With a loud ‘clunk’, the last of the white paint cans were tossed aside after being emptied out. After the strenuous day of work, the dozens of metal cans were laid out in a rather uncouth pile that towered over the adjacent trashcan by the road. Canvas reminded himself to contact the trash company and inform them before they made their run on Thursday. Since he could only imagine how taxing it would’ve been to work picking up garbage all day, the last thing he wanted to do was upset them even more with an unexpected mountain of paint cans.

As he turned his attention back to his home, Canvas couldn’t help sighing in satisfaction. The whole barn was completely painted in a uniform shade of white, which helped to make it stick out against the green fields like a giant marker. He may have had to wait a week after Troy's birthday, but Canvas was happy to get it all finished with the gryphon’s help. He then looked over at Troy himself, who was lying on his back in the grass; despite his well-toned physique, the gryphon was still panting heavily under the barn’s shade while his feathers were splattered in white paint.

Troy was absolutely exhausted as he rested his aching back and legs, but he was also glad that everything was finally painted over. Since Canvas couldn't fly or use any magic to paint higher than his hooves could reach, Troy had to paint a majority of the walls himself. Fortunately, the entire process itself went by surprisingly fast due to Canvas’ assistance, who was eager to help his friend out however he could. By the time the gryphon was able to relax in the cool grass, Canvas looked between him and the barn with a contemplative look.

"Hmmmm… Hey, Troy,” asked Canvas as he walked up towards him, "you want me to get you a drink or something?"

Despite his body's inability to move, Troy managed to shake his head weakly in response. "I'm fine, I’m fine... I think I'm just gonna take a nap right now."

"Umm... okay." Even though he didn’t want his friend to get dehydrated, Canvas couldn’t help shrugging his shoulders after hearing his reply. But before he could think to walk back into his home, the sound of hoofsteps at the front of his property quickly caught Canvas’ attention. Fortunately, by the time he trotted over to see who was around, the artist’s face lit up when he saw a familiar client.

“Oh, hey there, Fancy Pants!” said Canvas with a friendly smile, which seemed to match the unicorn’s as he looked up at the newly painted home with admiration. “Man, this is perfect timing! Troy and I just got finished painting the place with primer.”

"Well, it’s nice to know I’m not intruding on anything.” As he looked back at Canvas, Fancy Pants huffed with a friendly smirk upon seeing the pony’s paint-splattered fur. "Heh~ Honestly, I wouldn’t have expected you to paint your home white of all colors. But I must say, your place looks a lot more impressive with a fresh coat of paint."

"Well, thank you very much," said Canvas with a thankful nod. “Although I should point out, I definitely have plans to add more color to this place after the primer dries up.”

“Ooh, do you now?” One of the unicorn’s brows rose up with intrigue, and he couldn’t help asking in a cheekier tone, “Are you willing to tell me what you have planned? Or are you wanting to keep that a surprise for later on?”

“Definitely a surprise,” he retorted with a smirk of his own, which was more than enough to make Fancy Pants chuckle with an understanding nod. Canvas then pointed out a hoof back at Troy, who was just within Fancy’s line of sight while sprawled-out in the grass. "Honestly though, Troy was the one who did most of the work, so he should definitely deserve more praise than myself."

“Well, it’s still a marvelous job from the both of you.” Fancy Pants may have carried a warm smile when he gave that sincere remark, but his expression faltered a little when he looked on with worry at Troy’s state. "Ummm...is he alright though? He looks rather--”

Troy raised up his claw to indicate he was still alive, and then let it plop back down in the grass without moving from his spot.

"Oh. Well… that's good, I suppose…” After receiving that confirmation, Fancy redirected his focus back on the artist and said, “Nevertheless, I was meaning to talk with you about that social back in Baltimare. I've spoken with several of the ponies who hired you for your services, and I've heard nothing but great praises from them regarding your work!"

"Really?" The aqua stallion’s brows rose up in surprise, and he couldn’t help blushing with a bashful smile. "Oh, wow! Umm… I'm really glad to hear that! I gotta say, I was a little worried how well I’d be able to socialize in Baltimare."

"I can assure you right now, you were absolutely splendid." Fancy Pants’ smile remained as warn and charming as ever, which caused Canvas to look away from him due to his deepening blush. If Troy wasn’t in a semi-comatose state away from the two, Canvas was certain that his friend would’ve teased him about having a possible crush on the older stallion. Even though that idea was rather ludacris, mostly since Canvas had the pleasure of meeting Fancy’s wife at that social, he couldn’t deny that the unicorn could easily get a coltfriend if he swung that way. But regardless of the artist’s personal opinions, he kept himself silent on the matter while Fancy levitated a business card from his jacket.

“One of the ponies who saw your work insisted on me giving you this,” he said as he floated the card to Canvas with his aura of magic. “Her name is Glimmer Heart, and she works as an independent art assessor for up and coming artists. She manages most of her work in Canterlot and Manehatten, but she expressed great interest in branching out after seeing your pieces.”

As Canvas read through the details on the card, he remembered talking with the aforementioned mare at the social. Even though most of the unicorns there acted stuffy or pretentious in their social circles, Glimmer Heart was genuinely courteous in her discussions with Canvas. The older mare had a light-pink coat and a luscious green mane, which helped to accentuate the pearl necklace and golden earrings she was wearing that night. Even though he could tell from those accessories that she was successful, Canvas wouldn’t have expected to see the occupation of ‘Art Curator and Manager’ listed underneath her name on the business card.

"Glimmer told me that she was planning on opening an art gallery in about two months,” continued Fancy Pants as he pointed to the card in Canvas’ hoof. “It’s something she does every year to showcase young and rising talents, and she takes a lot of pride in seeking out ponies she sees potential in. And after meeting you back in Baltimare, she asked me if you would be interested in being a part of this year’s showing."

Canvas almost fell on his flank, and he used his free hoof to cover his gaping muzzle. "Wha-what?!” he blurted while struggling not to stumble over his wobbling knees. “I… I mean… REALLY?!"

Fancy Pants’ smirk became more evident as he chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, really. Glimmer Heart showed a lot of interest when we were talking the other day, and she was hopeful that you might have a portfolio of your work."

"A portfolio? I…” Canvas’ smile faltered a bit as he blinked a couple times, before he bit his lip awkwardly and looked down at the ground. "I… I think I can get one made... Umm, when am I able to meet her?"

“Oh, uhhhh…” Now it was Fancy Pants’ turn to look a little wary. Since he wasn’t expecting the artist to not have a portfolio at the ready, the unicorn scratched the back of his mane awkwardly and said, "Well, I... I was actually planning on meeting her here in Ponyville this afternoon. When I told her about this quaint little township, she said that she had to see it for herself."

Canvas clutched his chest with a hoof, and had to take a couple breaths while processing what Fancy just told him. Even though he definitely had enough personal pieces to craft up a portfolio, the stallion couldn’t help feeling like a student who was unprepared for a surprise pop-quiz at school. Nevertheless, since he was just given an opportunity he would have to be insane to pass up, Canvas looked back at his barn wide-eyed and said, “O-Oh, okay then! Uhhhh… Alright, lemme see if I can get something worked up before then! When is she gonna be in Ponyville?”

"It’ll be a few hours at the least,” assured Fancy Pants as he put his hoof out, motioning for Canvas to head off without interruption. “Go right ahead and do whatever you need to do. Can you be at Sugar Cube Corner by five?"

“YEP!” shouted Canvas as he threw open the doors to his studio, and rushed in like the space was about to go up in flames. The stallion began to frantically look through his stuff, and picked up several of his finished paintings to get something resembling a portfolio done. As the artist hurriedly gathered various pieces of artwork together, Fancy Pants took notice of Troy as he rose back up like a zombie. The gryphon may have still been rightfully pooped, but he still gave a long stretch before getting back on his legs.

"Ughhh… You know what?” he said to nobody in particular with a groggy voice. “I'm just gonna head back home where it's a little quieter. See ya later, Canvas!"

"Alright, Troy!” shouted Canvas from inside the barn. “Thanks for your help! I owe you one!”

"No problem!" After nodding to Fancy Pants, Troy soared off into the skies to go over the forest line. But despite how exhausted he may have felt, Troy couldn’t help smiling in satisfaction when he glanced back at the freshly-painted barn below.

Even though the summer months were supposed to be hot, Rainbow Dash could’ve sworn that it was getting even hotter on purpose. As she laid atop her small cloud, she had to make sure that it wasn't evaporating too quickly due to the high temperatures. She could see the rest of the Weather Crew lying around on their own scavenged clouds, but none of them willing to move and risk getting a heat stroke before noon. But of all the members trying to stay cool and dormant, Troy seemed to be the least bothered by the heat. In fact, considering how casually he was seated while perched on the edge of his cloud, he looked like he was waiting for a train instead of sweating his beak off.

“Uggghhhhh…” Rainbow didn’t want to throw in the towel so soon, but even she could tell that little work was going to get done today. So after groaning tiredly, she stood up and addressed her team. "Listen guys, let's just go home! There's not much to take care of anyway, so--"

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before all the weather ponies zoomed past her. She had half the nerve to chase them down for suddenly being so energetic, but the breeze they created kept her from moving as she savored the rare, cool air. But while the pegasus shuddered from that brief bout of relief, Troy was the only member who remained as he stretched out on his cloud.

"Thanks for doing that for us, Rainbow,” he said with a gracious smile as he looked back at her. “Even Thunderlane was looking pretty rough after that Cumulus run.”

"Yeah, all of us were...” As she wiped some sweat from her brow, Rainbow Dash shot a confused glance at Troy before asking, "How come you look alright? Seriously, are gryphons better in hot climates or something?"

“Yeah, pretty much.” Troy nodded his head as he pulled his satchel over his shoulder. "Feathers are really good insulators, so it’s not too hard to keep myself cool. Plus, I live right by a waterfall, so I got myself a good refresher before I got here.”

“Well, aren’t you the lucky one?” she said with a partially envious scoff, which caused Troy to struggle not to smirk. Since her own wings felt a lot less matted in sweat than the rest of her body, Rainbow Dash wasn’t one to question Troy’s response. Instead, she decided to ask, "So, what's your plan for the rest of the day? Meeting up with Canvas again?"

Troy shook his head and groaned under his breath. "Nah, not tonight. He's been busy getting enough paintings ready for that big gallery in Canterlot. Ever since he talked with that Glimmer mare a couple weeks back, I've barely been able to hang out him."

"Well, shouldn’t you be happy for him?" asked Rainbow, who used a chunk of her cloud to dab her forehead like a cloth. "I mean, this is a pretty big thing for him, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, it's a great thing! I couldn't be happier for him!" Despite how sincerely Troy made that response, Rainbow Dash could sense the slightest hint of irritation when he added, "I'm just bored! I mean, whenever I try to meet up with him, he's either painting something or passed out on his couch in the studio! And I can’t hang out with Lyra or Bon-Bon either, because they're helping with the gallery as well."

"Wait, really?” asked Rainbow with her head tilted to the side. “How did they get involved?"

"Apparently, Canvas introduced them to Fancy Pants and Glimmer when they met up. And after they sampled some of their candies at the shop, Glimmer hired them as caterers on the spot."

"Oh dude, that's awesome!” she exclaimed with a cheerful grin on her face. “Those two have like, the best taffy ever! I thought Pinkie was exaggerating when she was gushing about…”

Upon seeing how badly Troy was trying to conceal his irritation, Rainbow’s words slowly trailed off before becoming silent. Ever since the gryphon started to work for her on the Weather Patrol, she could tell that Canvas was Troy’s usual go-to friend to keep himself occupied; and ever since that moment at the bar, Dash had a pretty good idea why Troy was so unhinged without Canvas around. Of course, considering how strongly he reacted to her accusations on his birthday, she was able to keep herself from bringing it up out of respect. But at that particular moment, the pegasus seemed keen on trying to help Troy out regardless.

"Hey, uhhh... if you're not busy today, I could use some help over at Fluttershy's.” As Troy glanced back at her with a raised brow, Dash gave him a light shrug and said, “She's been needing to cool down her animals due to this heat wave, so she asked me to help out when I had the free time. If you want, you can come with me."

Troy may have not been the best with animals, and didn’t even own a pet back when he lived in the Gryphon Kingdom. However, given the circumstances, he figured working with them would be better than listening to his opera records on his cloud all day. "Well... If you're needing some help, I guess I can do it."

"Nice!” said Rainbow with a cheerful smile, seeming hopeful this would get Troy out of his funk. "And don’t worry, she already met you a few times in town, so she probably won’t freak out about seeing a gryphon like she had with Gilda."

Since that was the third time he heard somepony mentioning that name, Troy felt compelled to ask, "Yeah, who's Gilda by the way? Ponies keep bringing her up around town, and I've been meaning to ask what actually happened."

"Ehhhh… It's kind of a long story, but whatever." The topic may have seen a sore moment for Rainbow Dash to recall, but she spread her wings open before motioning for Troy to follow her. The moment both of them shot off from their clouds, the two flew up to higher altitudes to get away from the heat. And as the summer weather pounded down upon Equestria, neither Rainbow Dash or Troy seemed to mind as they soared through the skies and chatted. "Okay, so I met Gilda during Flight Academy, and I thought she was really cool…”

Canvas bit his lip with a fretful look as he tried to stir the melted sugar as best as he could, but he couldn’t help feeling out of his element among all this sugary goodness. He might have been good at cooking basic things (and meat, surprisingly enough), but he didn't plan to be helping Lyra and Bon-Bon with preparations for Glimmer Heart's small social. Since there were still a couple weeks until the Canterlot Gallery, Canvas wasn’t one to turn down his friends when they asked for his assistance. Not to mention, considering how good Bon-Bon's candies were, Canvas was determined to help her get more attention outside of Ponyville.

As the dark-blue mixture in his saucepan began to thicken, he called out to Bon-Bon when the syrupy substance was able to coat the back of his spoon. "Hey Bon-Bon, I think this is ready!"

Bon-Bon quickly put down her tube of frosting and trotted over to Canvas' spot. "Oh, great timing! I just got the toppings ready for them."

As the three ponies worked diligently in the small kitchen, Bon-Bon carefully poured the sugary mixture into the trays laid out on the counter. Meanwhile, Lyra used her magic to levitate the other ingredients that were already prepared herself. Since the mares seemed to be handling things on their own, Canvas stepped away so he could look out the kitchen doors. Unlike the upcoming art show, this venue was just outside Canterlot due to the small guestlist; the ballroom wasn’t particularly large, but it still looked immaculately clean and regal for Glimmer’s event. Most of the tables and chairs were already in place, but the tablecloths and cutlery were all still in the kitchen. Canvas contemplated getting that task out of the way before the guests could arrive, but his head poked out of the doorway just long enough to get him noticed by the host.

"Canvas?” asked Glimmer Heart, who had a baffled look on her face the moment she caught sight of him from the corner of her eye. The unicorn floated her clipboard towards one of the empty tables, and grew a pleasantly surprised smile as she walked up to him. “Oh wow, I didn’t expect to see you here! Are you helping with the catering as well?”

Since he was caught, Canvas took a quick glance back in the kitchen to make sure Lyra and Bon-Bon were alright without him. He then exited the kitchen with a meager blush, mostly due to how out of place he felt as his hooves stepped onto the warm, red carpeting. Even though he was able to present himself properly back in Baltimare, he wasn’t sure how Glimmer would respond to seeing him covered in sweat while his mane was tied in a tight ponytail. But despite his appearance and growing tensions, Canvas kept a contently calm demeanor as he went up to the mare with a smile. "Hey there, Glimmer Heart. I know it’s a little sudden, but Lyra and Bon-Bon asked me to help them out with the candy-making tonight.

"You are?" asked the mare as she pulled back her green mane with her magic. "I must say, I wouldn’t have expected you to be an artist and a skilled cook!"

Canvas could tell from her chipper tone that she was glad to see him this soon before the gallery, which helped to make him smile more naturally in response. “W-Well, I wouldn’t call myself a chef or anything,” he replied humbly while shrugging his head. “But I wouldn’t have felt right about leaving them high and dry, you know?”

“Hey, I completely understand,” assured the mare insistently with a wave of her hoof. “I remember Lyra telling me how you befriended her and Bon-Bon, so it’s not much of a surprise you would want to help them out for this.”

Canvas recalled how that interaction went, and was really grateful for Lyra and Bon-Bon’s hospitality when they invited Glimmer for a taste-testing. Even though Lyra didn’t bring up everything about how she met Canvas (more specifically, she refrained from telling Glimmer about Canvas’ time in the hospital and recovery), the mare and her wife made sure to give an amazing impression by the time negotiations were made. Much like when he first met her at the Baltimare social, Canvas really appreciated how well Glimmer Heart presented herself as a colleague around others. And even now, as the artist took notice of a couple small wrinkles at the corners of the mare’s eyes, he couldn’t deny how well her natural beauty shone through without any disingenuous filters or a pound of makeup. All in all, Canvas really hoped that their professionalism wouldn’t get in the way of a possible friendship later on.

"Well then,” added Glimmer as she looked between Canvas and the kitchen door behind him, “while it is nice to see you before this event, I really hope this won't affect the paintings you're making for the gallery."

"Oh, of course not!” assured Canvas with a smile and a wave of his hoof. "This isn’t impeding on my schedule at all. In fact, I'm almost done with everything for my collection. I might need to add some final touches here and there, but it’s nothing I can't finish."

Despite her concerns, Glimmer’s expression softened at Canvas’ honesty. "Well, I'll take your word for it and let you get back to work,” she said with a smile and an approving nod. “Have a nice night, Canvas.

Canvas nodded back before making his leave, and heading back into the kitchen. The very moment his face was out of Glimmer’s line of sight, he bit his lip in an attempt to conceal his fretful wince. And even as he went back to preparing the trays of appetizers, his worrisome expression couldn’t be hidden from Bon-Bon. Even though she was glad to see him working, she grew concerned when she saw how drastically his mood changed following his chat with Glimmer Heart. Because of that, the candy-maker couldn’t help clearing her throat to catch Canvas’ attention.

"Hey, uhhh… Canvas? Is everything alright?"

Canvas couldn even look back at the mare, and clenched his eyes shut as he let out a strained exhale. "Ugh… I think I just lied to Glimmer Heart."

“Wait what?!” blurted Lyra as she poked her head out from the doorway of the freezer room.

“What do you mean?” asked Bon-Bon, who immediately put down her spoon to go up to Canvas. “What did you tell her?”

Canvas sighed while pinching the bridge of his snout with a hoof. "I… I told her that I was on schedule with my work, but… I’m honestly really behind right now.”

“Seriously?” asked Lyra as she went up to the artist as well. But unlike her wife’s concerned expression, the unicorn couldn’t help narrowing her eyes confusedly. “Because I remember visiting your studio the other day, and it looked like you had most of your paintings finished already.”

“Yeah, the smaller paintings are mostly done,” replied Canvas before he groaned in exasperation. “But I haven’t even started on my biggest one, which is supposed to be the headlining piece! I mean, I've tried to get something nailed-down, but I have no idea what to do with it! Even after I got my other stuff done, there's still that huge canvas board just staring at me!”

Due to how overwhelmed the stallion was becoming, Lyra and Bon-Bon couldn’t help turning back to each other with equally worried looks on their faces. Meanwhile, Canvas leaned himself against the edge of the counter as he dragged his hoof down his face. “I… I just don't know what to do! Heck, the biggest reason I came here was because I thought it could clear my head."

As an uncomfortable bout of silence loomed over the kitchen, Lyra shot a glance towards the doors to make sure nopony was eavesdropping on them. She then trotted up to Canvas before placing a hoof on his shoulder, and saying, "Hey, it's perfectly alright, Canvas. You're just having an artist's block right now. It's nothing to get worked up about." Unfortunately, even with the mare’s warm smile and honest assurance, Canvas sighed deeply while looking down at the floor.

"You know what?" Bon-Bon said while looking back at their half-finished trays. "How about you take a break? It seems like you need a breather after all the cooking you did anyway." When Canvas looked up at Bon-Bon, she made sure to add with a sincere smile back at him, "Seriously, it's alright. We can take over for a while. Just relax a little, okay?"

Canvas may have felt a little guilty about leaving the two so soon after his chat with Glimmer Heart, but he wasn’t one to go against Bon-Bon’s insistence. After giving the couple a quiet thanks, he headed out of the kitchen to refresh himself in the bathroom. The staff restroom was basically a tile-lined closet with a sink and toilet, but it provided just enough privacy for him to breathe and clear his head. Canvas readjusted his ponytail while the sink filled with water, since long strands of his mane had fallen back over his face while he was cooking. As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, Canvas pouted a little when he saw how matted his fur became from his sweat. Dark bags hung under his eyes, but that was more to do with his painting than his overall stress.

By the time the sink was full and he turned off the faucet, Canvas took a deep breath before plunging his face into the freezing water. After about ten seconds, Canvas pulled back up with a heavy gasp. He then used his hooves and a paper towel to help rub his face clean, which only took a few minutes before he felt significantly less flustered. When he finally looked at himself in the mirror again, Canvas was able to sigh before giving himself a healthier-looking smile. Even though he knew it was weird to talk to himself, the artist spoke to his reflection in confirmation. “Well… I guess Bon-Bon knew what she was talking abo--”

CLANG!!!

“Hey, put that down!”

“Lyra, what’s going on?!”

“Some guy just barged in, get over here!”

“You call THESE horderves?! What kind of arrangement is this?!”

Canvas’ thoughts were immediately stopped the moment he heard his friends’ distressed voices outside the bathroom door. Over Lyra and Bon-Bon's yelling, Canvas could overhear the slurred ramblings of some unknown stallion as well. He may have only been on “break” for a couple minutes, but the artist quickly rushed out of the bathroom to see what was going on. “Guys?!” he shouted out as he ran back towards his friends. “Are you alright?!”

The moment he got back to the kitchen, he was surprised to see an orange unicorn stallion looming over the mares with a bitter grimace on his muzzle. Canvas saw that he had a shot glass cutie mark, and greying mane that was sporting a very obvious combover. The pony was standing across from the two mares and yelling incoherently, while the couple carried very differing expressions on their faces. Bon-Bon looked petrified as she gawked at the pieces of candies strewn across the floor, many of which were now shattered to technicolor pieces against the white tiles. Meanwhile, Lyra was glaring at the stallion with gritted teeth like she was about to deck him in the face. “What the buck was THAT for?!” she shouted furiously back at the pony, not caring one bit about her language. “Do you know how long we spent making those?!”

"You call this food!?” shouted the stallion back at her as he pointed down to the ruined candies on the floor. “I wouldn't feed this to my dog!"

"Sir, you cannot be back here!" yelled Bon-Bon, whose expression turned equally as upset as Lyra’s the moment she glared up at him. "The event isn't supposed to start in a few hours anyway, so most of the food isn’t done yet."

"You think I care!?" he shouted back at her with a menacing gaze. Canvas was frozen in shock from the exchange he was seeing, but even he could catch the scent of booze on that stallion’s breath from a distance. He could only imagine how bad he must’ve smelled to the mares, especially when he added towards Bon-Bon, "I can do whatever I damn well please, dirt pony! So don't thi--"

"HEY!" shouted Lyra lividly, before she stormed up to the stallion to get right up in his face. "Don’t you DARE talk to my wife like that, you balding twerp! You have three seconds to GET THE BUCK OUT before you regret it!"

The stallion reeled back from her with a wide-eyed look a few seconds, most likely due to the shock of having somepony standing up to him. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before a disgusted sneer came across his muzzle. "Oh, I see…” After scoffing with a roll of his eyes, he stumbled away from the mares while stepping over a couple of the candy shards on the ground. “Figures that this kind of garbage could be seen as food to a couple of filly-foolers!"

Lyra's horn lit up. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!” she screamed with a look of primal rage, while several knives from the backboard levitated behind her. Bon-Bon gasped in shock, but her mortified look didn’t stop all those knives from pointing towards the stallion and his arrogant sneer.

"Oh, what are you gonna do about it, you piece of tra--"

Without warning, the stallion was pulled back by his shoulders by a pair of aqua hooves, which threw him hard enough to pin his back to the wall. Before he could process what just occurred, Canvas was face-to-face with the pony while holding him in a death grip. The artist’s eyes were burning in unbridled rage, and his furious sneer was intense enough to leave Bon-Bon and Lyra standing in shock.

"Don't. Mess. With my friends."

Despite Canvas’ livid glare, the unicorn's cocky sneer came back up like he still had the upper-hoof. "Or what?” he asked snidely. “You really think you scare me, earth pon--"

Canvas pushed him harder against the wall, cutting off the unicorn's words as the artist’s face came in closer. "Do you think you can scare me?!” barked Canvas right back at him. “Do you honestly think you're the worst thing I've dealt with? I've fought off more ponies than you can count in my life, and all of them were more intimidating than you are."

The stallion may have tried his hardest to maintain an enraged glare on the artist, but his muzzle twitched the slightest bit when the intensity in Canvas’ voice settled in.

"I've been hurt before. I've gotten myself beaten up. I've been abused, spat on, and hurt beyond all recognition. But you know what? I'm still here. Despite everything that happened, I’M STILL HERE!! I don't care what you threaten me with, because I will get back up from whatever you try. And I will fight back, so you better hope you can get back up from what I do to you. So go ahead! Try me!! SEE WHAT THE BUCK HAPPENS!!"

The kitchen lay deathly silent. Canvas may have known how ridiculously inappropriate his behavior may have been, but he hoped that his words sunk into the bigot in front of him. Despite his growing scowl, the stallion eventually lowered himself before Canvas loosened his grip. Canvas finally let him go when he was sure the pony wouldn’t try anything, but he still kept a stern glare on him when he stepped back. As the orange pony began to walk toward the door, Canvas tuned back to Lyra and Bon-Bon and asked, "Are you two alright?"

The two mares slowly nodded, but neither of them could say anything while carrying stunned looks on their faces. Meanwhile, the stallion couldn’t resist pausing at the doorway, and turned his head back to the three. "I'm gonna make sure you all get fired for this, you litt--”

Canvas instantly reeled back at him with his face red in rage to scream, "I SAID GET OUT!!!"

Lyra may have been just as pissed as her friend, but she couldn’t help staring between the two cautiously to make sure things didn’t turn physical. The unicorn stood at his spot, and narrowed his eyes on Canvas like he was silently testing him. Bon-Bon looked equally as worried as her wife, and tried to calm down Canvas.

"Please, just let it go,” she pleaded to Canvas as she placed a hoof to his shoulder. "He's not worth it, Canvas. Just look away."

Gritting his teeth, Canvas slowly nodded at the mare before turning his head away. While Canvas breathed in deeply, the unicorn looked at the three with a smug grin as if he won. "That's right,” he gloated with a slurred voice. “Just get back to your job while you still have it. You don't want to mess with me."

Canvas breathed out in a silent groan, but kept his back to him as he bit his tongue. That action may have been enough to soften his furious grimace, but he ended up biting hard enough to risk drawing blood. Meanwhile, the unicorn reeled his head in closer as he gave a final jab. "Yeah, typical that you’d let a couple of dikes hold you by the balls, you bucking colt-cuddler!!”

At that instant, Canvas lost it. He broke away from Lyra and Bon-Bon with a primal yell, and rushed towards the panicked unicorn like a battering ram. He threw him through the kitchen doors, where he fell on his back on the floor of the empty ballroom. Before he could roll himself back up, Canvas pinned himself atop his chest to unload a heavy barrage of punches. The unicorn cried out as he tried to light up his horn, but he could only have it flicker uselessly as the artist’s hooves repeatedly pummeled at his face. Canvas was fueled by pure adrenaline and rage as he beat him without mercy, and didn’t seem to register the panicked screams of Lyra or Bon-Bon trying to break them up.

"CANVAS, STOP!!" shrieked Bon-Bon as she tried to wrap her hooves around his back. “LET HIM GO, STOP IT!!!”

Even with how hard the mare struggled to pull him back, Canvas kept going as blood began to stain his aqua hooves. Lyra had to light up her horn to use her magic, and managed to get a grip on Canvas’ hooves while Bon-Bon pulled his body. Canvas thrashed against the mint aura to push toward the stallion, and yelled out loudly in frustration. Because of that, he wasn’t able to hear Glimmer Heart screaming in a panic.

"OH MY GODDESS!!” she shrieked with a mortified look on her face. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

As the two mares kept holding Canvas down, Glimmer Heart rushed over to the stallion with tears in her eyes. The beaten pony struggled to pull himself away from the enraged Canvas, but his mangled face was in dire need of an emergency room visit. The pink mare put a hoof to her mouth as she looked back at the three in shock. "How could you?!"

Canvas kept thrashing against his friends’ restraints as he yelled out, "Let me go! Let me go, he deserves it! Get off of me!"

"Canvas, what's wrong with you!?" shouted Glimmer Heart, looking absolutely appalled at him while holding the stallion in her forelegs. "He's my husband!!"

Lyra and Bon-Bon gasped in horror, clearly not having known that information prior to accepting this catering job. Canvas instantly froze, and had to blink a couple times while staring at Glimmer Heart in confusion. His petrified gaze went down towards the stallion, who was now coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. Canvas' pupils shrunk in terror, and his face began to pale as his breathing came out in rapid gasps. "He… he, he… he was--"

"I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Glimmer Heart was snarling in absolute rage, and her infuriated voice was enough to make Canvas’ legs buckle. Even with how mortified the three ponies looked, Glimmer couldn’t even look at them as she lifted up her husband with her magic. "Just get the buck out RIGHT NOW!!” she yelled while storming past the three, with the stallion clinging to her side and struggling to walk on his own hooves. “If you’re not out of here in two minutes I WILL call the police!!”

Without saying another word, the mare walked away while her husband desperately hung onto her back. As pony whimpered painfully and tried to handle his own weight, drops of blood left a morbid trail of red against the carpet that exited the main entranceway. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked back at each other in stunned silence, neither of sure what to do after that horrific display. Meanwhile, Canvas sat motionless on the floor with his eyes wide-open, and his jaw agape while quivering.

Bon-Bon was the first to look back down at Canvas, but any feelings of resentment or rage as a result of his actions immediately vanquished the moment she saw how he looked. Lyra took notice of their friend as well, and covered her mouth when she saw the tears streaming down his frozen face. The couple shared a look back at each other briefly, with both of them showing the same feelings of sympathy for Canvas after he defended them. Even with the ruined catering job, Lyra tried to console their friend as she placed a hoof on Canvas' back. "Canvas? Canvas, it's alright. We’re not mad at you, we swear."

The pony didn't move an inch but his muzzle started to wrinkle as his expression grew more distressed. That was when Bon-Bon stepped in to add, "Canvas, please don't blame yourself! None of us knew that he wa--"

Before she could finish, Canvas shot back to his hooves and ran out of the ballroom. His eyes were tightly clenched shut, but hot tears still trickled down his cheeks as he galloped away from his friends. The two mares tried to chase after him in a panic, and shouted out to him as he ran from the venue.

"CANVAS!! Canvas, wait!"

“Please come back!!”

“We’ll get through this, Canvas!”

“COME BACK!!”

Troy carried a content smile on his beak while staring up at the night’s sky, and took in the serenity of his home as he laid on the top of his cloud. Ever since that meteor shower, the gryphon tried to take some time out of his daily routine to appreciate the beauty of Equestria’s nature whenever he could. Troy breathed in the cool summer air, and sighed blissfully upon nothing but the gentle water falling from the waterfall. He closed his eyes, and let the serenity of the moment help to clear his consciousness. And in less than a few minutes, his lingering worries about his upcoming play audition were able to slip from his thoughts; he was also able to briefly stop thinking of Canvas, who had become particularly persistent in his thoughts as of recently.

Of course, before the gryphon could start to contemplate why that may have been so, his ears perked up when he heard the sounds of hoofsteps galloping through the forest nearby.

Troy opened his eyes to pull himself up, and looked down from his cloud as the sounds of heavy breathing and breaking branches came closer. Troy had to narrow his eyes and lean down the moment two darkened figures ran out from the woods. Even though the moonlight wasn't a great light source, it took Troy only a few seconds before realizing the figures were a very distraught-looking Lyra and Bon-Bon. The two looked like they had just run a marathon, but they were both looking up to the cloud wide-eyed in hopes of getting Troy’s attention.

"Troy!" shouted Lyra with her hooves at the sides of her muzzle. "Troy, we need your help right now!"

Troy could hear the frantic tone in her voice, and quickly soared down to the ground before landing with a loud 'thump'. "What is it?” he asked while looking between the mares. “What happened?"

While Lyra struggled to catch her breath, Bon-Bon spoke up in her spouse’s place. "Canvas got in a fight with some moron during that social! The guy was harassing us, so he fought him off, and now we think he lost his shot at that gallery!”

"What!?" shouted the gryphon as his head reeled back in shock. "Where's Canvas now!?"

"Back at his house!” shouted Lyra between heated breaths. “We tried to get in, but he locked the doors and windows shut. We knew you lived nearby, so we used the orange ropes on the trees to find you. We heard a lot of screaming and stuff breaking inside, and we're really worried about him!"

By that point, Troy was looking just as fretful as the two mares before him. After looking up above the forest line, his beak clenched in determination before looking back at the couple to say, "Don’t worry, I'll go talk to him!"

Troy shot off like a missile into the skies, and flew toward Canvas' home while Lyra and Bon-Bon stood alone in the field. Lyra eventually glanced back at her wife, and sounded uneasy when she asked, "Are you sure he'll be able to get to him?"

"He's Canvas' closest friend" said Bon-Bon reassuringly. "If anyone can help Canvas, it'll be him."

"I hope so…” Lyra didn’t want to look too worried, but she couldn’t help rubbing her foreleg anxiously with a hoof. “Should we go back and help?"

"No." Lyra was surprised at the swiftness of Bon-Bon’s reply, as well as the stern expression on her face. "Right now, I think we need to talk to somepony else."

"Who?"

"I’ll explain on the way to the train station. Just follow me!" Bon-Bon quickly rushed back towards the woods, and left her spouse standing awkwardly for a moment in confusion. Even though she wanted to chastise Bon-Bon for leaving her hanging without an explanation, Lyra rolled her eyes with a groan before running after her.

Troy was able to reach Canvas' barn in record time, and hovered in the air when he heard all the commotion down below. Much like Lyra said, Troy could indeed hear muffled yelling inside the closed-off studio. He landed on the ground and tried opening the doors, but they were tightly bolted shut against the frames. Troy’s worries intensified as Canvas continued to scream through the other side of the door, and he could hear various things either smashing or falling over. Fortunately for the gryphon, a light bulb turned on above his head before he looked up to the roof, and he opened up his wings.

Troy skidded onto the roof with his claws, and rushed over to the hatch door he remembered Canvas using before the meteor shower. Since the latch was unlocked, Troy flung the door open and jumped down without checking what was underneath. He was lucky to fall effortlessly onto the hardwood floor of the loft, where Canvas' screams could now be heard crystal-clear. Troy instantly bolted out of the loft, and shot into the artist’s studio where all the rampage was taking place.

None of the lights were on, but they weren’t needed to see how much damage Canvas had already done. The old red couch was flipped over, and was now lying against the front doors on its back. The wall of neatly-arranged paint cans Troy recalled seeing were scattered across the studio, with several of them broken open to leave giant puddles across the floor. There were also several large dents across the walls where large splatters of paint were strewn about, most likely from Canvas throwing them during his breakdown. The shelf that held all of Canvas' brushes was thrown to the ground, where dozens of wooden handles were scattered all over the floor. The large stacks of canvas boards were also thrown all over the room, many of which now broken in half or punctured by the stallion’s hooves.

And in the middle of all the chaos stood Canvas, who looked absolutely miserable as he stumbled around the room in confused anger. He didn’t even take notice of the gryphon perched in shocked silence above his dividing wall, and sobbed to himself through gritted teeth while tears matted the fur on his face.

Canvas aimlessly kicked a paint can, which sent it crashing against the wall before it busted open on the floor. Troy cringed when he took notice of all the damage, and quickly hopped off the wall to land in the studio. His presence finally caught Canvas’ attention, who yelped in surprise and jumped back with his fur raised up.

The artist looked beyond disturbed, and was struggling now to tremble fearfully for his friend to see. Troy tried to step towards Canvas slowly, and kept a reassuring look on his face as he spoke in a calm and collected tone.

"Canvas?” he asked softly. “Canvas, it’s just me. You don’t have to freak out, okay? Everything is gonna be alrigh--"

"NO IT'S NOT!!” screamed Canvas with his eyes clenched shut, which worried Troy even more. The pony stumbled away from Troy while his muzzle pointed to the ground, and he tried to speak as his voice came out in a panicked whimper.

"I bucked up... I… I bucked everything up! I was only trying to help Lyra and B-Bon-Bon, and… and… and now it's all ruined!”

"No it isn't!" Troy could tell that Canvas was going to lose it again, and ran up to pull the stallion in for a hug. Canvas was caught off-guard as he felt himself being clung to the gryphon’s chest, and hear him say assuredly, "Canvas, they told me about what happened! I know why you did it, and you didn’t do anything wrong, I swear.”

For a few seconds, Canvas could only stand in a frozen state with his eyes wide-open. Tears continued to trail down his face, and a couple sobs broke out as he leaned in weakly against Troy’s chest. He tried to hug the gryphon as best as he could, but his muzzle couldn’t stop twitching in panicked frustration. Before Troy could try to say anything else, Canvas groaned out in aggravation and shoved him away. The pony tried wiping his cheeks while stumbling a few steps back from the stunned gryphon, and tried to pace back around the destroyed room like a madpony.

“Canvas, COME ON!” shouted Troy as he tried to step in closer, only to cause Canvas to reel back even further. Despite Troy's pleads for him to stop, Canvas kept his distance before stopping dead in his tracks. His breaths were hoarse and panted as he peered at the large canvas board across the room from him. Since it was so large, Canvas couldn't just lift it up to break it like all the others. But as his rage continued to build up inside of him, Canvas quickly grabbed a fallen paint can and lunged it toward the white board.

“GNAAAHHH!!”

Troy could already tell where Canvas was trying to throw it, and hastily shot forward to grab the can before could it hit the board. He made sure to carefully place the can back on the ground as he yelled back. "Canvas! Canvas, please, stop doing this!"

"JUST SHUT UP!!" Canvas picked up another can, and chucked it with a furious roar towards the board. Fortunately, Troy was able to grab it once more with both claws, before he placed it on the ground beside the first.

"Canvas, I know you're upset!” he shouted sternly while holding a claw out at him. “But this can be fixed! You can still talk with that Glimmer mare and explai--"

"It doesn't matter!” Canvas screamed before grabbing yet another paint can. "It doesn't matter what the buck I do! No matter what, there will always be ponies like that! There will always be ponies that treat me like dirt, just because of who I am!!"

Canvas threw the can as hard as he could, but grew even more frustrated when Troy caught it without effort. The gryphon was struggling not to lose his patience, but he was gritting his teeth by the time he put the can back on the floor. "Canvas, don't say that! I know you’re freaked out, but you can’t let ONE jackass get to you! You have tons of friends back in Ponyville! You have ME!! You have a great life now, so DON’T YOU DARE ACT LIKE THIS!!"

The very last thing Troy wanted to do was raise his voice at him, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Canvas losing his faith in others so easily. After everything he went though, Troy knew that the artist had the means to move past this if he tried. Unfortunately, Canvas didn't seem to be listening to him, and kept picking up paint cans to throw at the board.

"It doesn't matter what the buck I do!” he shouted out between choking sobs, as his teary eyes narrowed in rage. “It doesn't matter where I go! It doesn't matter what the buck I do with my life, because there will always be ponies who will look at me and just see a colt-cuddler!! They'll just look at me like I'm nothing, even though they don’t know a DAMN thing about me! No, all they’ll do is say stuff like, 'That’s not natural!'"

Canvas lunged a can at the wall, not caring that Troy caught it as he went to grab another.

"Canvas, stop it!!"

"Or saying stuff like, 'You wanna kiss colts? WANNA GET A SEX CHANGE TOO?!?'"

Canvas threw another, aggravating Troy further as he continued to catch them before they could hit their target.

"Or, 'Stay away from my kids, Canvas!'"

Canvas threw another.

"Or, 'Why can’t you choose to like mares?' LIKE I WOULD BUCKING WANT TO!!"

Canvas threw another. After catching it, Troy was just about to lunge in and grab Canvas by the hooves. “THIS IS GOING TOO FAR!!”

"Or beating me up when I finally came out!!” Canvas screamed as he took hold of a can of silver paint, and held it high over his head while his eyes were clenched shut. “He didn’t even give me a chance to say anything, and just yelled at me, 'GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU COLT-CUDDLER, YOU'RE NOT MY SON ANYMORE!!!'"

Canvas screamed with all his might as he tossed that can as hard as he could. But unlike all the others, the can struck the board at full-force while the gryphon stood completely motionless. Even when the can flew less than a few inches from his head, Troy didn’t register its thunderous crash while staring at his friend with his beak agape. The gryphon was left absolutely speechless, as did the stallion who froze up in shock. Canvas didn’t grab another paint can, and could only look down at the floor in stunned silence at what he just admitted.

About what actually happened that night in Gallop Creek.

Canvas stood in that spot for what felt like hours, and didn’t take notice of anything around him. Meanwhile, Troy slowly stepped forward with a terrified look of concern on his face. As he kept an unblinking stare on Canvas, Troy’s claws trembled a little as he finally understood his friend’s affliction. While he knew that Canvas went through a lot before moving to Ponyville, it wasn’t until that moment that Troy realized how bad things really were for him back home. Troy's heart sunk down into his stomach as thought back to those bandages the stallion used to wear, and how close he was to death in the ICU. His beak struggled not to quiver, but his eyes were already welling from thought of how long Canvas was dealing with all this.

Why he was so hesitant to talk about what happened.

Why he never talked about who hurt him.

Why he acted so distant when he mentioned his father.

Why he ran away for such a long distance.

Why he pushed himself so far.

As he stood before Canvas, Troy tried his hardest to break though his stunned state in order to get through to his terrified friend.

“... Ca… Canvas..."

Canvas didn't move an inch, and remained perilously frozen when Troy started to step in.

"Canvas?"

Again, Canvas didn’t budge or give any response to the gryphon. Troy winced worriedly before grabbing Canvas by the shoulders, and tried to shake the shock out of him. Canvas yelped out with a panicked cry, but Troy was looking just as frantic as he shouted,
"CANVAS, PLEASE! SAY SOMETHING!!"

Canvas finally blinked, and his pupils grew fuller as he looked up at Troy. He started breathing rapidly, and Canvas' bulging eyes began to well up. Troy wasn’t able to say anything else, and could only watch as tears started pouring down the artist’s face. Canvas began to whimper, and his muzzle scrunched in as his distress finally went past the point of no return. In less than a few seconds, Canvas' expression went from a state of shock to pure, tearful anguish.

Troy couldn't hold back as he pulled Canvas to his chest, and hugged him as tightly as he possibly could. Canvas began to sob loudly into his chest, and wrapped his hooves tightly around the gryphon’s back. Troy felt a growing sense of dread, but it wasn’t overwhelming enough to keep hugging the pony with all his might. Of all the theories he had about what happened to Canvas, Troy would've never thought it was something this mortifying.

No matter how badly he wanted to ignore it, the realization still clung to his mind as the terrible truth that Canvas was carrying for so long. He wasn't hurt by some random bully or some unknown drunk. In fact, Canvas wasn't hurt by some stranger at all.

He was hurt by his own father.

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.

Also as a quick sidenote, the next chapter is going to be a flashback scene with strong themes of violence, domestic disputes and family trauma. Because of this, Reader Discretion is advised.