his head tilted curiously.

"Gee, they keep changing their name, um… I think they're called Talon Ripper or something, but whatever. I'm not sure what Blane is doing right now, but he seems to be doing okay for himself. The last I heard, he actually bought a building to start up some business of some kind. I have no idea what, though."

Canvas’ eyebrow skewed, and his eyes narrowed on Troy suspiciously. "So let me get this straight… You have triplet brothers named Blaze, Blade, and Blane?" He tried to keep his expression stoic, but it was obvious from his hiccuping breaths that he was struggling not to laugh. Luckily though, it was hard for Troy to get upset when he saw how quickly Canvas’ mood was lightening up.

"Yeah, my parents were pretty young when the three were hatched,” he confessed with a roll of his eyes. “Mom was apparently really out of it after giving birth, so Dad had to name them himself."

Canvas folded his napkin as he tried not to chuckle, and put it on top of his abandoned plate. "So, do you talk with them much?"

Troy tried to look away from Canvas, but the pony could still see his smile slowly fading away. "Well… We try writing letters and stuff, but… things have been kinda tense for a while."

"How come?" Canvas didn't want to press anything that would make his friend uncomfortable, especially on his birthday; but after learning so much about his friend, the artist didn’t want their discussion to end so soon.

After a couple more taps against the table, Troy sighed deeply while pointing his beak away from Canvas. "Uhhh… I told you I was a runt, right? Well… because of that, I didn't have many friends growing up. So instead, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents."

Canvas could see sadness in Troy's golden eyes, but it wasn’t enough for him to ignore the faint smile that grew across his beak as well.

"I mean, they were awesome gryphons to hang out with, you know? Whenever I went to their place, they were always so accepting and kind to me. They also taught me a lot about opera, which is one of the reasons I got into it so much. And they… they were the biggest reason I wanted to come to Equestria."

"Really?" Canvas rested his head on his hooves. “How so?”

Troy’s smile widened a bit, but he still refrained from looking back at Canvas as he continued. “I remember when I was still young, they always talked about how great Equestria was when they visited. They actually met at the Canterlot Concert Hall during a big opera performance, and fell in love instantly. Of course, that may have been because they were the only gryphons there, but still… They actually went to that hall a lot, since they were both ambassadors for the Gryphon Kingdom."

Upon hearing that last detail, Canvas' eyes shot open. "Wait a minute!” The stallion stared at Troy like he just spouted a third eye on his forehead, and pointing a hoof at him when he asked, “Are you saying your grandparents are Niko and Helen Talonoch?!"

Troy almost fell out of his chair, and he gawked at Canvas with his beak dropped. "Yes! What the!? How the buck did you know that?!"

"Oh my gosh, I did a research paper about them my junior year of high school!" Canvas’ floored expression quickly morphed to an elated smile, and he hopped off his chair to pace around the room. "Holy crap, those guys did so much to help stop the gryphon and Equestrian conflicts! If it wasn’t for them, you likely wouldn’t have been able to move to Equestria in the first place! Oh man, I can’t believe I'm friends with the grandson of them!"

Troy wasn’t sure how to react to such a revelation, but he couldn’t help smiling with a touched blush. “W-Wow, I… I didn’t know you were so well-versed in Gryphon Kingdom history.”

"Are you kidding me?” asked Canvas as he shot a wide-eyed stare back at him. “That paper I wrote was one of the reasons I got accepted into advanced classes! I mean, I even tried contacting them for an interview, but…”

Canvas suddenly stopped talking as his smile dropped like a brick. One of his hooves came up to cover his mouth when slowly turned back to Troy, who immediately looked a lot more distressed. The pony looked away from him with his ears dropped, and he said sympathetically, "I'm… I'm sorry, Troy. I didn't mea--"

Troy held up his claws to interrupt Canvas’ apology, and took that moment to breathe in deeply. "It's okay. It happened a while ago."

Despite the fact that Troy used his own response back at him, Canvas could tell he was still upset. Meanwhile, Troy looked away from him before continuing in a more solemn tone.

"I remember… I remember how devastated she was when he died… I mean, you could tell how much she loved him. And I mean really loved him! Like, gryphons don't usually express their love that much, but they… they didn't care about standards like that. They really cared for each other all those years, and… it was just so painful when he passed."

Canvas quietly sat back in his chair, and didn’t say anything to interrupt his friend.

"I mean, she was so lively and cheerful before, but… after the funeral… she just turned silent. She barely spoke to anyone for that month afterward. Not… not even me..." Canvas thought he could see Troy's eyes moisten, but he couldn’t tell due to how much the gryphon was averting his gaze from him. "She… she just gave up. I mean, we all knew she had some medical problems before, but… as soon as that happened, the doctors couldn't do anything to help her. It just… it was advancing so quickly."

Troy looked at his satchel lying on the ground, and his new walkman sticking out of it. Thinking about the tape inside, Troy clenched his beak shut for a moment to process his thoughts.

"She… she loved opera. And even when I was a hatchling, she loved that I appreciated it at such a young age. But I… I remember on one of the last days…”

Troy put a claw up to his beak, and held it there so Canvas couldn’t see it tremble a little. "We… We all knew it was going to happen, but most of the family had other things to do. When I visited her, she was all alone, just lying in her bed... silent. And when I looked around, I saw that one of her records was completely worn out. I mean, she had that record for years, but I guess she kept playing it constantly after he passed. And eventually, she just wore down the vinyl completely. Her… her favorite song was Ave Maria."

Troy looked down, probably to keep Canvas from seeing his face. But alas, it was to no avail as the stallion saw a tear running down Troy’s cheek. "I knew she was alone for a while, so… I started to sing it for her. I didn't even think I could sing it well, but… I just sang it while she laid there. I… I remember I kept my eyes closed during the whole song. I didn’t think she was going to respond but..."

A second tear of Troy's hit the table. "W-When I opened my eyes, that… that was the first time I saw her smile since he died. She just… she looked so happy."

Canvas hoofed Troy a napkin, which he quickly grabbed to wipe his eyes.

"Thanks... Anyway, after she died, I honestly didn't expect much to happen for me. I was taking a few exams to get approved for a living permit for Equestria, even though both my parents didn't want me to leave. I think they were worried about how I would adjust or something, I dunno. But then, when we went to the reading of her will she… she left most of her money to me."

Canvas' head reeled back in surprise, and he blinked repeatedly while staring at Troy. He wouldn’t call himself an expert on the Talonochs, but he was still aware of how well-off they were. "Wait, seriously?!"

"Yeah,” said Troy, a new smile on his beak as he kept wiping his face. "Everyone was freakin’ shocked! Especially my brothers, who all refused to speak to me for a while. I didn't get everything, but I still got more than enough to make it easy to move here. After I got approved, I moved here while they were still upset with me. I mean… I think they got over it now, but it still feels tense."

As a deep silence passed through the room, Canvas was quick to fill the void. "I'm… I'm sorry, Troy."

"It's cool, dude,” he said with a wave of his claw. “I'm actually kind of glad to talk about it, you know? Like, it’s probably cheaper than a therapist session or anything."

“Not to mention, I doubt many therapists would have cake and bacon as well~” That remark got both of them laughing again, which helped to uplift the mood following their chat. After smiling back at Troy, Canvas glanced over at the wall clock without much thought. However, upon seeing how close it was to ten pm, the stallion gasped in a panic and jumped out of his chair. Troy did a double-take upon seeing his friend’s frantic behavior, and remained in his chair by the time Canvas was at the stairs.

"Troy!” he shouted as he looked back at him wide-eyed. “Meet me on the roof!"

"What?"

"Seriously, just meet me up there! Trust me!"

Despite his confusion, Troy was quick to hop out of his seat to head to the door. The gryphon figured that after what Canvas promised the last time he trusted him, that this would be worth his time as well.

In less than a couple of seconds, Troy flew up to the barn roof without any issue. He noticed the large wall of paint cans along the side of the barn, and groaned when he remembered what Canvas said about needing help with painting. The pony may have not asked him directly as of yet, but he could already tell that he would likely have to help out. Of course, after that meal Canvas prepared, it wasn't like he could say no without feeling like a massive jerk.

After carefully landing on the roof, Troy saw a hatch door a few feet away open up. Canvas crawled up with a large blanket in his mouth, which did nothing to cover the smile on his face. When he saw that Troy was already there, Canvas’ smile widened as he whipped the blanket open with a flick of his neck, and let it gently land on the roof. Meanwhile, Troy was starting to look around worriedly as his paranoia got the best of him, and he began to feel the same as he did when he flew to Canvas’ place earlier. Despite knowing better than to make any assumptions about his friend’s plans, Troy tried not to ponder whether or not Lyra and Rainbow Dash's suspicions were for real.

Canvas sat himself down on the blanket, and looked up at the night sky while Troy stood in confusion. But before he could try to ask what was up, a faint flash of light flew by from the corner of Troy's eye. As soon as the stars above caught his attention, Troy looked up and instantly understood Canvas’ intentions. The gryphon’s eyes widened in awe, and he gently sat beside Canvas without saying a word. They both looked to see the first few beams of light shoot past them. Troy remembered hearing something about this happening today, but he forgot all about it until now. And as a smile grew across his beak, Troy couldn’t have felt more grateful to be there as more white dots of light streaked among the stars.

Above the land of Equestria, under Luna's brilliant night skies, the gryphon and the stallion sat motionless as they watched the meteor shower flash above their heads. From the roof of Canvas' barn, both of them were able to get a perfect view of the hundreds of bright lights that soared across the cosmos, gracing the skies as they shot forward toward infinity. Troy looked up to the spectacle with silent amazement, and felt an incredible warmth stirring in his heart.

Troy’s gaze slowly veered back toward Canvas, where he was able to observe how the flashes were reflecting off the pony's blue eyes. The sight caused his feathers to ruffle out ever so slightly, but he was quick to fix that response with a hard shudder to pull them back in. That heaviness in his chest was still there, but the gryphon couldn’t feel a twinge of discomfort like he had before. Instead, all that Troy felt was something more… content, in a weird way. He wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it was more than enough to make him smile alongside his friend. Meanwhile, the stallion looked back at him with a smile on his muzzle as he said quietly:

"Happy Birthday."

Upon seeing how peaceful the aqua pony looked in the moonlight, the warm smile on Troy's beak grew wider as well.

"Thanks. This was a great day."

As both of them looked back up to the shooting stars, one of Troy’s wings reached out to wrap around Canvas' back. Canvas slowly rested his head against Troy's shoulder, and savored his warmth as they stared at the vibrant wonder of the night.

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.