Even though Canvas and Troy originally planned to head straight to their cabin on the train to make up for lost time, Lyra pretty much pushed them into her and Bon-Bon's cabin, acting like a giddy school-filly as she demanded every single detail of their encounter. While her overexcited insistence made them both a bit uncomfortable, the two eventually relaxed as they talked with Lyra and Bon-Bon about how they ended up together.

As Troy recounted his discussion with Rainbow Dash, Bon-Bon took a mental note to make the Pegasus a ton of free candy for her help. By the time the story reached to how they kissed for the first time in their room, Canvas couldn't keep his subtlety in check as he began nuzzling the Gryphon's shoulder. Realizing the two were probably going to make out right then and there by the way Troy was nuzzling him back, the two blushing mares let them get back to their car, which the new couple did instantly once they were gone.

Since their ride back to Ponyville took a different route than the one to Canterlot, their train was able to arrive at the station before nightfall that day. As the train began to slow its descent to the Ponyville Station, Bon-Bon decided to check on the new couple and make sure they were ready.

Sliding her door open, the mare trotted over to Canvas and Troy's door, knocking a few times as the train vibrated some more. After several seconds of silence, Bon-Bon heard the sound of things moving around behind the closed blinds before the door slightly opened, as Troy's head popped out with his feathers ruffled beyond recognition. As the Gryphon stood unaware of how he was looking, Bon-Bon struggled not to giggle as she held a hoof to her mouth, waiting to compose herself a little before she spoke to him.

"Oh! Umm… guys, we're almost in Ponyville. You… you may need to freshen up."

With that, Bon-Bon trotted back to her cabin, laughing while Troy glanced at her with confusion. Closing the door behind him, the Gryphon looked back to his new coltfriend, whose shortened mane was now very mussed from their impromptu make-out session. Seeing how they both looked, Canvas and Troy struggled not to laugh as they looked away from each other, blushing heavily as both of them tried to think of what to say.

Finding the words first, Canvas looked back at his boyfriend with a cheeky smile on his face, still fighting the urge to giggle as he saw how messy Troy's feathers looked. “You… you look really cute."

Seeing how much the stallion was blushing, Troy's feathers ruffled out even more from embarrassment, causing Canvas to look down to the ground as he laughed out loud. Not caring about how either of them looked, Troy moved his head forward, nuzzling Canvas's face as his feathers brushed against the aqua fur. Before he could do anything more, both of them felt the train begin to slow down even more as the station came into view. Looking up to the Gryphon with a smile, Canvas gave him another kiss on the beak before grabbing his art bag, throwing it over his shoulder before he felt the train come to a complete stop.

After taking a moment to smooth out their fur and feathers, Canvas and Troy stepped off the train side-by-side. The Gryphon draped his wing over the pony to keep him closer. As the two walked out of the station, Canvas almost looked inseparable from the cheerful Gryphon, neither of them noticing a particular cyan mare shoot past above them.

Noticing Troy, Rainbow Dash shot her wings out to slow herself down, turning around midair as she saw Canvas beside him. Seeing how close they were as a new couple, a huge grin came up on the Pegasus's face as she saw that her friend hadn’t chickened out.

"Yo, Troy!" shouted the mare as she flew down to the ground in front of them, smirking as she glanced at the two. "So, how did it go? I'm guessing things went well?"

Blushing a little, Troy's wing pulled in his coltfriend closer as he looked down to him, smiling before he replied to the mare, "Yeah, it couldn't have gone better."

Keeping his smile on his beak, Troy looked back to Rainbow as he spoke with the utmost sincerity. "Thank you, Dash. I mean it. You really helped me out big time."

“Hey, it's cool. Don't sweat it, dude." As Rainbow Dash saw how happy the two really looked, the Pegasus smiled before she turned her attention to Troy. "Say Troy, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, what?"

The mare's eyes narrowed as she spoke, asking her question in a strangely curious tone. "When you got back to the hotel room and got together, what time did it happen?"

"Huh?" Troy asked with a confused look on his face, "What do you mean?"

"Would you say it happened after midnight?" By this point, the mare was looking rather insistent at knowing a detail like that, confusing the Gryphon even more as he looked down to his equally-confused boyfriend.

"I… uh… I… guess so… right?"

Even though Canvas wasn't sure why Rainbow Dash wanted to know, the stallion nodded in agreement as he said, "Yeah, I… I think it was after midnight."

"So it technically happened on a Sunday?" With that question, Rainbow's eyes were now open wider in anticipation as she waited for their answer.

"Um… yeah", said Troy as he blinked a few times in confusion, "I guess it was on a Sunday. Why are you so intereste--"

"YES!!" Rainbow Dash flew up above them, hovering in the air as she did a little victory dance.

Noticing how the two were looking at her with confusion, Rainbow Dash quickly recomposed herself with an embarrassed grin before landing in front of them again. "Sorry about that,” she said as she smoothed out her wings, looking away from them as a slight blush came up on her face. "It's just that… I… may have won a wager with some ponies."

”I knew it!" shouted Troy as he pointed a talon at her. "I knew you would make a bet about us! I even said that back at the pond!"

"Technically,” said the mare with a more insistent tone as she began to correct him, "you thought it was with Applejack for twenty bits. And… it was actually fifty."

Troy groaned and rubbed a talon to his temple, closing his eyes as he heard his boss go on.

"And while Applejack was in on the bet, a few other ponies got in on it, too."

"Other ponies?" asked Canvas, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well…” While she wasn't expecting to bring up this to the two, she knew there really wasn't a way out of this as she kept going, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked away from them. "There's been a betting pool going on for which day you two would finally hook up. Applejack had fifty on it happening on a Saturday, and… I was the only one who had money going on a Sunday."

"Wait, the only one?" said the Gryphon in a more aggravated tone. "How many ponies were in on this?"

"Um…” Rainbow Dash started poking the air in front of her with a hoof, thinking about it as she counted in her head. Unsure, Rainbow cocked an eyebrow as she spoke in a hesitant tone. "Twenty… twenty-seven, I think?"

Canvas and Troy's jaws both dropped, both absolutely flabbergasted that something like this was going on. Not wanting his building anger to overtake him, Troy kept his eyes closed as he raised his talon to her, trying to keep his voice calm as he confirmed what she said.

"Twenty… seven?!"

Oblivious to their surprise, the mare kept going as she kept a cheerful, yet obvious tone. "Well, I think a few more may have joined in before you two went to Canterlot. I mean, it was pretty obvious that it was going to happen sometime! It started off as a bet with some of the other crew members, but then Applejack and Rarity wanted in on it, and then the Cakes, and before I knew it, I had to hire Spike to manage everything!"

Canvas only blinked a few times with his mouth still open, looking absolutely stunned as he spoke up. "Let me get this straight… You're telling me that there's been a major gambling ring going on regarding when Troy and I would end up together?!"

"Yeah." After answering Canvas's question rather quickly, like it was common knowledge, Rainbow Dash grinned widely as she looked at the two of them, before she spoke again in a gleeful tone.

"And I won a looooooot of money!"

Before Troy could reach out and strangle the mare, Rainbow Dash flew off in an instant, laughing as she went back into town to announce the success. As the Gryphon considered chasing after her, his anger subsided as soon as he felt Canvas nuzzle his chest. Breathing in and out a few times, Troy finally calmed himself down enough before he knelt down to the stallion, nuzzling him back as a smile came back on his beak.

"Don't worry about it,” said Canvas as he looked up to his boyfriend with a smile. "At least you got an awesome coltfriend out of it!"

Troy giggled a little before he used a claw to pull Canvas in, holding him close as he said in a more loving tone, "Yeah, I guess I can’t beat that."

As the two bent in and kissed once more outside the station, their moment was interrupted by the audible click of a megaphone being turned on. Rainbow Dash's voice boomed out from within the town.

"THEY DID IT! THEY KISSED ON SUNDAY!"

A large mass of groans could be heard after Rainbow's announcement, causing the aqua pony to blush a little as Troy's look of anger came back. Before the Gryphon could seriously contemplate going after the mare again, Troy heard Canvas sigh before they looked back to each other. Keeping a small smile on his muzzle, Canvas put a hoof to Troy's shoulder to calm him down again.

"C'mon, let's just get back to my place."

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After the sixth pony came up to them to confirm the day they kissed as they walked through town, Troy decided to just pick up his new love and fly them both to Canvas's home. Even though he wanted to get some things from Ponyville before heading home, Canvas didn't care as soon as he felt Troy's forelegs wrap around his body, giving the pony the same state of euphoria he felt the first time he was flown to his house.

As the wind flowed through his aqua fur against the sunset ahead of them, Canvas kept his eyes closed, savoring the amazing feeling of flight while Troy kept him to his chest. While the pony smiled in appreciation of this moment, Troy flew in silence, trying to stay composed while he looked ahead, still a bit upset.

While Troy also loved the feeling of flight while holding Canvas in his forelegs, his mind kept racing with random thoughts by the time he reached the barn. Landing on the ground by his door, the Gryphon still held on to Canvas, standing over him as he hugged the pony while trying to ease his mind. Even though Canvas didn’t want to let him go, he could still tell something was wrong as he looked up to Troy. With a worried look on his face, Canvas slowly let go as he kept his eyes on Troy, putting a hoof to his feathered shoulder before speaking.

"Troy? Troy, what's wrong?"

Realizing he may have upset his new boyfriend with how sullen he was looking right now, Troy sighed before he looked away, unsure of how to put it.

"I… I dunno."

Canvas brought his face closer to him as his other hoof went around Troy's back. He was now holding onto him, standing on his hindlegs as he kept a concerned gaze on the Gryphon. Before Troy could talk, Canvas gave him a light kiss on the cheek and gently hugged him, letting his warmth ease the Gryphon's tensions before he spoke to him.

"Troy, is it about what Rainbow Dash said? Because that doesn’t bother me at all."

"I know, it's just…” As Troy sighed again, he lifted a foreleg to hug Canvas back, holding him close to his chest as he felt his warmth against his feathers. Even though it was almost indescribable how amazing it felt to hold him like this, Troy still felt a large wave of unease. Taking a deep breath, Troy held onto his coltfriend before he said, "It just… it just makes me feel like a huge idiot for taking so long."

Canvas quickly let go of his boyfriend, keeping his eyes on him as he looked with worry. "Troy,” said the pony with a concerned tone, "please don’t say that! I told you, I don't have any regrets about the time we've spent together as friends, and you shouldn't feel bad about it. Why are you still upset?"

"I dunno,” said Troy as he looked away with a slightly annoyed look on his face, "maybe the fact that half the town knew I loved you before I did? That everypony knew I was gay before I realized it myself?"

Hearing his words, Canvas hugged Troy once more as he softly kissed his neck. While he was glad to finally have his friend like this, Canvas could understand how the Gryphon was feeling. Remembering how hard it was for him to come to terms with his own sexuality, the stallion kept his gentle hug on Troy, letting his caring warmth give his boyfriend the support he needed

"Troy, I know this is a big thing to adjust to. I've been there before, and I know how scary it can be. You should be grateful that you have friends who love you no matter what, and that you have someone who you can truly feel happy with. Because that's all that matters."

Even though he was still upset about the big wager, Troy felt a small smile grow on his beak as he realized Canvas was right. Considering how most of the ponies reacted to them as a new couple, Troy was grateful he was being given support for a change this big in his life. As he held Canvas closer, Troy bent his head down and used his beak to give a light peck to his chestnut mane, nuzzling it before he spoke again.

"Canvas, finding you was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I really do love you. I just… I just feel like I was taking too long to see it."

"It's alright,” said Canvas as he looked up to the Gryphon. "You're not the only one. Troy, I didn’t realize that I was in love with you until the gallery. For the longest time, I tried to convince myself that you were just a really good friend to me, because… because I didn’t want to hurt myself for falling for someone who… who might not love me back."

The stallion slowly brought his head up to Troy's, keeping his eyes locked on the golden orbs shining in front of him as he continued,"But falling in love with you, and letting you into my heart, was one of the best things I could've ever done."

With that, Canvas gave a tender kiss to Troy's beak, feeling the Gryphon open it before he kissed deeper. With the warmth and taste of the stallion flooding his mind once more, all of Troy's worries vanished as he kissed Canvas back, wanting nothing more than to keep him like this for as long as he could. Thinking back to all the memories the two shared, Troy knew that Canvas was right: even though it took a while to see the light, to finally bask in the warmth of it was totally worth it.

Slowly, Canvas pulled his head back before looking at Troy, keeping a small smile on his muzzle as he spoke once more. "Besides, I think we've been catching up pretty quick, don’t you think?"

As he saw Canvas smirk at him, Troy grinned back and pulled the stallion closer, looking back at Canvas's home before turning his attention back to him.

"You got a point,” said Troy as his voice began to get more sultry. "And my first play rehearsal isn’t until Tuesday. I don't have anything to do tomorrow, so we could certainly use that time to our advantage."

"We certainly could,” said Canvas with a growing grin as he inched closer to the Gryphon. "We don't have to rush into anything huge right now, but we can certainly do a lot tonight and tomorrow for sure."

Troy's smile grew more seductive as he eyed his boyfriend, keeping his face a few inches from his as he spoke.

"So… what do you think?"

"Well…” Canvas looked down to the ground for a second in contemplation. "We both have some big things to do for the next month or two, what with you and the play and me with Celestia's painting. Because of that, it might be best if we wait a little before we do anything, well… big…”

"Oh,” said Troy as his grin lessened a little, realizing what the stallion was saying. "You mean…”

Canvas only nodded as he looked up to the Gryphon with worry.

"It's just….” The stallion tried to think of the right words. "It's just that we just became a couple, and… I think it might be best if we waited for… that… when the time is really right."

Knowing what he was getting at, Troy's kept a warm smile as he nodded in understanding. He knew that they were both going to be busy with their own things, regardless of their new relationship; even though he didn't want to keep his relationship going slow after spending so much time as just friends, Troy knew better than to rush into anything major after just one day. He wanted this relationship to work just as much as Canvas did, so he was willing to keep their relationship where it was as he looked down at the stallion.

However, Canvas kept his grin as he looked back up to Troy, looking at him sensually as he continued, "But like you said, we have all night tonight, and all day tomorrow. And we could still do a lot of making out in that amount of time…”

With his grin growing back to Cheshire levels, Troy picked Canvas up to his chest as he stood on his hindlegs, looking at him seductively as he kicked open Canvas's door. Giggling a little at being carried by his boyfriend like this, Canvas wrapped his hooves around the back of Troy's neck and kissed him on the cheek, feeling so secure as the Gryphon balanced himself on his hindlegs and walked them up the stairs to the loft.

While he never would've thought he would ever be in a relationship like this in his life, Troy didn’t care one bit as he looked at the shimmering blue that made up Canvas's eyes, smiling when he realized how extremely lucky he really was. As the two fell onto the king-sized bed and held onto each other, both of them savored the moment as they kissed once more, letting the night slip into their room while they celebrated their newfound love.

Next Chapter: Chapter Thirty-Nine: Preparations Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 30 Minutes