All across the land of Equestria, a thick blanket of white covered nearly every inch of its land with lush, powdery snow. Due to the impressive efforts of Cloudsdale’s weather teams, another successful winter was upon the nation, which included Ponyville. As the sun slowly began to rise over the silent horizon, the township laid completely still under the barely lit skies. Of course, due to what specific day it was this month, it wasn’t surprising that there weren’t any ponies up and about as the skies turned from a pitch black to a deep, robust violet.
And just outside the town limits of Ponyville, a peculiarly-painted barn was just beginning to be shown in the dim morning light. Inside of the home, the only source of light was from the kitchen, which was fortunately covered by its door to not disturb anyone outside of the space. Across from the doorway of the kitchen, and over the wall which split off the front half of the barn with the back, a space heater was humming softly as it kept the massive space warm enough for this morning.
Up the stairs which lead to the loft of the barn, a massive collection of blankets and comforters was arranged in a nest pattern around the king-sized mattress which rested on the floor. And inside of that bundle of cloth, an aqua stallion was sleeping soundly while buried underneath an especially thick, red comforter. In fact, the only part of him that wasn’t underneath his bedding was the top of his head, which exposed his chestnut brown mane that went back into the comforter to go down to his shoulders. As his eyes stayed shut in slumber, the pony laid close to the body pillow that was placed right next to him.
“...nnnnn…”
The stallion wrapped his hooves around the pillow even tighter while asleep, and his muzzle wrinkled when the action felt much softer than expected. Instead of grabbing onto the muscular, feathered surface that he was thinking about, all that he felt was silk and cotton which gave into his hooves too easily. Because of that, the pony laid silently for only another minute before his eyes slowly opened.
A heavy yawn escaped his muzzle, and the sound almost echoed inside of the bedroom. When his eyes began to adjust to the light, the stallion blinked a couple times when he realized he was holding a pillow, and not the figure who was usually in bed with him. After looking around the room in tired confusion, the pony yawned again before trying to speak.
“T… Troy?”
A voice called out from downstairs to answer him. “I’m down here, Canvas!” His tone sounded much more alert and cheerful than the stallion's, which prompted a sigh as the pony slumped back into the bedding. He made a low and lasting groan as he tried to fight the powerful urge to just fall asleep again.
“What are you doing up so early?” grumbled Canvas while his head was firmly on top of his warm pillow. “It’s not even light out!”
“Ummm… yeah it is,” called Troy from downstairs. “The sun comes up from the other side, remember?”
After thinking it over, Canvas lifted an aqua hoof to rub his eyes with a nod. “Oh yeah…” Considering how long he’s been living here, the pony was surprised that he forgot that detail; aside from the fact that he was living in this home quite longer than Troy, the fact that Canvas was an artist, an occupation known for detail, made that realization even more embarrassing. Of course, instead of reeling over it this morning, Canvas instead began to pull himself out of bed. “Well, you’re still up really early,” called the pony in a groan.
“Well, can you blame me?” asked Troy from downstairs. “You are aware what day it is, right?”
Hearing that, the pony’s ears perked up quite quickly. Even though he was still fairly tired, the stallion made a quick stretch before getting back onto his hooves and stepped onto the hardwood flooring. He made a small hiss through his teeth due to the sheer coldness of the floor as opposed to the bed, but he still moved quick enough to trot down the stairs. And despite the small bags under his eyes, Canvas still had a smile on his face.
After all, today was Hearth’s Warming Morning.
Much like almost every other pony in Equestria, the Hearth’s Warming season was one of Canvas’s favorite times of the year. Celebrating the unity of all the pony races when Equestria was formed, the holiday was one of the most sacred traditions which allowed ponies to come together in friendship and love. And considering all that has happened this year, Canvas couldn’t be happier about who he was spending this Hearth’s Warming morning with.
Unfortunately, the stallion wasn’t expecting the reaction his fiancè made when he tried to open the kitchen door. “Ooh, something smells goo--”
“N-NO!!”
Canvas only push the door open an inch before it was quickly slammed back into the frame from the other side. When the pony jolted back in surprise, he heard Troy’s voice from the other side quickly add after that outburst, “Uhhh, don’t come in! I… I kinda needed to be in here alone right now.”
Hearing his almost frantic tone of voice, Canvas huffed with a smirk and asked, “Troy… is there something you don’t want me to see in there?”
After a brief moment of silence, the kitchen door opened just enough for Troy’s head to poke through. Since he was fairly taller than the pony, the eagle-like head of the Gryphon’s was able to look down at Canvas with a slightly bashful tone. “W-well, I... “ Even though the kitchen lights were behind Troy’s head, which made his face appear much darker, Canvas was still able to see the hint of a blush appear through the Gryphon’s silver feathers. “I just… I have something in here I needed you to see later, alright?”
Understanding what Troy was trying to say, Canvas merely shrugged with a smile. “Alright then,” said the stallion in acceptance. “I won’t ask.”
Troy smiled with a grateful “Thanks” before his head moved downward through the gap of the door. Canvas lifted his head up towards the Gryphon’s, and pressed his lips against his fiancè’s beak for a quick kiss. When he pulled back, Troy added in a more relaxed tone, “Besides, I almost got breakfast ready. Just wait back in the studio by the heater, okay?”
Canvas nodded and gave the Gryphon a small nuzzle through the doorway. When he saw how much Troy’s feathers ruffled from that action, the pony giggled before trotting away to the other side of the dining room.
Because of his job as a freelance artist, as evidenced by the paint palette on his flank, Canvas’s studio took up the front half of the barn so he could work at home. And when he entered through the doorway and turned on the light, he smiled when he saw that none of his art pieces were touched or moved from their spots along the walls. However, some of the clutter was moved from the center of the room to allow the space heater to sit on the floor on top of a piece of tile. And nearby the heater, the red couch and coffee table were cleared to allow for him and Troy to sit together comfortably. Of course, what caught the stallion’s attention first was the massive wooden crate that recently came in from the Gryphon Kingdom, which was now pried open and empty.
Canvas turned his head around and spoke loud enough for Troy to hear. “Hey Troy, where’s the stuff from that crate?”
“The crate?” asked the Gryphon from the other side of the room, which was quickly followed by, “Oh, that! Yeah, I opened it while you were asleep and put the packages behind the couch. I wanted us to eat first.”
“Oh, alright.” Canvas looked back towards the couch and peered behind it, confirming what Troy just told him. Several large packages were stacked on top of one another behind the couch, all of which he could tell came from Troy’s family just a week earlier. While Canvas was surprised that such a large package was able to be shipped to Equestria from the Gryphon Kingdom as quickly as it did, he also figured that sort of thing was easier to accomplish when his future parents-in-law ran a shipping company.
By the time he rested on one end of the couch, the stallion overheard Troy’s pawsteps emerge from the kitchen, which was accompanied by the familiar smell of warm cinnamon and frosting. “Here we go!” exclaimed the Gryphon cheerfully as he entered the studio, holding a large tray of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls on one of his claws towards the table. However, when he saw how the Gryphon looked, Canvas covered his muzzle with both hooves to keep from laughing out loud.
Much like most ponies, Troy didn't really wear clothes over his unique form (except for his weather vest during work). However, on this morning, the Gryphon’s silver and grey feathers weren’t visible on his chest, nor was the dark grey fur that ran down his feline back. Instead, Troy had on a rather large, green turtleneck sweater. And when he put down the cinnamon rolls, Troy finally noticed Canvas’s expression when he looked back towards him. “What the… What is it?”
Canvas couldn’t speak for a few seconds due to how much he tried to muffle his snickering. When he finally put down his hooves, he could only giggle with a blush while looking at the Gryphon’s getup. “T-Troy… What the heck are you wearing?!”
“What? My sweater?” Troy looked down at his turtleneck with a befuddled expression. “It’s Hearth’s Warming! This is appropriate for that!”
Canvas threw his head into his hooves again to laugh some more. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” After the stallion shook his head in disbelief, he took a couple deep breaths before mustering the strength to look up at him again. “It’s just… I just wouldn’t expect you to wear something like that, that’s all…”
“Well, why not?” asked Troy with a shrug of his shoulders. “I like this sweater.”
“I’ve never seen you wear that before!”
“Because it wasn’t the right time to wear it.”
“So what? Are you actually saying that you have a sweater specifically for Hearth’s Warming?”
“No!” said Troy defensively with a hint of a scowl. “Just because my family celebrates Hearth’s Warming doesn’t mean that we go all ‘Equestrian’ like you guys do. It’s just tradition for us. Besides, this sweater is just for… cold mornings and stuff.”
“Uh-huh,” replied the stallion with a roll of his eyes. “And that totally explains why you keep refusing to wear that scarf I got you.”
Troy made a small groan and plopped on the couch beside his mate. “Oh, come on! Are you still going on about that? I told you my neck is the most insulated by my feathers.”
Canvas responded with a smirk, “Says the guy wearing a turtleneck sweater right now.”
Troy just shook his head and looked away. “Oh, whatever. Can we just eat or something?”
Canvas made a small shrug before complying. “Oh, alright then.” He looked down at the cinnamon rolls that Troy had prepared, or what he assumed were cinnamon rolls, since he couldn’t see them underneath the giant mound of cream cheese frosting that Troy doused them in. The stallion sighed with a smirk on his muzzle. “I swear, I shouldn’t have let Missus Cake show you how to make that frosting yourself.”
“Hey, come on!” Troy quickly grabbed a cinnamon roll from the tray with a claw, which was already starting to drip and run down his talons. “It’s helped me improve my baking skills, hasn’t it?”
“It has,” admitted Canvas in a reluctant tone as he reached over the side of the couch where his art bag was, and pulled out a large wad of napkins to place next to the messy breakfast treats. “But you seriously don’t need to make that much frosting.”
“Oh, don’t be so judgemental.” Troy took a huge bite from his cinnamon roll with a smile, being sure to lick as much of the frosting from his talons as he could before it could drip onto the floor. He added while his beak was stuffed with the freshly baked goodness, “It ith tha holidayth.”
Canvas sighed again in agreement. “Well, I suppose so…”
With that, the two savored each other’s company as they sat closely together on the couch. By the time Canvas finished his first cinnamon roll, Troy was already done with half of the tray. Fortunately, the Gryphon was kind enough to slow down and let Canvas get to his second and third rolls. When the stallion was finally finished, patting his full stomach in satisfaction with only a final piece of the third cinnamon roll in his hoof, Troy already finished off the rest of the tray, along with the massive amount of frosting that it was coated with.
Canvas rested against the Gryphon’s side as he licked his own hooves clean. “Okay, I take it back,” said the pony with a smile on his face. “You really can make some good cinnamon rolls.”
Troy could only chuckle as he held Canvas closer to him. “Well, I hope so. I think I lost count of how many times I’ve made those this winter.”
“Yeah,” replied Canvas with a roll of his eyes. He could remember that shortly after Troy discovered how to make cream cheese frosting himself, he tried to use it every chance he could at home. And even though the stallion was able to get Troy to limit his baking to every other day at most, cinnamon rolls seemed to be the one thing that the Gryphon was surprisingly good at cooking. Still, it was hard to complain if it meant giving Troy the chance to better himself in the kitchen without needing to break any more smoke alarms.
For a long moment, the couple laid in each other’s embrace on the couch, neither of them saying a word as they savored the space heater in front of them and the sound of snow gently coming down from outside. When the small tufts of Troy’s ears twitched, he turned his head over to where the kitchen was, realizing that he was wanting to give his big present to Canvas soon. So, after stretching his forelegs, the Gryphon leaned back to pick up some of the packages from behind the couch. “So,” began Troy while his fiancè pulled back to sit upright. “How about we open some presents?”
Canvas’s smile grew in an instant. “Well, you don’t have to tell me twice!”
Troy giggled at the pony’s enthusiasm, which sounded like he was sitting next to a colt instead of the stallion he was planning to marry. Still, the Gryphon kept his smile as he pulled out the first large package. “Okay, this first one is from Mom.”
“Ooh…” Seeing the fairly large box that Troy placed in the couch between them, Canvas’s eyes widened in anticipation. “I guess she liked those talon clippers and tea bags you got for her.”
“Hey, you also added that portrait of the family for that package we mailed them. “ Troy used one of his talons to easily slash the top tape from the package as he kept talking. “Seriously, she even wrote that Dad liked that drawing! He’s seriously the hardest guy to impress, you know.”
“Yeah, most likely,” Canvas said with a shrug. “I was kinda hoping that box of cigars would get a better reaction from him.”
“Oh, don’t sweat that,” assured the Gryphon towards him. “He’s really picky with cigars, but I thought that brand would be good too.”
When Troy finally opened the first box, Canvas’s brows rose when he saw the thick book that was included with a tag of his name. “Oh, wow!” He picked up the book in his hooves, which was titled Blending Cultures: The Best Recipes of Equestrian/Gryphon Cuisine. He opened the book to flip through the pages, and seemed quite impressed by the number of interesting recipes of both vegetarian and meat-based varieties. “This is really neat! I guess she noticed how much I was getting used to cooking meat.”
“Oh, awesome!!” Canvas’s head perked up when he heard Troy’s elated response, and saw that the Gryphon was holding a large stack of opera albums with a giant smile on his beak. “I don’t have any of these!! I can’t believe she actually did this!”
“Ooh, nice!” Seeing that all of the albums were in pristine condition, Canvas was impressed with what Troy’s Mom got for him. “Man, Angela really did her homework.”
“Yeah she did!” Still giddy, Troy put the stack of albums on the table before looking back in the box. “Is there anything else in--”
Seeing what was at the bottom, Troy’s smile immediately dropped to an irritated scowl. “Ugh… she didn’t…”
“Didn’t what?” asked Canvas when he looked inside as well. When he saw what it was that Troy was referring to, the stallion seemed uneasy as well when he pulled out the catalogue from the box. “What the… is this a…”
The catalogue, which was titled Caring Children Needing Parents, seemed like any other catalogue listing to buy various things; however, instead of furniture or random knick-knacks, this listing contained pictures of children of all different races and species, accompanied with contact info to the orphanages they were living at.
“Bucking really?!” Troy snatched the adoption catalogue from Canvas’s hooves to look at it himself in disbelief. “We’re not even married yet, and Mom is seriously wanting us to…”
Even though he was unsure how to feel about a catalogue like that even existing, Canvas nodded in agreement before shaking his head. “I know what you mean. You’d think that your parents would understand we weren’t wanting kids after explaining it the fifth time they asked us.”
“You know what their background is like,” said Troy before tossing the catalogue aside, not even wanting to look at the almost creepy listings. “It’s hard for a lot of Gryphons to accept the idea of a couple getting married without having a kid or two.”
“Yeah, but still!” Canvas leaned his head back against the backside of the couch, exhaling in a more annoyed tone. “That catalogue is a little too far, even for them. Having kids is already a pretty big commitment to make, and some company actually sells it in a booklet like they’re a decoration or something!?”
“Let’s just forget about it, alright?” Troy tried to redirect their exasperated moods to a more positive one as he rummaged behind the couch once more. He decided on the smallest package of the group, which was appropriately labeled from Jonas Clawston. “Ah, here we go. Here’s the one Dad got us.”
Canvas settled back in his seat when Troy brought out the package, which was in a large, padded envelope. After seeing Troy open it, Canvas tilted his head in confusion when he saw the folded, purple fabric that came out of it. “Umm… what’s that supposed to be?”
Troy answered his fiancè’s question by getting up from the couch to unfold the fabric, which turned to a large, three by five-foot flag. “Oh cool!” said Troy with a surprised tone when he realized what it was. He turned to show Canvas that it was a Gryphon Kingdom flag, with the image of a yellow Gryphon's claw crossed over a white lightning bolt. “Didn’t you say you were wanting to put an Equestrian flag up on top of the house?”
“Oh yeah, I did!” The stallion grew a smile of his own when he took a closer look at the flag. “Huh, that’s actually pretty neat. Now we can have both up and make this place feel more ‘International’ in a sense.”
“Yeah, exactly!” Troy began to carefully fold the flag back up, not wanting to damage it or risk getting cream cheese frosting stains on it before spring. Of course, due to his Dad's military background, the Gryphon knew how to properly fold a flag with surprising ease. Meanwhile, Canvas leaned over behind the couch to get the next gift.
“Okay, whose gift should we open next?” asked the stallion while the front half of his body was behind the couch. “One of the triplets?”
“Oh, sure!” After getting the flag folded and placed back in the envelope for safe-keeping, Troy sat back on the couch when Canvas pulled out the smallest of the three boxes, which was labeled from Blane.
“It says that it’s for both of us,” said the stallion as he sat back on the couch. Before he could try to look for something to cut the box open with, Troy made an effortless sweep across the top of the box with his talon. Canvas looked up at him and shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, thanks.”
Canvas then opened the box, seeing a very well-threaded cotton material inside. “Ooh… what’s this?”
When Canvas pulled out the dark purple fabric, which was incredibly soft to the touch, he realized that it was a high-quality bath-towel. And on the front of it, the word “His” was embroidered onto the cotton in large white lettering. Troy pulled a second, identical towel from the box, which had the exact same thing written. “Ummm…” Troy looked between the two towels for a moment and said, “I… don’t think he realized he missed the meaning for this kind of gift.”
“Well, it’s still really nice of him.” Canvas looked back inside the box before his eyes widened. “OOH! He got us bathrobes too!”
Much like the towels, there were two identical His and His bathrobes, made of the exact same material. Of course, these were in different sizes for the two. Upon closer inspection of the fabric, Troy seemed surprised that his brother sprung the Aves to get this kind of product from such a high-quality material. “Wow, I think this is Saddle Arabian cotton!” He looked back at Canvas and asked. “What the buck did you get him?!”
Canvas just kept his smile as he put the items back in the box and pushed it aside. “Oh, nothing much. I just renewed the triplets’ subscriptions to Squatter Magazine.”
Troy sat frozen for a brief moment, blinking repeatedly while the stallion went to get the second-biggest box. “Okay, this is the one from Blaze--”
“Wait a minute!” Troy raised a claw to intervene before Canvas could say anything else. “Let me get this straight… You actually bought three different subscriptions to a friggin’ fetish magazine for my brothers?!”
“Not bought. Renewed,” stated the stallion in correction. He placed the box in front of Troy to open and added, “Besides, the company had really good customer service when I sent in the checks. They even mailed me back a free Squatter t-shirt!”
Even though Canvas had a pleased smile on his face from that detail, Troy looked more disgusted than anything else. He could only say with a shake of his head. “Please never wear that in public.”
Canvas just rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on! It’s not like many ponies would know what kind of magazine it is.”
“Yeah, but still…” Not wanting to think about it much further, Troy went back to the task at hoof and opened the box from his brother Blaze. However, he looked extremely confused at first when he saw that the box had what looked to be several books inside; of course, that look quickly turned to disgust when he removed the bubble-wrap and read the title of the top book. “Oh, come on!”
Canvas peered in while Troy looked away, and covered his mouth with a hoof in surprise. On top of the stack of literature was a book simply titled The Kama Sutra: Interspecies Edition. While Troy had his head in his claws, Canvas peered at the rest of the books, all of which were basically instruction guides for more private activities. “Holy…” Canvas looked to Troy as he tried to speak optimistically. “Well… at least your brothers are accepting enough to get us something like this.”
“Ugh… but it’s creepy!” Troy looked back at the box of books and added in a more befuddled tone, “And where did he get those anyway?! The last time any of those guys were in a bookstore, they almost got arrested for arson!”
“He might be an athlete,” began Canvas while lugging the box next to the others on the table, “but he’s not a meathead or anything. He was smart enough to cover my butt for that painting Blane wrecked, remember?” He then picked up the top book curiously, deciding to flip through the pages. “And this gift shows that he has the best of intentions. Ooh! He even bookmarked the ‘Pony/Gryphon’ section for us!”
The pony closed the book and turned back to Troy to finish his point. "I'm just saying, Blaze has a good head on his shoulders."
Troy grumbled with a shake of his head, “Yeah, when he isn’t busy head-butting his brothers with it while wearing his storm-ball helmet.”
“Oh, whatever.” Canvas put down the book and looked behind the couch. When he saw how huge the box was, he turned back to his fiancè to ask, “Ummmm… can you get this one for me?”
“Sure thing.” Troy grunted a bit as he pulled up the box from Blade, which was the biggest of the three. Due to its weight, the Gryphon almost dropped it when he placed it on the couch between them. He sighed as he looked at the box for a second. “Knowing him, I have a feeling he sent us a bunch of Talon Ripper merchandise.
“Probably,” said Canvas in agreement. “I heard he gave Fluttershy a huge fan package a couple days ago.”
Hearing that, Troy chuckled with a shake of his head. “I swear, he just needs to ask her out already.”
“Agreed.” After Troy cut open the top with a talon, Canvas opened the box to look inside. “Let’s see what--WHAT THE!?”
Canvas pulled back in shock, and Troy’s beak dropped when he saw what was crammed inch-by-inch in the cardboard box. Even though there was a letter from Blade on top of all the items, it didn’t hide the fact that it looked like half an adult shop’s inventory of sex toys were inside of the box.
“Oh, for crying out loud, is he serious?!” Troy picked up the letter to read what his brother wrote, although it also provided him an excuse to not see how many buttplugs or hoofcuffs were in the package next to him. “Why couldn’t he just get us some t-shirts or something?!”
The letter was sloppily written, even though it was on a nice parchment with the logo of Talon Ripper on the top.
Deer Troy and Canvas,
If your wondering why you got so much of this stuff, my band uses a lot of leather gear from this company for our shows. So, they gave us a shitload of toys as freebies! I don’t need them (I get plenty of action without it. He he!) but I thought you two could have fun with them~ Also, thanx for the extra year of Squatter, dude! That was hella nice!
-Blade
P.S. Don’t worry, the toys were NEVER used! I wouldn’t do that to you, bro. I may have borrowed one of the hoofcuffs after a show I did. But don’t worry, I boiled them, so there clean.
P.P.S. Did Fluttershy like the fan package I got her? I wasn’t sure if the t-shirts I got her would fit.
While Troy sat in uncomfortable silence, Canvas bit his lip while inspecting the contents of the box. “Ergh… I think we might need to get a crate to put these in or something.”
“Canvas, come on, put that down!” Troy quickly pulled the box off the couch and down on the floor, making sure to push it out of sight. After getting the last package from behind the couch, Troy settled back in his seat with a heavy breath out. “Okay…” He opened the final box before handing to Canvas, and asked with a smile, “You wanna see what Lyle got you?”
“Sure!” Canvas grabbed the box and began to open it. He said while pulling the packing paper out with his hooves, “I can’t believe how lucky I was when I found that anthology of Claw-Biter for him at the comic shop. I was planning to just get him Red Sorena or something.”
“Eh, I heard that comic takes forever to update, so that was probably a good call.” Troy then added a smirk, “But I have a feeling you’re gonna like what he got you. I may have helped out a bit.”
“You did?” asked Canvas as he paused briefly to look up at him. After Troy motioned for Canvas to keep going, the stallion gasped when he pulled away the last piece of packaging that was covering what was inside. “No way!”
Over a dozen different video game cartridges were inside of the box, with a majority of them being brand-new. The pony looked through each title like he was a colt who just discovered the hidden cookie jar in the kitchen. “Oh man, look at all of these titles! The Trotting Dead games, the Khaos Kombat AND Heat Seeker games, Nightshift at Teddy’s, Back-Tail, Life is Weird, Maximum Consequence…”
As he scanned through the titles, Canvas didn’t notice Troy slowly get off of the couch. By the time the Gryphon reached one of the corners of the room, Canvas looked back at him with a giant smile while holding his box. “Can you believe this?! This is a TON of games.”
“Yeah, it is…” With his own grin growing larger on his beak, Troy pulled away a sheet that he placed in the corner earlier to reveal his first gift for Canvas. “And I figured it would go nicely with this!”
As soon as he saw what Troy had underneath the sheet, Canvas gasped with both hooves over his mouth, dropping his box on the couch. Right next to the Gryphon laid a brand new, top of the line video game system, which was custom-colored to match Canvas’s aqua coat. “So, what do you think?” asked Troy with a smirk on his beak. “I was hoping Lyle would get some good games to go along with this.”
“Oh my GOSH!!” Canvas quickly put down the box and jumped off of the couch, barreling towards Troy with an utterly elated smile on his face. When Troy got up on his hind-legs to stand upright, Canvas jumped up into the Gryphon’s chest without hesitation to give him a strong. “ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOUUUUU!!!”
Troy couldn’t help laughing in response, and hugged him back just as tightly within his claws. “Oh, it was nothing,” said the Gryphon sweetly before putting him down, “I knew you wanted one anyway.”
By the time Canvas got back onto his own hooves, his smile was accompanied by a deep blush while looking up at him. “Well… I suppose I should get my first gift for you...”
Before Troy could ask what or where it was, the stallion trotted over to the other end of the studio. He lifted one of the large finished paintings that was propped by the wall, and pulled out something that was wrapped in bright green paper. “Now, I had to pull a couple of pretty big strings with Rarity to get this made for you, but…”
Canvas handed Troy the wrapped item, which he was able to carefully remove without any major slashes or cuts from his claws. When the paper was removed, Troy’s eyes widened in surprise at the black item he was holding. “Canvas, is… is this a…”
Troy lifted it up with both claws, seeing that this was a genuine leather jacket. Not that fake imitation leather that ponies wore. Real. Leather. And on both sleeves of the jacket, two white lines went down in stunning contrast with the flawless, smooth, black texture.
The pony only nodded with a giddy smile on his face. “Yep! I knew you wanted a new jacket, so I figured I would try to get something special for you.”
“But… but this is…” Even though he was smiling exceptionally wide, Troy’s head was still shaking slightly in disbelief. “This is way too much…”
“Oh, no it’s not!” Not wanting to see the Gryphon act this humble about a gift, Canvas moved forward and gave him another hug in reassurance. “I got the material from your Mom in her last shipment, and I managed to get Rarity to help with making it. It wasn’t too much, I swear.”
“Yeah, but still…” After hugging him back, Troy let go of the stallion to look at his new jacket with a stunned expression. “I… I always wanted a jacket like this!”
“I know, Troy…” Looking between his fiancè and the jacket, Canvas waited another moment before beginning to turn giddy again. “Well, come on! Try it on!”
“Oh, right!” Troy handed the jacket back to Canvas so he could pull off his sweater (which took some slight difficulty due to the turtleneck). And when he finally got it off, Troy carefully put on the jacket while Canvas trotted away. By the time he slipped his forelegs through the sleeves, and zipped it up, Troy marveled in the fact that it was a perfect fit. Due to Rarity’s skills, it was clear that this jacket was tailored especially for him.
“Troy, look!”
Troy turned to see Canvas next to a large mirror, which gave the Gryphon his first look at himself with his leather getup. When he stepped forward to get a better look, Troy grew a sultry smirk as he posed in front of the mirror, feeling like a million bits. “Well, hello there…”
Canvas almost dropped the mirror due to giggling so hard at that reaction. Of course, when he saw how Troy looked in that jacket, he couldn’t blame him in the slightest. Even if it was actual leather, the stallion couldn’t deny that Troy looked quite alluring in it. “So…” Canvas motioned over to the couch as he asked, “You want to see what else I got you?”
Troy looked back at Canvas and gave a happy nod. “Yeah, definitely. I have a couple things too.”
“Alright.” After he handed Troy a wooden hanger for his jacket, the Gryphon went to hang it up while Canvas got his second gift from behind the painting from earlier. Even though he felt hesitant to give his fiancè this specific gift, he was hopeful that Troy would appreciate the thought put into it. Of course, what Canvas didn’t know was that the Gryphon had similar thoughts about the gift he had for him.
When the two sat back on the couch, both of them were holding small, rectangular items covered in wrapping paper. Of course, what surprised Canvas was that from the looks of it, both of their gifts were framed. Troy was the first to give Canvas his gift. “Here,” said the Gryphon in a more nervous-sounding tone. “I… hope this isn’t inappropriate or anything…”
After handing Troy his present, Canvas unwrapped his own to reveal what was inside of the wooden frame. The pony’s blue eyes widened in an instant, not expecting for Troy to make something like this.
The photo of Canvas as a colt, standing next to his Mother while holding his brand-new art bag, was copied and made into a larger size for this frame. While Canvas’s original photo of him with Blowing Winds was a basic photograph, which was slightly yellowed and smudged in places due to time, this photograph was touched up to be absolutely flawless. As it sat in the pristine frame, it looked like the photo was just taken brand new.
One of his hooves covered his mouth, and he sat in silence for a long moment with his eyes welling. While Troy sat beside him, it was clear that he worried that he overstepped a boundary with making something this personal. Fortunately, after the pony made a couple sniffs, he turned back to Troy with a trembled smile on his muzzle. “Troy, I… I can’t believe you did this…”
Despite that smile, Troy was still worried enough to ask awkwardly, “S-so… do you like it?”
It didn’t take a second before Canvas nodded with his smile widening. “D-definitely.”
The stallion lunged in to hug Troy just as tightly as before, and Troy hugged back with a relieved smile on his face. “I… also got us a couple of train tickets for this weekend,” added Troy while he hugged his fiancè. “I figured that… maybe we could go and see her for the holidays or something.”
The stallion replied with an even tighter grip around the Gryphon. Even though he was wanting to go back to Gallop Creek for a quick visit soon, he didn’t even think about getting tickets yet. And fortunately, due to the gift that Troy got for him, Canvas felt a lot more confident with what he made for the Gryphon. “A-alright,” said the pony as he pulled back from his fiancè. “Ummm… go ahead and open your gift…”
Troy nodded with a smile, and ripped off the wrapping paper from his own gift with ease. When he finally saw what Canvas made for him, the Gryphon almost felt his heart skip a beat. Inside of the large picture frame in his claws, sat an extremely well-detailed sketch of Troy smiling happily. Of course, what caught Troy’s attention was what else was in the drawing; on both sides of the Gryphon, both of Troy’s grandparents were drawn beside him, just like in the photographs that he had of them.
While Troy sat on the couch absolutely frozen, his eyes glued to the gift Canvas made for him, the stallion opened his mouth to cautiously speak up. “I… I noticed that you had a lot of photos of them, but… you didn’t really have any with them, so…”
Troy only made a tiny nod of his head, showing that he understood why Canvas made this. Without even realizing it, a couple of stray tears began to stream down the Gryphon’s cheeks. Of course, as he blinked a couple of times, letting his golden eyes clear up enough to not get clouded, a smile slowly emerged on Troy’s beak.
Seeing his reaction, Canvas grew a smile of his own as he asked, “So… do you li--UMMFF!!”
Troy nearly tackled the stallion as he threw himself into him, hurling both of them on their sides on the couch. Even though Canvas didn’t expect that strong of a reaction, he still happily returned the hug while lying on his back with Troy on top of him. It was during that moment that Canvas quickly realized he had one more gift, and he finished his hug before looking up at the Gryphon. “So, Troy… Are you ready for your last big gift?”
“Wait, really?” asked Troy in legitimate surprise, clearly figuring that the portrait was the last big one. “You seriously got one more?”
“Mmm-hmm,” nodded the pony cheerfully while still on his back. “Although, it’s more of a gift for both of us.”
Troy’s eyes widened in an instant, mostly because of the realization of one last gift that he had for Canvas. “Oh. Ummm… Well, I…” Troy looked away from the stallion briefly, trying not to look back at the kitchen so obviously. “I kinda… have one last gift for you too…” He turned back to the pony to quickly add, “F-for both of us, I mean.”
Canvas only gave a smile in response. “Well, if you want to go first, then--”
“N-no!” Troy instantly pulled himself back, surprising Canvas when the Gryphon finally got off of him. As the confused stallion pulled himself back into a seated position, Troy scratched the back of his head as he tried to explain, “I mean, I… I think that maybe… you should go first…”
Despite his fiancè’s nervousness, Canvas could tell that whatever Troy was planning must’ve been big. So, even though he figured his own gift was fairly big as well, the stallion complied and turned to the side of his couch. “Well, okay then. I know this kinda crazy, but… I may have gotten us something that’ll arrive in a couple of weeks…”
“A couple of weeks?” asked Troy confusedly. “Like… what, exactly?”
Canvas pulled out a brochure that was stashed underneath of his cushion on the couch. And with a more excited grin on his face, he handed Troy the brochure and said “I know this is a big thing to buy, but I did get a pretty good payout from Filthy Rich a while back, and he offered this at a discount for me. So…”
Troy opened the brochure guide, which looked to be for various outdoor equipment and supplies. But when he got to the last page, the Gryphon gasped when he saw what was circled with a red marker. “What the!! You… Canvas, you bought a friggin’ hot tub?!”
“Yeah I did!” answered Canvas with a giant grin plastered across his muzzle. “I figured that since the weather is gonna stay colder for a few months, that maybe this’ll be a nice addition to our home.” He leaned in a pointed a hoof at the details on the bottom of the picture. “Plus, look at the size of that thing! It would definitely give us a lot of room, don’t you think?”
“Wow, I…” Troy may have been absolutely floored, to say the least, but he was still happy enough to warm up to the idea rather quickly. “I don’t know what to say, but…” Keeping a smile on his beak, he looked back at Canvas to say, “That is an awesome gift!”
“I know!” While Canvas stayed nestled at the Gryphon’s side, Troy pulled him in with one claw while looking at the brochure with the other. While he never would’ve thought of getting a hot tub himself, Troy had to admit that the idea of having one could definitely be fun. Although, since that was Canvas’s last gift, the Gryphon’s heart began to race as he realized there was only one thing left to do.
After a deep sigh, Troy looked down at his fiancè and asked, “So… are you ready for your big gift?”
Canvas looked up at Troy and nodded. “Yeah, definitely.”
Troy gave a nod back before getting up on the couch. “Okay, umm…” His tone began to turn nervous again as he looked back at the stallion and said, “Just… just sit right there, and close your eyes, okay?”
“Alright,” replied Canvas with a smile before settling in his spot on the couch. When the pony closed his eyes, Troy took a breath and walked out of the studio. While seated, Canvas could overhear Troy’s pawsteps as he headed back to the kitchen. While he figured that the Gryphon had something hidden in there for him, Canvas honestly had no idea what it could be, especially this early in the morning.
After a long moment, his ears twitched when he heard Troy’s voice in the kitchen saying something in a calming tone, followed by him slowly stepping back into the studio. Canvas realized from the steps he heard that Troy was holding something, since he could only hear one of his claws touching the hardwood floor. And as his own heartbeat began to raise in anticipation, the stallion heard Troy’s pawsteps stop right in front of him. “O-okay… are you ready?”
“Mmm-hmm,” nodded the pony with a smile, still keeping his eyes closed.
Troy smiled back at him, and took a breath before bringing down his claw. “Okay, be careful now…”
While his eyes were shut, Canvas felt something being placed on his lap. Aside from the fact that it felt warm and somewhat soft, that wasn’t what made the stallion’s brows raise in sudden realization.
It was the fact that the gift was moving.
“Alright,” said Troy with a hopeful expression on his face. “Y-you can open your eyes.”
Canvas already had a good idea what was sitting on his lap, but nothing could’ve prepared him for what he saw when he opened his eyes. Looking down, Canvas saw a pair of beady, brown eyes looking back up at him, which were almost hidden behind the patches of black fur that went around both of them. While its muzzle was fairly white (aside from the pitch black snout), its ears and the top of its head were a deep, lush shade of brown. And despite how small it really was, there was absolutely no fear on the dog’s face when it looked up at Canvas. Instead, its snout came up and sniffed at the pony, before it started licking at Canvas’s chin.
“Gah!” The pony immediately giggled at the puppy’s tiny lick, and he held it closer to his chest before looking up at Troy. “Troy, are… are you serious?”
The Gryphon nodded with a more sure smile on his beak. “Well… yeah. I mean… it just seemed like a good match for us, you know?”
Canvas’s smile didn’t fade when he looked back down at the dog, even though he had no idea what to think at that moment. “I just… do you really think we’re ready for… a puppy?”
“Why not?” asked Troy as he bent down to be at Canvas’s level. “I mean, I know neither of us want kids, but… I don’t see any reason why we can’t have a dog.”
While Troy spoke, Canvas’s attention was solely on the puppy that was nuzzling his aqua chest. When he brought up a hoof to pet at the dog’s soft fur, the pony could feel his heart grow heavier from how he was feeling. “S-so… what kind of dog is it?”
“It’s a Saint Bernard,” answered Troy as his tone tried not to sound too shaky. “Fluttershy found the little guy in the woods all alone by the Everfree Forest. She couldn’t find any others, but… considering that it’s near the Timberwolf territories, I…”
Canvas nodded in understanding, not needing the Gryphon to say anything more. “Y-yeah, I get it…” He carefully picked the puppy up with both hooves, holding him close to his face as he felt his chest grow warmer by the second. Seeing how the little puppy was staring back at him, and beginning to pant with its little mouth open, Canvas almost felt like he was about to start tearing up. “And… what’s its name?”
“Well, I didn’t give him one yet.” Troy sat himself on the couch next to Canvas, who was still holding the puppy closely. Of course, judging by how the dog was looking, it didn’t seem like he minded the attention that this stallion was giving him. “I mean, we know he’s a male, so that’s a start. But… I was kinda wanting to wait to name him when… or... if you were okay with having him.”
Canvas turned his head back to Troy. “You… you really think that we’re… ready for a pet?”
Troy put a claw around Canvas’s back, and pulled him in closely as they sat on the couch. “I… I do, yeah…”
When Canvas looked back at the puppy in his hooves, who was still staring at him with a panting expression that almost looked like a smile, a small blush started to appear on the stallion’s face. Slowly, Canvas settled in against Troy’s side, and he pulled the dog back against his chest again. As the puppy laid soundly against the pony’s aqua fur, clearly showing that he liked him, it only took another moment of silence before Canvas opened his muzzle towards his fiancè.
“I… I do too…”
The moment that Canvas turned his head towards Troy, he felt the Gryphon make the first move, and press his beak right against the pony’s lips. Even though he was surprised for a second, Canvas quickly kissed him back, not seeming to mind the way that their puppy was looking up at them with his head tilted. When he finally pulled his muzzle back, Canvas reopened his eyes to see the Gryphon look at him with the sweetest glimmer in his golden eyes. “I love you, Canvas.”
Canvas smiled warmly and responded with an equally sincere and caring, “I love you too, Troy…”
With that, the pony settled against his fiancè soundly, and Troy did the same. Despite the fact that it was still early morning, and the sun was now shining brightly enough to give Equestria a pale blue sky, the two could only rest against one another on the couch, with their newest addition slowly settling in between both of them.
Just above the doorway of the studio, two small hoof-made dolls of the couple that they made the previous night were propped on top of the wall that separated the stallion’s studio from the living space. And even though it was probably coincidence, the doll of the aqua stallion was leaned right against the side of the silver Gryphon doll, in almost the exact same position the engaged couple were resting at that moment.
As the sunlight began to shine into the barn, not yet reaching the couch where the three were resting soundly, a beam from one of the windows illuminated right onto those two dolls, and the faint voices of Troy and Canvas could be heard as they held each other lovingly.
“... Happy Hearth’s Warming, Troy…”
“... Happy Hearth’s Warming to you, Canvas…”
The End
Author's Note
Happy Holidays, everyone! I want to thank Zyrian for proofreading, and I want to wish everyone a wonderful time this year as we prepare for the new one.
